Several WON contributors will also be working the convention floor, looking for new gear, great tips and techniques and interesting personalities. We won’t have to look far.

Here’s our little posse.

Tammy Ballew, aka Camo Mom, will be especially looking for new turkey hunting gear. This woman is a die-hard turkey hunting freakster!

Paige Eissinger, Associate Editor and Tekkie Chick, will be watching and learning. This woman just took to the woods a year ago in search of an elusive Eastern. You can bet she’ll be back again this spring.

Marti Davis, Gear Court reviewer and blogger (Marti Davis Afield), will be working one of her staff jobs, at Moultrie Products. Marti, also on the staff of Knight and Hale, knows how to call them in and get the job done.

Gretchen Steele, one of our contributing photographers and feature writers, and an avid waterfowler and mushroomer, will be behind the lens at the convention … and she will be joined by another of our fine contributors …

… Stacey Huston! Wyoming-based outdoor photographer and writer (and Shoot to Thrill contributor), joins us this year at her first NWTF convention! This woman can knock a squirrel out of a tree with one of her primitive bows and arrow combos, so we’re sure she’s going to be looking at the bowhunting gear.

And, we’re delighted that newcomer on the outdoor block, freelance writer Kristen Monroe, Gear Court reviewer, will be hooking up with us at the convention.

And, of course, I’ll be there. And I’m on a mission: to learn to call from a pro. Namely, Steve Hickoff, one of the best turkey writers and callers and hunters in the universe. And, I’m sure we’ll meet many others, too.

We’ll take you there, all right. Tweets, Pinterests, Blogs, Facebook posts … just you wait and see. And maybe next year, we’ll see you there, too! Look for us if you’re at the convention! We want to meet you.

Photo courtesy of Jason Baird

We know that women are definitely more interested than ever in firearms, and in particular, the acquisition of guns. CBS News, New York, recently published an article citing reasons that women want to learn to shoot and in particular, to protect themselves and their families. According to a recent Gallup poll, 23 percent of gun buyers are women — up from 13 percent in 2005. Then, CBS asks the question: “Do you own a gun or are you thinking of purchasing one? Let us know how you feel about firearms in our comments section below…”

It’s worth a read. 

Steel shooting offers a port of entry to competitive shooting that is far less daunting than practical shooting; it provides an excellent starting place for young or beginning shooters. The tournament features eight steel challenge courses of fire and requires a minimum of 195 rounds to complete each division.

Randi Rogers. Photo courtesy of Paul Erhardt

Reigning IPSC Ladies Standard World Champion, Randi Rogers took the Production Division’s Overall Championship title, as well as finishing fourth overall in the Open .22 Division and third overall and High Lady in the Open Division. Rogers competed with a G34 and a G17 Open gun both worked on by S&J Custom.

“This was by far my best finish at a Steel Challenge match,” stated Rogers. “I always have a wonderful time competing, and am very excited to have started off the season with such a high note.”

“Our shooting team continues to showcase their talents and demonstrate the diversity of the GLOCK pistols,” said Vice President of Sales and Marketing Gary Fletcher. “After her dominating finish at the World Shoot last year, Randi continues to place at or near the top of the standings in every competition she participates in. All of us at GLOCK, Inc., congratulate Team GLOCK for a fantastic start to the new season and look forward to another great shooting season.”

Randi Rogers will next compete in the USPSA Florida Open, held Feb. 17th, in Frostproof, FL. Tori Nonaka will compete at the IDPA North Carolina Iron Man, held Feb. 11th in Prospect Hill, NC.

Media Contact:
Randi Rogers | randi.rogers@glock.us | 770.432.1202
Megan Holly | mholly@leaderenterprises.com | 678.231.5462

Find out more about Pinterest.

The inaugural Youth Wildlife Conservation Experience is set for Friday, Feb. 3.

“This event is being organized as a fun field-trip for students from Explore Knowledge Academy and the Innovations International school,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “Students will arrive at the Las Vegas Convention Center at 9:00 a.m. and begin a lesson that’s seldom taught in public schools—how hunters have helped so many species go from vanishing to flourishing.”

Following a short lecture on the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, students will tour the exposition hall, enjoy the booths and attractions and hear from biologists, hunters, outfitters, conservation groups and agencies about sustainable use of wildlife resources.

“We’ll treat the students to lunch and send them back to school, hopefully with a much better understanding of how true conservation works,” said Allen.

There is no cost for the students or schools.

Funding and support for the workshop are being provided through an endowment from Larry and Brenda Potterfield of MidwayUSA.

