The sweeping blade angle on the new X-Treme maintains kinetic energy longer and penetrates deeper than any other blade. It also produces larger entry and exit wounds for even better blood trails. This new broadhead is uniquely designed with a single-bevel blade that improves bone- and tissue-cutting performance on even the toughest of prey.

For dependable blade containment and deployment at all times, the Rage X-Treme has been designed with the newly patented Shock Collar. This new design will ensure your blades remain in place until that ultimate moment of truth.

The new Rage X-Treme broadheads are easily recognizable by their yellow ferrule design, and were designed for use with bow draw weights in excess of 60 pounds. They will be available at retailers nationwide this spring, with an MSRP for the 3-pack of$49.99.

Rage Outdoors is headquartered in Superior, Wis. For more information on the full line of revolutionary SlipCam Rage Broadheads and the Ghost Quiver, contact Rage Outdoors, 1230 Poplar Avenue, Superior, WI 54880; call (715) 392-2860; or visit www.ragebroadheads.com.

The Hybrid combines the best of the full-featured HSS Pro Series vest and the lightweight, streamlined HSS Ultra Lite X-Treme vest to deliver the perfect balance of form and function.

Built on the patented lightweight harness system, which provides unparalleled strength and comfort when seated or standing at full draw, the Hybrid’s upper is streamlined to minimize bulk when worn over hunting clothes. The Hybrid’s lower portion features six pockets, including two fleece-lined hand-warmer pockets, two security pockets and a pair of quick-access utility pockets. Smart fabrics are used to reduce the Hybrid’s overall weight to only 3 pounds, while remaining durable and deadly quiet at any temperature.

The Hybrid is approved to the standards of Treestand Manufacturers Association.With three simple yet strong buckles to connect, the Hybrid is easy to put on, and there are no dangling straps or confusing weave-throughs. The Hybrid also features a built-in binocular/accessory strap system for convenience on stand.

The HSS Hybrid will be available at retailers this spring for $149.95.

Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Danville, Ala., Hunter Safety System is a leading designer and manufacturer of innovative deer hunting gear and hunting equipment for the serious hunter. For additional information, write to: The Hunter Safety System, 8237 Danville Road, Danville, AL 35619; call toll-free 1-877-296-3528; or visit www.huntersafetysystem.com.

– Press release

Among the 100 anglers are winners of more than 200 Bassmaster tournaments, 17 Bassmaster Classic championships and 21 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles.

The Elite field includes four-time Classic champ Rick Clunn of Missouri as well as perennial qualifier Kevin VanDam of Michigan, who also has four Classic wins (including the last two) and seven Angler of the Year titles.  The season kicks off March 15-18 with the St. Johns River Showdown in Palatka, Fla. The regular season will conclude with the crowning of the Angler of the Year at the Oneida Championship in Syracuse, N.Y., Aug. 23-26.

Invitations to compete in the Bassmaster Elite Series are earned by performance in the previous year’s Elite circuit, the three Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens divisions and the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation championship.

The field represents 26 states plus Japan. Texas has the most competitors with 15, followed by Alabama with 14 and Oklahoma with 10.

Among the rookies this season is B.A.S.S. Federation Nation champion Jamie Horton of Centerville, Ala.

2011 Bassmaster Elite Series Anglers:

The winning artwork will be used as the design of the 2013-14 Alabama Waterfowl Stamp, which is required to be purchased when hunting migratory waterfowl. Entries will be accepted from Jan. 1 – Feb. 15. The competition is open to resident Alabama artists only.

A pair of ringed-neck ducks painted by Jim Denney of Alexander City, Ala., was the winner of the 2011 Alabama Waterfowl Stamp Art Contest. The artwork adorns the 2012-13 Alabama Waterfowl Stamp.

All eligible entries will be on display Feb. 24 at the Richard Beard Building, 1445 Federal Drive in Montgomery. Following the showing, three judges from the fields of art, ornithology and wildlife conservation will select the winning waterfowl art.

“Like the federal waterfowl stamp, revenues from the sale of Alabama stamps are used to procure, establish or improve migratory waterfowl habitat,” said N. Gunter Guy Jr., Conservation Commissioner. “We encourage all Alabama artists to participate in this unique contest.”

Only original horizontal artworks depicting a species of North American migratory duck or goose will be eligible. The pintail, American wigeon, and the ringed-neck duck — depicted in the winning artwork of three previous year’s contests — are not eligible as the subject for the 2013-14 stamp. A pair of ringed-neck ducks painted by Jim Denney of Alexander City won  the 2011 contest. 

