Steady, steady...

Another post, just to prove that I am really still here! I'm not getting as many sporting-related things done as I wanted, but I did sort the fly-tying box today... that was an adventure! Still finding feathers and fluff floating around; the cat loves it. I'm moving forward again, and looking at pretty pictures of wooden boats, and plans, and... thinking. It's a big investment to build a wooden boat, and I have a lot on my hands right now. School, business, trying to get to the range more often... still, I enjoy the "old school" of sporting attitude, and a good wooden rowboat just fits it very well. There was a time when a sport wore wool, carried a wooden-stocked gun or wooden rod, used a wooden rowboat while wearing an oiled-canvas raincoat... now we enjoy the great outdoors with a high-tech arsenal designed to isolate us from the very things we say we are going to experience. I'm not suggesting that getting wet and developing hypothermia is a good, or fun, adventure... but the sports of the 1900s didn't exactly drop left and right when they went into the woods without wonder fabrics, either. We have developed, unwittingly, the bubble-wrap mentality for much of our outdoors activity. It's a brief foray, a break from the workday. It's not really a part of us. I lived in Alaska for a while, including the bush, and the oiled canvas and wool did just fine... they actually outlasted the synthetics in some cases. And I lived, and was comfortable most of the time; the times that I was not, I don't think synthetics would have helped anyway!
If this makes sense to you at all (or perhaps especially if it doesn't), look up a book called "Camping in the Old Style", by David Wescott about American camping in the early 1900s. He makes an eloquent argument that modern the "low impact, leave no trace" mentality is an illusion... the reliance on petroleum for stoves is weighed against the fire ring; the manufacture and persistence of synthetics in landfills versus natural materials which will decay and go back to the Earth... It is neither low impact or no trace: the impact is merely displaced, and traces are left all over the planet as a result of the mining, technological processes, and disposal of modern gear. Agree or not, it is thought provoking. It sees the impact of our activities not just in our favorite camping spot, but on the world. I tend to agree. A fire of wood results in a ring of charcoal, a material that has been around in the wild for a few million years; the aluminum fuel tank relies on a mine somewhere, often an open mine, and there is a tremendous amount of embedded energy in the tank when it is finished. Which is worse? I don't like the idea of fire rings scattered everywhere through the woods, but open pit mines that you can find on Google Maps from space don't really strike me as being too environmental friendly either. Moderation... moderation in building a fire, moderation in the amount of high-impact gear you choose to use. I suspect another reason behind much of the modern attitude is marketing. It's hard to market a good campfire, but a stove and fuel can be carried out in a bag, time and time again as they wear out and are used up. Campfires don't turn a profit. I have an oiled canvas jacket from 1999, bought and used the first three years of it's career in Alaska. It's worn, it's tattered, and it is still perfectly functional. The "breathable membrane super fabric" jacket didn't survive the first year... which would you rather be selling to make a living? Which would you rather have? I don't offer any absolute answers, because there aren't any. If you are going to walk or jog, or even hike on engineered, marked trails, the synthetic might be just the thing for you. If you are carrying firewood into camp, or dragging out game, the oiled canvas might meet your needs a little better.

So what does this have to do with a wooden rowboat? It's just a matter of opinion and point of view. The rowboat and most of it's components will go back to the Earth after a while. In the meantime, it won't use a lot of resources in it's construction or operation, won't leave a cloud of hazy blue smoke over my favorite lake, and I won't need ear protection and a crash helmet while it's moving. It puts me closer to what I'm going out there to enjoy in the first place. To each their own; enjoyment of the outdoors is a very personal experience.

New Start

It's been over a year since I posted anything, and what a year it was. In a line reminiscent from the old Bill Mauldin cartoons; I felt like a fugitive from the law of averages as friends departed this world at an alarming rate. I see this year as a chance to restart a lot of things I enjoy in life, things I let slide by last year. I only shot in one match last year - I must shoot in many more this year! And fish more! And boat more! Oh, and I should probably throw in finishing my PhD as well... at some point. I started kayaking on a local lake last Fall as a diversion, and loved it. I'd done a little sea kayaking before when I lived in Alaska, but it had been years ago. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed being right on the water, and this was low-impact kayaking; flat water, big, stable boat, and no spray skirt. Terribly addictive, it was! I'm looking forward to warmer weather to get on the water again.

The upshot of this rambling post? I think I'll make an effort to reactivate this blog and it's wanderings on the life a sportsman, listening intently for the Red Gods...

Shooting progress

ASM826 (http://randomactsofpatriotism.blogspot.com/) was kind enough to point me towards his favorite manual of marksmanship, and it is a good one. I also got out the BB gun and starting just shooting. About 4,000 BBs to date; enough to move me into 2nd place in a regional N-SSA carbine shoot, and do quite well in the team shoot (blackpowder American Civil War firearms.) So... things are improving markedly in the offhand shooting world. Another 10,000 BBs or so and I should be getting down to some fine tuning. Now, if the wind and snow would die down a little tomorrow I can get back to it.

