What Caught My Eye At SHOT: Part One REPORT

PAGE 4B

Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan Saturday, January 30, 2010

OUTDOORSUPDATE



OF THE OUTDOORS:

What Caught My Eye At SHOT: Part One

Items Worth Noting From Annual Convention In Vegas

GARY HOWEY Hartington, Neb.

Last week, I attended the annual

Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor

Technology Show (SHOT) as it's called

which was held in Las Vegas.

This is one huge show where every

manufacturer of anything

and everything that has

to do with shooting and

hunting introduces their

new products to dealers

and the media.

Over the last several

years, because of what's

happening in the world,

there have been a lot of

paramilitary dealers here at the show with all types of body armor,

Gary Howey

weapons, special ammu-

nition, scopes and equipment made espe-

cially for Special Forces and SWAT units.

Prior to the opening of the show, we

were given the opportunity to test fire

many of the newest pistols, shotguns and

rifles using the latest and greatest types of

ammunition.

There were several things that caught

my eye at the show including several new

guns. Listed below are some of those that

really caught my attention.

HORNADY

Ammunition

The Grand Island, Neb., based ammunition manufacturer has done it again with their new Superformance ammunition.

Superformance ammunition is 100 to 200 fps faster than conventional ammunition available on the market today. It achieves this performance in every gun and doesn't increase the felt recoil, muzzle blast, temperature sensitivity fouling or loss of accuracy.

Their new ultra progressive propellants take your favorite SST or GMX bullets to a level of performance that aren't obtainable with conventional propellants.

Available in 243, 6mm Rem, 257 Roberts, 25-06 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor and 270 calibers.

For more information on this and other Hornady products go to .

LEGACY SPORTS INTL.

Weapons

The folks from Legacy Sports International, Reno, Nev., have you covered when it comes to all types of hunting and shooting weapons.

Their Howa and Puma rifles, available in all calibers as well as in numerous stock and barrels has proven to be one of the most accurate rifles on the market.

Their new Howa Talon rifle which is available in most popular calibers. The Talon combines the best performance features of a thumbhole stock along with the Knox BLACKHAWK two stage recoil compensating system which reduces felt recoil up to 70%.

Another of their products, Escort Shotguns has proven to be one of the smoothest shooting and accurate shotguns on the market. Their unique Waterfowl and turkey combos are available in both 20 and 12 gauge. In Mossy Oak Obsession camo with two interchangeable multi-chokes, vented rib barrels in both 24" and 28".

For more information on Legacy Sports International rifles, shotguns and pistols go to .

BEAVERTAIL

Boats & Blinds

The Maple Lake, Minn., based company did it again, with their new Beavertail line.

From their custom made waterfowl hunting boats, sneak boats to a complete line of blinds for every hunting situation.

Their blinds are constructed of the

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Several manufacturers introduced new ammunition at the 2010 SHOT Show including Hornady. Their Superformance ammunition is 100 to 200 fps faster than conventional ammunition.

finest material, giving the hunter the ability to get into the field, set up quickly and avoid being seen.

The Beavertail blinds give hunters a dry, comfortable and warm place to hunt waterfowl in all weather conditions along with the portability to move if hunting conditions change.

A couple of the blinds that I really liked were the Predator and Gunner.

The Predator is a portable 29-pound blind that allows the hunter to set up in all types of hunting conditions. It's polyethylene base allows you to set up in the wettest fields and the spring loaded backrest allows the hunter to come up quickly with very little effort.

The Gunner is a lighter blind that can be backpacked into the field. It too has the spring loaded backrest that allows you to move up and down, giving you time to concentrate on the shot and less on getting into position when those birds are right in front of you.

If you'd like more information on these and other Beavertail products, check out .

BIG GAME

Treestands, Tripods, Box Blinds,

Feeders & Accessories

Based out of Windom, Minn., Big Game has everything the deer hunter would need to make your next deer hunt a success.

With numerous portable and ladder stands, Big Game have both single and double tree stand that will allow you to be where you want on opening day.

If you're looking for a more permanent blind, they have several box blinds available with windows giving both the rifle and bow hunter plenty of room to take the shot.

Their new Boss Lite weighs only 15 pounds, it's 20" wide X 27" deep fastening quickly to the tree with Cam-Lock action and one 2" nylon web-strap with a slide buckle.

