Safari Club International announced the appointment of John C. Daetwyler, J.D., as General Counsel. Daetwyler brings over 20 years of legal experience in nonprofit, corporate, and real estate sectors and will provide strategic legal counsel supporting SCI's mission to protect hunting freedom and promote wildlife conservation worldwide.
Ducks Unlimited's Third Term leadership summit brought together 340 college students from 108 U.S. chapters and one Canadian chapter in Memphis. Sponsored by Dive Bomb Industries, Alps Outdoorz, Alpha Gamma Rho, and Jocko Fuel, the event featured keynote speaker Devlin "Duck" Hodges and highlighted DU's record-breaking Conservation for a Continent campaign.
Luth-AR has renewed its Silver-level corporate partnership with the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF). President Randy E. Luth expressed continued support for SAF's constitutional advocacy work, while SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut praised the partnership as essential to their ongoing litigation efforts.
Canati Tripods has joined Pope and Young Club as a Gold Level Corporate Partner to support bowhunting conservation. Pope and Young Executive Director Justin Spring praised the partnership, noting that corporate support demonstrates commitment to protecting bowhunting's future.
Wildlife Forever and Major League Fishing provided 150 rods and reels to support the 38th annual Antler Down Cares Youth and Families Trout Fishing Derby on the Little Red River near Heber Springs, Arkansas. Participants 15 and younger received free rod-and-reel combos, with the winning catch being a 17-inch rainbow trout.
Safari Club International commends the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for a new rule granting Western states greater authority to manage expanding grizzly bear populations. The rule uses Section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act to provide states management tools addressing human-bear conflicts while maintaining conservation success.
Women For Gun Rights appointed Tammy Bartels as Director of Operations to support the organization's rapid national growth. Bartels, owner of RBR Training and Consulting and former Kansas State Rifle Association board member, brings decades of nonprofit leadership experience to strengthen WGR's infrastructure and advocacy efforts.
Lipsey's, one of the largest independently owned firearms distributors in the country, has renewed its Gold-level corporate partnership with the Second Amendment Foundation. The partnership supports SAF's legal efforts to protect Second Amendment rights through litigation, education, and advocacy.
Steel sculptor Debra Ann Mitchell harvested her first wild turkey with assistance from Turkeys for Tomorrow CEO Jason Lupardus, board member Stacy Boland, and TFT member Colby in South Carolina. Mitchell, founder of DAM Sculptures, has committed to donating turkey-inspired artwork to TFT Flock Dinners annually starting in 2027.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation strongly supports a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed rule providing greater state flexibility in managing grizzly bears. RMEF, alongside the Boone & Crockett Club, Property and Environment Research Center, and Wyoming Wildlife Federation, submitted public comments that helped shape the proposal, which marks a critical step toward balanced grizzly management.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a new rule for grizzly bear conservation that the Boone and Crockett Club celebrates as an innovative solution. The rule authorizes state and tribal wildlife agencies to manage grizzlies in coordination with FWS, addressing the recovery of bear populations from 136 animals in 1975 to over 1,000 in the Greater Yellowstone area today.
The Wild Sheep Foundation welcomed a new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service draft rule that recognizes grizzly bear recovery and empowers state and tribal wildlife agencies to manage bears in their jurisdictions. The rule addresses modern conservation challenges while building on decades of recovery efforts in areas like Greater Yellowstone, where grizzly populations have increased from approximately 136 bears in 1975 to more than 1,000 today.
SilencerCo, an American-made suppressor manufacturer based in Utah, has joined the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) as a Gold-level corporate partner. SilencerCo President Scott Clinger and SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut emphasized the partnership's importance as SAF pursues Supreme Court cases challenging assault weapons bans.
Pope and Young, North America's leading bowhunting conservation organization, opposes Alaska's Proposals 2 and 3, which would legalize electronic scopes and high-tech optics in archery-only hunts. Executive Director Justin Spring warns that introducing technology increases harvest rates and threatens declining hunting opportunities. The organization urges bowhunters to submit comments opposing these proposals.
Safari Club International applauds Representatives Tom Tiffany and Harriet Hageman for introducing the FEES Act to reform the Equal Access to Justice Act. The legislation aims to prevent environmental organizations from exploiting EAJA to pursue repetitive litigation while forcing taxpayers to cover legal fees, with $24.8 million awarded from 2019-2024.
Safari Club International announced the chartering of three new chapters in Texas: East Texas Chapter in Tyler, Lone Star Chapter in Dallas, and Big Country Chapter in Abilene. CEO W. Laird Hamberlin stated the expansion reflects hunters' demand for strong leadership in defending hunting rights and conservation.
Whitetails Unlimited announced its 2026-2027 Program Service Initiatives including the Deer Poster & Target initiative, Clean Optics Hunt Safely initiative, Donate a Deer Initiative, and Kids on Target shooting team program. Members attending WTU events will receive educational materials, lens cleaning cloths, and resources supporting hunting safety, conservation, and youth shooting sports engagement.
The Safari Club International Foundation Bell Family Blue Bag Program combined conservation and humanitarianism in Botswana, where Claude Howard, Antonio of Iber Hunting, and Zander Osmers Safaris conducted an ethical elephant hunt and donated the meat to feed 1,500 community members. The team also delivered supplies to a local school, demonstrating sustainable-use conservation principles.
The Dallas Safari Club Foundation is supporting Retrieving Freedom, Inc. at its Summer Expo Gala on July 25, featuring a limited-edition Henry rifle in the live auction. Retrieving Freedom trains and places service dogs for veterans with disabilities and children with autism, with partners including Boyt Harness Company, Brownell's, Federal, Hornady, and others.
The Boone and Crockett Club reached a $5 million endowment milestone for its wildlife conservation program at Clemson University, renamed the John P. Evans '75 Boone and Crockett Wildlife Conservation Program in recognition of Johnny Evans' leadership. The program supports science-based wildlife management research across the Southeast, including studies on black bears, invasive species, and predator-prey dynamics.