USA/Union Sportsman Alliance - Thursday, May 19, 2011

Feature Discounts

15% OFF

Whether attending a USA shooting event this summer or tuning up your shooting skills for fall, keep your ears (a great asset for hunting) in good working order. Pro Ears has been a leader in hearing protection and amplification since 1992. All Pro Ears electronic ear muffs are Made in the USA and feature true compression technology, extreme long term comfort, adjustable headband, high quality audiophile sound and the best warranty in the industry.

Pro Ears is proud to offer USA members a 15% discount on online purchases. Click HERE to take advantage of this offer.

10% OFF

Experience walleye fishing at its best with IBEW Local 683 member-owned Southbank Charters in the walleye capital of the world - Port Clinton, OH. Customers are afforded a smooth ride on Sharky’s Revenge, a 28-foot Baha Cruiser loaded with the latest safety and fishing equipment to ensure a safe and pleasurable experience.  Up to six people per trip.

Owner Mark Huffman is proud to offer fellow USA members a 10% discount on all charter services.  Click HERE to take advantage of this offer.

Be a Guest Star on Brotherhood Outdoors

The USA will launch a new outdoor TV series on Sportsman Channel on June 30, 2011, and we are looking for hardworking and hard playing union members like you.  APPLY TODAY!

Best Shot Photo Contest | This Week's Winner

Dave Murdock of Sheet Metal Workers Local 162 from Rancho Cordova, CA, took this Rio Grande turkey on the California coast.  After the hunt, Dave changed into a wetsuit and went abalone diving.

Visit the USA Member Photo Gallery to find out how you can win a Buck knife with your photo.

A Western backcountry elk hunt complete with wall tents and mountain savvy mules is the ultimate North American hunting adventure.  The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance and the International Union of Elevator Constructors have joined forces to give AFL-CIO affiliated Union members the opportunity to win a Nevada trophy elk hunt while raising funds for the USA’s new Boots on the Ground conservation program.

The lucky Union winner will join noted guide and outfitter Shad Leeder of Leeder Hunting for a 7-day, pack train hunt in Nevada’s Schell Creek and Snake Range areas where bulls typically score 330-350 and can exceed 400 Boone & Crockett points.  Click here for more.

Weekly trivia and prizes from PRIMOS at www.facebook.com/unionsportsmen

Contests | Last Chance to Enter USA's 2nd Annual Turkey Contest

Time is running out to enter your spring turkey in the USA's 2nd Annual Turkey Contest for a chance to win 49 prizes, including a Mossberg Turkey Thug shotgun.  We've received lots of a photos of great birds, but there are many positions still up for grabs in the Merriam, Rio Grande and Osceola categories.  The shotgun will be awared through a random drawing among all participants - so get your bird entered today!  

Click here for details.

TV | Brotherhood Outdoors to Premiere on Sportsman Channel on June 30 at 8 p.m. (ET)

Join the Brotherhood!  Tune in to Sportsman Channel on June 30 at 8 p.m. ET for the USA’s all-new TV series that takes everyday workers on extraordinary adventures - Brotherhood Outdoors.

Hosted by noted outdoorsman Tom Ackerman, Brotherhood Outdoors puts Union workers in the spotlight, showcasing their passion for the outdoors and their desire to make a difference.

The season will begin with an intense Texas whitetail hunt. Watch the USA website for details on how you could win a complete home theatre system valued at $5,000 by tuning in.  Learn more.

Click for a sneak peak of Brotherhood Outdoors.

Events | USA Events Program Will Hit the Road in Style with New Truck & Trailer

Thanks to the support of MAC, AFL-CIO Investment Trust, Buck Knives, Chevrolet, Lincoln Electric, Sportsman Channel, ULLICO, Union Insurance Group and Kelly Press, the USA events program will soon hit the road in state-of-the-art style with a brand new Chevy 3500 pick-up and tricked out 30-foot trailer that would make even a music star look twice.

The custom built and decorated trailer will  house guns, ammunition, prizes, USA merchandise and all manner of items needed to make USA shooting events a great success. And before every event, the rock-stylin’ truck and trailer will be parked in front of Union Locals for the world to see. Watch for the USA rolling your way.   

Check out the USA's Full 2011 Events Calendar.

Some of the nation’s top sportsmen’s groups applaud the administration for taking an important step last month to begin restoring Clean Water Act protections to streams and wetlands. These waters provide critical habitat to fish and wildlife, flood control, drinking water and many other benefits.

The proposed guidance issued by the administration would more clearly define which U.S. waters are subject to Clean Water Act protections. This would begin restoring longstanding protections for many of the nation’s wetlands, streams, lakes and headwaters that have been vulnerable to pollution and destruction since the SWANCC (2001) and Rapanos (2006) Supreme Court decisions. Read more.

Gear | American Made Rods & Reels
by Steve Felgenhauer 

I have a confession. I am drawn to a rack of fishing poles like a moth drawn to a flame. Most times after I examine them I’m left with the same feeling. Burned. Made in China, made in the Philippines, made in ... Well, you get the picture.

Depending on the year you were born or if you fished with hand-me-down fishing gear, like I did, perhaps you recall names like Pflueger, Shakespeare, South Bend and who could forget Zebco. Today’s gear might sound familiar using the old same name game, but that is where the similarity ends.

Has affordable American-made fishing equipment gone the route of the Dodo and the passenger pigeon?  Click here for more.