RGS Contributors

Editor's Note:
The RGS magazine includes the work of many committed outdoor writers and photographers. They express their remarkable dedication to the sporting life in a variety of unique ways -- and their expertise and experience are available in every issue of our quarterly publication. We encourage your comments and questions about their articles.

 


JERRY ALLEN
      Jerry Allen grew up in eastern Massachusetts as the landscape changed from rural to suburban. To flee this progression, he moved to northern New Hampshire where he worked as a logger and then on to the Caribbean, where he called a sailboat home for over ten years.


      Finally, to the relief of family and friends, he settled down on the island of Martha’s Vineyard and built himself a shop. He earns a living as a cabinetmaker and boat carpenter, but whenever time permits, he escapes to northern New England to chase partridge and woodcock around with his wirehaired pointers. He can be reached at gnallen@capecod.net
 Visit: http://gnallen.blogspot.com/
 

 


NANCY ANISFIELD
      Nancy Anisfield was a commercial illustrator, a college English instructor then a corporate copywriter before discovering that she would have a good excuse for skipping out of work to hunt and train her dogs if she became an outdoor writer and photographer.

 


      Her work is used by Tri-Tronics and appears in The Versatile Hunting Dog, The Bird Hunting Report and many other publications. She is a consulting editor for The Upland Almanac as well as a field photographer for RGS. Nancy also serves as the creative entity behind her husband Terry Wilson’s company, Ugly Dog Hunting. They live in Hinesburg, Vermont, where their lives are carefully managed by her two German shorthaired pointers, his two German wirehaired pointers and a retired Chesapeake Bay retriever.
 More Information:
 To see more of Nancy’s photos, visit www.anisfieldhuntingdogphotography.com and www.uglydoghunting.com.
 


PAUL CARSON
      Paul Carson is recently retired after serving a mere 26-year stint as the editor of the Ruffed Grouse Society quarterly magazine, RGS. Between hunting and a growing list of home improvements Paul still finds time to write the last page column, Ruffly Speaking.

 


      Along with his writing and editing skills, Paul continues to contribute his photographs to RGS, which are used on a regular basis in the magazine.

      Paul’s sense of humor and keen wit are still missed around the RGS headquarter office. 
 
 




DAN DESSECKER
      Daniel R. Dessecker is the Director of Conservation Policy for the Ruffed Grouse Society. He received a B.S. in Wildlife Management from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point and a M.S. in Wildlife Management from the Pennsylvania State University. His professional interests include the historical and current roles of disturbance in forest ecology and ha has been published extensively on this and related topics.

 


      Dan is past-president of the Wisconsin Chapter of The Wildlife Society and served as Chair of the American Wildlife Conservation Partners in 2003. He was appointed in 2006 by then Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton to serve on the newly established Sporting Conservation Council. The 12-member Council is charged with providing guidance to the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior on issues related to wildlife conservation and hunting

      Dan’s favorite pastimes include hunting ruffed grouse and woodcock over his German Short-haired Pointers, deer hunting, musky fishing and golf.
 
 
 


Andy Duffy
    Andy Duffy has been shooting competitively for over 23 years, and has been on the NSCA All American Team 17 times, Team USA 20 times and was inducted into the NSCA Hall of Fame in 2005, after winning the NSCA National Championship Title three times. 
   
    Duffy is also recognized as a skilled instructor, and has been a staunch supporter of RGS for many years. He shares his expertise in both shooting shotguns and teaching others in the popular articles he contributes to RGS. You can contact Andy at www.andyduffy.com.
 
 



 



TIM FLANIGAN
  During a 30-year career in the outdoors, Tim Flanigan has captured images both beautiful and provocative with his camera. His photographs and writing have earned numerous national, regional and state awards.

 

      He is a south-central field editor for the Pennsylvania Outdoor Times, and a field photographer for the Ruffed Grouse Society. His photographs have been published in Wildfowl Carving, Upland Almanac, North American Whitetail and many other publications.

      Tim and his wife Debbie operate Nature Exposure, an outdoor writing and photography marketing enterprise in Bedford, Pennsylvania that specializes in supplying copy and photographs to outdoor publications. Nature Exposure also showcases limited editions of Tim’s art photography. In addition, his work is exhibited and sold at various art galleries, art shows and festivals.
 More Information:
 Visit: www.natureexposure.com. Contact at tim-natureexposure@comcast.net, or by phone (814) 623-7865.
 



JEFF HELSDON
            Jeff Helsdon is the RGS Canadian field editor and founding chairman of the RGS North Shore Chapter. He doesn't spend enough time pursuing grouse with his English springer spaniel Becky and Nova Scotia duck toller Simba, but then again grouse numbers are down in his part of Ontario. Jeff also enjoys deer, turkey, pheasant and waterfowl hunting. In the off-season he enjoys fishing with his family. Jeff is a field editor for Ontario Out of Doors magazine, a reporter for The Tillsonburg News and runs his own photography business.

 
 More Information:
Visit: www.helsdonphotography.com or www.ontariooutofdoors.com
 



TOM KEER
     Tom Keer is a freelance writer and avid bird hunter. Originally from Connecticut, his favorite places to hunt grouse and woodcock are in Eastern Canada and in New England. His first book, a Flyfisher’s Guide to the New England Coast, was published in 2010. He as at work on his second book, a collection of sporting essays. Keer lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts with his wife, two children, and two English setters. His freelance writing website is www.tomkeer.com.

