June 13, 2013 (Washington, DC) – Surrounded by the spectacular views of Oregon’s Cascade Mountains, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) was joined by members of the sportsmen’s community for an evening of camaraderie in one of the nation’s most acclaimed areas for hunting and fishing.
CSF’s “West Coast, Wine & Wildlife” reception and dinner, hosted at the Pronghorn Club & Resort in Bend, Oregon, served as an opportunity to bring the hunting and fishing community together to underscore the importance for sportsmen and women to have a voice in the halls of government.
The dinner and reception included special guest and Super Bowl winning quarterback, Drew Bledsoe. Bledsoe, a supporter of sportsmen’s traditions and owner of Doubleback, a Washington-based winery, spoke to the crowd about the importance of hunting and fishing in the western United States and offered attendees a taste of his vineyard’s signature wine.
Much like CSF’s “Wine, Wheels & Wildlife,” hosted every year at Childress Vineyards in North Carolina, the event focused on bringing together like-minded sportsmen and women from a select region of the United States to enjoy the outdoors and discuss priorities for advancing our sportsmen’s traditions.
Jeff Crane, President of CSF, welcomed guests and thanked everyone who made the special night possible. “As we work with allies on Capitol Hill, we also work outside our nation’s capitol with like-minded sportsmen and women in order to continue our mission throughout the states. I thank everyone in attendance for your commitment to our sportsmen’s traditions.”
Also in attendance were members of the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) Executive Council. The title sponsors of the event included: Lane Powell Attorneys & Counselors, Leupold & Stevens, Inc. and Yamaha. The dinner sponsors were Pyrenees Vineyards & Cellars and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. The host sponsors were Nosler Up Front, Oregon Electric Group, PAC/West and UBS.
The Diamond Level supporters included: ATK, Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Richard Childress Racing, Safari Club International, Shimano and Sports South LLC.
The auction donors included: Browning / FHN-USA, Bullseye Camera Systems, Cabela’s, CRKT, Dan Harrison – Colorado Mountain Adventures, Doubleback Winery, Filson, Hearing Industries Association, Hornady Manufacturing, Jeff Bird – Dakota Wild at ToriLil Farms, Leupold & Stevens, Mountain Khakis, Nosler, Inc., Pronghorn Club & Resort, Pure Fishing, Pyreness Vineyard & Cellars, Remington, Shimano American Corporation and Yamaha Motor Corporation.
The outdoor activities hosts included: Cabela’s, Central Oregon Sporting Dog, CRKT, Deschutes Brewery, Doubleback Winery, the Hook and Fly Shop, JCB, Leupold & Stevens and Nosler, Inc.
The event’s host committee included: Jeff Bird of Lane Powell, Rod Bremer of CRKT, Brad Franklin of Yamaha Motor Company, Jason Haggert of UBS, Tom Hornish of Outdoor Channel, Calvin Johnston of Leupold & Stevens, Paul Phillips of PAC/WEST and Owen Sweeney of UBS.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
