I got this today in the email and would like to pass it on to my readers.
(Columbus) - The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance has been asked to represent the nation’s sportsmen and address U.S. Senate committee members and staff next week on why listing the polar bear as a threatened species per the Endangered Species Act and curtailing polar bear hunting by U.S. citizens will be detrimental to the species.
Following discussions with Sen. James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, the ranking minority member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the USSA was asked to make a presentation to committee members and staff. On Feb. 23, the USSA will make a presentation on how American hunters provide significant funding for successful polar bear conservation in Canada. It will detail why a proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the species as threatened throughout its range will prove detrimental to healthy bear populations.
The briefing comes as Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California, holds a series of hearings on climate change. The issue is at the heart of a lawsuit brought by environmental groups to list the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The groups believe the animals are threatened by shrinking Arctic sea ice as a result of prospective climate change.
“The service’s proposal to list polar bears as a federally threatened species, including populations in Canada that are stable and increasing, is a strike by the federal government that again demonstrates an anti-hunting bias,” said USSA Senior Vice President Rick Story. “The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance formed the International Hunters' Rights Campaign in 2006 because of our concern that the federal government continues to disregard sportsmen’s interests.”
The International Hunters' Rights Campaign is also working to prevent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from slashing tax deductions and imposing burdensome import regulations on international big game hunters. The campaign comes as the service works on regulation reform for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
On Dec. 27, 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed that the polar bear be listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Instead of limiting threatened status to only the distinct population segments that are decreasing, the service recommendation will put all of the bears, including healthy, huntable populations, under the same restrictions.
The USSA is preparing comments to submit to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opposing the proposal. A final decision on the listing will be made in Dec. 2007 after a 12-month public comment period and scientific review.
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects and advances America’s heritage of hunting, fishing and trapping. It does so in the courts, state legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
A whopper of a fish tale
A friend sent me the following article which I just have to pass on here. Wow is all I can say.
Howards Grove man spears a 102-pound, 72-inch sturgeon on Lake Winnebago
Darren Horness blinked when the shadowy outline first slid beneath him in the darkness.
It was 6:50 a.m., the temperature about 9 degrees, and Horness was just settling in for a second day of sturgeon spearing on Lake Winnebago when the 102-pound, 72-inch sturgeon shattered his early-morning haze.
"I was skimming some ice off the hole, and all the sudden I thought I caught a little bit of movement, and I had to kind of take a step back," Horness, 36, of Howards Grove, recalled Monday. "The fish was actually coming up into the hole, I just could see part of it and could tell it was a kind of nice fish, but I had no idea how big it really was."
Horness — who was among the 8,000 fishermen on Lake Winnebago and its upriver lakes for this year's sturgeon spearing season — has been spearing for seven years, but he'd never had one this big or this willing.
The sturgeon arched up into the hole Horness had been cut through 16 inches of ice, coming within about six inches of the surface. Horness could hear the back of the fish scraping the icy edge at the bottom of the hole as he scrambled for the spear.
"I had to get down on my knees and I had to spear almost horizontal because it was so high up into the hole," he said. "I didn't know how good of a hit that I had on it because it was such a weird throw."
But the throw was true, lodging in the fish's tail about two feet from the end. Three or four minutes later, the female monster was played out and on its way in as Horness first realized what he'd taken.
"When it got to about eight feet down, I just saw this huge silhouette of a fish and my knees just almost buckled because it looked so humongous in the water," he said.
You can read the full article here!
Howards Grove man spears a 102-pound, 72-inch sturgeon on Lake Winnebago
Darren Horness blinked when the shadowy outline first slid beneath him in the darkness.
It was 6:50 a.m., the temperature about 9 degrees, and Horness was just settling in for a second day of sturgeon spearing on Lake Winnebago when the 102-pound, 72-inch sturgeon shattered his early-morning haze.