“We continue to be amazed at the vision, commitment and generosity of the Potterfields and MidwayUSA. We’re very grateful for their partnership,” said Allen.

The RMEF convention and expo, nicknamed “Elk Camp,” is an annual public-welcome conservation fundraiser hosted in part by International Sportsmen’s Expositions. The Feb. 2-4 event includes the expo hall and hundreds of booths, seminars and other attractions, plus the 2012 RMEF/Leupold World Elk Calling Championships, all at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Full convention registrants can also enjoy banquets, auctions, entertainment and other festivities planned for the Riviera Hotel.

For more information, visit www.rmef.org.

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
RMEF is leading a conservation initiative that has protected or enhanced habitat on over 6 million acres—an area larger than Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain and Great Smoky Mountains national parks combined. RMEF also is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. RMEF members, partners and volunteers, working together as Team Elk, are making a difference all across elk country. Join us at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

About International Sportsmen’s Expositions (ISE):
Founded in 1975, ISE produces five consumer sportsman shows across the western United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada (Las Vegas) and Utah. Check dates and show special events atwww.SportsExpos.com.

Check out who won here.

Ted and Shemane Nugent are the ‘host and hostess with the most-est," winning Fan Favorite Best Host for Ted Nugent "Spirit of the Wild." Photo by Amy Brown

"Driven" with Pat Reeve and Nicole Jones takes both Best Show Open and Best Big Game honors. Photo by Amy Brown

Willie Robertson of Outdoor Channel's “Duck Commander” goes in for a big hug with host Waddell. Photo by Amy Brown

Jim Shockey's "Hunting Adventures" and Jim Shockey's "The Professionals" were awarded Best Adventure, while Best Videography also went to Jim Shockey's "The Professionals." Photo by Amy Brown

Outdoor industry veteran Jim Zumbo receives a well-deserved standing ovation in receiving the Golden Moose Honorary Lifetime Achievement award. Photo by Amy Brown

The Zac Brown Band played. Photo by Amy Brown

Meska wasn’t the only person to contribute, though. Scarves came from 45 states, Belgium, Canada, South AFrica and the United Kingdom. Rick Callahan, with the Associated Press, wrote about the effort and also featured Meska.

Check out some of the super scarves here. And wasn’t that a heart-warming scarf story?

Oh, and what would you like to see filmmakers such as White address in future projects?

The LBAA would like to welcome Legend Boats to the LBAA sponsor family.  Legend Boats of Midway, Arkansas has came aboard by agreeing to sponsor the 2012 LBAA Legend Boats Big Bass Award, and by becoming one of the LBAA premier boater contingency plans for 201.

“We are excited to have Legend Boats come on board as the sponsor of the Big Bass Award for 2012. To have a partnership with such a quality organization is both and honor and a privilege and shows the value that Legend Boats has for anglers who fish the Lady Bass Anglers Association tournament trail,” stated LBAA Co-founder Cheryl Bowden recently.

Lake Guntersville ProAm Pro Division Champion Pam Martin-Wells. Photo courtesy of Larry Morris, LBAA Media Specialist

Randy Qualls, President of Legend Boats, commented about Legend’s new partnership with the LBAA, “We couldn’t be more pleased to be involved with the LBAA.  With Kim Bain-Moore and Pam Martin-Wells, two of the nation’s top woman anglers on our team, our fit into the LBAA were natural.  We’re excited about their plans for 2012 and even more so about bringing Legend Boats to the forefront of those events with our Big Bass Award.”

Legend Boats, LTD.  6843 Hwy 126 N, Suite #1 Midway, AR  72651 1-870.481.6750 1.888.657.5051  http://legendmarine.com/

Kick`n Bass, a Glendale, Arizona based fishing scent company was one of the LBAA’s original sponsors when the ladies of the LBAA decided to set sail with their own tournament trail in 2011.  Ken Kross CFO of Kick`n BASS, has worked in the field of scent and formulations since the 1970’s commented recently.  “”2011 was a great year for us with the LBAA and I am happy we get to do this together for another year.”  Kick’n Bass® Products, Inc 16025 N 49th Ave Glendale, AZ 85306 1-800-605 BASS (2277) http://www.kicknbass.com/

“We are excited to have Ken and Kick`n Bass back with us for our 2011 season,” stated Bowden.  “They (Kick`n Bass) are a quality organization with quality products and we appreciate their commitment to the LBAA and our anglers.”

