Updated: June 5, 2006, 12:34 PM ET

News Hound archive: Through June 5, 2006

Blog: With a nose for outdoor news like no other

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By J.R. Absher
Special to ESPNOutdoors.com
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  • Register now to contribute to our Message Board, then start posting to the forum. Also consider offering a comment to our News Hound Mailbag. posted June 2, 2006: Snake in the Cessna It sounds like a script mixing the plots of two movies: the recent thriller "Snakes On a Plane" and the hilarious old farce "Airplane!" Private pilot Monty Coles was flying his Piper Cherokee from West Virginia to Ohio by himself last weekend when he spotted a snake sticking its head out of a hole in the plane's instrument panel. As snake and man stared at each other while 3,000 feet above the ground, the 62-year-old pilot reached for a handheld radio to give the reptile a quick whack to the head.
    "Batteries went flying everywhere, and the snake dropped down out of the instrument panel and landed at my feet under the rudder pedals," Coles told Charleston Gazette writer John McCoy this week. "I tried to open my door and kick it out, but it shot across the cabin floor and climbed up the door on the other side." Doing his level best to fly the plane with only one hand, Coles used his other hand to grab the 4½-foot black rat snake behind its head. "There was no way I was letting that thing go. It coiled all around my arm, and its tail grabbed hold of a lever on the floor and started pulling," Coles continued. "I think it was as scared as I was. After all, it had never flown before." Still wrestling his scaly stowaway, the pilot radioed the Gallipolis, Ohio, airport to receive clearance for a one-armed landing. "Some of my friends were there and saw the landing," he said. "They told me I should fly with snakes more often, because that was the smoothest landing they'd ever seen me make." Kudos and a hat tip to my old pal, the great Charleston Gazette outdoor writer John McCoy, for the heads-up on this great tail … er, tale. FORUM | MAILBAG Hitting where it hurts Cooperation and the sharing of data between the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the state's Department of Human Services has led to the revocation of hunting and fishing licenses for failure of parents to pay court-mandated child support. Bryan Brasher of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes that during the past two years, more than 1,000 deadbeat parents have been identified under a 10-year-old program that recently became more efficient at tracking offenders. The program has been in place since 1996, but cross-checking licenses with deadbeat parent data was cumbersome until hunters and fishermen were required to provide their Social Security number when buying a license. In 2004, Wildlife Resources Agency began sharing its list with Human Services officials. Hunting and fishing licenses are revoked when a parent owes at least $500 in child support and is late on a payment in excess of 90 days. "For a lot of people, taking away their hunting and fishing privileges really hits them where it hurts," said the Carol Freeman of the state Wildlife Resources Agency. "By our best estimate, more than 70 percent of the people who have had their privileges revoked have paid up and gotten them back. That tells you they don't like living without those privileges." Deadwood commissioners aren't buffaloed From the ESPNOutdoor.com News Hound What Were They Thinking? Department comes a story out of Deadwood, S. D., where city commissioners this week voted 4-1 against a proposal that would have allowed bison to run down the town's main street for a special event — a la the historic Pamplona bull run in Spain.
    Bison
    The bison-run proposal was shot down by Deadwood officials.
    The proposal, floated by the Deadwood Chamber and Visitors Bureau, would have allowed individuals to run with buffaloes in short segments through a downtown course. During his pitch to commissioners Tuesday, bureau director George Milos said the two-day event could bring $1.7 million in new revenues for local businesses. In the end, the commission prudently weighed the potential for negative publicity, potential injuries, lawsuits and protests by animal-rights groups before overwhelmingly agreeing it was simply a bad idea. Regional and national bison-ranching groups also opposed the event. Chad Kremer of the Dakota Territory Buffalo Association said that while bison may appear docile on the range they can be extremely dangerous. A full-grown buffalo can weigh 2,000 pounds. "Once they become confined, they get agitated," Kremer said. FORUM | MAILBAG posted June 1, 2006: Grizzly-attack victim: "This is going to hurt" Homer, Alaska, resident Michael Mungoven's job as a soil mapper for the Natural Resource Conservation Services places him the state's backcountry for a good part of his work time.