"I was skimming some ice off the hole, and all the sudden I thought I caught a little bit of movement, and I had to kind of take a step back," Horness, 36, of Howards Grove, recalled Monday. "The fish was actually coming up into the hole, I just could see part of it and could tell it was a kind of nice fish, but I had no idea how big it really was."
Horness — who was among the 8,000 fishermen on Lake Winnebago and its upriver lakes for this year's sturgeon spearing season — has been spearing for seven years, but he'd never had one this big or this willing.
The sturgeon arched up into the hole Horness had been cut through 16 inches of ice, coming within about six inches of the surface. Horness could hear the back of the fish scraping the icy edge at the bottom of the hole as he scrambled for the spear.
"I had to get down on my knees and I had to spear almost horizontal because it was so high up into the hole," he said. "I didn't know how good of a hit that I had on it because it was such a weird throw."
But the throw was true, lodging in the fish's tail about two feet from the end. Three or four minutes later, the female monster was played out and on its way in as Horness first realized what he'd taken.
"When it got to about eight feet down, I just saw this huge silhouette of a fish and my knees just almost buckled because it looked so humongous in the water," he said.
You can read the full article here!
Monday, February 12, 2007
Roger Raglin…
I have watched many videos of Roger Raglin – in fact I have a big library of videos form BKS - and I never get tired watching them and there is always something new and exiting going on. Aside from these qualities, what I appreciate most is that Rogers’s videos are not reduced to mere infomercial that seem to be so common today with many hunting videos. In fact you will be hard pressed to see any advertising in the video until the very end.
What I also like, is that Roger has not fallen victim to the current fashion of being all humble and almost sorry for harvesting a deer. The enthusiasm, drive and excitement that Roger delivers on camera is truly contagious. His patented, "Jiminy Christmas" saying is loved and repeated by the many thousands who have followed BKS tapes over the years. Roger's humor is natural, his devotion to the sport of hunting is genuine and his knowledge and expertise as an outdoorsman and hunter are exemplary.
Roger backs his video success up with his hunting success as one of America’s most prolific hunters. His accomplishments with bow, rifle and black powder are astounding. Over 100 whitetail bucks scoring 130 B&C or better; 62 bucks scoring over 140 and 25 scoring over 160. He holds over 180 different SCI trophy records, 8 whitetail slams, 3 bow slams and more. Roger secret to this success is his wealth of hunting knowledge that freely passes on in his hunting videos. In addition to the line of videos Roger offers his own line of field proven and tested deer attractant scent and game calls.
Hunting Products are:
Whitetail Maniac 150 - interdigital gland mixture with doe urine
Whitetail Maniac 155 - tarsal gland mixture with doe urine
Whitetail Maniac Down & Dirty cover up scent
Whitetail Maniac Buck Mud - pre-orbital gland mixture
Whitetail Maniac Penetrator Buck Call
Whitetail Maniac Hands Free Buck Call/Doe Call
Whitetail Maniac Deer Killer Kits - Buck or Doe
You can purchase Roger Raglin’s BKS videos in many outdoor sports stores such as Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shop or direct on his website where you can find more information about America’s Whitetail Deer Hunter Roger Raglin.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Blind Hunter
Geheehunter, a member of our SHS Hunting Chat Forum, told us a fascinating and touching story of how he helped a blind friend, and first time hunter, of his to hunt and enjoy the great outdoors.
Quite the handyman Geheehunter converted a crossbow sight that allows him to be the eyes of the blind hunter. While he was at it and with foresight that his invention might help other blind hunters too, he posted the exact procedures on converting a crossbow or rifle sight to accommodate a blind person and his aid on our forum. You can read the full description of it here.
Geheehunter tells us about the great satisfaction he had to be able and help a blind person to harvest game. This brings to my mind how little it takes to introduce a new hunter to our ranks. There are so many things we can do to promote our outdoor legacy. Not everybody is as mechanically talented as Geheehunter, I am most certainly not, but there are ways that we can do something too.
