Hunting With a Crossbow

I would love to hunt deer with a crossbow during the regular archery season, but the state I live in doesn’t allow it. Currently there are 21 states that allow crossbows during the regular archery season and others are slowly, begrudgingly, moving that direction.

Why do so many states limit the ability of hunters to use a crossbow during the regular seasons? That’s a good questions and I’m sure each state has their own reasons, but in the end it really comes down to change. Nobody likes change.

Hunters that use traditional as well as compound bows have had little competition in the woods during their special bow seasons. While the number of archery hunters grows each year in some parts of the country, the population of these individuals is still relatively small when compared to the number of hunters that use firearms.

Now consider adding another group of individuals to the program that never had access to that season before and even though the numbers will still be relatively low, the perception is that the woods will be crawling with hunters that have weapons capable of killing accurately at great distances without any practice. This notion leads to intense lobbying of the powers that create the regulations as well as loads of chat room discussions and letters-to-the-editor. Those that currently take advantage of the archery season sure don’t want another bunch of hunters in the woods. 

Firearms hunters don’t like the idea of adding another demographic to the hunt that get to take to the deer cover earlier. This will mean fewer deer during the gun season because those killer crossbows will take all the biggest and best before the gun hunters get to them.

The poor crossbow hunter. It seems that even though crossbows are not that much more efficient than compound bows, the crossbow gets tossed into the realm of misconception that it is more deadly and accurate than a compound bow. I agree that it takes some practice to be consistent with a standard bow over a crossbow, but any weapon used to hunt game should get some practice time, even shotgun and rifles. It’s just a lazy hunter that doesn’t put some polish on their shooting skills before a season begins. And so what if the crossbow is a bit more deadly and accurate. This means cleaner kills, and that should be what every hunter strives for.

Of course the data is in. The states that have legalized crossbows during the archery season see about an additional six to nine thousand bowhunters take to the woods. The amount of deer harvested during the archery season goes up as well, but it barely adds a percent to the overall numbers that are killed. 

In the outdoor sports there will always be elitists. Those that think they are at the top of the ladder and everyone else below, trying to climb past them, just deserves a boot in the mouth to knock them back down. But those vying for position on the top best be careful. I’m old enough to remember when archery hunters were looked down on and castigated for losing lots of wounded animals and messing up the hunt for the riflemen. It won’t hurt to increase the size of the fraternity and adding crossbow hunting to the regular archery season would open up economic opportunity for archers as well as bolster their lobbying power. From the records it seems these are the results in the states where crossbows are legal and I predict it’s just a matter of time before all 50 states see the benefits of expanding the program. I myself, can hardly wait.

A Dozen Holiday Gift Ideas for the Outdoors Fanatic in your Life

It’s the question that plagues gift buyers everywhere during this season: What do you purchase a mom, dad, son or daughter who has everything for the holidays? Sure a person could just buy a gift certificate, but how about a little personalized creativity? Read below for a bunch of nifty ideas that the outdoorsman or woman might not buy for him- or herself, but certainly would appreciate from a loved one. 

For those good boys and girls, consider placing one of these items – most suitable for stockings – on Santa’s list. I’ve done the thinking, now you just enjoy the buying and giving.

The Gear Grabbar

Remember last summer fishing with Dear Old Dad when he was rapid-fire piling up his lures on the console of the boat? Laser-focused on discovering the hot lure, he kept spouting off about “being versatile,” but ended up with a pile of tangled hooks and lures. We’ve all been there, spending 15 minutes trying to tease apart nasty treble hooks after a day on the water.

No more! The Gear Grabbar uses magnets to hold lures conveniently apart, so Dad or anyone else on your Christmas list can change lures faster and maximize fishing time. The Gear Grabbar, from Magnetic Marine Products, attaches under your gunwale and allows super easy lure attachment and release, so users can stay organized and safe when managing their sharp-hooked lures.   www.magneticmarineproducts.com

Real Avid 18-in-1 Shooter’s Multi-Tool

A fine, stocking-sized, stocking-priced tool that will make the outdoorsman in your life smile is the 18-in-1 Shooter’s Multi-Tool from Real Avid.

Firearms rarely malfunction at home. When you’re on the range or in the field, that’s when Murphy’s Law kicks in. The firearms and shooting experts at Real Avid constructed The Gun Tool because hunters and shooters have specific needs that general-purpose multi-tools just don’t satisfy. So bring along the one tool that can fix almost any problem. The Gun Tool changes choke tubes, mounts scopes, tightens screws and adjusts scope turrets. It handles breakdowns and break-down actions.

One day at the range with the 18-in-1 Shooter’s Multi-Tool, and the firearms enthusiast in your life will wonder how he or she lived without this product. Don’t take my word for it. How about the NRA’s? In 2012, the National Rifle Association’s American Hunter magazine awarded The Gun Tool their Golden Bull’s-eye award in the “Gear of the Year” category.    www.realavid.com

Zippo Outdoors 4-in-1 Woodsman

Zippo says you can search the deepest, darkest primordial forest and never find a tool as versatile and capable as the 4-in-1 Woodsman from Zippo Outdoors. Last summer in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, I took Zippo up on the challenge, and you know what? They were right!