The Boss Lite may be lite weight, but not when it comes to its weight rating as it will hold up to 300 pounds.

Their Stagger-Steps is a lightweight stackable packable ladder system that can be quickly in stalled on both uneven and slanted trees.

Weighing only 4 pounds per 31" section, Stagger Steps allow the hunter to quickly, quietly and safely get into their stand.

For information on these and other Big Game Products, check out their web site

These are just a few of the new products that were introduced at the 2010 SHOT Show.

Next week, we'll look at other new innovations in shotguns, ammunition, camo and scent free clothing.

Gary Howey, Hartington, Neb., is a former hunting and fishing guide. He's the Producer/Host of the award winning outdoorsmen Adventures television series which can be seen in South Dakota Saturday @ 6:30 am and Sunday @ 7:00 am on KTTM/KTTW-TV (Fox) Sioux Falls/Huron, SD. For more information on the outdoors, go to .

TIPs License

Donations

Top $14,000

PIERRE -- South Dakota sportsmen donated over $14,000 to the Turn In Poachers program during the 2009 big game license season.

The 1,700 sportsmen not only contributed cash and checks, but also took advantage of the opportunity to donate funds as part of the process for purchasing general hunting, fishing and trapping licenses and applying for big game licenses.

Money donated during license sales is added to other donations as the financial foundation for the TIPs program, making it possible for conservation law enforcement officers to pay rewards that lead to successful wildlife criminal cases.

During the 2008/2009 fiscal year, the TIPs program was responsible for generating almost 500 cases and netting more than 80 arrests. During the period, $6,545 was paid in rewards to people who reported violations.

"It is impressive to see sportsmen step up to protect our resources from those who steal from the citizens of the state," said Shon Eide, state Game, Fish and Parks Dept. licensing supervisor. "It is amazing what can happen when a lot of people who share a common value come together and fund a program like TIPS."

The TIPs program is collaboration between GFP and Wildlife Protection, Inc., a non-profit group that helps oversee the program. TIPs provide opportunities for those who witness or have knowledge of wildlife criminal activities to report them to authorities by directly contacting GFP conservation officers, GFP offices, or through a toll-free telephone number (1-888-683-7224).

Remembering The Glory Days Of Icefishing

BY DENNIS ANDERSON

(c) 2010, Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

ON MILLE LACS LAKE, Minn. -- When Griz first ice-fished on Mille Lacs, he was 3 years old, and his mother and father drove with him to the lake from their home in St Paul.

Back then, in the late 1940s, they were on the ice by 6:45 in the morning. When fishing was good, as it often was, they were en route back to St. Paul by 8:30. Eight walleyes apiece was the limit, and in the car would be three times that amount, 24 fish.

Griz is Dick Grzywinski, a fishing guide presently humbled before the federal government in his attempt to become a Coast Guard-approved fishing guide.

Griz has guided for about 55 years. But these days, he doesn't guide. Instead, he passes his days attempting to secure his Coast Guard license. He learns CPR. He submits himself to a physical examination. Or an eye exam, or a drug test.

Also he studies how to navigate Long Island Sound, even though in summer he only fishes the Mississippi River near his St. Paul home.

Griz called on a recent Tuesday night. "I caught my limit of walleyes today in 5 minutes," he said. "You better get up here." Griz fishes out of Terry's Boat Harbor on Mille Lacs, and would be sleeping there, he said, in a back room, waiting for me to come fishing. "Don't bring nothin'," Griz said. "I got everything." Griz was referring to a bucket, a rod, a reel, line on the reel, a handful of JR spoons and Rapala Jigging Shad Raps, and a couple of flashers. He would have no rental house in which to fish. No portable house in which to sit. Just a bucket. No hat, either. Griz doesn't wear a hat on the ice. "Never have," he said. The next morning, I drove to Mille Lacs. When I arrived, I caught a ride onto the ice with Terry Thurmer, owner of Terry's Boat Harbor. He knew where Griz was fishing. "I've already got $6,000 in fuel tied up plowing ice roads this winter," Terry said. His roads lead to Curly's Flat, Seguchi Flat, Sherman's Flat, 7 Mile Flat, 8 Mile Flat, even 9 Mile Flat. The roads are as wide as football fields are long. Otherwise they would drift in with snow. We found Griz was on his bucket, no hat, jigging. "You're a day late," he said. The wind had shifted and now blew from the

DENNIS ANDERSON/MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

Walleyes and perch are emptied on the ice in Mille Lacs, Minn., on Jan. 20.

east. Also the barometer had dropped. Griz had a few perch on the ice. But no

walleyes. "The lake shut down," he said. "Yesterday I got

those four walleyes right away. I caught 24 in all. Not today."