At the SHS hunting Chat forum we’re dedicated to the promotion of hunting and fishing. We have special sections for newcomers to hunting and fishing, for disabled hunters, young hunters, female hunters and much more. Of course we also have all the usual hunter related topics. The bottom line is our dedication to promote our sport and reach out to hunters of all skill levels by giving and seeking advice, support and friendship. We welcome everybody, be that veteran hunters wanting to help young and new hunters with advice. Or hunters like Geheehunter and many others like him that help the less fortunate ones so they too can enjoy our sport.
You can read about Geheehunter and his "Blind Sight"here.
Quite the handyman Geheehunter converted a crossbow sight that allows him to be the eyes of the blind hunter. While he was at it and with foresight that his invention might help other blind hunters too, he posted the exact procedures on converting a crossbow or rifle sight to accommodate a blind person and his aid on our forum. You can read the full description of it here.
Geheehunter tells us about the great satisfaction he had to be able and help a blind person to harvest game. This brings to my mind how little it takes to introduce a new hunter to our ranks. There are so many things we can do to promote our outdoor legacy. Not everybody is as mechanically talented as Geheehunter, I am most certainly not, but there are ways that we can do something too.
At the SHS hunting Chat forum we’re dedicated to the promotion of hunting and fishing. We have special sections for newcomers to hunting and fishing, for disabled hunters, young hunters, female hunters and much more. Of course we also have all the usual hunter related topics. The bottom line is our dedication to promote our sport and reach out to hunters of all skill levels by giving and seeking advice, support and friendship. We welcome everybody, be that veteran hunters wanting to help young and new hunters with advice. Or hunters like Geheehunter and many others like him that help the less fortunate ones so they too can enjoy our sport.
You can read about Geheehunter and his "Blind Sight"here.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Hog Wild
Meet Phillip Loughlin, by his own description; bitten by the hog hunting bug, he is the newest addition to Skinny Moose Media. Phillip Loughlin, editor of Jesse’s Hunting online magazine and Outdoors Journal has decided to return to outdoor writing as a blogger with his Hog Blog. As the name of the blog suggests it’s all about the fun, exitement and the thill of hog hunting. Phillip admits that he is passionate about chasing wild porkers all year long in the hills of his home state California.
I found the blog while looking for information on wild hog hunting. when I started to read the Hog Blog I couldn’t stop until I read it all from the first to the last page. Being a little bit of a hog hunting fanatic myself, I appreciate Phillip’s valued information on hog hunting equipment and tactics, showing his deep insight and experience he has as a veteran hog hunter.
Phillip Loughlin looks forward to communicate with other like-minded hunters on his blog and share with us more of his knowledge and hunting stories. Currently he is on a hog hunting trip over the weekend, looks forward to come back next week to share his tales with the readers of the Hog Blog. I too look forward to him returning and telling us all. I could go on writing about the Hog Blog but then again why don’t you just head on over to the Hog Blog and see for yourself what Phillip has on offer.
Tags: Blog, Hog, Hog Hunting, Hog Blog
I found the blog while looking for information on wild hog hunting. when I started to read the Hog Blog I couldn’t stop until I read it all from the first to the last page. Being a little bit of a hog hunting fanatic myself, I appreciate Phillip’s valued information on hog hunting equipment and tactics, showing his deep insight and experience he has as a veteran hog hunter.
Phillip Loughlin looks forward to communicate with other like-minded hunters on his blog and share with us more of his knowledge and hunting stories. Currently he is on a hog hunting trip over the weekend, looks forward to come back next week to share his tales with the readers of the Hog Blog. I too look forward to him returning and telling us all. I could go on writing about the Hog Blog but then again why don’t you just head on over to the Hog Blog and see for yourself what Phillip has on offer.
Tags: Blog, Hog, Hog Hunting, Hog Blog
Thursday, February 08, 2007
New opportunities for bowhunters.