    Michael Mungoven
    Michael Mungoven on the mend
    As a result, you'd expect his survival skills to be above average … and they are. He just didn't expect to have to use them last weekend while jogging about 1,000 yards from the residential area where he lives. That's when a full-grown, 400-pound grizzly bolted toward him out of the thick timber. "I looked up at this huge bear standing just two feet in front of me, the sun shining off its golden-brown fur," Mungoven told the Homer Tribune. "I remember thinking, 'Wow, that's just beautiful,' and, then, 'Oh boy, this is going to hurt.'" Reacting on his training and knowledge, Mungoven immediately dropped to the ground and played dead, curling into a defensive ball with his head tucked into his chest. It was a reaction that quite possibly saved his life. Mungoven doesn't remember much about the attack itself, just the frenzy of flashing teeth and sharp claws. "The attack itself really wasn't very painful," he said. "She missed my carotid artery and only got a few bites in. I guess I was lucky all the way around." "Lucky" is relative, considering he underwent 11 hours of surgery and received too many stitches to count. "It's not the first time I've walked in the door and said, 'Honey, we need to go to the emergency room,'" Mungoven explained. "I don't really think she was expecting a bear attack, though." FORUM | MAILBAG Dirty, little secrets Do you ever wonder, as I do, about those enormous, gas-guzzling SUVs seen during the morning commute on every urban freeway system … and about what percentage of them actually go off-road, much less under true 4-wheel-driving, backcountry conditions?
    Spray On Mud
    Spray On Mud
    Does it ever cross your mind that the drivers of those shiny, spotless behemoths might be the least bit self-conscious about always piloting their crafts on concrete and blacktop, seldom having the opportunity to enjoy the gratifying lifestyle that accompanies kicking up dust on an unpaved back road, or splashing through mud bogs and across swollen mountain streams with a backseat full of laughing companions — just like on those TV commercials? Well, thanks to an online company located in the United Kingdom, Tahoe and Escalade owners don't even have to leave the driveway to look like they've just returned from a Florida swamp-buggy jamboree. With Spray On Mud, your SUV can have that "authentic, off-road look" in seconds. For 8 pounds (about $14.50), you'll receive.75 liters (.85 quarts) of genuine muddy water, bottled in the rural countryside located near the England-Wales border. The objective, according to the Web site is "to give your neighbors the impression you've just come back from a day's shooting or fishing — anything but driving around town all day or visiting the retail park." But wait, there's an underlying nefarious use for this nifty product. It seems that law enforcement authorities in Britain and elsewhere are warning motorists not to use the liquid mud to obscure their license plates so the numbers cannot be scanned by the automatic plate-recognition devices being utilized to nab speeders in an increasing number of urban areas. posted May 31, 2006: What's in a name? Have you ever wondered how some outdoor-equipment catalogs, junk mail and other bulk items dealing with hunting and fishing find their way to your mailbox? It's because catalog companies and other outfits that utilize direct mail to reach their potential customers routinely exchange or rent the names of their best clients. The buying and selling of your name — as someone who regularly spends money on outdoor gear — is a huge specialty business, one that involves large-media service-brokerage firms. A fascinating article appearing on the Multichannel Merchant Web site, notes that the base number, or "universe" of 12-month active customers of outdoors and recreation catalogs, jumped nearly 14 percent during the past two years, according to New York-based media brokerage firm ParadyszMatera. The names of 9.6 million 12-month buyers in the category were available for rental or exchange during the first quarter of 2006, compared with 8.5 million for the first quarter of 2004. All told, they account for 6 percent of all consumer catalog names available for rental or exchange. So, who's king of outdoor catalog-name brokerage? It should come as no surprise that Cabela's has top billing in this category, but the margin of its domination is quite astounding. The Sidney, Neb.-based retailer boasted more than 3.14 million 12-month catalog buyers during the first quarter of 2006. That's more than three times that of fellow cataloger/retailer Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), which had the second-largest name file at just more than 1 million. Now that your curiosity is piqued, here's where the other mega-outdoor catalogs fall: The Outdoor Guide, 999,823; Sierra Trading Post, 834,260; and Bass Pro Shops, 781,061. FORUM | MAILBAG Close encounters of the grizzly kind By Montana standards, it's been a quiet spring for conflicts between humans and grizzly bears, and wildlife officials say that's a good thing. The only incident reported to authorities thus far involved a woman who was hunting shed elk antlers in the Sun River Wildlife Management Area when a sow grizzly ran toward her. The woman, Carrie Perina of Whitefish, Mont., escaped with a torn shirt and a memorable story to tell for a lifetime.