 
 More Information:
Visit: www.tomkeer.com
 



CHIP LAUGHTON
            Chip Laughton with Days Afield Photography, LLC is an outdoor adventure photographer specializing in upland hunting, fly fishing and sporting dogs.  He lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina with his wife Kelly, two labs and a springer spaniel.  You can usually find him tangled up in some thicket chasing grouse and woodcock; up to his chest in a river shooting your back cast; or watching a retriever crawl through flooded timber to bring back that mallard.  Chip is doing what he loves best; capturing memories of your Days Afield.  
 More Information:
Visit: www.daysafieldphotography.com
 



CHRIS MATHAN
            Chris Mathan is a regular contributor to the Ruffed Grouse Society magazine, and her passion for bird dogs is evident in her work. Visit Strideaway, the online publication she co-founded and edits at www.strideaway.com. Her outdoor photography is featured on her website: www.sportsmanscabinet.com.
 More Information:
Visit: www.strideway.com and www.sportsmanscabinet.com
 



Lisa Price
    Outdoorswoman Lisa Price resides in Barnesville, Pennsylvania, with her three German shorthairs, Josey Wales, Lozen and Viv. A former newspaper reporter, Lisa has been a full-time freelance writer for 15 years, she began writing for RGS in the Winter 2009 issue. Her first book, One Woman’s Haven, was published in the same year.
 
 
 



NICK SISLEY
      Nick Sisley has been a full time freelance writer for 40 years. His articles have appeared in scores of magazines, he has written thousands of magazine features, had a syndicated newspaper column for decades and has written eight books – including three on ruffed grouse hunting.

 

      An avid shotgunner, he has shot 20,000 rounds every year for decades. He has regular shotgun columns in Sporting Clays magazine, the Skeet Shooting Review, Clay Shooting USA, Wildfowl - and now the RGS magazine. He also contributes regularly to numerous websites.

      Nick lives in Apollo, PA and you are welcome to contact him at nicksisley@hotmail.com. He will soon have his own website.
 
 
 


CHRIS SMITH
      Christopher Smith is from Interlochen, Michigan and specializes in wildlife scenes and original birddog portraits. He is the also the featured artist for the 2010 RGS centerfold series.

 

      
      Smith has illustrated over a dozen hunting and fishing books, and is a contributing artist for The Retriever Journal, Pointing Dog Journal, Shooting Sportsman, Upland Almanac, Ducks Unlimited and several others. In 2005 Smith had a painting selected as the Michigan Duck Stamp, and just recently took top honors in the 2009 Michigan Ducks Unlimited Sponsor Artist of the year contest.

      He is a graduate of Lake Superior State University in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan with a BS in Fisheries and Wildlife Management. He and his wife, Lani, have two children, Nathan and Audrey and a yellow Labrador, Libby. Chris has hunted, fished, and photographed across North America, adding hands-on experience to his education in the wildlife sciences.

 
 More Information:
 To see Chris’ work visit www.chrissmithart.com.
 




DOUG STAMM
      An aquatic biologist turned professional underwater / outdoor photographer, Doug Stamm’s photos and articles have appeared across North America since 1984. With the advent and ease of online image review, Doug’s photos are now available worldwide at stammphoto.com – an international award winning online photo library of sport fishing, natural history and classic American hunting scenes of fine guns, game and bird dogs.


      As a professional photographer and biologist, Doug has traveled with the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History to the headwaters of the Amazon River and joined Jacque Cousteau’s diving team to photograph fishes beneath winter ice in the northern Mississippi River. Doug favorite past time is upland hunting with his setters.
 More Information:
 Doug’s photos are now available worldwide at stammphoto.com.
 


BOB WEST
      Currently Director of B.E. Marketing’s Sporting Group for Nestle Purina PetCare Co. Bob entered his first field trial in 1967. Since then he has titled well over 100 dogs, among them Field Champions, Versatile Champions, AKC Masters and NAVHDA Utility.


      Along with judging several regional, national and international championships, playing a big part in training developing judges into the systems, Bob remains active in training, contesting, and judging as his schedule permits. He has been an energetic supporter of RGS for decades and continues to write his column Purely Dogs for the magazine.

 
 
 


ART WHEATON

 

      Born and raised in Maine and possessing a sheepskin from the University of Maine in Orono, Art managed to buffalo the folks at Remington Arms Co. Inc. for 40 years before retiring from Senior Management. His passions include trap shooting, bird dogs (with a bent for English setters), fly fishing for Atlantic salmon and smallmouth bass, and collecting sporting art.

 

      He is currently President of the Parker Gun Collectors Association which conveniently justifies a few Parker shotguns in the cabinet. As a registered Maine guide he guides fresh water fisherman during the summer, slips into the thickets in October, and spends the winter in North Carolina.

      Wheaton brings a lifelong interest in gunning grouse and woodcock, though it’s less important these days to bring a bird to bag. He revels in hunting with fellow members of the Old Pats Society, and believes that a fine single malt with classic country music is as good as it gets. If you have some special covers along with good maps, he welcomes your messages at art.wheaton@gmail.com
 
 
 




GARY ZIMMER
      Gary Zimmer is the Western Great Lakes Senior Regional Biologist for RGS and resides in Laona, Wisconsin. Gary joined RGS in December of 2000 after 18 years with the US Forest Service, working as a District Biologist on the Lakewood/Laona Ranger District.

 

      Gary received his BS degree in wildlife management in 1976 and received a MS degree in natural resources in 1979 from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point.

 

      An avid outdoorsman, Gary enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, outdoor photography and is a licensed migratory bird bander. Gary is a certified wildlife biologist and a former Secretary and Treasurer for the Wisconsin Chapter of the Wildlife Society. He was a member of the Coordinating Council of the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative and on the Advisory Team that developed the Wisconsin Wildlife Action Plan.

      Each fall Gary specializes in checking coverts for ruffed grouse and woodcock throughout Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin with his three Brittanys.