Squirrel Master Classic 2nd Edition

Hardly seems its been a year, but Squirrel Master Classic 2nd Edition begins later this week.

Outdoor television show hosts, members of the outdoor media and some local celebrities will be guests of GAMO USA (they make precision air rifles) and Buckmasters for this fun event. 

The outdoor TV show hosts will head up teams for the hunts and shoot segments which will appear on the outdoor networks this summer and fall. The competition is tough and demanding, but more than anything else it is some serious fun.

Imagine teams of up to 8 adult hunters heading off into the woods hunting squirrels with deadly accurate air rifles. To a man (and woman), it takes us back to our younger days when we hunted squirrels then like we do turkeys, elk and whitetails now. 

One of the most interesting aspects of last year's hunt was the world champion squirrel dogs assigned to each team. Without those dogs, we might have had a real problem finding squirrels. Not only were the dogs exciting and fun to watch, their handlers/owners were a wealth of knowledge about squirrels and how to hunt them. 

This year promises more of the same and I am eager to renew old acquaintances and make some new friends at the event.

I also am anxious to see which air rifles GAMO will have for us to shoot. I've shot many air rifles throughout the years, but never ones that were as easy to use and as accurate as the ones GAMO produces. 

Last year the weather was unseasonably warm for this time of year. This year it is just the opposite, with the temps forecast to be as low as the low-20s and the highs only in the mid-30s for the hunt. Last year we were in t-shirts. This year it looks like we'll be wearing many layers of clothing to stay warm.

Anyway you look at it, this event will be an enjoyable change to the seriousness of other competitive outdoor events. I, for one, can't wait.

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This ain't your grandfather's BB gun...

I remember the BB gun my grandfather used to let me shoot once in a while at rabbits that invaded his garden when I was 10 or 11 years old. It was a lever action gun with no safety and when you shot it you had to aim high to make sure the BB would reach its target. More often than not you could see the BB leave the barrel and fly through the air toward the target…the velocity of the BB was pretty slow.

Fast forward to last week - watching my Addicted to the Outdoors teammates consistently knock squirrels out of the tops of trees with the GAMO air rifles we had all been issued at the Squirrel Masters Classic in Alabama, brought one thought to my mind: "This ain't my grandfather's BB gun."

Indeed it wasn't.

I knew air rifles had changed - for the better - since those days shooting at rabbits in my grandfather's garden. I just didn't realize how much they had changed and how much for the better until last week.

The GAMO Whisper Fusion Pro assigned to me and most of the other hunt participants was a far cry from the BB and pellet guns of my youth - and thank goodness for that! The GAMO was quiet, very quiet. It was also very accurate much to the despair of the squirrels we bagged with the .177 caliber rifles during the hunt.

How accurate? I was able to shoot a three-shot group at 25 yards from a rest you could cover with a nickel. For me, that's pretty accurate. I saw others using the same model air rifle shoot even tighter groups. One of my fellow outdoor writers shot a three-shot group that touched!

Technically speaking, the single shot Whisper Fusion Pro in .177 caliber sends pellets downrange at 1400 feet per second. It features a break-action barrel cocking system with an automatic cocking safety. That means when you break open the barrel to cock the rifle, the safety automatically goes on. I don't know about you, but I find that comforting.

I was expecting to have to jerk the trigger, but was pleasantly pleased to find the two-stage adjustable SAT (Smooth Action Trigger) easy on the finger with a less than 4 lb. pull which accounted for some of the rifle's accuracy. The rifle comes with a synthetic stock and easily accommodates both right and left hand shooters.

At eight pounds, it weighs no more than many whitetail rifles I'm used to carrying through the woods. The 18-inch steel barrel has a fluted polymer jacket and Whisper Fusion technology (re: silencer) built in. The rifle even features a recoil pad that adsorbs nearly 75 percent of the rifles' recoil…not that you'd feel it anyway.

It comes with TruGlo sights, but better than that, the rifle comes equipped with a 3-9 x 40 air rifle scope with an adjustable objective. The scope comes mounted and bore sighted right from the factory.

So much for the technical side of things.

From a hunter's perspective, this rifle is accurate, quiet, economical and just down right fun to shoot. I plan to use mine to keep squirrels out of my attic and unwanted starlings away from my bird feeders…and, of course, plink some cans and targets now and then. I've already got one of my neighbors wanting to borrow it for the same purposes, though I think he just likes the idea having fun with it, too.