    Grizzly bear
    Montana has enjoyed a quiet year in terms of grizzly vs. human encounters.
    According to Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks Warden Capt. Mike Martin, Perina noticed the bear, grabbed her pack and intended to leave. But the animal detected her movement and charged. He said the woman stumbled and fell when the grizzly took a swipe at her, then ran to join her group. The bear did not give chase. "She was very scared but she was pretty convinced that it was a surprise encounter, that she surprised the bear as it was ambling on," Martin said. "She was convinced that the bear was trying to defend its territory and not attacking her in a predatory way." Montana authorities say it has been one of quietest springs on record in terms of confirmed conflicts involving grizzly bears. FORUM | MAILBAG Super trout? Brent Frazee, the longtime outdoor scribe for the Kansas City Star, provides trout anglers with an interesting scenario: What would it be like to fight a fish that has been fed performance-enhancing supplements so that it has increased strength and stamina? That's exactly what researchers at the University of Missouri have been doing for the past year. As part of the study, rainbow trout are fed a diet supplemented with 5 percent creatine — a substance that gained some notoriety when slugger Mark McGwire named it his supplement of choice as he chased major-league baseball's single-season home-run record in 1998. Creatine is a naturally occurring amino acid, not a steroid or a hormone, and athletes and body builders often use it to increase muscle mass and build physical endurance. It appears to have the same effect on fish. University of Missouri researchers say that rainbows fed the creatine supplement exhibited a fivefold increase in their stamina, measured by the length of time they were able to swim against a controlled current. But don't expect to be fighting muscle-bound trout any time soon. While the substance is legal for over-the-counter sales, it is not government approved for fish that may be consumed by humans. So, how can you tell the difference between a regular rainbow and one that's been raised on a performance-enhancing supplement? Check it for overly developed pectoral fins! FORUM | MAILBAG posted May 30, 2006: Most dangerous: Deer or gator? In the wake of the spate of Florida alligator attacks that left three dead earlier this month, the state's Nuisance Alligator Hotline has been swamped with calls, many from panicked individuals who have exaggerated the size of the animals they see in order to have a busy trapper respond quickly. So, let's look at the facts. For example, only 17 alligator-related deaths have occurred in Florida since records began in 1948. Nathan Crabbe, a writer with the Gainesville Sun, helped put it in perspective in a weekend article when he informed Floridians about a wild animal that's 300 times more dangerous to humans than sharks or amphibious reptiles — and that's the common deer. According to several sources used by the writer, including International Shark Attack File, U.S. Department of Transportation and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, here's a rundown of the average annual U.S. animal-related fatalities recorded during the 1990s: Alligators, 0.3; sharks, 0.4; mountain lions, 0.6; snakes, 15; dogs, 18; and vehicular collisions caused by deer, 130. Mark Hostetler, a University of Florida wildlife ecology professor said many people mistakenly use television as a frame of reference for wildlife behavior. "I call it the Discovery Channel effect," he said. FORUM | MAILBAG Ready for takeoff You may never hear about him or see his name mentioned by other hunting and shooting sports writers, but Jerry Henderson is a valuable ally to hunters and gun owners who choose to travel by air with their firearms during these times of heightened security. Jerry is the Transportation Security Administration's Federal Security Director at Little Rock (Ark.) National Airport and an avid hunter, shooter and gun owner. It's my firm belief that Henderson, with the support of his superiors at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is probably one of the single most influential administration employees regarding the implementation and streamlining of regulations regarding flying with firearms and ammunition. Henderson made a special trip to last week's National Rifle Association annual convention in Milwaukee to speak to gun writers about traveling with firearms and to meet with principals for major firearm manufacturers in an attempt to coordinate an effort to educate more gun owners about safe and legal firearm transportation. Some rules to commit to memory include:
  • All firearms must be declared to the air carrier during the ticket counter check-in process.