When I’m heading afield, I like to consolidate weight, and this device does exactly that, without sacrificing quality. Carry this one Zippo product into camp and you have a bow saw that cuts hardwoods up to 4 inches in diameter, a mallet, a stake puller, and a hatchet with a 5-inch blade, all in one tool. 

I’ve never seen an outdoor camping tool that gives you more capability for the weight or the money. And I don’t just use it for camping. I keep it in my garage for all sorts of work in the backyard, and I throw it in my pickup before heading out to scout treestand sites in the summer and early autumn.

Few pieces of gear make my mandatory outdoor list, but the Zippo Outdoors 4-in-1 Woodsman is one of them. Any outdoorsperson in your life will feel the same this holiday season.    www.zippo.com

Zippo Emergency Fire Starter Kit

Here’s another fine product from Zippo that qualifies as a simple, but valuable tool any outdoors user would be thrilled to find in his stocking on Dec. 25. Quite frankly, it could save the life of the person who takes it afield.

The Zippo Emergency Fire Starter Kit is not a lighter (though it’s about the same size) and doesn’t even rely on a flame to start a fire. It uses a simple flint wheel to spark water-resistant, waxed tinder sticks that store in a waterproof case. So in emergencies, where matches or lighters are unavailable, this kit can start a fire almost instantly.

Some of the nation’s top people think pretty highly of the Zippo Emergency Fire Starter Kit, too. It was awarded the seal of approval by the North American Hunting Club. 

A trustworthy companion through everyday life and uncommon adventures: that about sums up the Zippo Emergency Fire Starter – a great product at an affordable price.

www.zippo.com

Case Knives

Though any of these gift ideas would work for men and women alike, how about a product with a little extra emphasis on the ladies? Pocket knives make great universal gifts, but the outdoor man seeking a gift for the outdoors woman ought to consider the Mother of Pearl Peanut knife from Case.

It’s a beautiful little pocketknife and a great unique alternative to jewelry for the right kind of gal. Harvested from the inner lining of oyster shells, The Case Peanut’s handle is admired as much for its strength as its beauty. Other styles and blade choices also are available the Case’s Mother of Pearl Line.

Give a gal a knife this winter, and she just might accompany you to the treestand next fall.    www.wrcase.com

The Speed Cinch

Whether it’s parking a boat on a dock or raising wall tents and screen tents, adjusting ropes is a pain. Here’s a nifty tool boaters or other outdoor users of all ages will appreciate. The Original Speed Cinch makes tying-off easier by taking knots and rope-tension adjusting bars out of the equation.

The marine version is a tie-down device designed to adjust and hold the working ends of lines quickly and securely, without tying a knot. It’s an innovative, affordable tool for boat mooring, rafting, fender management, and rigging applications.

Campers, outdoor sports enthusiasts and property owners will find the Speed Cinch Stake to be a versatile, durable, low-cost tool for anchoring tents, temporary outdoor shelters, sports nets, trees and shrubs, holiday yard decorations, and more. Both are great stocking stuffers for the outdoorsman in your life.    www.speedcinch.com

Universal Shotgun Skins

Back around Halloween, I was showing my firearms to my grandson. He noticed the nasty fraying of the camouflage tape on my turkey shotgun. Most turkey hunters have the same problem. We wrap our shotguns with the stuff, then it unfolds or the edges are sticky.

Eliminate that problem and keep your shotguns in great shape during the turkey offseason with Universal Shotgun Skins. Scope Skins and Rifle Skins also are available. The kits are pre-cut for covering most shotguns, rifles, and scopes with Mossy Oak camo. Why pay hundreds of dollars for a factory dipped camo package or mess around with irritating tape, when you can get the utility of camouflage and the versatility of being able to inexpensively change patterns based on your intended use?

This is a genius, affordable product that – again – will easily fit in a stocking!

www.mossyoakgraphics.com

Ugly Stik GX2 Spinning Combo

I own a lot of rods and reels, for many specific kinds of fishing, but it’s amazing how often I fall back on one setup. Many anglers fall into the same “old reliable” mindset, and if that describes the angler in your life this holiday season, make that rod-and-reel setup the Ugly Stik GX2 Spinning Combo.

The new Ugly Stik GX2 rod and reel combos deliver in all aspects of performance and offer some of the best value and toughest low-profile spinning combos on the market. The new GX2 line is available in seven different lengths and actions, including a spinning reel that’s the first Shakespeare has designed specifically for Ugly Stik.

Put a new rod-and-reel setup in your favorite angler’s hand this holiday season for better success next fishing season. www.uglystik.com

Lifeproof Case

Tired of that nagging feeling when you’re out-of-doors with a $200 smart phone in your pocket? Fall into the drink, take a nasty tumble, or if water tops your chest waders, and you’ll fry that mini-computer. But place your iPhone or Galaxy phone in a Lifeproof waterproof case, and you’ll experience a new sense of freedom and confidence outdoors.

