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WSF Congratulates Gray N. Thornton, DSC's 2027 Capstick Award Winner
Bozeman, Montana – The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) saluted its President and CEO, Gray N. Thornton, as the recipient of the 2027 Peter H. Capstick Hunting Heritage Award. The Award is presented annually by the Dallas Safari Club.
Named in honor of legendary author, hunter, and conservation advocate Peter Hathaway Capstick, the award celebrates individuals, organizations, or groups whose sustained contributions have significantly advanced wildlife and habitat conservation while demonstrating a long-term commitment to protecting hunting traditions for future generations. Capstick's writings and outspoken defense of ethical, science-based hunting elevated global awareness of the vital role hunters play in conservation, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire sportsmen and women worldwide.
"On behalf of the Wild Sheep Foundation's Board of Directors and our entire wild sheep family, I want to extend my sincere congratulations to Gray on receiving the prestigious 2027 Peter H. Capstick Hunting Heritage Award, said WSF Chairman Kyle Stelter. As Chairman, I have had the privilege of witnessing Gray's passion, integrity, and dedication to our mission firsthand. This recognition is richly deserved and a fitting tribute to an exceptional leader whose contributions to conservation will endure for generations."
Thornton's career spans more than three decades of leadership in wildlife conservation, sustainable use, hunting advocacy, and outdoor education, including influential roles with Safari Club International (SCI), Dallas Safari Club, and the Wild Sheep Foundation.
Thornton took over as president and CEO during the transition from the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep (FNAWS) to the Wild Sheep Foundation in 2008. Since then, the Foundation has grown exponentially in every area: membership, the Sheep Show Convention, fundraising, endowment, and funds dedicated to its purpose, "to put and keep wild sheep on the mountain." In the past ten years alone, under Thornton's leadership, the Foundation has distributed over $77 million to mission programs. WSF is now a significant force in wild sheep conservation in North America and internationally.
"I also want to recognize and thank Dallas Safari Club, a valued and trusted conservation partner of the Wild Sheep Foundation," Stelter added. "DSC has a remarkable history of championing wildlife conservation, sustainable use, and our shared hunting heritage. We deeply value our partnership, our common purpose, and the important role DSC continues to play in advancing conservation around the world. It is particularly meaningful that an organization Gray helped lead and shape is now honoring him with one of its most distinguished awards."
2027 marks the Wild Sheep Foundation's 50th Anniversary. Thorton has led the Foundation for eighteen of these years. The Award will be presented during the 2027 Dallas Safari Club Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, January 7-10.
Read the full DSC release on the Peter H. Capstick Hunting Heritage Award.
About the Wild Sheep Foundation: The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), based in Bozeman, Montana, is a leading international conservation organization dedicated to wild sheep and their habitats. Founded in 1977 by sportsmen and conservationists, WSF has invested more than $156 million in conservation efforts worldwide.
Through initiatives focused on habitat enhancement, population restoration, scientific research, education, and advocacy, WSF works to fulfill its mission to "Put and Keep Wild Sheep on the Mountain®." These efforts have helped restore North American bighorn sheep populations from historic lows of approximately 25,000 in the mid-20th century to more than 85,000 today.
WSF serves a global membership of more than 11,000 supporters and collaborates with partners across North America, Europe, and Asia to ensure a sustainable future for wild sheep. Learn more at wildsheepfoundation.org.
Montana Closes BMU 420 to Hunting of All Black Bear
BLACK BEAR MANAGEMENT UNIT: 420
By order of the Montana Fish & Wildlife Commission, the above listed hunting district shall be closed to hunting of ALL BLACK BEAR one-half hour after sunset on Friday, October 30, 2026.
Beaver Lake Project Office Announces Deer Hunt for Veterans with Disabilities
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Beaver Lake Project Office are accepting applications for a two-day alternative firearms deer hunt for veterans with service-connected disabilities.
USACE and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission are hosting the two-day hunt. It will take place Dec. 9-10, 2026, at Beaver Lake. Due to limited space, only four hunters will be selected via a random lottery and notified on Nov. 9.
To qualify, applicants must provide a Department of Defense Form 214 alongside either a Veterans Affairs Health Identification Card or a VA Summary Award Letter that describes their service connected disability. Selected hunters must obtain all permits and licenses required by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission before Dec. 8. Two deer management tags will be provided to each hunter.
Selected hunters and their assistants are required to attend a mandatory safety meeting at 9 a.m. Dec. 8, at the Beaver Lake Project Office, 2260 N 2nd st., Rogers, AR. Following the meeting, park ranger staff will lead hunters to the Rogers Gun Club shooting range to check their firearms for proper operation and accuracy. Hunters should allow time to travel from the project office to the gun club and conduct the firearms safety check.