  • All firearms must be unloaded and carried in a hard-sided, locked container.
  • The container must be locked.
  • Any ammunition transported must be securely packed in fiber (such as cardboard), wood or metal boxes or other packaging specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition.
  • Black powder and percussion caps used with black-powder type firearms are not permitted in carry-on or checked baggage. The complete and current listing of rules regarding air travel with firearms may be found on the TSA Web site. Many News Hound readers may have experienced less-than-delightful experiences while traveling with firearms since September 11, 2001. Henderson acknowledges that there have been some glitches in the policy, and he says it has been made more gun-owner friendly in recent months. He also admits that many problems experienced by travelers result from inconsistent enforcement practices between airports as well as differences between individual carriers — differences that the TSA is working to eliminate. Despite some apparent enforcement problems, it's good to know we've got someone looking out for us. Thanks for all you do, Jerry. FORUM | MAILBAG posted May 26, 2006: Line used on 1,280-pound hammerhead may cloud record bid Clyde "Bucky" Dennis was angling for a record great hammerhead shark in the world-famous tarpon waters of Florida's Boca Grande Pass this week, and it appears he got everything he bargained for. The 36-year-old Port Charlotte, Fla., captain says he's fished for a record shark in the Gulf of Mexico for about 10 years. And Tuesday he reeled in a monstrous 1,280-pound hammerhead that measured 14½ feet in length.
    World-record hammerhead shark
    We're gonna need a bigger boat: Bucky Dennis and crew attempt to boat the beast.
    During the epic six-hour battle, the shark towed Dennis' 23-foot boat approximately 12 miles into the Gulf before the crew could gaff and secure it. St. Petersburg Times' writer David Brown wrote that Dennis was armed with a 6-foot "stump-puller" stand-up rod with an 8/0 Penn reel loaded with 130-pound braided line. His bait consisted of a 20-pound live stingray on a 12/0 hook with 24 feet of 600-pound wire leader. A shoulder harness with a rod gimbal provided additional leverage. Dennis' shark eclipsed by 289 pounds the world record of 991 pounds set in 1982. Fishing writer Byron Stout of the Fort Myers News-Press noted that there might be some questions about the tackle Dennis used to haul in the potential record. All-tackle world records must be caught on line no heavier than 130-pound test, which is the maximum strength allowed by the International Game Fish Association. Dennis said he used a popular brand of braided line that consistently rates higher than its labeled 130-pound test. Dennis donated his catch to the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, which plans to have it mounted and displayed. Center director Robert Hueter said researchers were grateful to have the shark donated to science, though they prefer that anglers tag and release large sharks because they help sustain the species. FORUM | MAILBAG Doe victim seeks bucks I guess I should have seen this one coming. I blogged Wednesday — with tongue firmly planted in cheek — that I expected someone to step forward with a psychoanalysis of the female deer that has been showing aggressive behavior toward pedestrians on the campus of South Illinois University in Carbondale. I should have known that chances were far greater that we'd hear something from a lawyer before a psychologist stepped forward. Indeed, Marion, Ill., attorney Tiffany Sievers has filed the intent to claim $50,000 in damages for her client, a doctoral student from China, who suffered a broken clavicle in June 2005 when she was hit by a whitetail doe while walking on a pathway through the campus' sprawling Thompson Woods. Sievers said the claim is based on the university's failure to safeguard and protect its student body. The university disagrees. David Gross, a spokesman for the SIU university system, said its legal counsel initially determined that the university likely would not be found liable for the behavior of wildlife on its campus. "We are fortunate to have one of the most naturally beautiful campuses in the country. However, with that comes the inherent interaction between humans