The Lifeproof case delivers protection over oceans, ponds, or even the shower. Experts have called LifeProof the best of all the iPhone cases and iPad cases because it is waterproof, dust-proof and shock-proof. It looks great, too, with a sleek low profile that barely increases the size of your device. Now available in Realtree camo, it’s hard for deer to see, too!

A common complaint about many gifts: “He’ll never use it.” Well, I use my Lifeproof case every day of the year! It’s a practical gift that keep on giving.   www.lifeproof.com

360 Jig from Lindy Lures

The ice angler in your life needs to check out the 360 Jig from Lindy Lures. The fishing experts at Lindy have created an entirely new category of ice fishing lures with the 360 Jig. It features a body that spins on an internal axle that produces never-before-seen vibration and sound. That sounds acts as an attractant, but you also can work it slowly as a finesse lure. That means it performs for fish in active, neutral, or negative moods.

The oval-shaped jig sports a diagonal wing on each side resting on a color bead. It comes in 12 colors and four sizes. Put a handful of these babies under the tree, and you’ll be eating fresh fish for Christmas dinner.    www.lindyfishingtackle.com

Clam – Dave Genz Tungsten Drop Series

Tungsten is the word this winter across the nation’s ice-fishing scene. The weight and density of this valuable metal plunges into the strike zone and provides a unique action that should electrify the ice fishing world this winter.

Leading the way is Clam’s Dave Genz Tungsten Drop Series which includes seven new jigs – the Drop, Dingle Drop, Half Ant Drop, Epoxy Drop, Ant Drop, Maggot Drop, and Duckbill Drop. These jigs accomplish what ice fishing legend Dave Genz has been preaching for years: They fish heavy for their size.

Each jig offers a unique shape and distinct color patterns and they are available in a variety of sizes. Hardcore ice fishermen demanded a quality tungsten jig and Clam has delivered with the Dave Genz Drop series. The ice angler in your life can be the first to hit the ice with these lures if you wrap them between now and Dec. 25.

www.clamoutdoors.com

Jason Mitchell hub shelters from Clam

It won’t fit in a stocking but a Jason Mitchell hub shelter from Clam will deliver years of fishing success for the hard-water angler in your life. Hub-style ice shelters became all the rage last season. With increased seating capacity, high ceilings, and amazing stability in windy conditions – while still allowing anglers to be mobile – hub-style shelters popped up on lakes across the ice fishing belt.

In time for the 2013-14 ice fishing season, Clam has introducing its Jason Mitchell lineup of hub shelters. The company took an already solid shelter idea and created a new five-sided hub shelter with top-of-the-line full thermal skin. The new 600 denier thermal skin on these units retains heat in harsh conditions and reduces condensation better.

It provides 63.5 square feet of fishable room and a center ceiling height of 82 inches, so the Jason Mitchell Thermal 5000 has a 9-foot diameter footprint. That’s enough room for up to six anglers in a single, portable shelter.

Clam uses the toughest hub assemblies, quality frames, and durable thermal fabric in this model as well, simply making it a better shelter that will last for years. 

www.clamoutdoors.com

Some Things Never Change

The Democrats are taking away our guns. 

The Republicans are destroying our environment. 

The politicians don’t give a damn about us outdoor enthusiasts and all they do is take our money and put it in places that don’t do me one speck of good.

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard one of these statements I could buy a couple of new Sport Utility Rifles (AR-15 models). I am a little worried the Democrats might confiscate them in the near future or I might not have any place to shoot them once the Republicans convince all the farmers to plant corn over all the wildlife habitat. I would have enough money left over to buy some ammunition. Oh wait, the government has bought up all the ammo and the shelves are empty. What the government hasn’t bought is being hoarded by the fatalists that think a revolution is on the horizon.

Have we hunters and anglers always lived this way? Paranoid about the powers-that-be encroaching on what we perceive as our liberties. Disgusted at the rate of natural resources that are disappearing, falling under the banner of creating more food and cheaper fuel. 

I remember 40 years ago my father cussing all the No-Hunting signs that were being posted on lands that he had access to in the past. Even then small farms were disappearing, getting consolidated with other farms and leased to the corporate farming enterprises that were expanding their reach.

As far back as the early 1800’s some states were trying to ban guns. In 1837 Georgia passed a law banning handguns which was found unconstitutional. 

The NRA was formed in 1871 with the primary goal of improving civilian marksmanship in preparation for war. Today the NRA doesn’t worry so much about civilian marksmanship as much as making sure civilians have guns to practice with.

In 1972 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was created. Some think Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store and not a government agency, but it was thought this entity was needed to enforce the Gun Control Act of 1968 which regulates guns and gun dealers.

It was over 20 years ago that California banned “semi-automatic assault weapons” and over 30 years ago that the District of Columbia banned handguns.

From an anglers viewpoint the spread of exotic species has been an abomination when it comes to government programs. When a gun tragedy occurs legislators are screaming immediately for reforms. Docks are crawling with zebra mussels in lakes all over the country and you don’t hear a peep.

Some gang banger shoots another over drug turf and legislators point their fingers at me like I’m some kind of criminal because I am a gun owner. The same thing happens when an invasive plant species shows up in a lake, river or reservoir. Since I have a boat I’m the villain and the lawmakers want to put restrictions on me, the guy who is not shooting others and is cleaning his boat so not to spread invasive species. 