Hunters must provide their own transportation to and from, as well as their own compliant firearm. To ensure safety, USACE and AG&F have modified the compliant firearms for this hunt to include:
Muzzleloading rifles: Must have a barrel 18 inches or longer and be .40 caliber or larger.
Straight-walled centerfire firearms: Non-semiautomatic centerfire firearms that fire a straight-walled metallic cartridge .30 caliber or larger.
Large-bore air rifles: Must be at least .40 caliber, shoot a single expandable slug, produce at least 400 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle and be charged from an external tank.
Shotguns and semiautomatic rifles are strictly prohibited.
Hunting areas and blinds will be arranged prior to the event, and all participants will be accompanied by park ranger staff or volunteers for the duration of the hunt.
Upon a hunter's request, ranger staff and volunteers will field dress and quarter harvested game for transportation.
If needed, commercial meat processing and packaging will also be provided free of charge.
Applications can be submitted online at swl.usace.army.mil/Missions/… or in person at the Beaver Lake Project Office.
For more information about the hunt or application requirements, contact the hunt coordinator at 479-636-1210.
Recreation information can be found on the Internet at swl.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at facebook.com/littlerockusace and on the USACE Little Rock water level mobile app at swl.usace.army.mil/Home/wate….
NRA Launches New NRA.org Platform and Official App to Modernize and Enhance the Member Experience
The National Rifle Association today launched its new NRA.org website and continued enhancements to the official NRA App, marking a major step and significant investment to modernize the organization and better serve members.
"This launch is a clear demonstration of our commitment to innovation and progress in defending the Second Amendment and serving our members," said Doug Hamlin, Executive Vice President and CEO of the NRA. "We've created a platform we can rapidly adapt based on member needs, streamlining critical information so members can stay informed and engaged while putting the value of an NRA membership front and center."
The updated NRA.org offers a cleaner, more intuitive hub for training and education resources, event information, legislative alerts, and membership management, with more features rolling out over time. Paired with the free NRA App (available on the Apple App Store and Google Play), members get on-the-go access to daily news and content, digital editions of American Rifleman and American Hunter, a local events and training finder, and the Member Benefits portal. The app includes a digital membership card, with Apple Wallet and compatible digital wallet integration coming soon.
The App and website make it easier to connect with local opportunities, including hundreds of Friends of NRA Dinners, more than 100,000 certified instructors offering firearm safety and education courses, competitions, and other events.
NRA membership also provides exclusive benefits now more accessible through the new platform, including discounts on firearms, optics, accessories, and ammunition; banking and financial services through partners such as PenFed Credit Union; wireless providers like Patriot Mobile; and specialized insurance and protection options for gun owners.
Members are encouraged to visit the new NRA.org, log in to explore benefits and local events, and download the free NRA App. Non-members can join or renew to unlock these advantages while supporting the nation's longest-standing civil rights organization.
About the National Rifle Association: Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America's oldest civil rights organization and the nation's leader in firearm education, training, and advocacy.
Whitetails Unlimited Grants Nearly $300,000 to Trap Shooting Organizations
Whitetails Unlimited has granted $292,815 to over 100 youth trap shooting organizations over the last fiscal year. The majority of the funds expended went to youth 4-H shooting teams as well as high school trap teams that participate in the USA Clay Target League and the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP).
Trap shooting has become one of the fastest growing high school sports in the nation. One of Whitetails Unlimited's four mission programs, the Staying on Target Program, focuses on getting more youth introduced into shooting firearms and archery. Many of the grants were used to offset the cost of ammunition and clay targets, as well as some travel-related expenses for teams that attended regional and national competitions.
Pulsar Introduces Thermion 3 LRF, the Third Generation of Its Classic-Design Thermal Riflescope
#riflescope #thermal #hunting
firearmsguide.com/index.php?…
RICHMOND, VA. – German Precision Optics (GPO USA) is proud to announce it has partnered with MWS Associates, Inc. to represent and support all GPO product lines across a 37-state territory.
MWS Associates, Inc. has extensive knowledge of the shooting sports and outdoor industries and their products, along with established retail relationships that will complement GPO's growing dealer network.
#scope #optics #guns #firearms
Fall Turkey Season Kicks Off October 31
This year, Trick-or-treating isn't the only thing to look forward to on Saturday, Oct. 31. The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) announces the fall 2026 turkey season will kick off in 20 of the state's 22 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) on Halloween.
Fall turkey hunting is closed in WMUs 5C and 5D. For the remaining WMUs, the season lengths are as follows: WMUs 1A, 2G, 3A, 4A, 4B and 4D: Oct. 31-Nov. 15; WMUs 1B, 3D, 4C and 4E: Oct. 31-Nov. 8; WMUs 2A, 2F, 3B, and 3C: Oct. 31-Nov. 15 and Nov. 25-27; WMUs 2B, 2C, 2D and 2E: Oct. 31-Nov. 20 and Nov. 25-27; and WMU 5A and 5B: Oct. 31-Nov. 3. Hunters are advised that the three-day Thanksgiving season again will run Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, only in applicable WMUs.
