Public Land your Playground

"Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land." Aldo Leopold

Public lands are my play ground and if you hunt or fish in the west, it’s probably your playground too. 

If you have an adventurous spirit; at your fingertips you can walk for miles in solitude and grace, finding rocks unturned and spectacular views. 

Places wild and free, without judgment.  

It's up to us to give this land the highest standard deserved for fish and wildlife.

It's up to us to protect these special places so our kids can experience wild places like we do.

Cedar on high ground

Find the chukar!

Get involved to protect your Public Lands! 

Gun Fitting - Becoming a better Wingshooter

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With the bird season in full swing, it's not to late to have your gun tuned and dream about chukar flying over head and harvesting a couple.  Chukars are fast flyer's. The straighter you shoot the more success you will have.  A gun that mounts properly and fits your swing will increase your success in the field.

My first gun was a classic semi-auto Remington 1100, 12 gauge in the late 90's.  Purchased for $200.00, it was indestructible and a great first gun but eventually the weight and length became cumbersome. I needed a smaller gun.   My next purchase was a kids, Benelli, Nova, 20 gauge.  When I purchased the Nova, I was told to place the butt of the gun on the crook of my elbow and see if the first knuckle of my trigger finger wrapped around the trigger. Then the gun fit.  That was it; I didn’t realize there were other factors involved in helping me shoot straighter.  

A few years ago, I picked up a Hugo CZ, 20 gauge for $400.00. This gun could take a beating on rim rock, basalt hills but I was missing more chukar then I wanted to. I started looking into a professional gun fitting. I wanted to be a better shooter. I could hit clay pigeons but chukar were giving me a fit. 

Close to home, I found, Dennis Earl Smith, the Stock Doctor a custom stock builder for 30 years. A true craftsmen and gunsmith, he also has years of experience fitting guns.   

If you’re buying a gun from a store, shooters usually don’t have an opportunity to choose stock configuration. Because there is no standardization for action size with gun manufactures.  “Every gun manufacture has a unique size, shape and weight of action. You can’t be fit for one type of gun and think that will be the fit for all guns.  Once you have been fitted by a competent fitter you have a starting point to be fitted for different types of action guns.” explains Dennis.    

Dennis in the office

Dennis used two methods to determine the fit of my gun. He wanted to see if where I was shooting was where I was looking. “Shooting is an extension of the hand and eye coordination.  Not something you force and make happen.” speaks Dennis.  Having a gun fit, will help with accuracy and critical for becoming a better wingshooter.

Method 1: Verify that the gun is unloaded. With the gun held in a ready position, pick out a target on a wall, focus on it; close your eyes, mount the shotgun as if you where shooting and reopen your eyes. You should be centered on the target. Your gun should come to the cheek first and then contact to the shoulder. Your dominant eye should be looking down the barrel and you should be squarely on the target every time. Do this several times. If the gun fits you, it will come almost effortlessly to the same position every time as you repeat the process. If the gun is off line or hangs up as you repeat the mount, the stock needs work. 

Method 2: Testing eye position tells the fitter if you need cast on or cast off and drop of the comb.  “The terms 'cast-off' and 'cast-on' are used to describe stock configuration. They refer to the deviation of the butt away from the center line of the gun. A gun with no cast is straight. A line down the center of the barrel will continue straight down the center of the butt stock. With cast-off, the center of the butt is moved in the direction of the shoulder of the shooter. The opposite is true of cast-on, the butt deviating toward the center of the shooter's chest. Either cast-off or cast-on are commonly built into guns. The purpose of both is simply to make it easier to align the eye with the sights.” Bob Spencer, the Fit of a Gun 

My trusted CZ

 Have someone stand in front of you to look down the muzzle as you aim at their nose. They should see that your dominant eye should be at rib level and not off to one side or the other. If they cannot see the pupil of your eye because your eye is to the left of center, this is cast on. If your pupil is to the right of center, it is cast off. If you eye is below the rib, the comb of the stock is too low. If they see the pupil well above the rib, it is very likely that the stock needs more drop at the comb.” 

That day, I discovered, my gun didn’t fit and I hadn't shot straight for 14 years but compensated for it.   The butt needed to be cut almost three inches and the stock was way “cast-off” and needed to be bent to the left.

Most guns on the shelf have a standard size that fit the average person but everyone has a different physical shape and will benefit from getting your gun fit. A professional gun fitting by an experienced fitter is like a shooting lesson. You will learn a lot about your style and how you shoot. Fitting a gun by a traditional fitter can cost from $300 to $1000 and modifications of the stock are generally additional charges. Because I went to a professional stock builder, Dennis didn’t charge for the fitting.  To have the stock modified was about $250.00. 

Other tips:

·         For those that wish to have a tell all about gun fitting check out Mike Yardley – Gunfitting: The Quest for Perfection for Shotguns and Rifles

·         The best place to find a gun fitter near you is to talk to serious shooters or go to your local gun club and ask for recommendations.