In fact, these exotic species should never have gotten here in the first place. Stringent regulations with huge fines for those in violation might have kept those asian carp from getting a foot-hold in this country. As far as gun control, you’ll never control violent crime by trying to talk sense to an inanimate object. Once legislators realize it’s all about people and not the guns then they will be a lot closer to solving the problems caused by drugs, alcohol and people that are just plain crazy. I also hope that our elected officials eventually realize that bringing land back to a state where it’s quality wildlife habitat is extremely difficult once it has had food crops planted on it. 

People tell me I have no reason to whine. I get to hunt and fish plenty and write the stories to share with others. It’s true. Life would be perfect if those dang Democrats weren’t trying to take my guns and the Republican weren’t destroying all my hunting spots. Whoops. It looks like I owe somebody a dime.

Killing Pheasants Isn't As Easy As It Used To Be

The numbers are down everywhere. For a while you couldn’t pick up an outdoor publication or go to a hunting web site without reading the blaring headlines about the precipitous drop in pheasant numbers. What should we expect? Habitat is disappearing faster than Rolaids at a Chili Cook-Off. There’s no where for the pheasants to nest. There’s no where for them to hide. And when all the crops are picked there’s no where for them to go.

A few years ago when the cover began getting plowed under, burned and scraped away there were still plenty of birds and the limited amount of cover concentrated them. You could pick any little patch of grass or cattail and flush some roosters. Such is not the case anymore. The nesting success with the lack of good nesting cover has knocked the numbers of pheasants down to the point where there aren’t many birds around anymore.

I used to hunt in Iowa. It’s where I was born and spent the first 27 years of my life. Pheasant hunting was always good in Iowa. No longer. My last trip there for pheasant hunting I stomped through the limited cover for two days and never shot a rooster. There were hawks on power poles everywhere and I spotted a half dozen piles of feathers where these raptors had picked off a hen pheasant.

I still hunt Minnesota and the Dakotas but it is getting tough in these states as well. Minnesota is losing cover and the spring nesting success has been poor due to weather these past few years. You have to work hard for a limit of two roosters. 

South Dakota hunting around Aberdeen is still decent but even though Brown County still has more pheasant per acre than anywhere in the world, the lower numbers mean you might have to spend another hour in the field to get your three birds.

I don’t blame the landowners for this situation. They have to make a buck and when you think about it, with crop prices where they are there is little incentive to set aside an acre of land for conservation. Farmers for years were getting beat up by low crop prices and now when they can make a decent dime from planting they are striking when the iron is hot. Who knows how long the prices will stay high.

Should I blame the government? I might as well. They’re the ones subsidizing ethanol fuel which drives the price of corn up which makes it more lucrative to plant as much as possible, even on marginal land. But then I’m told it’s more complicated than that.

I’ll just have to be patient until the pendulum swings and we can get the amount of cover back to higher levels through incentives. We love the government when a program is working and we hate the institution when their programs are faltering. Right now their CRP program is a joke, but someday I might get to hunt Iowa again.  For now I’m just going to leave that one bird they have down there alone.

Technology - Good or Bad

I was at an event recently where technology became the topic of conversation among a retired resort owner and fishing guide, and myself. Straddling 80 years of age this veteran guide told stories of how he row-trolled muskellunge on lakes in Wisconsin where motor trolling big lures for these huge pike is illegal. It is still illegal and he appreciates that.

I could not fathom why someone wouldn’t want to incorporate the latest electric motors, whether on the bow or transom, to troll a breakline or weed edge using the latest side-imaging sonars. The ability of to strain a certain depth with any lure is simplified by this technology that basically calls for pressing a couple of buttons on a control pad and then letting the electric motor do the work.

My lack of comprehension led to a history lesson. Guides made their living putting pilgrims onto huge muskies and there is an art to row trolling. Novice muskie anglers could never get past the learning curve and achieve success with this technique in the short time they had on the water. Turn new technology over to these rookies and you put the old-timers out of business. You create a class of anglers who never earned the ability to achieve success without the use of technology. 

Shortly after this conversation I toured the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisconsin. There is an amazing amount of fishing history in these buildings and I recommend every person who has ever held a rod and reel in their hand should visit this wonderful place. There is an evident evolution to the sport of angling. Seeing up close the lures that were invented 60, 70 even 80 years ago is amazing. Boat motors today are no comparison to what they were a hundred years ago. It would seem that fishing has always been spurred on by improvements in technology and today is no different.

Yet, there are lures that were around before I was born that are still in use today. Certain plugs and spoons that were used by anglers coming back from the second World War are still on the shelves at the bait shop. Well, not the same ones, but models that are exactly like those sold back then that are still produced in mass quantities today.

So, I still think technology is good for the sport. But, I will bow to the wishes of the old guide who wants to keep row-trolling the only form of trolling legal on some of his favorite lakes. There are plenty of places where we can use new technology to bypass the knowledge base that can take years to acquire. Until the winds of change modify the regulations that protect certain bodies of water from the waves of science that attempt to encroach, let there be sanctuaries for those that earned the opportunity to fish unfettered in a realm they mastered.