Can't say I blame him.

For additional information about GAMO air rifles and pistols, check out their website at www.gamousa.com or drop an email to Fedor Palacios, their marketing communications manager at fpalacios@gamousa.com.

Squirrels + Air Rifles + Friends = FUN!

I went small game hunting last week and had fun - more fun than I've had in a long while on any hunting trip.

I spent a day and half near Montgomery, AL, at Southern Sportsman Lodge as part of the inaugural Squirrel Masters Classic (SMC). OK, go ahead and laugh if you want, but I still had fun and so did the 35 to 40 other participants in the event and many of those are names you will recognize if you pay any attention to the outdoors.

The SMC was a team event and was hosted by Buckmasters' Jackie Bushman, the fine folks at GAMO USA (http://www.GAMOUSA.com) and included popular outdoor television show hosts from Buckmasters, Bone Collectors, McMillen River Adventures, The High Road and Addicted to the Outdoors. Participants also included several members of the national outdoor press, a local guide, a dog handler complete with champion squirrel dog (more on that in another blog) and local 4-H members who qualified to hunt with the teams. Very few of the 4-H members had ever hunted and some had never shot any type of gun before. I must say those 4-H folks were fast learners.

The winning team of the one-day event was determined by the weight of the squirrels brought to the scales at the end of the morning hunt, and, again, after the evening hunt. Each hunt lasted about three hours. 

Each team member was provided with one of GAMO's Whisper Fusion Pro rifles complete with scope in .177 caliber, though one member of each team was provided with one of the same rifles in .22 caliber. Each of these superb rifles was a single shot and team members were supplied with plenty of GAMO pellets in the proper caliber. Participants spent the afternoon prior to the hunt sighting-in their rifles and even that proved to be quite a bit of fun. "You're going to put your eye out," was a popular remark throughout the first afternoon, but don't worry, safety was paramount with everyone there and there were no incidents, just a ton of fun.

You don't need to be bored with the details of the hunt. Suffice to say Team Buckmasters took top honors and deservedly so as the six members of that team brought in a combined total of nearly 40 squirrels - tops among all teams.

I was part of the Addicted to the Outdoors team led by show hosts Jon and Gina Brunson that also included fellow outdoor writer and all-round good guy Tom Claycomb III, 4-H member Justin Scroggins, squirrel dog handler Keith Landrum, GAMO Marketing Communications Manager Fedor Palacios, our guide Glen Johnson (he donated his time that day away from work and family) and three Addicted to the Outdoors cameramen there to record the hunt for a show to air on Addicted to the Outdoors sometime later this year. One of the cameramen, Steve Finch, utilized a radio-controlled flying camera that buzzed around us from time-to-time - quite an experience. 

I've said all of that to let you know how the event was set up (kudos to Fedor Palacios and Jackie Bushman for putting a quality event together at the last minute and thanks to both of them for participating as actual hunters).

But more than anything else, this event was just downright fun. Story after story was told of when we were all pre-teens and had our first BB guns and pellet rifles - nothing near the quality of the GAMOs we used for this event. I can't divulge the stories since most of us probably did things with those early BB guns we don't want folks to know about, but it has been a long time since I've laughed so hard on a hunt. It was that enjoyable. 

I was able to renew some old acquaintances, made several new friends and got to meet some really fine folks who appreciate having fun while hunting. Hunting should be fun and a hunter couldn't ask for anything better.

If you need more information about the SMC or GAMO products, contact Fedor Palacios via email at fpalacios@gamousa.com. 

Carpe diem

I remember the first time I hunted woodcock. It had rained most of the morning and threatened to continue for most of the afternoon. My hunting partner and I had talked about shooting woodcock for the better part of a year before we pulled into what we hoped was a likely-looking place to hunt.

We had pondered over maps we hoped would help us locate the russet migrants as they made their way south to our small part of the world on what was the western limit of their range. We debated the merits of 20 gauge shotguns and loads versus 28 gauge guns or those in hard-to-find 16 gauge. We narrowed our choices to a few American-made 20 gauge shotguns and loads recommended by woodcock hunters in other states. However, that particular day I ended up shooting a 12 gauge over/under made off-shore and my partner used his waterfowl gun. Go figure.

We found woodcock that day, but we also found our upland field boots leaked, our pants got soaked and the "greenbriar" thorns penetrated or tore everything we wore...including our skin. By the end of the afternoon, I doubted I would ever hunt woodcock again, much less shoot one.