With the rapid growth of the deer population and the suburban housing development conflicts between deer and traffic have risen. Motorists are involved in more than one million traffic accidents in a year involving deer. Resident complaints of deer damaging crop and gardens also have drastically increased over the years. This has prompted several states, towns and cities to look for solutions to address collisions involving deer and conflicts between deer and human dwellings. There are number of solutions considered in the affected communities. To permit bowhunting within the city limits, lifting the Sunday hunting ban and legislate the crossbow as a legal hunting weapon for all hunters by either including crossbows into the general archery season or creating a special crossbow hunting season.
Whatever method the communities chose to solve the deer population explosion and lower the problems the deer cause it is good news for us hunters. It means more deer tags are issued, more hunting opportunities and longer deer hunting seasons. Among communities adding limited hunts to their strategy:
Fort Smith and Barling, Ark., lifted a hunting ban in a 7,200-acre area that lies in both towns. One hundred permits were sold for bow hunting this season, which ends Feb. 28. The hunt was set up because of concerns there might not be enough food for deer and the risk of the animals roaming into the area as it fills with new homes and businesses, says Sandy Sanders, director of a local redevelopment authority.
Kansas City, Mo., had bow hunts for the first time in two public parks. From late November to Dec. 10, 41 deer were killed, says Debra Burns, urban wildlife biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. The City Council authorized the hunts after learning that at least 400 deer a year were hit by vehicles within the city, Burns says.
Warsaw, Ind., in November authorized archers to hunt deer for three weeks this winter. "It was a baby step," Councilman Jeff Grose says of the hunt, which led to the killing of 20 deer. "We felt the residents in that area had a legitimate argument to declare the deer population as a nuisance."
Alamosa, Colo., is allowing hunting by bows and shotguns on a city-owned golf course until Feb. 28. The hunt comes after incidents in which deer killed backyard pets, caused property damage and were hit by vehicles. "This won't decrease the population," City Manager Nathan Cherpeski says. "At best, it's going to slow the growth."
Suburbs of Des Moines, St. Louis, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, have staged bow hunts or are considering them.
North Carolina's Wildlife Resources Commission will vote March 7 on whether to permit a five-week bow-hunting season, the first time hunting would be allowed within city or town limits. If approved, each community would decide whether to allow the hunts.
Other states, such as; Ohio, Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee have, or consider at the present, legalized crossbow for all hunters. This new and welcome hunting opportunity will create more hunting land available to the hunters within the community. This also means a higher awareness of safety and adopting new hunting tactics. Hunting Suburban deer on relatively small parcels of land or even in people’s backyard is a very different affair than hunting deer on farmland or on public land tracts.
Tags: Bowhunting, State DNR, Crossbow, Deer Hunting, Deer accidents
Whatever method the communities chose to solve the deer population explosion and lower the problems the deer cause it is good news for us hunters. It means more deer tags are issued, more hunting opportunities and longer deer hunting seasons. Among communities adding limited hunts to their strategy:
Fort Smith and Barling, Ark., lifted a hunting ban in a 7,200-acre area that lies in both towns. One hundred permits were sold for bow hunting this season, which ends Feb. 28. The hunt was set up because of concerns there might not be enough food for deer and the risk of the animals roaming into the area as it fills with new homes and businesses, says Sandy Sanders, director of a local redevelopment authority.
Kansas City, Mo., had bow hunts for the first time in two public parks. From late November to Dec. 10, 41 deer were killed, says Debra Burns, urban wildlife biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. The City Council authorized the hunts after learning that at least 400 deer a year were hit by vehicles within the city, Burns says.
Warsaw, Ind., in November authorized archers to hunt deer for three weeks this winter. "It was a baby step," Councilman Jeff Grose says of the hunt, which led to the killing of 20 deer. "We felt the residents in that area had a legitimate argument to declare the deer population as a nuisance."
Alamosa, Colo., is allowing hunting by bows and shotguns on a city-owned golf course until Feb. 28. The hunt comes after incidents in which deer killed backyard pets, caused property damage and were hit by vehicles. "This won't decrease the population," City Manager Nathan Cherpeski says. "At best, it's going to slow the growth."
Suburbs of Des Moines, St. Louis, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, have staged bow hunts or are considering them.
