SUBSCRIBE    ARCHIVES   
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020

- COLLEGIATE COMPETITIONS -
For the first time in nearly two months, Adrian College regains the number one overall ranking in the nation, former number one Murray State falls to third, and Montevallo moves up into second as the calendar flips over to November.
- COMPETITION -
Magnum Research sponsored shooter Chris Barrett has again set world records shooting his custom SwitchBolt rifle. At the recent 2020 World Speed Shoot Championships, he shot the lowest overall score at the match, winning a world title in the rimfire rifle open division.
Bushnell and Hoppe’s congratulate Jessie Harrison on her national title at the USPSA Race Gun Nationals. Harrison shot her way to top honors with her trusted First Strike 2.0, recording her 21st USPSA national championship.
- EVENTS -
Monroe Lake interpretive naturalist Jill Vance is offering multiple virtual learning opportunities this month on the property’s Facebook page, facebook.com/monroelake.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Western Upper Peninsula Citizens’ Advisory Council will meet virtually in a web conference Tuesday, Nov. 10.

- FIREARMS -
Springfield Armory is proud to announce the release of the XD-S Mod.2 OSP 9mm. Based on the popular single-stack pistol, the XD-S Mod.2 OSP is now optics ready.
- GEAR -
Some gun owners are choosing to carry a second or “backup” handgun. Ankle holsters can be ideal in this case, and are particularly useful for gun carriers who are seated for much of the day. Galco offers an array of them.
Muddy Outdoors has released a major firmware update for the new Muddy Manifest Cellular Trail Camera.
- HUNTING -
The time that deer are most active, during the dawn and dusk hours, are times of especially low visibility. You can improve your chances of being seen by other hunters by wearing hunter orange, which can be seen even in low-light situations.

The hunting of all mountain lions in western Montana hunting districts 212, 215 and 217 which includes portions of Granite, Powell, Deer Lodge and Silver Bow counties, will close at one half hour after sunset on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020.
- INDUSTRY -
Walther Arms Law Enforcement is pleased to announce that Berrien County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia has selected the Walther PPQ M2 9mm 4” as their new duty pistol.
The SteelShad™ draws vicious strikes in both freshwater and saltwater, and now there’s no duplicating its unique shape and aggressive action.
Swanson Russell announces the promotion of Lisa Lorraine, Katie Sands and Tony Sattler to executive vice presidents. They have been added to Swanson Russell’s Executive Leadership Team.

As Pelican’s newest VP, Brad is responsible for managing the company-wide business planning process, the capital expenditure process and modeling the financial aspects of various initiatives and transactions.
- JOBS -
PointsNorth's client, a leading international electro-optics company is seeking a Director of Sales -Law Enforcement with responsibilities that will include managing all aspects of LE sales on a nation-wide basis.
- NEW PRODUCTS -
At 3.7 pounds and 29 inches axle-to-axle, the Hoyt Eclipse women's bow in Realtree EDGE® camo sets a new standard in women's bows. It offers all of the forgiveness and stability of a longer riser without the extra weight.
- NOW STREAMING -
On a new episode, Dear Gear TV will showcase a variety of some of the best hunting gear for before, during, and after your hunt that will make you more successful and able to enjoy the outdoors even more than you already do.

- ONLINE -
WDFW Director, Kelly Susewind, and North Puget Sound Regional Director, Brendan Brokes, will take questions from the public in an online broadcast from 7 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, November 12.
- RADIO -
Houston Safari Club Foundation (HSCF) and “Hunting Matters” welcomes FIREDISC® Co-Founders, Hunter and Griff Jaggard.
- RECOGNITION -
Bruce Samson is being recognized for his lifelong contributions to the sport he cherishes. One of seven legendary individuals inducted into the 2021 class of the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, Samson remains a passionate, inquisitive student of the underwater world.
- RECORDS -
Justin Gordon’s velvet mule deer scored an amazing 324 3/8" and is now the Pope & Young record holder for largest bow-harvested VELVET Non-Typical Mule Deer in North America. This amazing mule deer was shot in Colorado, on September 2, 2018.

A Pope and Young Club Special Panel of Judges has certified Allen Bollen’s Velvet Typical Sitka Blacktail as the largest bow-harvested VELVET Typical Blacktail in North America.
- RETAIL -
Wildlife Research Center has released a new line of break-through Masking Scents that are X-tra Concentrated. These masking scents now have twice the smell in new convenient, easy to use, pump spray bottles.
- SHOOTING RANGES -
Indiana's Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife Area (FWA) Shooting Range will open to the public today.
- STATES -
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources announced Nov. 4 that part of the Santaquin Wildlife Management Area (WMA) will be permanently closed to recreational shooting of firearms, due to safety concerns about shooters hitting nearby homes.