The judging criteria will emphasize uncluttered design suitable for printing as a stamp, anatomical accuracy of the illustrated species, and artistic rendering. Close attention must be given to tone and detail, since those aspects are prerequisites for printing artwork as a stamp. Wing and feather construction must be particularly well defined. Entries may be drawn or painted in any medium. Entries cannot exceed 9 by 12 inches (15 by 18 inches matted).

For contest information and entry forms visit the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources website, www.outdooralabama.com, or contact contest coordinator David Hayden, at 334-242-3469.

– ADCNR

I’m not a huge NFL fan but I keep up a little bit, and the Brees story in 2006 was a big one. Injured quarterback replaced by hotshot kid in San Diego, looking for a new team, and Miami and New Orleans are in the mix.

You can check out King’s column here and scroll down a bit to find the “Finally, just one more reason to kvetch …” section about Brees and the woeful Fins.

Here’s the short version: then-Dolphins coach Nick Saban and his crew had doubts about Brees, New Orleans offered huge money and had a new coach, and Brees went with the Saints. They won a Super Bowl. The Dolphins have turned into a mediocre puddle of beach-waste jellyfish, along with Saban leaving for Alabama (after getting all pissy that he wasn’t going anywhere).

But King is suggesting that the roles of Miami and New Orleans would be different, if not reversed, had Brees switched coastal addresses and signed with Miami.

Even if Brees had signed with Miami, who knows if Saban would have stayed or still departed for Alabama? All things the same, Brees might have become Jason Campbell and played for a chorus line of coaches in the last few years.

(Note: Saban’s hissy-fit denials were classic. He’s a superb coach, though, and at Alabama his system has resulted in a national title. He may win another one Monday night. Will be interesting to see if Penn State is waiting on the end of that game to throw a contract at him (and it wouldn’t surprise me if they do). But I don’t believe he’ll leave Tuscaloosa.)

Miami is living off its Don Shula legacy of Super Bowls and successes, but it ain’t working. Myriad reasons exist. Bottom line, though, is the Dolphins are just a mediocre team. They don’t have any significant punch and are awash in a city with so many other things to do. Miami’s population also has been up and down with the Heat, Marlins, Predators and Canes, too.

New Orleans fans love their Saints. Even during the bag-head Aints days, they showed up and supported them. Now with Brees, Jonathan Vilma on defense and Sean Payton running the show, the fans pack the Superdome and wear the black ‘n gold even more proudly than ever.

Could Brees have been the catalyst to turn around Miami like he has in New Orleans? King suggests as much, but I don’t believe so.  Thing is, we’ll never know.

Why just a starting point? Because what Roland Martin did at Santee in 1973 or Kevin VanDam did in New Orleans in 2001 or Johnny BassBuster did last summer at Lake LockOnMyBigOne doesn’t completely translate into what’s going to happen when you’re on the water.

Conditions will be different. But having an idea – that starting point – may help. If you know that VanDam was pitching a creature bait around gasline wellheads in the August heat, well, maybe you could start doing that and build from there.

That’s kind of the point of ProPatterns and its experienced pros who provide their knowledge. You can get some insight from top professional fishermen – Matt Reed, Jami Fralick, Brian Snowden, Pete Ponds, Gerald Swindle and others – through the ProPatterns.com site for a nominal fee.

Later this week the new ProPatterns “Exposed” video series featuring 21 Bassmaster Elite Series pros will make its debut. They’ll be on the water, and off, during practice and tournament days. You may see the happy big-fish smiles on the weigh-in stage but you don’t see the daylight-to-dark frustration in practice before it clicks and all comes together. That’s what “Exposed” purports to provide with its new series.

Take a look and see what you think.

Ogg the Caveman had mammoth fur blankets and ‘dactyl wings. Native Americans and western settlers used bison blankets. Today we’re fortunate enough to not have to resort to animal skins, although a beaver pelt hat or bear skin coat would be darn warm against any wintry element.

Under Armor's fitted mock turtle and crew tops are warm without the tight feeling of UA's compression apparel. (Photo: UnderArmor.com)

When Under Armor burst onto the scene a few years ago, many hunters hated it. Some still do. The earliest compression gear tops and bottoms were (and still are) tight and form-fitting. For us fat boys that’s pretty doggone unflattering. Early models of the bottoms also didn’t have a fly, meaning you had to untuck, shuck and expose more skin than you wanted to eliminate the morning coffee.

I’ve always been a big Under Armor fan, though. I believe the first time I used it, or at least in the first seriously bone-chilling hunting conditions, was during a deer hunt in Iowa about five or six years ago. When we woke up at 5 a.m. the temperatures were in single digits and wind chill was in the negative double digits.