North Carolina's Wildlife Resources Commission will vote March 7 on whether to permit a five-week bow-hunting season, the first time hunting would be allowed within city or town limits. If approved, each community would decide whether to allow the hunts.
Other states, such as; Ohio, Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee have, or consider at the present, legalized crossbow for all hunters. This new and welcome hunting opportunity will create more hunting land available to the hunters within the community. This also means a higher awareness of safety and adopting new hunting tactics. Hunting Suburban deer on relatively small parcels of land or even in people’s backyard is a very different affair than hunting deer on farmland or on public land tracts.
Tags: Bowhunting, State DNR, Crossbow, Deer Hunting, Deer accidents
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Heirloom Custom Turkey Calls
Brian Warner started making turkey calls as a therapy to help stay focused while suffering from esophageal cancer and recovering from a six-bypass heart surgery.Brian’s love for wood working, his creative mind and knowledge of turkeys was the perfect combination to make, what today are, truly remarkable turkey calls. Brian Warner offers custom turkey calls and then he offers customized turkey calls– let me explain.
Custom Turkey Calls
Brian Warner uses different types of wood, knowing that each wood sounds a little different. From this wood he cuts and carves the body of the call. Depending on the sound he strives for the pots are larger or smaller, thick walled or thin. The pot then is covered with a special glass disc that Brian has cut to exact specifications. The final moment comes when he uses different wood strikers to produce the sound. This is called hand tuning - a long process - until the perfect match of striker, glass and call pot is found that produces the exact sound Brian wants.
It is a process of one handcrafted, hand-tuned call at a time. Not unlike the mass production of commercial calls produced in a factory where workers, without any clue about turkeys or turkey hunting, assemble these items. The glass Brian uses is either natural see-through or stained in different colors to add a special touch. Some of the calls come with two different surfaces: on one side the call sounds raspy and on the other side higher pitched. Every hunter that has been hunting turkeys for a year or two knows how important it is at times to sound like two or even three different turkeys. Brian includes that multi-sound option into one call.Customized Turkey Calls
Many seasoned turkey hunters have very special requirements about their calls and Brian is the call maker to fulfill these special needs. Then there are hunters who simply want a very unique turkey call, perhaps even a picture of a family member, friend or their trophy tom incorporated into the call. Again Brian is the man who can do that.I have known Brian for some time now and when he sent me a set of turkey calls to field test I was eager to try them out. When the parcel arrived I was very impressed with the craftsmanship and the obvious dedication to detail. The calls looked simply stunning; they were pieces of art. But did they sound right? As a hunter of many years I had pessimistically come to the conclusion that something that looks very good often lacks elsewhere, or the other way around: what works well usually looks ugly. Happily this was not the case! The moment I set the striker on the call to produce a soft yelp I knew I had a winner in my hands. Further field tests convinced me that this set of turkey calls was simply the best glass friction call I have ever had the pleasure to use.
As a turkey hunter my priority is to imitate calls that sound just like real turkeys. Over the years I have tried many different calls -some good, some bad. Since trying Brian’s Heirloom turkey calls I have to say that I would not leave home without one in my turkey hunting vest. The phrase “It sounds just like a real turkey” can certainly be said of Heirloom Custom Turkey calls! In fact I am so convinced by these calls that I readily accepted an offer from Brian Warner to join his Pro-Staff Team.Here is the latest design from Heirloom Custom Turkey Calls.
This "Powder Keg Call” is made form Walnut, Mahogany and Oak. This is the very first call we have made using natural slate as a striking surface. Wow are we pleased! The striker comes apart and stores INSIDE the barrel and is fully adjustable. The striker is made of Oak dowel and carbon composite. This is one sweet sounding call.
I leave with a few customer comments:
“Brian has sent me some calls and different strikers to field test. I have not yet had the time to write my findings but it is save to say that it has been a very long time since I had a turkey friction call in my hands that felt so good and sounded just perfect. In fact they sound so good not even a turkey will be able to tell the difference and that is what matters most. I wish I could say the same of other calls I had field tested in the past, but I cannot.”
