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A new record in license sales: $723,000,000. According to a recent report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, total national sales in 2005 rose 2.8% from the previous year, while the number of customers slipped 1.4%, from 14.7 million to 14.5 million. The sale of hunting licenses, tags and stamps is the main funding mechanism for state conservation agencies.
Orvis just recently opened the Orvis Shooting Grounds at Barnsley Gardens in Adairsville, Georgia, just an hour north of Atlanta. The resort’s sporting clays range can help you work the bugs out on crossing shots or introduce you to the fundamentals. In addition to shooting instruction, Orvis offers their two-day fly-fishing schools at the facility. The Barnsley Gardens Resort was developed around the historic estate and gardens of Godfrey Barnsley. It features accommodations and restaurants, plus full spa facilities. Don’t shoot? There’s an 18-hole golf course, horseback riding, tennis, swimming and trails for mountain biking and hiking.
There are those among us who strive for tradition by walking in the footsteps of their fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers. The Parker bunch and L.C. Smith bunch are notable examples of shotgunners who look to yesterday for memories today. They are old school to say the least. If you have a taste for tradition but hate to think of taking a damascus-barreled O-frame in the field, you might want to take a look at Tate Gunmakers of Anglo American Sporting Agency. Anglo imports F.lliPoli (that would be Italian for really fine shotguns) bar-action hammer actions and barrels in the white. Dale Tate then crafts these hammer guns to a customer’s specifications. These guns look like they are from the late 19th-century yet they are constructed of the latest materials. Tate trained at Purdy in London (yes that London and that Purdy) prior to moving to the US and takes about 18 months to deliver your gun. Think quality not quantity. With prices starting at $9,000 you may want to start saving now or cash in that 401K. Great grand daddy would be proud.
Driving up our driveway the other day we were greeted by a group of 8 turkeys that thought our birdfeeder was more enticing than the carpet of acorns in the area. I swear they were trying to figure out a way to get on one of the birdfeeder’s perches. First time a wild turkey was envious of a chickadee. With the amount of tracks around the house I am convinced their visit was premeditated. The turkeys were obviously making a statement. I think it was a slap, a comment, a critique, a slam, a Bronx cheer. An obscene gesture of contempt: a bird giving the bird. Wait until spring then we’ll see who laughs, I mean gobbles last.
When I was a boy and a member of the Boy Scouts of America we participated in annual Klondike Derby. It was the closest to the Iditarod any of us would get—minus the dogs. In fact, we were the dogs pulling a sledge to various outdoor skill stations like compass orienteering, knot tying, winter survival, etc. The reason I bring this up is that the official start of the Iditarod is today at 10:00 a.m. in Anchorage, Alaska. Go to the official Iditarod race website and check out the interactive maps and videos. Cabelas, a sponsor of the race, also has a website covering the race. This year there are 83 entries in the 1,049-mile trek. The exact distance varies each year, due to variations caused by seasonal conditions, but the official distance is 1,049 miles in honor of Alaska the 49th state. Distances from checkpoints vary from 18 miles to 93 miles. My Klondike Derby memories are cold and wet, and our route was only a mile or so traveled over a weekend. We dogs fell into our sleeping bags exhausted. I still remember the lessons we learned at those checks stations and if my GPS ever dies in the middle of nowhere I can use an old school liquid-filled, magnetic compass. Whether I could run in the real Iditarod with my Klondike Derby training? Not unless a pointer becomes a sledder. And not unless La-Z-Boy makes a sled. Man’s best friend no matter what man’s interest is.