Rifle Marksmanship

Y'know, it amazes me that it is so difficult to find a good book on rifle marksmanship. Oh, sure, there are plenty of books on "basic marksmanship" and so forth, but most of them cover the pages with advice on picking the right rifle and cartridge, ballistics, doping the wind, and so forth. Great... but I ALREADY have my rifle(s) of choice. I'm not trying to hit at 600 yards and fight wind and mirage. I don't shoot Highpower, ISU, etc. I shoot mainly for enjoyment, and compete in N-SSA, where the ranges are short (50 and 100 yards). With muzzleloaders. With iron sights. I don't need information on scope adjustment, I need basic this-is-how-to-put-a-rifle-to-your-shoulder-and-hit a-4"-target-at-50-yards. Without a sling. Without leading a running animal. Without barrel extensions, diopters, or adjustable stocks. Does anybody shoot an off-the-shelf rifle anymore? Does anybody pick up their rifle, put it to their shoulder, and shoot anymore?

I've been shooting for nearly 40 years now, and I can hold my own in the team matches in N-SSA, but I'm not a top shooter by any means. I want to get better, but it seems that standing up and shooting a basic rifle is not much in vogue these days. Thus far it has been a game of picking out applicable bits and pieces from books written for other disciplines. Tubb's book has been the best of the lot (and it really is good), but about 3/4 of the book is wasted on me - we only shoot offhand in N-SSA.

Any suggestions?

I won something!

I did! I did! The coveted coveted Cowboy Blob weekend caption/photoshop contest trophy. And yes, he makes a point: I haven't blogged much since starting this blog... the PhD program has left me pretty apathetic about typing anything for fun. But now... coursework is finished and I'm down to the fun part, which really is fun for me - my research involves going and standing in creeks and observing wildlife for hours on end. I've started moving on other projects now, so why not start actually blogging?

Other projects? Restoring a 1946 Cub tractor (the engine turned over again last week!), building a 1770's period fowling piece, remembering how to cast a flyrod, and getting my offhand shooting back to the point where it actually appears that there is a projectile coming out of the end of the barrel, instead of just smoke and noise. You know, where holes sometimes appear in the general vicinity of where you want them?

Oh, and getting ready for deer season. A little early perhaps, but I haven't had time for more than four days of hunting in the last three years, and there are things that need attending to... shooting lanes opened up, overgrown fields reclaimed, and trails cut back out (amazing how much stuff grows up in three years, most of it with thorns!) This blog was named in honor of outdoor pursuits, and the less time you spend in the outdoors, the more likely the Red Gods are to laugh at you. I love being outdoors with a purpose, especially hunting. Purpose is part of the reason for bumping the Cub up in the project list - it is small enough to easily transport, and I have equipment for it to tend the land in line with my desires. We have a much larger tractor that would handle the work in a few hours, but speed isn't everything. The drive from the "working" farm to the "hunting" farm is about an hour and a half, and loading up the larger tractor, the equipment on the truck, and hauling it over a very twisty mountain road just kills the fun quotient. The Cub, on the other hand, is small and light - a breeze to load, and I can move the implements by hand. It's fun. Preparing for hunting season used to be nearly as enjoyable as the hunt itself; the planning and little projects helped build the atmosphere of anticipation of being in the field with a rifle. I'm finding that again now, and I like it. I had been missing it more than I realized. Perhaps the Red Gods will take notice and smile on me this Autumn; even if they laugh, it is great to finally start getting back outdoors. Besides, their laughter usually leaves some lasting memories!

LG

Meet my new friend, Mouse. The introduction was a little rocky; I was down at the farm when a large ball of feathers and talons swooped head-on into me. I've been charged by moose, chased by sea lions, run into bears, and had dozens of other wildlife encounters when I lived in Alaska, but being attacked by a hawk was a new experience... so I advanced to a more strategic position rather quickly. (Umm, yeah, that's pronounced "ree-treet-ed"...) One more pass and she settled on an old steel tank frame. Upon looking closer I saw jesses on her legs - she wasn't a wild bird, but a lost one. With a remarkable lack of foresight I stuck out my arm and whistled... and she flew over and landed on my arm. OK, I have a large, hungry hawk on my arm... no glove, no hood, no tether, no food, no clue... next? After about an hour with the hawk on one arm and cellphone in the other hand, I tracked her back to a nearby wildlife rehabilitation center, and took her home. She'd been loose for a month after a large snow had damaged her cage. She's home and safe now.

If you've never had the fortune to have a bird of prey sit on on arm, I humbly suggest visiting a raptor center or display that has a 'hands on' program. As a human hunter looking into the eyes of one's Nature' most efficient hunters, sitting that close, watching the talons flex on your arm... well, just go do do it. You'll understand.

LG

Doomsday Clock, Part II

Huh. I was wrong on the Doomsday clock. It really comes as a surprise given the current dialogue on world affairs. Maybe I'm not reading enough between the lines?