I was wrong.

I saw the little 20 gauge side-by-side on the rack at a local pawnshop and decided its cracked stock and tarnished exterior did not justify its price tag. A little dickering brought the price down to a more reasonable amount and the next time I swung the little shotgun on an imaginary bird it was mine.


My woodcock hunting improved that year. I even shot a bird or two and found they made great table fare. My hunting partner and I discovered hunting boots with rubber bottoms and leather uppers that kept our feet dry and brush pants that kept our bottom halves dry and turned even the meanest of the briars we encountered in woodcock habitat.

We both graduated to side-by-side shotguns and we haunted coverts throughout the Midwest we hoped would hold woodcock. We were woodcock hunters. Yes, siree. Make no mistake about that. We had the clothing, we had the guns, we had the dogs and we thought we had the know-how. Yet, something was missing.

The little 20 gauge side-by-side just didn't "fit" as I thought it should. Its 28-inch barrels bored full and modified were choked too tightly for woodcock, but there was something right about the shotgun. It seemed to have a character just made for woodcock hunting. It just needed a little work.


After my third season chasing woodcock I could truthfully say I'd made some outstanding shots on the long-billed birds, and I'd also had some pitiful misses. My Labrador retriever (OK, I hunted waterfowl, too, so I needed a dual purpose dog. You pointing dog purists, don't get your undies in a wad) had turned in some truly phenomenal work on the little migrants and made several retrieves and finds I talk about only among those who were there. If I told you about them, you probably wouldn't believe me.

Yes, I was  enjoying woodcock hunting, but something was still missing.

A beautiful blank of Triple A grade fancy American walnut turned into an English-style stock from Bishop and Sons in Warsaw, MO, made the little 20 gauge side-by-side point where I looked when I threw it to my shoulder. Built to match my measurements, the new straight-grip stock kept my head  down and allowed for consistent mounting. Fifteen coats of tung oil brought the burl in the walnut to life.

My shooting diary helped me remember my days afield. The diaries helped bring to life the rare days when I shot a limit, legal or a smaller, self-imposed one; days when dog work, shooting and camaraderie were what I lived for; days when I felt bad about a missed shot, not for me, but for my dog - after all, he did most of the work.

For years, my hunting partners and I had discussed woodcock dogs. But our need for waterfowl retrievers surpassed the need for pointing dogs. Our Labs worked well on the russet birds and flushing the birds seemed very sporting to us. A Brittany became a family pet instead of the woodcock dog I'd hoped for. A beautiful orange-ticked, Ryman-type English setter with a great nose was added to the kennel, but due to my ignorance turned up gun-shy and got violently ill when in a moving vehicle.

A gunsmith opened the chokes on the little side-by-side making the right barrel skeet and the left barrel modified when shooting Double A skeet loads with No. 9 shot. I felt the little shotgun was finally ready.

That Saturday afternoon was a perfect woodcock afternoon: sunny skies, temperatures in the upper 40s, brilliantly-colored leaves on the trees and ground. The dogs were anxious and rested for the hunt and we knew dog work that day would be good. We could feel it. Good dog work and good company were, indeed, the order of the day. The woodcock flights were in and the shooting was good.

"Carpe diem" (Seize the day) the ancient Romans were famous for saying.

We did.

And, nothing was missing.

The Tin Cup

My grandfather was a rather large man. He stood 6'4" and when he went to the kitchen sink to get a drink, he filled an old tin cup he had purchased at a hardware store for less than a dollar and drank from it. Since large men usually require a lot of water, my grandfather's cup was enormous, well, at least in my eyes.

He used the cup for the last 15 to 20 years of his life. When he died many years ago, the only item among his possessions that I really wanted as a keepsake was that old tin cup.

It's really is just an old tin cup; not very pretty to look at. It has a red rim painted on it and some funny-looking peaches painted on the sides to add appeal to would-be purchasers like my grandfather. If you could buy one like it at a hardware store today, it probably wouldn't cost you more than a couple dollars - if you could find one. That's my way of saying this cup really isn't worth much to anyone but me.

But since the cup belonged to my grandfather, and because I'm rather sentimental about such things, I value this old tin cup.

My grandfather, like his father before him and mine before me, was an outdoorsman in his own right. Continuing that tradition has been a lifelong goal of mine and I feel it only right to keep a small token of those men with me when pursuing my outdoor passions.

