By Mia Sheppard

Kids are like running, babbling brooks that never stop moving, the continual trickle of curiosity, flows.

From crawling to walking, to listening to her pronounce her first word, “mama” to completing a full sentence a couple years later,  “why can’t a fish breath out of water?” Reminds me of my own curiosity as a child.

Tegan learns to row.

My mom was single most of my childhood, she worked hard to give us those simple pleasures such as a piece of candy or a new pair of shoes or playing hop scotch with us after work.  She also made sure weekends where dedicated to spending time outdoors, forgetting about the dishes that needed to be done or the bills that needed paid.

At that time, youth and ignorance was bliss...

While pundits may still be arguing over how much of an economic recovery the United States has experienced since the recent recession, companies that make and sell shooting and hunting products have been fortunate to enjoy a steady stream of business. For 2014, outside of firearms, things don’t look like they are going to slow down either. According to a recent HunterSurvey.com poll, the majority of shooters and hunters expect to spend as much on shooting and hunting equipment as they did last year.

Considering accessories and shooting supplies, of those sportsmen surveyed, nearly 52 percent reported they plan to spend at least the same amount as they did last year, while 20 percent anticipate spending slightly more and almost 10 percent expect to spend “significantly more” in 2014...

Hunting Unseen – The Benefits of Hunting Blinds and Tree Stands:

Typically, tree stands and hunting blinds are desirable for archery or crossbow hunting. However, they have also become increasingly popular when hunting with a rifle. Let’s assume you have done your pre-season scouting and already picked out a good location of your game’s traffic. Perhaps near a watering hole, or a well-worn game trail. Perhaps you want a good clearing near a tree line. Think of the maximum distance you are capable of shooting. Since you will require a good vantage point, the following factors should all be considered when picking out a tree stand or hunting blind.

A Deer Blind from Redneck Blinds

Tree Stands – There are numerous designs available, so make sure you know what features you are comfortable with...

Bridget with her first duck (a Black Duck!) at Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey.

You might say my story is an unlikely one. 

I grew up in suburban Connecticut, where many of my peers’ interests centered around video games or the mall.  Yet I was always happiest exploring the neighborhood woodlot
and nearby marshes.  In college I studied biology at a liberal arts school in Massachusetts that specialized in producing future physicians.  Instead, I chose a career in wildlife conservation.  I took up hunting about six years ago, but going by demographics alone (as a young, suburban, college-educated woman from the northeast) – it’s reasonable to predict that I might have instead held some anti-hunting views.   

I confess I laughed out loud at part of Jodi Stemler’s rec...

Since the late 1930s, hunters, target shooters and the firearms industry have been the nation’s largest contributors to conservation, paying for programs that benefit America’s wildlife and all who love the outdoors.

In fact, the U.S. Department of Interior just announced that firearms and ammunition manufacturers contributed a record $760.9 million in excise taxes in 2013 through the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Program.

NSSF has created a new infographic, “How Wildlife is Thriving Because of Guns and Hunting ,” to illustrate how we as an industry and as sportsmen are the greatest contributors to wildlife conservation in America, providing nearly $9 billion over the past 76 years.

Explore more visuals like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Vis...