Snapshot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=a4dWTKo5u7M Valentin Gruener has formed a special relationship with this lioness who lives in Botswana, Africa. From the Huffington Post: Jonathan Hawkins, a teacher living in Seoul, South Korea, captured this video during a visit to the Modisa Wildlife Project in Botswana, according to Mikkel Legarth, co-founder of the project. * One of the co-founders of the preserve, Valentin Gruener, developed a close bond with some of the lions, including this lioness who he helped raise that gives Gruener a giant hug when she’s released from her enclosure. It’s clear to see — great friendships like this one require hugs this big.

At least you got a nice bear out of the hunt. The person who did that to your tree stand is a warped individual. It's a real shame that people like that are out there hunting.

Haven't you heard? Obama doesn't have a strategy to deal with ISIS. Get enough "good ole boys" together and we will send ISIS to meet they're paradise, and 40 virgins.

I would rather take it to the park where the women walk their dogs........ The dogs would be like " that the biggest dang cat I've ever seen"

From: The White Mountain Independent Wolf hearing was a dog and pony show sham Karen Warnick - The IndependentKaren Warnick - The Independent Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2014 5:00 am 21 comments The Aug. 11 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service public hearing on the Proposed Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the wolf expansion program was a total done deal before anyone set foot in the Hon-Dah conference center. The FWS was sued by environmental groups over the wolf expansion in what has become known as sue and settle litigation. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce published a report last May on this issue called: Sue and Settle: Regulating Behind Closed Doors. The report explains the process: “Typically, the federal government defends itself vigorously against lawsuits challenging its actions. But not always: Sometimes regulators are only too happy to face collusive lawsuits by friendly ‘foes’ that are aimed at compelling government action that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to achieve. Rather than defend these cases, regulators settle them in a phenomenon known as ‘sue and settle.’ This tactic has exploded under the Obama Administration, costing the economy tens of billions of dollars while eroding political accountability and public participation in government.” This explains why in previous public hearings over the wolf and the Environmental Protection Agency’s sudden decisions on the Haze Rule in 2011, comments against the proposals were basically ignored. In the case of the wolf expansion to most of Arizona and New Mexico, the decision has already been made — by the environmental groups that sued. “When such lawsuits were initiated, EPA does not disclose the notice of the lawsuit or its filing until a settlement agreement had been worked out with the private parties and filed with the court. As a result, court orders were entered, binding the agency to undertake a specific rulemaking within a specific and usually very short time period, notwithstanding whether the agency actually had sufficient time to perform the obligations imposed by the court order. With no public input, EPA binds itself to the demands of a private entity with special interests that may be adverse to the public interest, especially in the areas of project development and job creation. Sue and settle activities deny the public its most basic of all rights in the regulatory process: the right to weigh in on a proposed regulatory decision before agency action occurs,” the report says. These settlement agreements are done with no public or state knowledge or ability to intercede. The settlements almost always favor what the suing parties want. Though sue-and-settle litigation goes back to the Clinton Administration, the numbers have increased in the past five years. Between 2009 and 2012, 71 lawsuits were settled. Those settlements and the 100 new regulations that came out of them have cost the taxpayers of this country over $488 billion. The EPA and FWS are most often targeted but other lawsuits have been brought against the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, departments of Interior and Agriculture, Army Corps of Engineers and Department of Commerce. Guess who’s doing the suing the most? Yup, Sierra Club, Wildearth Guardians, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and several others. “By being able to sue and influence agencies to take actions on specific regulatory programs, advocacy groups use sue-and-settle to dictate the policy and budgetary agendas of an agency. Instead of agencies being able to use their discretion on how best to utilize their limited resources, they are forced to shift these resources away from critical duties in order to satisfy the narrow demands of outside groups,” notes the report. “For all of these reasons, sue and settle violates the principle that if an agency is going to write a rule, then the goal should be to develop the most effective, well-tailored regulation. Instead, rulemakings that are the product of sue and settle agreements are most often rushed, sloppy, and poorly conceived. “They usually take a great deal of time and effort to correct, when the rule could have been done right in the first place if the rulemaking process had been conducted properly. “In cases where EPA allows public comment on draft consent decrees, EPA only rarely alters the consent agreement—even after it receives adverse comments. “Sue and settle agreements cut this critical step entirely out of the process. Rather than hearing from a range of interested parties and designing the rule with a panoply of their concerns in mind, the agency essentially writes its rule to accommodate the specific demands of a single interest. Through sue and settle, advocacy groups achieve their narrow goals at the expense of sound and thoughtful public policy.” That statement above says it all. And it’s not just the EPA. None of the comments by ranchers, politicians and concerned citizens will be taken into consideration. They were just politely giving us the illusion that they were listening. They weren’t. It’s already been decided. There will be more wolves in Arizona whether we want them or not and we don’t have a say in it at all. So much for the rights of citizens and states. It seems the environmentalists and the federal government have all the rights.

Got mine about a week ago. I almost threw one away with the junk mail once. Those envelopes are small and it got mixed in with the junk mail. Fortunately I was sorting through the junk, and saw it. Hopefully it is just a mixup at G&F, and not a USPS issue where they didn't deliver it to you.? Hassle to get new tags.

I have the little gizmo that refills from the bulk tank. Use the small bottles for lanterns and heater., Everything else runs off my bulk tank via a adapter post with lantern on top, and 3 hose fittings for stove and accessories. You can squeeze more in it when frozen, or chilled down in the field.

Handsome trophies, and great pics. Perfect time of year for South Africa. I have read a handful of stories from people that have hunted with Crusader Safaris. They all had great things to say about the outfit.

And i thought they only put that kind of stuff in cans of Spam.

Nice story. My Grandmother went to her grave without ever having a drivers license. She never drove.

Good Morning Vietnam was one of my favorites

I always liked Robin Williams. He always gave me a good laugh. It can be sobering to realize that even famous celebrities are not immune to emotional issues. It's a shame he had to leave that way. Godspeed.

My rifle has a muzzle brake. Pretty hard on the ears. I have a pair of Silencio ear plugs that I carry with me, and put in if I have the time. They are filled with some sort of gel that mold nicely to the contours of the inner ear.

Nice pics as always. High Mountain wildflowers are an amazing thing. Twice I have taken the narrow gauge railroad from Durango to SIlverton . Great scenery and experience.

I want to set the record straight. This has nothing to do with Amanda's request. Awhile back I posted a topic about the Sportsman's Bill in this forum. It got 92 views and ZERO replies. 2 Individuals get in a fight over Islam, and everybody rushes to the Political forum and it gets over 1500 views, You all complain about not wanting politics involved in this forum, yet you all flock over here to read everything that gets posted. On top of that, some of you feel the need to make smartass remarks towards those of us that posted topics that were made with good intentions, even if some were in poor taste. The view from the "High horse" that some of you sit on must be nice.

Thanks for meeting me with the tent. It was nice to meet you!

Fair enough.

Yep. Your crazy! If you would have chosen 30B, I could help with some info. I know nothing about 30A.

Dustin doesn't debate. He sits in the top of his tree, and flings down Monkey poop.

I remember when you made some great Prickly pear Margarita's over at Jim's house. Good stuff!

Great pics Coach. Some very handsome trophies over the years.

Sorry about your boy. Tough thing to deal with. Kudos to you and your wife for your positive memorial efforts in remembrance, and making kids happy at the children's hospital.

Glad to hear you are getting some relief. Have you checked out the Laser Spine institute?

I haven't forgotten Brian Terry. I haven't forgotten about the actions of his employers that caused it.