Sharp Shooter's Kennel

29/04/2024

31/12/2023

Today marks the anniversary of CRP. The Conservation Reserve Program (more commonly known as “CRP”) was created when President Ronald Reagan signed a Farm Bill into law on December 23, 1985. Since then, Congress has reauthorized and updated the program six times, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has enthusiastically implemented this vital initiative across tens of millions of acres nationwide, to the lasting benefit of pheasants, quail, and all those who love agriculture and the outdoors. Nearly 40 years after its creation, CRP remains one of the greatest conservation gifts we’ve ever received.

It’s a nice coincidence that December 23 is also right in the middle of a season rich with appreciative gestures and counting our blessings. Let us pause to thank our devoted chapters, volunteers, and staff, whose boots on the ground make CRP an effective habitat tool, and let’s celebrate some of the many benefits of our favorite voluntary, incentive-based private lands conservation program.

Learn more about all the benefits of CRP at the link below.
http://tinyurl.com/4ezwnjpu

19/09/2023

19/09/2023

Be sure your first aid kit is ready before you hit the field. Thank you Purina for the important reminder!

19/09/2023

Don't miss out on these great deals!

The 2023 Fall Upland Sale ends tomorrow, shop the PF Store and stock up for the season ahead.

https://bit.ly/3PGf8mc

19/09/2023

25/08/2023

24/08/2023

Pheasants Forever is proud to announce a new outdoor access initiative with the goal of enrolling 10,000 acres per year in South Dakota. The Public Access to Habitat (PATH) program will accelerate the statewide enrollment of lands in long-term conservation programs while bolstering participation in South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks’ (GFP) Walk-In Area (WIA) program. The inaugural year, fully funded at $250K through national sponsors onX Hunt and South Dakota Tourism, will open enrollment to landowners starting on September 1, 2023.

Additive to the current GFP Walk-In Area program and administered in a similar manner, PATH provides an additional sign-up incentive of up to $25 per acre, paid in advance, in return for 10 years of undisturbed habitat and access on private lands. Landowners work directly with biologists from Pheasants Forever or GFP for site evaluation and implementation, following approval from a review panel. When combined with other financial incentives (signing bonus and payment for Walk-in Access + conservation program payment), PATH enrollments pay landowners a competitive rate for a decade of habitat and access stewardship.

To learn more about the PATH Program and how to get involved head to the link below.

https://pheasantsforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Pheasants-Forever/Pheasants-Forever-Unveils-New-Hunting-Access-Program-in-South-Dakota.aspx

onX Hunt, Travel South Dakota, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks

09/05/2023

We’ve had several people reach out to us to get our opinion on the NAVHDA breeder policy poll that was sent to some people last week. We rarely take our opinions online but the NAVHDA Registry is a vital part of the organization and we are deeply committed to its ongoing success. We are sharing our thoughts in the hope that this can perhaps engage people in a civil and educated dialog.

First of all, we appreciate the Registry Committee addressing the issue and are thankful to have the ability to express an opinion on the matter. Ideally, we would have preferred having the opportunity to respond to each bullet individually instead of the policy as a whole because when taken in its entirety, we aren’t able to support it as it’s currently written. Discussions at Annual Meetings are great ways to tackle big issues like this and in the past have helped clarify information and generate successful compromises.

The NAVHDA Registry was created so that buyers and breeders would have a place to research pedigrees and tests results for dogs and breeders. The ease of use and integrity of the data are unsurpassed. Any meaningful changes to the data can impact its interpretation.

Breeders protect their kennel names with the intent that the data their breeding programs create is protected forever. It’s the entirety of generations of dogs that tell the story of a line of dogs. Even if a breeder becomes inactive for any number of reasons, it doesn’t change the need to keep their data intact, not just for them, but for those who are doing the research. When we study 10 and 12 generation pedigrees, we know what certain kennels and lines of dogs add to a litter. That would not hold true if in the future that data would come from multiple breeders whose dogs could be vastly different from each other.

While we appreciate that the committee has contemplated a review process for current breeders to sign-off or deny breeders with other breeds of dogs the use of their kennel name, it can’t address the sudden death or incapacitation of a breeder. In that situation, someone could quickly apply for the kennel name that would technically be inactive at that time. That decision would then be in the hands of the Registry Committee. The data is meant to outlive us all to tell the story of a kennel and its dogs long after we’ve passed.

Clyde E. & Marilyn Vetter