Some Things Just Don't Make Sense

Hobie makes a kayak that is phenomenal for fishing. It has a kick-style drive so you don’t have to use a paddle, but you can if you choose. It is stable, has rod and cup holders and I own six of them. I would like to take them into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) but I can’t. The U.S. Forest Service has already tested the use of mechanical drives and it stood up in court. The reasoning: “From the 2004 Superior National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan: Watercraft or sailboards designed for propulsion by wind are not permissible. Watercraft with types of rowing devices that were in regular use in the BWCAW, prior to the 1978 BWCAW Act, are permitted.” The Hobie Mirage watercraft was NOT in regular use prior to the legislation. This argument has been tested in federal district court by a person who wanted to bring a type of watercraft into the BWCAW that was not in regular use before the 1978 legislation. This person was cited by the Forest Service and this citation was upheld in court. The intent of the wording in the legislation was to prohibit anything new that might come on the market (i.e. hovercraft, personal watercraft, a device such as the one in this discussion, etc.). As a result of this wording, all of these types of things are prohibited even though they are within the horsepower restrictions and may be quiet. Everything motorized or mechanized is prohibited except what was actually provided for in the legislation. This response to a Hobie owner’s question on why he couldn’t take his kayak into the BWCAW was on a chat room web site.

Some things just don’t make sense. This kayak is quiet, disturbs the water no more or less than a canoe or paddle kayak, yet the vague laws that created the wilderness designation for the BWCAW create a situation where a perfectly fine watercraft that would not disturb the wilderness or cause any visual or negative impact on the resource can be banned because it is not old technology. I can put a sonar on my canoe which will make me more efficient in catching fish. I can use a dead tree branch and a tarp to set up a makeshift sail on my canoe or paddle kayak, but if that sail comes out of a box, forget it.

Where do all these fun-haters come from? Some days I love to take an underwater camera out in the boat and look at fish on structure. When underwater cameras first came out, the state I live in tried to ban them.

My nephews who are in their early teens just told me a story about fishing below a dam on the Cedar River in Iowa. They had waded out to a rock wall and were angling for carp and catfish. Someone came down to the riverbank and yelled at them to get back on shore or they would call the cops. Thee boys thought it was funny until the squad car showed up and they were told to get out of the current because they were endangering themselves.

Too many fun haters. The Hobies fit well in the BWCAW and should be allowed. Technology is good for growing the sport of fishing and if some kids want to flirt with disaster while trying to catch fish on the river, let them. When people get so stodgy they don’t see the forest through the trees, well, some things just don’t make sense.

There Ought To Be A Law

I was fishing a muskie tournament on Lake Wabedo in northern Minnesota. My partner and I slipped into the northwest corner of the lake to vertical jig some big plastic bodies. Ten minutes after we got there a big deck boat pulled up and the guy in the front started casting right at our boat dropping his lure right next to us. I didn’t appreciate this so I started casting my big lead jig at his boat, dropping it inches from the hull just like he was doing to us. What’s good for the goose... Right.

He starts yelling at me. I shot back that we were there first and he shouldn’t be so rude as to cast right at us. He yelled that I don’t own the water and he can drop his lure where ever he wants. I responded that I could too. Then I reminded him of the Golden Rule. He got very upset and shouted that the golden rule to him was, He Who Has the Gold, Rules. He fired up his big outboard, circled us at top speed a few times and motored off.

Obviously he was trying to run us off the spot and I wouldn’t let him intimidate me. This has not been the only time I’ve been crowded in a fishing spot. It happens to us all.

On Lake of the Ozarks, Sam Heaton from Humminbird and I motored into the mouth of a creek channel where we saw some shad breaking the surface. Obviously the baitfish were being chased by some bass. We were setting the hooks immediately. Not there ten minutes and we saw a boat driving by that spun around on a dime when they saw us reeling in bass. Seconds later they were on top of this school of fish pounding the surface with topwater lures. In the next half hour there were a half-dozen other boats that joined us. The difference here was that everyone maintained enough distance that we were all able to efficiently work this hungry school of bass. We may have been crowded, but we weren’t being pushed around.

Whenever my dad would get irritated by something petty he would always wail, “There ought to be a law.” Now I hate rules and regulations so I wouldn’t really want to instigate a policy that would curtail getting crowded on a spot. We all just need to be considerate of our friends on the water and even if you see someone catch a fish on a particular spot, think twice before crowding them out. After all, the Golden Rule is actually, Do Unto Others as You Would Have Them Do Unto You.

My favorite crowding-out happened on a Minnesota Walleye Opener. My two sons and I were fishing some shallow rocks next to a point and we were hammering 18 to 20 inch walleyes by casting crankbaits to the shoreline and reeling them back to the boat. A couple of boats that were backtrolling deeper water suddenly decided to backtroll between my boat and the shoreline. Both boats crunched their props on the rocks. One was totally put out of commission. I asked the guy if he needed help getting towed back to the resort and he chose to call someone to help him out rather than take advantage of the guy whose spot he was stealing. Oh Ya, there’s one more saying. What Goes Around, Comes Around.