The LBAA is charging full speed ahead into its second full year of operation as the  LBAA’s 2012 schedule is indeed a “hot schedule” with tournament locations at some of the premier lakes in the USA.

The 2012 LBAA Tournament season starts out in the northeast quadrant of Texas at Lake Ray Hubbard at Garland Texas on March 22-24.  Stop number two is a return booking for the LBAA, as the tour heads back to Lake Dardanelle just outside of Russellville, Arkansas on May 17-19.  The LBAA’s mid-summer stop is July 12-14 at Kentucky Lake – South in Tennessee.  The fourth and final regular season stop is at Alabama’s Lake Neely Henry September 6-8.  The 2012 LBAA Lady B ass Classic will be held on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville on October 11-13, 2012.

Sponsors of the 2012 Lady Bass Anglers Association Tour are:

Bass Angler Magazine, Red Dirt Bait Company, Reaction Innovations, Legend Boats, Bass Kandi Baits, Integrity Insurance, Progressive Insurance, Kick `n Bass, Minn Kota, Hummingbird, Vickie’s Threadworks, Rayjus Outdoors, Castaway Graphite Rods, Save Phace, DEKA Batteries, Fish Guardian, West Kentucky LED, Arkansas Tournament Fishing (ATF), SureLife, and River Runner Baits.

The LBAA 2012 Contingency Programs are Legend Advantage Program, Boats, BoatUS Angler Weigh-to-Win, Tundra Bucks, Rayjus Wear-It-To-Win, Skeeter Real Money, Phoenix First Flight, BassCat Quest, and Triton Gold.

For more information on the LBAA contact co-founder Cheryl Bowden @ 1-214-738-7518, co-founder Secret York @ 1-270-748-9041, or media specialist Larry Morris @ 1-540-239-7902.  The LBAA has a presence on the World Wide Web, on Facebook, and at http://www.ladybassanglers.com/

Casting for Recovery is a finalist in The Pink Well Challenge, a national campaign by The Lester and Sue Smith Foundation offering $1 million in matching grants to organizations engaged in breast cancer research, prevention, treatment, and patient support throughout the U.S. As one of the 30 finalists, Casting for Recovery will receive a $45,000 matching grant from the foundation.

All finalists have created short videos about their organizations that appear at http://pinkwell.org/voting/. The public is invited to view and vote daily for Casting for Recovery’s video until May 15. The organizations whose videos receive the most votes and raise the most funds will each receive $50,000 in additional grants from The Lester and Sue Smith Foundation. The winners will be announced June 2, 2012, in a special ceremony honoring National Cancer Survivors Day.

Los Angeles-based music producer Jeff Bova enthusiastically contributed to the Casting for Recovery video by producing the soundtrack song “If I Were Brave” performed by the Four Bitchin’ Babes and featuring vocalist Megon McDonough. Bova is a Grammy Award-winning keyboardist, composer, arranger, and record producer for such mainstream artists as Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, and Herbie Hancock, among many others. In addition to his top-level music contribution to the production of their finalist video, Casting for Recovery also engaged its local community by using the budding talents of a young film student at Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, Vermont.

The Pink Well Challenge, created by Texas oilman, philanthropist, and two-time cancer survivor Lester H. Smith, is symbolized by an active pump jack in the heart of West Texas painted bright pink. Smith says it represents how he is using proceeds from his energy industry successes to “pay it forward” in supporting breast cancer research, patient care, and survivorship programs like Casting for Recovery.

About Casting for Recovery

Casting for Recovery is a leading quality-of-life organization that provides opportunities for women whose lives have been profoundly affected by breast cancer to gather in beautiful, natural settings at retreats that incorporate counseling, educational services, and the therapeutic sport of fly fishing to promote physical and mental healing. One recent participant said, “Fly fishing is a metaphor for how we will live our lives after breast cancer: stay focused and aware of what surrounds us, move slowly and with grace, and be fully present in what we are doing.”

Since 1996, CFR has served more than 5,000 breast cancer survivors, with the help of over 1,500 volunteers. In 2011, 47 retreats were held across the United States, serving women around the country. Casting for Recovery retreat programs are offered at no cost to the participants. Numerous medical and psychosocial professionals and institutions consider Casting for Recovery one of the leading programs providing support for women with breast cancer.

Casting for Recovery is supported by generous donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Its premier national sponsor is The Hartford and other national sponsors include L.L.Bean, Under Armour®, SmartWool, and Sisters on the Fly.

Casting for Recovery is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information about the Casting for Recovery program, please call: 802-362-9181 or visit www.castingforrecovery.org.