Othmar Vohringer
Outdoor Writer and Seminar Speaker
“There's something awfully special about handling a custom call. These not only have great sounds, but he [Brian Warner of Heirloom Custom Turkey Calls] puts a little something else in them that NOBODY else does. I've been turkey hunting for over twenty years and have hundreds of calls and Brian's the first call maker to come along that's not satisfied with making them like everybody else. They look the same, but he's got a special resonator inside the pot that makes a real difference.”
Toby Benoit
Outdoor Writer and Novelist
“I have one that I had him put a picture of my kids in. It's under the slate and in the handle of the striker. It’s a beauty.”
“Brian, that call that I got from you when you visited here last month is AWESOME!! I've been talking to the turkeys here most every day and the deer hang around also when I use the call!! Wonder if they can tell the difference? Thanks for a GREAT call and I can vouch for you.”
General Information
Heirloom Turkey Calls
Calls: 80 varieties
Cost: around $50.00
To order a Heirloom Custom Turkey Call or get more information contact Brian Warner by Email
or call (318) 949-9008
NEW for 2007
A new turkey call from Heirloom read more about here. This is the first call of its kind that does not first need to be treated with chalk to make it sound. this is the call avid turkey hunters are talking about.
Brian Warner also makes custom fishing lures that not only look outstanding but also catch fish. You can read more about Brian’s Fishing Lures here:
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Bass Master
Just before I had problems with my blog log in I met a bass master on another blog. Among the bloggers it is considered common courtesy to visit each other. It’s also a great way to snap up news from different sources.
Rich Lingren, is a bass tournament fisher and avid outdoors man. The list of his fishing tournament achievements is too long to fit in the space provided here. But if you really want to know check his website out.
If one the other hand you want to learn how catch bass and what Rich’s secrets are then you can’t go wrong by visiting Rich’s Bassin’ Blog. The subtitle of the blog; “This is the place to read about tips & techniques and ask all your burning bassin' questions that you may have.....” says it all.
Talking about fishing, - What else is there to talk about after the hunting season closes? – there is one more blog worthwhile to stop by.
Idaho Fishin' Times Blog, is the home for Idaho's interactive angler. If it is Fishin' News in Idaho, you will more than likely read about it here. If you fish the wonderful waters of Idaho, or, plan to fish in our area then drop in and see what's new on the Blog. Feel free to add your comments, and fishing tidbits to the discussions. Enjoy talking fishing with others who have commented on the Blog. Looking forward to hearing from you!
If you scroll down this page and keep an eye on the right hand panel you will see a category called, Blogroll. In that category you will find many links that take you to different reputable hunting and fishing related blogger links. Visit them read the information available and say hello.
Happy Fishing!
Tags: Blog, Bass Tournament, Fishing
Rich Lingren, is a bass tournament fisher and avid outdoors man. The list of his fishing tournament achievements is too long to fit in the space provided here. But if you really want to know check his website out.
If one the other hand you want to learn how catch bass and what Rich’s secrets are then you can’t go wrong by visiting Rich’s Bassin’ Blog. The subtitle of the blog; “This is the place to read about tips & techniques and ask all your burning bassin' questions that you may have.....” says it all.
Talking about fishing, - What else is there to talk about after the hunting season closes? – there is one more blog worthwhile to stop by.
Idaho Fishin' Times Blog, is the home for Idaho's interactive angler. If it is Fishin' News in Idaho, you will more than likely read about it here. If you fish the wonderful waters of Idaho, or, plan to fish in our area then drop in and see what's new on the Blog. Feel free to add your comments, and fishing tidbits to the discussions. Enjoy talking fishing with others who have commented on the Blog. Looking forward to hearing from you!
If you scroll down this page and keep an eye on the right hand panel you will see a category called, Blogroll. In that category you will find many links that take you to different reputable hunting and fishing related blogger links. Visit them read the information available and say hello.
Happy Fishing!