and wildlife," Gross said. Will the coed's doe defense result in big bucks? Stay tuned. FORUM | MAILBAG posted May 25, 2006: Elk remains remain mystery Spring is a popular time of year for hunters and outdoors folks to traipse around the mountains and woods looking for shed antlers to collect, sell or otherwise determine if a big bull or buck is lurking nearby. But just imagine what a thrill it would be to discover an impressive 6x8 elk rack. Then imagine finding about half the bones from the same elk, along with an ancient spearhead that could have been used to kill the animal — all at the bottom of a lake. That's what happened last summer to a swimmer at a resort on Wisconsin's Middle Eau Claire Lake, when "an odd piece of wood" he stepped on turned out to be the intact headgear of what could be an ancient elk. Subsequent searching turned up numerous bones and a fluted spear point. Jean Hudson, an archaeologist from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who specializes in the study of animal bones, said the remains and spearhead could date back at least 10,000 years. Though carbon dating of the bones has been inconclusive, Hudson said that butchering marks on the bones are characteristic with those left by the primitive tools used by early man. "It's important for biology, it's important for ecology, it's important because of its human interest for hunters," Hudson told the Ashland (Wis.) Daily Press. "If it is in fact as old as the fluted point is, then it is really important to understanding life 10,000 years ago. We almost never get a selection of bones that old, so far in the past. All of a sudden we have this glimpse of the life of a couple of hunters 10,000 years ago."

    FORUM | MAILBAG Cougar shot after Colorado pet attack A Fort Collins, Colo., man shot and killed a 130-pound mountain lion last week after the cougar attacked his family's 100-pound malamute outside their home near the Arapahoe National Forest. Andy and Tammie Onslow said they heard a "horrible ruckus" outside their front door, grabbed their guns and ran out to see their dog being dragged over some rocks. "We just saw the back end of our dog flip off the rocks about 15 feet down," Tammie Onslow told the Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper. "The huge mountain lion was lying on top of her with her head in its mouth." The first time Andy Onslow tried to shoot, nothing happened; there was no shell in the gun's chamber. He grabbed another gun and fired. The lion fled to the forest, where it was later found dead. The dog was treated by a veterinarian and is expected to recover. Mr. Onslow's advice to others who reside in cougar country: "Never leave your dog or kids unattended, ever. We're in their territory." FORUM | MAILBAG posted May 24, 2006: Duck! A deer! She's baaaaack! At least, she fits the same modus operandi as the culprit responsible for seven or more attacks along the wooded, lakeside trails on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale during June of last year. And yesterday, the attacks resumed. "She" is a female whitetail deer. And according to the Southern Illinoisan newspaper, three pedestrians were roughed up yesterday by a dangerous doe that is evidently protecting a newly born fawn in the campus woods. A spokesman for the Southern Illinois University Department of Public Safety said yesterday's attacks left one female university employee requiring stitches for a gash on her forehead. The doe also scratched a student's jaw and sprained the wrist of another campus employee. Handwritten signs reading, "Caution: Deer Attacks," have been placed throughout the area known as Thompson's Woods. We figure it's only a matter of time before someone from the university's Psychology Department weighs in on the clinical diagnosis of the doe's psychosomatic condition.

    FORUM | MAILBAG Gas prices: Staying afloat this summer As Memorial Day and the official opening weekend of summer and fishing season approaches, the ESPNOudoors.com News Hound poses the question: Will record-high fuel prices affect your summer plans for fishing and boating? A lengthy article in USA Today asked boaters, anglers and marina owners the same question, and the reaction was predictably mixed.
    A question of boating
    Will record-high fuel prices affect your summer plans for fishing and boating?