You see, I have plans for that old cup.

Somewhere in the northern half of the Rocky Mountains, on a little-known mountain range, in a quiet,  uninhabited area, there is a bull elk with my name on it. Not just any bull elk, mind you, but a special one whose path and mine will cross one day. After he and I have looked each other in the eye and I have made the decision to squeeze or not squeeze the trigger on my rifle or bow, I'll hike back to camp, dig out that old tin cup and celebrate that bull.

I'll sit around the campfire, drinking slowly from that old cup, remembering that bull and toast my grandfather, who never saw an elk in his lifetime except in the pages of outdoor magazines.

In a harvested field in eastern South Dakota where the pheasants are thick as flies in a barnlot in July and they fly slower than I can type (which is pretty slow), I'll celebrate with that cup again.

After the day is over and the guns are cased, I'll sit by the fire and drink from that old cup. I may even call Gus, the shorthaired pointer, and take a walk, just the two of us, down the field road, slowing just a bit when we reach the spot where the double flushed, and I missed, twice. Somehow those misses will seem unimportant and the shots that connected will be all the more sweet as I drink from that old cup.

Other, less sentimental persons might say that my old tin cup really doesn't heal any of the hurts or make the joys any sweeter. And, they might be right. But I don't think so. Somehow the rack on that big elk will grow bigger, the pheasants' flights will be more erratic just because of that old tin cup.

Maybe there isn't any magic that makes that old cup special. But I like to think there is. And, if you are anything like me, you think so, too.

SHOT Show - Day 1

Trying to find the best way to tell you about all of the great products at the 2012 SHOT Show is tough. So tough, in fact, that I'm going to let my good friend Jim Shepherd tell you about the new products through The Outdoor Wire (www.theoutdoorwire.com).

What I plan to tell you about is the many good people I met yesterday during Day 1 of the show. Some of them are good friends. Others I was introduced to for the first time. The common factor these people have is their love of the outdoors. As my good friends from Mossy Oak say, "It's not just a job, it's an obsession."

Women as a group are the fastest-growing segment in the outdoors, especially when it comes to the shooting sports. No one fits that profile better than Deb Ferns, the head of Babes With Bullets and a member of the Women's Outdoor Writers Association. I met Deb on a waterfowl hunt a year ago and like a good communicator, she stays in touch. She's also a tremendous promoter of the shooting sports through her writing and Babes With Bullets events. 

Deb is a "character" and anyone who has ever met her will not forget her quick one-liners and her fun-loving attitude. She's all business when you put a firearm in her hands and she's quickly become a great friend to not only me, but many other members of the outdoor media. If you ever met Deb, ask her how she sizes waders. I promise you will laugh until you cry when she tells you the story.  If you are a writer and are looking for a good personality piece for a magazine or on-line column, do yourself a favor and interview this woman. You won't be sorry.

One of the greatest writers, not to mention the fact he wrote about the outdoors, was the late Jack O'Connor. He wrote for Outdoor Life for years and was also the author of several books about hunting. His son, Bradford, was at the show Tuesday in the Winchester booth with some of his father's firearms. I had the opportunity to speak with Bradford at length about his father and got the chance to handle one of his father's hunting rifles. Bradford spent the day posing for photos, taking about his father's hunting adventures and I imagine signing autographs. Many thanks to my good friend Kevin Howard of Howard Communications for introducing me. 

Walking the show floor I ran into long-time friend Phil Larson from the little town of Boone, Iowa. Phil has written an outdoor column for the Boone paper for longer than I can remember and has traveled the world hunting and fishing. Both Phil and I have had the privilege of serving as president of the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers. Phil had never been to a SHOT Show. It was fun getting to take him around and let him also run into his many friends who are here and introduce him to some of mine.

If you are a fan of good literature, do yourself a favor and take a look at Galen Geer's "The Pines Review Literary Journal." Geer is a great writer and editor and you will truly enjoy reading the fine articles in the "Review." It is some of the best I've ever read. Contact Geer at ggeerpinesed@mlgc.com to get on the list.

As with any undertaking the size of the SHOT Show, there are a ton of folks behind the scenes that work for months to make this event work flawlessly. Thanks to NSSF's Vice President of Marketing and Communications Chris Dolnack, Marketing Director Mark Thomas and Communications Director Bill Brussard. They and countless others from NSSF work tirelessly before, during (often well after the show closes each day) and after the show ends to make it easy for folks like me to be able to come here and work successfully. Again, thanks to those folks for their help.