Tags: Blog, Bass Tournament, Fishing
Benelli Super Nova Shotgun
For me the deer-hunting season has come to a close. (If it hasn’t for you then you had better rush over to Whitetail Deer Passion and read my article “Last Chance”, where I outline tips and tricks for late season whitetail deer hunters.) For the hunters, like myself, who now begin to think of the upcoming spring turkey season, please read on.
For some weeks now I have been thinking about purchasing a new shotgun. In the course of these weeks I have read many field tests and opinions of other hunters on the subject and have now narrowed my research down to the Super Nova from the Italian gun makers Benelli.
When I look to purchase a new product it has to fulfill a few criteria and being all the new hype is not one of them. First and foremost the product has to be safe to use, followed by quality / price relation. The gun I am looking for has to keep up with my style of hunting. I don’t like to be “careful” because the product might fall apart when I accidentally knock it against a tree or rock. Preferably the product should serve several purposes; I never saw much sense in purchasing different guns for different hunting styles. The gun should be reliable without to many gizmos and fancy attachments that are bound to fail me in the field. And finally the gun has to stand up to different weather conditions without having to completely take it apart in order to dry it out after a heavy rain.
For me the gun that has thus far measured up to my expectations seems to be the Benelli Super Nova. I say “thus far” because the final and deciding moment will come when I visit a friend in the next few days that owns a Benelli Super Nova. He kindly offered me to take his gun to the range and put it through its paces. Once I spent a day pumping different loads and shell sizes through it I will decide to give it the thumbs up or down.
For now I leave you with some of the Benelli Super Nova’s specs that in my opinion make it my kind of shotgun.
I am partial to pump action shotguns. What I like about that type of action is the simple rugged reliability plus the fast and worry free handling but that alone does not make the Super Nova my choice. Here is what does:
The Super Nova is made by the Italian company Benelli. One can say what one likes, but the Italians know how to build good solid quality shotguns at an affordable price. And that is exactly where the Super Nova shines bright. The Super Nova is well built with the customarily good workmanship common to most Italian guns and has a lot of good and new ideas added to it.
I read of a duck and dove hunt outfitter down in Mississippi that uses 20 Super Nova guns as loan guns for his clients. He claims that on average they shoot up to 10’000 rounds in one hunting season with these guns and never had a gun yet that failed them or gave then any trouble whatsoever. Anybody that went on a dove hunt knows that the shooting can be fast and furious and adding to this is the fact that these guns are shot by many different people - so you get an idea as to what the Super Nova’s have to stand up too.
That’s it so far and like I said before, sometime next week I will be able to actually shoot the Super Nova. After this final deciding test I will make my mind up if this is the gun for me. Stay tuned here, as I will let you know how the Super Nova behaved and handled at the shooting range.
Tags: Shotgun, Benelli Super Nova, Turkey Hunting
Tags: Benelli, Shotgun, Turkey Hunting
For some weeks now I have been thinking about purchasing a new shotgun. In the course of these weeks I have read many field tests and opinions of other hunters on the subject and have now narrowed my research down to the Super Nova from the Italian gun makers Benelli.When I look to purchase a new product it has to fulfill a few criteria and being all the new hype is not one of them. First and foremost the product has to be safe to use, followed by quality / price relation. The gun I am looking for has to keep up with my style of hunting. I don’t like to be “careful” because the product might fall apart when I accidentally knock it against a tree or rock. Preferably the product should serve several purposes; I never saw much sense in purchasing different guns for different hunting styles. The gun should be reliable without to many gizmos and fancy attachments that are bound to fail me in the field. And finally the gun has to stand up to different weather conditions without having to completely take it apart in order to dry it out after a heavy rain.
For me the gun that has thus far measured up to my expectations seems to be the Benelli Super Nova. I say “thus far” because the final and deciding moment will come when I visit a friend in the next few days that owns a Benelli Super Nova. He kindly offered me to take his gun to the range and put it through its paces. Once I spent a day pumping different loads and shell sizes through it I will decide to give it the thumbs up or down.