It was so damn cold that I wore everything I had, starting with the Under Armor as my base layer, and looked like Ralphie’s gussied-up brother in A Christmas Story. Base layer, wool pants, wool sweater, bibs and a jacket. It was so cold that I sat on the ground against a tree and my body warmth melted the frosted-iced sticks and leaves around my legs and butt. When I stood up it had re-frozen to my bibs and jacket, making me look like some kind of leafy swamp creature.

But by golly, I was warm. And it all starts with the base layer. Anyone who’s ever had sweaty, cold feet from wearing cotton socks knows that to be true.

Peeling off my Under Armor compression gear probably looks like sausage expanding from a small casing. I love the UA gear and wear it religiously in cold weather, even if I’m not hunting. Sporting events or anything requiring me to be outdoors usually finds me toasty warm.

But I found a better option than the compression gear.

Under Armor’s “fitted” ColdGear mock pullover uses the same technology but in a looser-fitting garment. It’s not tight like the compression and billowy-draping loose like the summer HeatGear clothing. It’s a great layer with a warmer, softer inside feeling without the compression tightness, and comes in mock turtleneck or crewneck styles.

If you’ve tried Under Armor’s compression gear and hated it – and I know a lot of people don’t like skin-tight clothing – the fitted gear is very well worth consideration.

The 60-day season will have one split, a 6-bird daily limit and will end Jan. 29.

The Statewide Zone duck hunting seasons are Nov. 26-27 and Dec.3-Jan. 29, while the Reelfoot Zone will be Nov. 12-13 and Dec. 3-Jan. 29.

TWRA waterfowl coordinator Tim White said officials report that habitat conditions in the Prairie Pothole region of the United States and Canada are the second wettest ever seen by officials. Based on these conditions, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has offered a full season with no closed or partial seasons on any species.

The TWRA recommendations follow the maximum USFWS frameworks regarding duck bag limits. A daily bag limit of 6 ducks may include no more than: 4 mallards (no more than 2 of which may be a hen), 3 wood ducks (during the late waterfowl season only), 2 scaup, 2 pintails, 1 canvasback, and 1 black duck. The daily bag limit of merganser would be 5, only 2 which may be hooded mergansers.

Full goose seasons

Goose seasons are set as late as federal frameworks allow in order to take advantage of any migratory geese that may be available in late winter.

Season dates for Canada geese are Oct. 8-Oct. 19, Nov. 26-27, and Dec. 3-Jan. 29, 2012 in the Statewide Zone. In the Northwest Zone, the dates are Dec. 3-Feb. 12. The daily bag limit is 2 per person.

The white-fronted goose season runs statewide Dec. 3-Feb. 12. The daily bag limit is 2 per person.

Season dates and bag limits for light geese (snow, blue, Ross) are similar to last season with a shift for the calendar. The standard season will run from Nov. 25 through Feb. 12, 2012 (standard regulations apply). Federal Conservation Order provisions allow the use of electronic calls and unplugged shotguns for the Feb. 13 through March 10, 2012 portion of the season. The daily bag limit of light geese is 20 per person, per day during the conservation season.

The youth waterfowl season for youth ages 6-15 is Feb. 4-5 in the Statewide Zone  and Feb. 11-12 in the Reelfoot Zone.

TWRA Executive Director Ed Carter’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2012-13 reflects virtually zero growth from the previous year and is within the agency’s projected revenue. The commission approved the proposal following the presentation.

The TWRC will next meet Sept. 15-16 in Jackson. The location of the meeting will be announced at a later date.

– TWRA

Dave Norval, left, and Dr. John Waples (Photo Courtesy of Outdoor Life)

That’s nothing new, in all honesty. There are many organizations across the nation that promote hunting, fishing, outdoors pursuits and do it with kids in mind. Others are focused around persons with special needs, women battling cancer, children with terminal illnesses who want one last wish, and so on.

Norval and Waples aren’t unique in creating something similar. But what’s special about them and their non-profit Kids Hunting for a Cure organization is they put their hearts, souls, time and energy, along with their own money, to not only get it kick-started but also keep the engine running. It’s been a raging success.

To date, in just four years, they and the KHFAC events held annually in Tennessee have raised more than $240,000 for cancer research. Kids with terminal illnesses or from disadvantaged backgrounds are guided on organized hunts. Volunteers offer time, land and assistance with guiding, food preparation, laugher, hugs and more to help make the events a success.

“When you take them out, their eyes sparkle,” Norval said.