As a reminder, no single-projectile firearms may be used in the fall turkey seasons. Hunters may use shotguns with fine shot and archery gear only. While fall turkey hunters no longer are required to wear fluorescent orange, the PGC highly recommends the use of orange, especially while moving.
SEASON OUTLOOK
Everyone who purchases a hunting license receives one fall turkey tag, as well as one spring tag. During the fall season, any turkey can be harvested, and female turkeys typically account for more than 50 percent of the fall harvest. The length of the fall season in each WMU is dictated by the turkey population trend. Units with increasing population trends can support more fall turkey hunting opportunities.
"Last year, fall turkey hunters gained some additional hunting opportunities on Sundays that fell within the pre-approved season dates," said Game Commission Wild Turkey Biologist Reina Tyl. "For this year, seasons that typically closed on a Saturday had their closing date pushed to the following Sunday. The statewide turkey recruitment was up this year, from 2025, and all but one WMU had a recruitment ratio greater than 2.0 poults per hen, as estimated from turkey summer sighting survey reports. Fall turkey hunters, in most WMUs, may find more or larger brood-flocks compared to last season."
The annual turkey summer sighting survey was conducted during July and August and the number of turkey sightings was up slightly from last year, with 10,888 reported, compared to 10,674 in 2025. The statewide reproductive index for 2026 came in at 2.83 poults per all hens observed, which was greater than the 2025 index of 2.67. This was still below the previous five-year average of 2.94 poults per hen. At the WMU level, only one WMU had a reproductive index below 2.0 poults per hen (1.78 in WMU 4D), indicating reasonably good reproductive success in most parts of the Commonwealth.
"Participation in the annual turkey summer sighting survey is open to the public," said Tyl. "These turkey observations provide us with an important tool to monitor the health of our wild turkey population. This index of reproductive success is used in our turkey population model and helps inform fall turkey season recommendations."
Reproductive success varies annually due to many factors, particularly spring and summer rainfall, temperature, habitat conditions, predation, insect abundance, and hen condition. The condition a hen enters the reproductive season is often influenced by fall and winter food availability and weather severity.
Harvests and reporting
Successful fall turkey hunters must tag their birds according to instructions provided on the printed harvest tags supplied with their licenses, then report harvests. Mentored hunters under age 7 now receive their own fall turkey tag and no longer need to have a tag transferred to them by their mentor. The turkey must be tagged immediately after harvest and before the turkey is moved, and the tag must be securely attached to a leg until the bird is prepared for consumption or mounting.
Within ten days of harvest, turkey hunters must report harvests to the Game Commission, either by going online to pgc.pa.gov, or calling 1-800-838-4431 (toll-free), or mailing in a prepaid post card. Hunters will need their license and harvest tag in front of them when they make the call. Hunters should record the supplied confirmation number for the turkey reported.
All hunters reporting harvests are asked to identify the WMU, county, and township where the bird was taken, as well as the sex and age of the turkey.
Additionally, hunters may harvest a turkey that has been leg-banded or has a transmitter for research purposes. If so, they should follow the instructions on the band or the transmitter. Last winter, the PGC leg-banded more than 450 turkeys, (and more than 4,500 since 2020). More than 500 wild turkeys, both male and female, were fitted with backpack-style transmitters from 2022-2025 for research projects. While these turkeys are not being monitored anymore, some of these birds may still be alive and available for harvest.
Handling harvested birds
While wild turkeys are highly susceptible to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), their behavior and habitat place them at a lower risk of contracting the disease, compared to waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, and avian scavengers.
HPAI viruses can be carried by wild birds and have been found across Pennsylvania. To protect themselves, and to reduce the risk of spreading this extremely contagious disease to other birds, hunters are advised to practice the following precautions:
Use dedicated footwear, clothing, and tools that are only for handling and/or dressing harvested wild birds.
Do not handle or harvest wild birds that appear sick or are found dead.
Wear gloves when handling or dressing harvested wild birds.
Do not eat, drink, or smoke when handling or dressing harvested wild birds.
Dress harvested wild birds in the field.
Double bag any offal and feathers that will be removed from the field.
Wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer immediately after handling or dressing harvested wild birds.
Wash all tools and work surfaces with soap and water after using them, then disinfect with a 10 percent household bleach solution. Allow them to air dry or rinse after ten minutes of contact time.
Change footwear and clothing before coming in contact with any domestic poultry or pet birds.
While influenza viruses can infect humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared that currently in the United States, "Viruses circulating in birds are believed to pose a low risk to the general public."
Any sick or dead domestic birds should be reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture at 717-772-2852. Sick or dead wild birds should be reported to the Game Commission at 1-833-PGC-WILD.