    Ron Anderson, who owns a tackle shop near Lake Arthur in Moraine State Park north of Pittsburgh, said he sees anglers reducing the number of fishing trips and the distance traveled. "A lot of my local guys who used to travel to Pymatuning Lake on the Pennsylvania-Ohio border, about an hour and a half away with a boat in tow, are now fishing locally. And where they used to go three times a month, now they're going once a month," he said. Some marina owners say they expect a rough summer. Mary Briskey, from Luna Pier Harbor Club in southern Michigan, says she expects about 25 percent of her 400 docks to go unrented this summer as boat owners stay home. Could the marina situation have something to do with the fact that gas prices at most boat docks can often be substantially higher than at a regular gas station? Perhaps anglers will choose to trailer their boats and face lines at launching sites for the advantage of filling up as cheaply as possible. So how about it? Are you planning to change your fishing and boating routine this summer? What's your take? Post on our Message Board or our Mailbag. Gunmakers, gear manufacturers responding to women In an article timed to correspond with the weekend's annual meeting and convention of the National Rifle Association, Associated Press writer Emily Fredrix wrote about how firearms manufacturers and gearmakers are catering to the growing market of women who are becoming attracted to shooting sports. Fredrix spoke with firearms manufacturers including Remington, Smith & Wesson and Beretta USA, as well as the National Shooting Sports Foundation about this "burgeoning female market." The article noted that women will spend an estimated $285 million on firearms in 2006, plus an additional $135 million on ammunition, accessories and hunting equipment. According to a National Shooting Sports Foundation study released earlier this year, women comprise 15 percent of the shooting sports and hunting market. Participation in hunting and target shooting among females has risen 50 percent in the past five years. During an address at this year's Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show, Christine Godleski, vice president and general manager of ESPN Outdoors, predicted that products geared toward women and positive media exposure will help to boost their participation in shooting and hunting well into the next decade. "Participation among women in hunting and target shooting rose from 4.2 million to 6.3 million between 1999 and 2004," Godleski said. "It's the grass-roots initiatives and volunteers that encourage women to go out and try it … and from positive exposure by the television media and all the women's publications that are out there.

    FORUM | MAILBAG posted May 23, 2006: Blind pheasant flusher is still in the hunt It is said that even a blind squirrel may, upon occasion, locate an acorn. Despite being blind for several years, Duece, a 9-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, continues to flush pheasants and amaze hunters. Pat Phipps of Moville, Iowa, isn't certain exactly how Duece lost his eyesight. He suspects it had something to do with some rat poison the Lab accidentally ingested as an inquisitive puppy. After a close call with death, Deuce recovered fully and became an accomplished bird hunter. A few years ago, Phipps says he noticed Deuce was bumping into things in the yard with increasing frequency and it was obvious the dog was losing his eyesight. Today Phipps thinks Deuce might be able to see only slightly, though he guesses his dog is almost totally blind. Even though he's lost one sense, hunters say Deuce hasn't lost any of the instincts and training he perfected before he became blind. "He's probably a better hunter now than when he could see. He uses his nose now," the junior Phipps, Jay, told Nick Hytrek of the Sioux City Journal. Phipps admits he has adjusted his hunting methods while utilizing a blind dog. He says he keeps Deuce in the middle of fields and away from ditches and ravines, while also avoiding fences and groves of trees. Other than that, says the proud dog handler, just stay out of his way … because nothing gets between Deuce and the scent of a pheasant: "He'll take you out. He gets going." FORUM | MAILBAG Pennsylvania posts safest hunting year ever The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced this week that newly compiled data indicates the 2005 hunting year was the safest in 90 years of records kept in the Keystone State. Such a milestone for a state, its hunters and its hunter-education program is indeed an impressive one; but let's look at it from a wider perspective. On a national level, Pennsylvania historically ranks second in the number of hunters, after Texas, with around a million participants. (For those keeping score, Michigan has held down the No. 3 spot for the past few decades, while New York and Wisconsin round out the top five.) So, with the nation's hunter numbers hovering at just under 13 million, it means that out of every dozen U.S. hunters, one enjoys pursuing game in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania data for 2006 indicates there were 47 hunting-related shooting incidents, including three fatalities, creating an incident rate of 4.92 per 100,000 participants. The standing record had been established in 2004, when 56 hunting-related shooting incidents occurred and a rate of 5.56 per 100,000 participants set the standard. Of the 47 incidents in 2005, 35 involved persons who were shot by another hunter, including two fatalities. The remaining 12 incidents were self-inflicted, including one fatality. FORUM | MAILBAG High Sierra, deep snow While most of the country is enjoying mild temperatures and outdoor enthusiasts prepare for summer fishing and other activities, crews in California's Sierra Nevada range are trying clear deep snows in an effort to make at least some of the high-mountain roads passable by the Memorial Day holiday weekend. My old friend and popular outdoor writer Tom Stienstra from the San Francisco Chronicle reported in his column this week that crews are punching holes through walls of snow as high as 20 feet on some trans-Sierra crests. While some parts of the West are suffering from record-low snowpack, that's certainly not the case in central California and Northwestern mountains. Stienstra writes that crews are confident most of the popular roads and pullouts in Yosemite National Park will be cleared by next week. However, the main road through Lassen Volcanic National Park, located deep in the Sierras, may not be opened until mid-July, according to one park staff projection.