For those reasons, and more, Norval and Waples have been selected as the Readers Choice winners of the annual Outdoor Life 25 honors. The Outdoor Life 25 honors the 25 most influential people in hunting and fishing nationwide, and each year the magazine’s editors ask readers to choose from the nominees who they believe is most deserving by voting for a “Reader’s Choice” winner.

In announcing the honor, Outdoor Life said Norval and Waples “represent the best aspects of our sports.” Norval and Waples will forward the $1,000 honorarium to their organization.

“I’m just a poor country boy from Tennessee, so this is really special,” Norval said.

“Successful hunters love to teach,” Waples said. “Getting them to take kids out is easy—you just need an organizational base. We provide that platform.”

KHFAC raises money nationally through organized hunts, auctions and cookouts. The organization currently operates in seven states and aims to have at least 70 chapters by the end of 2011.

For more information on Kids Hunting For A Cure, visit www.kidshuntingforacure.org

Notable is that 28 positions from the Angler of the Year standings will qualify, along with every Bassmaster Elite Series winner and Bassmaster Open winner during the 2011 season. That’s right. Win a Bassmaster Open and get a Classic berth.

More emphasis will be put on the college scene, too, with the 2011 College Bass Championship winner earning a Classic berth.

The Elite Series field for 2012 also will be capped at 90 competitors. Previous fields have fluctuated between more than 100 and about 94.

Definitely will be interesting to hear what the Elite Series pros think about this.

Here’s the full press release from BASS:

BASS announced Monday a new qualifying structure for the 2012 Bassmaster Classic and Bassmaster Elite Series, expanding the Classic field to include an enhanced cross section of anglers and putting an increased emphasis on performance in single events.

While the overall number of Classic spots (36) awarded through the Elite Series will remain unchanged, in 2011 each Bassmaster Elite Series regular-season event winner will receive an automatic berth into the 2012 Classic. The Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings will still determine the majority of the Classic qualifiers as the top 28 in those rankings will also advance to the Classic.

Following the Elite format, each of the nine Open event winners will receive automatic spots in the 2012 Classic. With each pro-level event winner receiving a Classic berth, BASS has upped the cache of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens by allocating nine Classic berths, up from six, to the Series. The traditional points system used in the Opens will only determine future Elite Series qualifiers and will have no bearing on Classic berths.

The Classic field will increase to 54 — assuming all competitors are in good standing — clearing the way for a guaranteed entry for the 2011 College Bass champion. The entire qualifying structure, for both the Elites and the Classic, can be found below.

Providing a dedicated avenue for the College Bass Championship, again to be held in Little Rock, Ark., in 2011 and aired on ESPNU, will enhance the profile of college bass fishing and represent an added, youth component to the Classic. There are currently 220 colleges registered to compete to qualify for the 2011 College Championship. The qualification process for college anglers can be found at www.collegebass.com.

The defending Classic champion will automatically qualify as in years past. Additionally, six Bassmaster Federation Nation anglers will continue to qualify as well as the champion of the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series operated by American Bass Anglers. In the case of double-qualifiers, BASS will work down the Elite Series AOY list.

The 2011 Classic and Elite Series qualifying implications will remain as previously released. In 2012, the Elite Series field will encompass 90 competitors. BASS has a renewed emphasis on restricting the Elites to smaller fields, putting more focus on individual anglers and creating increased brand-building opportunities for the best anglers in the world.

As such, the 2011 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings will advance 73 anglers into the 2012 Elite Series. The top five in points standings in each of the three Opens series will also receive 2012 Elite qualifying berths, and, if any of those competitors decline, BASS will work down the Opens standings to fill the five berths. Additionally, the 2012 Bassmaster Classic champion and the 2011 Federation Nation Champion can elect to fish the Elites. All double-qualifiers will work down the Elite Series AOY standings.

As BASS previously laid out, only active Elite anglers have three exemptions — former Bassmaster Classic champions, former Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year winners and anglers with 10 or more Classic experiences — that can be applied if an angler fails to qualify through the outlined avenues.

With the revamp of the qualifying structure, the 2011 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open payout has also been revised. In addition to the Classic qualifying berth, the winner of each event will receive $10,000 and a $45,000 boat package. The total prize package — including the Classic berth — reflects the prestige of scoring an Open victory.

Each event will pay through 40th place with a more even distribution toward the lower rung. Additionally, with the allure of increased Classic berths, the potential of sustained full fields throughout each division increases.

Entry fees will be slightly upped — $1,250 per event on the professional side and $350 per event on the co-angler side — but BASS has raised the stakes for Opens anglers.

The Opens will only feature the top 12 pros and co-anglers on the final day of competition, which at each event will be held at a conveniently located Bass Pro Shops. BASS members can sign up by calling 1-877-BASS-USA.