Cross those hard-to-buy-for people off your shopping list by giving them a holiday gift pack from the DNR, which includes a 2021 resident annual entrance permit, a one-year subscription to Outdoor Indiana magazine and calendar, and one of two $65 gift card options.
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is proposing to simplify fishing regulations to make them easier to understand and would like your input at virtual public meetings on November 10 and 18.
The 2020 Custer State Park Fall Classic Bison Auction will be held on Saturday, November 7, at the park’s visitor center and online. This year, 436 head will be available for sale with proceeds going to support operations of the park.
Summer may be over, but there are still plenty of reasons to get outside as the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is stocking lakes around the state with thousands of catchable-size trout this November.

Collectively, the four Voluntary Permits introduced in 2019 have seen an impressive 146 percent increase in sales, generating more than $280,000 for projects dedicated specifically to four categories: Bass, Musky, Habitat/Waterways Conservation, and Wild Trout and Enhanced Waters.
Amendments will allow for the application and issuance of Charter Boat/Fishing Guide permits online exclusively through Pennsylvania's online fishing/hunting license portal The Outdoor Shop.
- TELEVISION -
This Week on MOJO TV, with another exciting waterfowl season in the books, take a look at the highlights of an incredible year of wingshooting with Terry and the Mojo Crew.
 

As the last vestiges of warm weather disappeared this past weekend, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity and get outside. With the tensions of this week mounting, it seemed like a good time to look at recreational activities, not legal actions.

Here in Tennessee, it’s time to start pulling those warmer, woolier clothes out of storage and get ready for the gray skies and cooler temperatures of fall and the crazy weather swings that are our normal winter. After all, a beautiful late fall day shouldn’t be squandered wondering about what might happen. It was a day to enjoy what was- not worry about what might be.

That’s written with my apologies to all our friends in the middle of the country who saw their warm weather buried under a coat of ice last week. But the mess a half inch of ice leaves behind pretty much dictates where your time will be spent. Some of you are still dealing with hurricane season and the monsoons that come along with the wind.

But there’s no doubt, our leaves are, well, leaving. It’s not a catastrophe, but it’s not a sign of fun times ahead.

With an RV, even a small one (above), it’s possible to travel and maintain a lot of social distancing. Walking in the woods along the Natchez Trace (below) qualifies as recreation and therapy.

There’s no recommendation too strong for the therapeutic value of taking day trips away from the internet, television and the superheated rhetoric of the final push to a presidential election.

We needed the quiet.

Since we’re fairly new to our area, we decided a historical drive would be fun. We loved driving, hiking and staying along the Appalachian Trail when we lived in east Tennessee. With that in mind, we decided to take a day trip down the Natchez Trace, the 440-mile long historic trail (trace) that runs from near Nashville all the way down to Natchez, Mississippi.

Knowing we weren’t out for anything more than a daylong break, we decided to simply head south and see how far we got.

If you haven’t traveled with no itinerary in some time, you should try it. With no place to be and no time to get there, we had the opportunity to stop and check out everything from historic overlooks to paths leading to waterfalls, actual pieces of the old Trace trails, and all at a very relaxing pace.

If you’re out to see how far you can go in a set amount of time, this trip might not be for you. We drove just over 100 miles down the trail, and only once did the speed limit get above 40mph. If you’re driving an RV, it’s just about the perfect speed to drive and do a little bit of rubbernecking. If you’ve ever battled an RV in gusty winds, you also realize those slower speeds translate to a far more restful experience.

Seems we’re not the only people realizing the outside is good for your inside. In fact, a new National Recreation and Park Association poll says three in four U.S. adults say outdoors will continue to be important to them this fall and winter.

After all, outdoor places allow you to more safely gather. Parks, picnic areas, campgrounds, and even pavilions in our state parks have been booked and busy as the winter weather’s held off longer than normal.

As the NRPA poll points out, more than half of adults today say access to outdoor amenities - like local parks- during fall and winter are extremely or very important. That’s true for people of all ages, but parents, Gen Xero and millennials are most likely to view fall and winter access to outdoor amenities as important.

I’m outside those groups anymore (unless grand attaches to parents), but I know our family members have used the outdoors as a substitute for everything from schools to health clubs.

As I’ve written before, get outside. It’s good for your inside.

—Jim Shepherd

 
Outdoor Wire - 2271 N Upton St., Arlington, VA 22207
Copyright © 2020, OWDN, All Rights Reserved.