    FORUM | MAILBAG posted May 22, 2006: Baghdad School of Fly Fishing Waiting for the caddis hatch on the Tigris River? Well, don't hold your breath.
    Baghdad School of Fly Fishing
    Good morning, Iraq!
    But that's not to say that you won't see any anglers flinging a royal Wulff or a woolly bugger into the water located in and around Baghdad, Iraq. Thanks to Navy Lt. Joel Stewart, an avid Montana flyangler, dozens of soldiers have graduated from the Baghdad School of Fly Fishing based at Camp Victory. The graduates learn how to tie their own flies and then try them out on one of the several manmade lakes built and stocked with fish during the Saddam Hussein era. The Chicago Tribune reports that the average U.S. soldier's down time in Iraq is different than in past military conflicts. Aamer Madhani writes that there is no bar scene, such as the one U.S. troops enjoyed in Saigon, and there have been few stories of GIs meeting their future brides, as many American troops did during World War II. But the variety of diversions and creature comforts available to troops in Iraq is astounding compared with previous wars. "I can't tell you the number of times I have come out with a fly rod and solved the world's problems," said U.S. Army Maj. Vance Sperry, who along with Lt. Col. William Jones is directing the club since Stewart's deployment ended in February. Since returning stateside, Stewart has maintained a Web site for the school that includes photographs, updates (May 15 official Baghdad temperature: 114 degrees!) and offers readers the opportunity to send e-mail to the school participants.

    FORUM | MAILBAG
    J.R. Absher
    Our very own News Hound, J.R. Absher, made a friend at the NRA Convention.
    Oh, J.R.'s on the right.
    From BB guns to Berettas After a whirlwind of a weekend that included close encounters with the likes of rocker Ted Nugent, NRA vice president Wayne LaPierre and retired U.S. General Tommy Franks, your intrepid News Hound reporter is now safely back at his desk and prepared to resume blogging duty.
    The 2006 National Rifle Association Convention held May 19-21 in Milwaukee attracted an estimated 60,000 people to its exhibits and meetings. Each time I attend the annual event, I am fascinated by the incredible cross section of Americans who are drawn together by the common interest in firearms —whether because of an interest in hunting, recreational shooting, competition, collecting or personal protection. Whatever shooting genre you prefer, there was something for everyone — from Mausers and muzzleloaders to high-dollar Beretta shotguns and Daisy Red Rider BB guns. From bikers wearing message T-shirts to bankers in $500 suits, you'll see them all at the NRA Convention. Julie Vance, a 43-year-old chiropractor attending her first convention, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "It's like Mecca, like coming home, like the mother ship."
  • Got a similar take or differing view? Post on our Message Board or our Mailbag.
    About the author: J.R. Absher shares his perspective while blogging about hunting, fishing, shooting sports, sportsmen's issues and the occasional offbeat outdoor tale. In more than 30 years of writing and a lifetime of enjoying the outdoors, he has worked as a newspaper reporter, photographer, mule wrangler, wilderness packer, magazine editor, political consultant, hunting-equipment copywriter, public-relations director and sportsman's advocate. You may contact him at jrabsher@psci.net.
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