Long ago, when Griz fished Mille Lacs with his parents, they carried minnows in metal buckets and used golden shiners for bait.

"We didn't have an auger, of course," Griz said. "We used a chisel. Now it's easier."

Jack Morris, the retired Minnesota Twins pitcher, is a fishing buddy of Griz's. After watching Griz sit on his bucket on the open ice with no hat, Morris gave Griz a one-person Fish Trap, a portable shelter.

The Fish Trap was in the back of Griz's pickup, unused.

"I like sitting out here," Griz said. I found a hole near Griz's and sat on a bucket of my own. Baiting a JR Spoon with a minnow head, I lowered it to the bottom, watching, as I did, the lure appear on the flasher, an older model Vexilar, an FL-8.

"That flasher is good, but this new model, it doesn't catch snow in the dial like the older models do when the wind blows," Griz said.

"If you were inside a shelter," I said, "out of the wind and snow, that wouldn't be a problem."

"I like sitting out here," Griz said. For 30 years, Griz guided winter anglers on Mille Lacs. Tip-ups might catch a fish or two, he will tell you. But if you want to catch good numbers of walleyes, you have to jig. "Keep your lure about a foot off the bottom" he said. "And keep jigging." On the flashers, Griz and I could see fish rise to stare at our baits. But we couldn't make them bite. Time passed, and I trudged across the snow and ice to the nearest fish house, a mile or so away. This was a rental outfit of Terry's, and a couple of rigs were parked outside. Inside were Ray Macheledt, Dennis Hale, Mark Utecht and his dad, Len Utecht. "We turkey hunt together and we deer hunt together," Ray said. "And we get together to fish Mille Lacs at least once a year." They would sleep on the ice, in the rental house. "We have one walleye, so far," Len said. While I was gone, Griz hooked a big walleye but lost it. Returning, I pulled a bucket alongside a newly augered hole, and jigged. We jigged a good long while but added only perch to our catch. Meanwhile, a couple of miles away, Alvin Fussy of Little Falls and his son, Todd, of Brainerd jigged for walleyes in their neat two-man fish house. Todd gets off work each afternoon at 3 and hasn't missed a day on the ice since before New Year's. The father-and-son angling duo had a mess of perch and four keeper walleyes. "It's not as good as yesterday," Todd said. "No, it's not," Griz said. Shadows grew long on the ice as the sun fell toward the distant horizon. Griz would stay and fish Mille Lacs yet another day, Thursday. But he wasn't yet giving up on this day. Soon, he augered another hole, this one nearer to the Fussys' warm house. The brisk wind tumbled from the east. Griz still had no hat, and only one hand was gloved. Near sunset, a big walleye crunched Griz's bait, a fish that would measure nearly 28 inches when pulled through the ice. The walleye was released. Soon, Griz followed his truck's headlights toward shore, another day on the Mille Lacs ice behind him.

OUTDOOR REPORT

Oakwood Lakes SP To

Host Winter Events

VOLGA -- Oakwood Lake State Park hosts the Kool Kids' Klassic Fishing Derby and the Groundhog Day Cross-Country Ski Tour on Jan. 30 and 31, respectively.

Children under age 14 are invited to take part in the Kool Kids' Klassic Ice Fishing Derby. Registration for the derby is $2 and will take place at the park shop at 11 a.m. The first 150 entries will receive a free fishing pole made by park staff. Bait is furnished and event staff will drill holes in the ice as needed. Fishing will take place in designated areas from 12. to 2 p.m., with weigh-in to follow. Winners will be announced at the award ceremony at 3 p.m. Snacks will be available throughout the day, and numerous door prize drawings will be held.