When it Comes to Fishing There's Hardly a Secret Left Anymore

I was wondering if the smallmouth bass had moved out of their spawning areas and into the main basin in Chequamegon Bay on Lake Superior. So I brought up my favorite search engine and with just a few mouse clicks I knew exactly what the fish were doing and what they were being caught on. Such is the magic of The Web. There is little to guess at when it comes to fishing.

Is this a good thing? Should we be able to have all the information at our fingertips that we need to go out and catch fish on a given body of water?

I used to do a live-radio broadcast with Rob Drieslein on a Twin Cities station and each week we announced a GPS coordinate from one of the local guides or fishing pros. We would tell all listening the name of the lake, what the structure consisted of, what species to target and what to use to catch them. Most listeners loved this information, but there were a few that thought we were giving up too much information. They thought anglers should have to work hard for their fish and figure out the variables on their own.

Me on the other hand. I just want people to be able to go out and have fun and catch fish. I believe that a vast majority of anglers have a hard time finding fish and that’s why you see so many boats in one spot on a lake. Someone sees a boat get out the net and haul in a fish and they move closer hoping to cash in on the potential of fishing there. Soon others join the party and you have the notorious “this must be the spot because there are so many other boats here” situation occurring.

I remember when this map came out with GPS coordinates on one of our big walleye lakes in Minnesota. The guides on the lake went berserk. It was making it too easy on the average angler who should get up to speed and learn things the hard way. This map was going to end the world as we know it according to the guides.

Then there is the map chips. I use Navionics and Lakemaster chips in my GPS units depending on which body of water I’m fishing. I can pull right up to that spot-on-the-spot every time without having to motor around with one eye on my sonar and never knowing for sure if I’m on the spot; which is how we used to find good fishing structure.

The legislature tried to ban underwater cameras in my home state because they thought this gadget was going to give the angler an edge.

As it turns out not much has changed in the world of fishing except anglers have more technology to learn and they are more confused now than ever. All those web sites, maps, sonar chips and cameras might make it a more efficient process to locate fish, but you still have to catch them and that will always be the one variable we have no control over. The mood of the fish we seek.

Is it Global Warming or Global Cooling? Maybe Both Fit Into the Climate Change Model

So what’s going on? Air temperatures peaked in 1998 and a cooling trend began in 2002 while carbon dioxide levels have risen steadily since 1998. Living in Minnesota, before I go to bed every night I pray for some of that global warming. It never comes. This winter started early and didn’t end until mid-May. It would seem that natural climate cycles have turned from warming to cooling and global temperatures have been declining for more than 10 years. Will global temperatures continue to decline? It looks that way according to some of the latest models.




A few weeks ago it was reported by CBN News that the earth is most likely going into a long period of global cooling, not global warming, as a result of the sun going into a cycle of decreased activity, which will likely have an impact on the earth's climate, yielding cooler temperatures.




A group of Russian scientists conducting research from an observatory in St. Petersburg, indicated that this cooling period could last as long as 250 years. Joe Bastardi, who is the chief forecaster at WeatherBell, not only confirmed those predictions, but pointed out that the cooling trend is already here.




So what’s worse? Global warming or global cooling. I guess it depends on where you live. I think global cooling would be far worse for those who live in colder climates, unless you’re a polar bear or a penguin.




I have noticed that environmental groups that earlier proclaimed that global warming was going to kill the planet now refer to weather variations as climate change. This is a safer route because both global warming and global cooling will fit into a climate change model. Whichever way temperatures go it can be considered climate change.




In my book we should worry less about which direction the weather patters are moving and more on how much pollution we’re dumping into the environment. I’m not an environmentalist as much as I am a conservationist but it still pains me to see that with today’s technology advancements we still knowingly pump pollutants into the environment.




Rather than be a gloom-and-doomer I believe there are some great options to improve the environment. It might even slow the onset of climate change no matter which direction it goes. So check out these web sites and ponder some of the alternatives.




http://www.terrapower.com

http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com

http://www.nwf.org/What-We-Do/Energy-and-Climate/Reducing-Emissions.aspx 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution

Interesting Statistics

WORLD MURDER STATISTICS  From the World Health Organization: The latest Murder Statistics for the world: Murders per 100,000 citizens.
Honduras   91.6
El Salvador  69.2
Cote d'lvoire  56.9
Jamaica  52.2
Venezuela  45.1
Belize  41.4
US Virgin Islands  39.2
Guatemala  38.5
Saint Kits and
 Nevis  38.2
Zambia   38.0
Uganda  36.3
Malawi   36.0
Lesotho  35.2
Trinidad and Tobago  35.2
Colombia  33.4
South Africa 31.8
Congo  30.8
Central African Republic  29.3
Bahamas  27.4
Puerto Rico  26.2
Saint Lucia  25.2
Dominican Republic  25.0
Tanzania  24.5
Sudan  24.2
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  22.9
Ethiopia  22.5
Guinea  22.5
Dominica  22.1
Burundi  21.7
Democratic Republic of the Congo  21.7
Panama  21.6
Brazil   21.0
Equatorial Guinea  20.7
Guinea-Bissau  20.2
Kenya   20.1
Kyrgyzstan  20.1
Cameroon 19.7
Montserrat 19.7
Greenland  19.2
Angola 19.0
Guyana 18.6
Burkina Faso 18.0
Eritrea 17.8
Namibia 17.2
Rwanda 17.1
Mexico 16.9
Chad 15.8
Ghana 15.7
Ecuador 15.2
North Korea 15.2
Benin 15.1
Sierra Leone 14.9
Mauritania 14.7
Botswana 14.5
Zimbabwe 14.3
Gabon 13.8
Nicaragua 13.6
French Guiana 13.3
Papua New Guinea 13.0
Swaziland 12.9
Bermuda 12.3
Comoros 12.2
Nigeria 12.2
Cape Verde 11.6
Grenada 11.5
Paraguay 11.5
Barbados 11.3
Togo 10.9
Gambia 10.8
Peru 10.8
Myanmar 10.2
Russia 10.2
Liberia 10.1
Costa Rica 10.0
Nauru 9.8
Bolivia 8.9
Mozambique 8.8
Kazakhstan 8.8
Senegal 8.7
Turks and Caicos Islands 8.7
Mongolia 8.7
British Virgin Islands 8.6
Cayman Islands 8.4
Seychelles 8.3
Madagascar 8.1
Indonesia 8.1
Mali 8.0
Pakistan 7.8
Moldova 7.5
Kiribati 7.3
Guadeloupe 7.0
Haiti 6.9
Timor-Leste 6.9
Anguilla 6.8
Antigua and Barbuda 6.8
Lithuania 6.6
Uruguay 5.9
Philippines 5.4
Ukraine 5.2
Estonia 5.2
Cuba 5.0
Belarus 4.9
Thailand 4.8
Suriname 4.6
Laos 4.6
Georgia 4.3
Martinique 4.2
And ... 
The United States   4.2
 
ALL the countries above America have 100% gun bans.

When Environmental Programs Backfire

In a recent New York Times article - Foul Algae in Lake Erie - the culprit which is causing the massive algae blooms in Lake Erie these days is a type of farming that is being promoted heavily by environmental specialists. No-till farming might help with erosion but it’s hell when it comes to water quality.  The problem with no-till farming, in which seeds are inserted into small holes in unplowed ground is that fertilizing is contracted to companies that cast pellets onto the bare ground from trucks, or to “factory farms” that spray liquefied animal waste on the cropland.

In the past those fertilizer pellets sank into plowed soil and stayed there. Now, rain and snowmelt wash an average of one pound of the 48 pounds per acre of fertilizer off the unplowed soil. Much winds up in the Maumee River, which feeds into Lake Erie.

The Maumee supplies only about 5 percent of Erie’s water, but half its phosphorus. And while algae struggle to digest ordinary phosphorus — only about 30 percent gets taken up — fertilizer phosphorus is designed for plants to use instantly. This means there’s vastly more algae in Lake Erie now than there was before the no-till farming practices. 

My favorite environmental plague is the wind generators. These bird killing machines are a blight on the landscape and really tough on bird populations but according to my environmental friends there are going to be some casualties of nature if we are to get off the carbon based fuels that feed our country and eventually we’ll figure out a way to make the big wind turbines prettier as well as more eco-friendly to the avian population. Until then we just have to bite our lip and put up with the massive deaths of birds and the visual ugliness of the landscape.

The way we manage forests has changed dramatically from my early years of grouse hunting. There used to be clear cut regions and you never see that anymore. The forest biologists require logging operations to use a more selective approach before issuing permits and now we have more older forests that favor turkeys over grouse. This might seem like a wonderful thing for turkey hunters but for guys like me that love to hunt grouse it’s the sad result of environmentalists giving clear-cut forestry a bad reputation.

Have you changed all your incandescent bulbs out to the florescent lamps yet? This is yet another environmental program that forces one to ignore the casualty of mercury polluting the earth for the greater good which is less carbon emissions.

What we’re dealing with here is a tremendous amount of head-in-the-sand logic that creates consequences we shouldn’t have to live with. At some point we need to realize that some of the actions we take to make the world a better place is in fact making it worse and just because the effort falls into the realm of good environmental deeds doesn’t mean we shouldn’t analyze what is happening and make changes if necessary. Maybe the true solutions, like ground tilling, nuclear power generation, clear cutting, and the more-expensive LED lights haven’t been hitched tightly enough to the environmentalist’s wagon. When the ravages of these good intentions expand to the point of no return,  we might see changes backwards to move things forward again.

They All Think We're Cowboys

I lived for a year in England during the late ninties. I traveled throughout western Europe and the British Isles during that time, and I got plenty of laughs from the perceptions people had of Americans. The notion that we’re all a bunch of gun-toting cowboys taking potshots at anyone who gets in our way was one of my favorites. Much of what the Europeans speculated about our lifestyle was driven by television programs and news portrayals. George W. was our president at the time and he was considered the King of Cowboys.