New National Wildlife Refuge Announced

A great piece of information came to my attention this morning that's conservation related. Sec. of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a new national wildlife refuge, the Everglades headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area is being created. The press release is below along with a link to to a short video piece by one of my favorite non-profit groups, the National Wildlife Refuge Association.

NEW HEADWATERS WILDLIFE REFUGE AND CONSERVATION AREA WILL HELP
SUSTAIN RANCHING, INCREASE HUNTING, FISHING OPPORTUNITIES IN EVERGLADES


WASHINGTON, D.C. -­ January 18, 2012 - “The Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area exemplifies how conservation should be done,” said Evan Hirsche, president of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. “The partnership announced today by Secretary Salazar is landscape-scale, collaborative by design, resilient to the effects of climate change, and benefits sportsmen, ranchers, the U.S. military, 8 million South Florida water users, the charismatic wildlife of the Everglades, and visitors from around the world.”


Hirsche’s statement refers to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s announcement earlier today of the formal establishment of the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area in the northern Everglades, just south of Orlando. Secretary Salazar made the announcement at the Future Farmers of America leadership training center in Haines City, Florida. Hirsche and David Houghton, senior vice-president of Conservation programs for NWRA, attended the event.


The Everglades Headwaters Refuge and Conservation Area will use a combination of conservation easements, that leaves land in private ownership and on the tax rolls, as well as some land acquisition. Lands acquired as part of the new national wildlife refuge will be co-managed as State Wildlife Management Areas through a unique state-federal partnership.


“The NWRA has supported the creation of the new Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area in the Northern Everglades as part of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative,” Hirsche said. 


“This Refuge and Conservation Area is a true partnership in action.” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investments will complement outstanding work by the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Wetlands Reserve Program, the U.S. military’s base buffering program, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, State Parks and the Florida Department of Agriculture – as well as significant private investments by conservation groups like The Nature Conservancy and Audubon of Florida.


The Refuge and Conservation Area is a smart investment in Florida’s economy. Restoring natural wetlands and maintaining open lands north of Lake Okeechobee is by far the least costly method of storing water for South Florida. Ranching and agriculture in this region employs thousands of Floridians and contributes to our national food security. In addition, through use by sportsmen, birdwatchers and wildlife tourism, refuges and conservation areas generate an average of $4 to the local economy for every $1 invested. Finally, Avon Air Force Park provides significant positive impact to Florida’s economy while also preparing our nation’s men and women for perils overseas.


“This changes the argument about government,” said Hirsche. “It’s not about big government or small government, but good government that works for the American people. This new kind of refuge carefully looked at the issues of water, recreation, ranching, military and wildlife and strikes a balance for all.”

“While securing habitat for more than 30 threatened and endangered species, the new initiative also assures expanded hunting and fishing opportunities on future refuge lands and will help sustain Florida’s ranching economy,” Houghton said. “This refuge was born from a diverse partnership that includes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State of Florida, and numerous public agencies and private landowners.”

Hunting and fishing are considered priority public uses on national wildlife refuges, along with wildlife observation, photography, interpretation and education. In response to concerns voiced about public access for hunting and fishing, hunting programs on refuge lands will be co-managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as State Wildlife Management Areas, with particular interest in developing youth outdoor and sporting education programs.


“The Refuge System can now acquire land and conservation easements from willing sellers from the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes to Avon Air Force Park to create the new refuge,” Houghton said. This effort would complement and leverage a long-term investment in conserving ranchlands and restoring important wetlands in the Greater Everglades made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Department of Defense, the State of Florida, Florida landowners, and non-governmental organizations, he said.


“Secretary Salazar’s announcement establishes six focus areas where the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is now authorized to acquire up to 50,000 acres as national wildlife refuge lands,” Houghton said. It also allows the Service to acquire up to another 100,000 acres in conservation easements. The Service would only proceed with willing sellers inside the new boundary, and areas outside of the boundary would not be eligible for purchase by the Service.


Additional information about the new wildlife refuge can be found on the NWRA website – www.refugeassociation.org.


The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge Association is to conserve America’s wildlife heritage for future generations through strategic programs that protect, enhance, and expand the National Wildlife Refuge System and the landscapes beyond its boundaries that secure its ecological integrity.