For now I leave you with some of the Benelli Super Nova’s specs that in my opinion make it my kind of shotgun.
I am partial to pump action shotguns. What I like about that type of action is the simple rugged reliability plus the fast and worry free handling but that alone does not make the Super Nova my choice. Here is what does:
The Super Nova is made by the Italian company Benelli. One can say what one likes, but the Italians know how to build good solid quality shotguns at an affordable price. And that is exactly where the Super Nova shines bright. The Super Nova is well built with the customarily good workmanship common to most Italian guns and has a lot of good and new ideas added to it.
- The Super Nova is chambered for 12 gauge 3 ½-inch shells and also can be loaded with 2-3/4-inch and 3-inch loads making it a truly “load all” gun.
- A newly designed synthetic “Steady Gripä” and ComforTechä Polymer molded stock makes this gun almost waterproof and in addition reduces the heavy recoil associated with magnum shotguns up to 45%, making it a moderate recoil gun.
The gun comes in two finishes: matte black or camouflage. The SuperNova’s newly styled trigger guard, similar to the Super Black Eagle II, allows for 30% more finger room for a gloved hand. In addition, a new, larger safety button provides easy acquisition and quick, positive function.- The nicely ribbed barrel of the Nova is finished in a dull black color that matches the black polymer of the stocks and receiver perfectly. Barrels are available in 24", 26" and 28" lengths complete with three screw-in choke tubes, and a 18.5" rifled slug barrel is available with open sights. This makes the Super Nova one of the most versatile shotguns on the market today.
- And finally, with a price tag of $380.00 to $410.00 this is a very affordable gun built to a high quality standard.
I read of a duck and dove hunt outfitter down in Mississippi that uses 20 Super Nova guns as loan guns for his clients. He claims that on average they shoot up to 10’000 rounds in one hunting season with these guns and never had a gun yet that failed them or gave then any trouble whatsoever. Anybody that went on a dove hunt knows that the shooting can be fast and furious and adding to this is the fact that these guns are shot by many different people - so you get an idea as to what the Super Nova’s have to stand up too.
That’s it so far and like I said before, sometime next week I will be able to actually shoot the Super Nova. After this final deciding test I will make my mind up if this is the gun for me. Stay tuned here, as I will let you know how the Super Nova behaved and handled at the shooting range.
Tags: Shotgun, Benelli Super Nova, Turkey Hunting
Tags: Benelli, Shotgun, Turkey Hunting
Monday, February 05, 2007
I am Back
After over one week of being locked out of my own blogs due to unknown login problems I am finally back and blogging. The good people and I worked hard to find out what the problem is and finally where able to solve it. We’re still not sure what the initial cause of the problems was and how it occurred.
On to another announcement. Due to my work commitments I have had to come to a decision on how to lessen the burden. Unfortunately I am at the present no longer able to update and maintain that many blogs. As of now I will no longer update the following two blogs; Whitetail Deer Passion and Wild Turkey Fever. However, these two blogs will not be closed down at this time. I am still hopeful that in future I will be able to commit more time to blogging on all my blogs.
Outdoors with Othmar Vohringer, My Stand and The Hunting News Daily still will be regularly updated. In future I will spend more time to post different topics on Outdoors with Othmar Vohringer in the hope that this will make up for the Whitetail Deer Passion Blog and the Wild Turkey Fever Blog.
On to another announcement. Due to my work commitments I have had to come to a decision on how to lessen the burden. Unfortunately I am at the present no longer able to update and maintain that many blogs. As of now I will no longer update the following two blogs; Whitetail Deer Passion and Wild Turkey Fever. However, these two blogs will not be closed down at this time. I am still hopeful that in future I will be able to commit more time to blogging on all my blogs.
Outdoors with Othmar Vohringer, My Stand and The Hunting News Daily still will be regularly updated. In future I will spend more time to post different topics on Outdoors with Othmar Vohringer in the hope that this will make up for the Whitetail Deer Passion Blog and the Wild Turkey Fever Blog.
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