It’s fifteen years later and we’re no longer cowboys to the foreigners . In their eyes now we’re wannabe soldiers buying up battlefield weaponry and shooting at everything that moves. Until we forgo television programs that feature shoot-outs and replace this with loads of gratuitous sex we will always be a few steps below them on their evolutionary ladder. 

I did some hunting and shooting while in Europe. These sports are either heavily regulated or limited to those with fortunes. Even carrying a folding-blade pocket knife in England like the one I carry here in the U.S. would have gotten me into trouble with the law.

This is the problem with Europe and even Canada. Personal protection is not an option for the individual. If you shoot or stab someone in self-defense there, you are going to be in big trouble. In England in 1999 Tony Martin shot a man who broke into his home and he was convicted of murder and sent to prison. 

Just two years ago in Ontario, Canada a man fired shots at three masked individuals who were firebombing his home. He had video of this happening, yet the authorities there confiscated all of his firearms and threatened him with jail time. His attackers were never caught, although it seems pretty obvious who they were, and now those local terrorists know their target is unarmed and vulnerable. 

Fortunately I live in America. We have a constitution that says we can own guns and protect ourselves. Now some would say there should be restriction. No large magazines. No guns that look like military weapons. Some would ban all pistols. They want these regulations to save a few lives that are tragically taken by insane individuals that can be best described as ticking time bombs. Good intentions; maybe, but the results will be do-nothing restrictions on those that would obey such regulations and opportunities for those that wouldn’t, and no killings, not a single one, will be stopped by additional laws that build on the thousands we already have on the books.

Chances of me ever having to defend myself with a firearm are miniscule. But, should the need ever arise I don’t want my assailant knowing I have a limited amount of bullets in a gun that is marginal for self defense. I want him to think I have massive magazines bulging with bullets in guns that drug cartels would drool over. And I don’t want state or federal regulations restricting my access to that which is currently legal, just so politicians can pander for votes, passing worthless legislation that will have absolutely no affect on the problem. What has ignorant legislation ever accomplished other than to create more criminals and make people less safe from criminal elements?  There are many examples of this outside our borders to take lessons from.

Does the Endangered Species Act Work?

The year was 1972 and Richard Nixon was president. It would be two more years before the Watergate scandal forced the only U.S. presidential resignation in history to occur. But in 1972 Nixon declared that conservation efforts in the United States aimed toward preventing the extinction of species were inadequate and called on the 93rd Congress to develop comprehensive endangered species legislation. Congress responded, and on December 28th, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 was signed into law.

The purpose of the ESA is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. The Interior Department’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Commerce Department’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) administer the ESA. The FWS has primary responsibility for terrestrial and freshwater organisms, while the responsibilities of NMFS are mainly marine wildlife such as whales and anadromous fish such as salmon.Under the ESA, species may be listed as either endangered or threatened. “Endangered” means a species is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. “Threatened” means a species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. All species of plants and animals, except pest insects, are eligible for listing as endangered or threatened. For the purposes of the ESA, Congress defined species to include subspecies, varieties, and, for vertebrates, distinct population segments.

As of January 2013, the FWS has listed 2,054 species worldwide as endangered or threatened, of which 1,436 occur in the United States.

That’s a lot of endangered and threatened species. You have to wonder why so many and what is being done to bring this flora and fauna back from the brink of extinction. 

The eagles have made a comeback. So have the wolf. Even the California condor population has improved. In 1987 there were only 22 condors left and they were all in captivity. Now there are over 200 living in the wild and almost that many still in captivity. The ESA must be working, yet every year the list grows. 

One of the biggest problems with the ESA is that once a species is on the list it’s almost impossible to get it off because when the time comes to remove a species from the ESA the environmentalists find a friendly judge to make a ruling to keep the plant or animal firmly in place on the list. Take the wolf as a prime example. For years state wildlife management departments tried to get the wolf delisted where the populations had grown to a point where they could be removed. For years lawsuits by environmentalists stifled the process because these organizations were fearful the results of delisting would lead to hunting.

Just think of all the major infrastructure projects that have been scrapped due to lawsuits by groups using the ESA as their argument. 

Going one step further. Why won’t the government organizations responsible for improving populations of endangered species take needed actions to get rid of the catalysts creating the problems. 

I’ll give you one glaring example. I spend some of my winter months in Hawaii, which is considered the endangered species capital of the world. There is a species of bird called the  Hawaiian honeycreeper, and it is threatened by feral cats in their protected, but limited habitat in the forests on Mauna Kea. Wildlife biologists have been monitoring the Palila population for years. Since 1998, 8 to 11 percent of monitored Palila nests were depredated annually by cats. This level of cat predation inhibits efforts to restore the Palila population.

Everywhere I went in Hawaii I saw free-range cats wandering. These animals, along with others, are responsible for the addition of many of the animal species on the ESA list and yet there is no rules or regs coming from those administering the ESA to get rid of the root cause of the problem. Why? Because they fear the repercussions of the cat lovers that would scream for their heads if they tried to kill all the feral cats.

So, does the ESA work? It’s better than nothing, but until those administering the program begin to stand up to the radicals and seriously go after known problem areas that have a solution then every year the list will grow.