The 30th Annual Groundhog Day Cross-Country Ski Race and the Sons of Norway Barnelopet Children's Ski Run features a 5 kilometer non-competitive poker run, a 10 kilometer competitive race and a kick sled race. A registration fee of $8 for adults and $3 for youth (18 and under) applies to the ski race/poker run. Prizes will be awarded to the winners in each age group. The top poker hands, youngest and oldest skier and most colorful ski costume will also earn awards.

The day also features the 23rd Annual Sons of Norway Barnelopet Children's Ski Run. This event is free for kids under 13.

Registration for the ski events begins at the park shop at 12:30 p.m. The race will start at 1:30 p.m. Cookies, hot chocolate and various Norwegian treats will be served throughout the day. Ski rentals for the event are available from Sioux River Bicycles and Fitness. In the event of no snow, a walk will be held in place of the race.

The fishing derby is sponsored the City of Brookings, Brookings Engraving, Brookings Radio, Gas `N' More, Brookings Hy-Vee Food Store, Porter's Bait, Ram Pub, SD Division of Parks and Recreation, and Sports Connection.

The cross-country ski tour is sponsored by the Sons of Norway, Sioux River Bicycles and Fitness, Brookings Radio, The Ram Pub, Brookings Engraving and the SD Division of Parks and Recreation.

Park entrance licenses are required to enter the park and will be available for purchase. For additional information on the weekend's events, call Oakwood Lakes State Park at (605) 627-5441. For a calendar of other upcoming special events in South Dakota's state parks and recreation areas, visit Parks.

Resident Canada

Goose Plan Available

For Review

PIERRE -- The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department is offering citizens the opportunity to review a five-year draft management plan for resident Canada geese.

The South Dakota Resident Canada Goose Management Plan is written with a goal of providing maximum recreational opportunities that are consistent with a healthy goose population, habitat constraints, and tolerance levels of private landowners and the public. The draft is now open for review during a 30-day public comment period.

"The resident Canada goose population in South Dakota is another wildlife success story, as our management efforts continue to evolve," said Spencer Vaa, GFP senior waterfowl biologist. "From goose restoration efforts in the 1960s, we have gone to restrictive seasons and bag limits, and now to liberalized seasons and issues of urban nuisance and agricultural crop damage."

The draft management plan can be found on the GFP Web site at under the "What's New" heading. People can also use the Internet link to provide feedback on the plan.

A printed copy of the report can be obtained by writing: Game, Fish and Parks; 523 East Capitol Avenue; Pierre, SD, 57501. Written comments on the draft plan may be mailed to the same address. The deadline for input is 5 p.m. on Feb. 19, 2010.

GF&P Wildlife Funding Deadlines Approaching

PIERRE -- The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department has two competitive funding opportunities with upcoming deadlines.

The GF&P Wildlife Diversity Program is accepting proposals for the Wildlife Diversity Small Grants Program. In 2010, $35,000 is available for small grants that are focused on education and outreach projects. Proposals are due by Feb. 15.

Diverse projects completed in the last 12 years have resulted in numerous publications in scientific journals, popular educational products, and a large amount of new data and information on native wildlife.

Contact the Wildlife Diversity Program at 605-773-4345 or email doug.backlund@state.sd.us for more information.

GFP has set aside a portion of its State Wildlife Grants funds for fish and wildlife conservation pro-

posals from outside the agency. State Wildlife Grants funding is provided annually to help each state implement its wildlife action plan, a strategic plan to address the needs of wildlife and native habitats. Applicants must select from a list of potential topics.

The South Dakota Wildlife Action Plan Competitive Grants program is open to individuals,

organizations, state and local entities, and educational facilities. Proposals will be accepted until Jan. 22, 2010. Application materials can be found at: rsity/compgrants.htm. Questions about the program can be directed to Eileen Dowd Stukel at eileen.dowdstukel@state.sd.us or by phoning her at 605-773-4229.

A GREAT TIME FOR A

GREAT CAUSE!

prizes ? auctions ? dinner ? fun

Attend a Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Dinner and Benefit Auction where fun and fundraising combine for a memorable evening. DATE: Saturday, February 6th TIME: Doors open at 5:00 PM PLACE: Minervas, E. Hwy 50, Yankton TICKET INFORMATION: Call Pat Cody at 605-661-8283



Proceeds benefit elk and other wildlife

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download