·         

Always best to bring the gun you want to be fitted in, no two guns are alike.   "A BMW and Fiat both get you to the same point but they are different animals." chuckles Dennis

I’m not a professional shooter but a bird hunter that wants to hit more birds. If you want to step up your game, shoot straighter and become a better wingshooter; it’s a great idea to have your gun fitted.

Don't Get Locked Out

Do you value public lands for hunting and fishing? 

www.sportsmensaccess.org

A couple years ago, I met a hunter in Southest Oregon who believed the balance between federal and local control of public lands in Oregon was skewed in the wrong direction. As we talked about public lands in Malheur County, he said, “We need to take back the management of our land from the federal government.” 

At the time I wasn’t aware of the debate over public lands management that was happening in Utah and other Western states, where  legislative efforts were under way in an attempt to turn federal public lands over to the states.

 I replied, “Are you sure that is a good thing? Malheur is the poorest county in the state. How is this county going to manage your public land if there are no funds available? What will happen to our wildlife and habitat? Will that impact our access to hunting and fishing?” 

His simple response: “We’ll still be able to do all that.”

The federal government holds our public lands in trust so current and future generations can enjoy the rich beauty and resources that they offer.Federally managed parcels provide access to popular fishing destinations like the Deschutes, Klamath and Grande Ronde Rivers. As a professional guide, we depend on the ability to share the beauty of our public lands with folks from across the nation.

Public lands rightfully belong to all Americans. In an increasingly crowded West where open space is rapidly becoming one the rarest and most valuable assets of the Western lifestyle, ensuring that these lands stay in the public trust is more important now than ever before.

Request that your elected officials actively pledge their support for our public lands legacy and reject efforts to transfer federal public lands to individual states. Find out more and sign the petition > www.sportsmensaccess.org

Look Snazzy

For a limited time, Simms will contribute 50% of all Ebbtide LS Shirt sales to the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, an organization devoted to guaranteeing Americans quality places to hunt and fish bu influencing federal policy. 

Purchase Here

Has the Government Shutdown Impacted your Fishing and Hunting

Morning Cast photo by Bryan Husky

October is prime time for fishing and hunting.  Summer steelhead are lingering in rivers and waterfowl, upland bird and big game hunting seasons are open.  This time of year a lot of sportsmen rely on access to public land for hunting and fishing. 

Last week when I heard about the government shut down I didn't think it would affect me to much.  But when I called the Vale District BLM office to confirm a meeting an answering machine said the office would be closed until the government shutdown was resolved. My meeting was canceled. 

As the weekend approached I thought, this will be over by next week but how is this affecting other people, especially sportsmen that hunt and fish on public land.  As I talked with friends I heard stories of BLM rangers trying to kick campers out of campgrounds on the Deschutes, closed signs placed at boat ramps on the Madison River and places such as Hart Mountain Refuge are closed to visitors.

Due to congressional dysfunction and failing to pass a new budget, federal government agencies such as the BLM, National Forest and Nation Wildlife Refuge System have been shut down and over 80,000 federal employees furloughed and sportsmen opportunities are being impacted.

Southeast Oregon public land.

Millions of sportsmen rely on public access such as BLM land, national wildlife refuges and nation forest to access prime hunting and fishing areas. The closures will not only hurt sportsmen it hurts the communities that depend on dollars spent by sportsmen and other outdoor enthusiasts. Hunting guides and others make most of their annual income during hunting season. "Unlike federal furloughed employees who are going to get paid whenever this shutdown ends, these communities are not," said Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. "The hunting season ends when it ends. The animals leave when they leave. So this is forgone revenue that they won't be getting back."

Impacts on Hunters and Anglers by TRCP:

Until the shutdown is resolved, hunters and anglers will have access to some, but not all federal lands. Immediate impacts come in the form of facility closures and the closure of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Non-developed destinations without controlled access remain largely open. 

National Wildlife Refuge System Closures: Just days after the Interior Department announced expanded hunting opportunities on national wildlife refuges, all 561 - including those that allow hunting and angling - were closed to public access. The national wildlife refuge system totals over 150 million acres, which is nearly twice as large as the national park system.

 Notable National Wildlife Refuge Closures: 

Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (1.1 mil acres) in Montana, where hunters spend more than 100,000 visitor days in fall months, is currently closed due to the shutdown. 

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (1.92 mil acres) in Alaska, attracts 1.1 million annual visitors and is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the Kenai Peninsula. Popular fall hunt programs are currently on hold. 

 Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge (57,000 acres) in Nevada and Oregon, where hunters wait years to draw a bighorn sheep tag, is closed due to the shutdown. 

 Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge (59,000 acres) Hunters who have drawn one of its coveted elk tags are being turned away due to the shutdown. 

National Park Closures: Fall is a popular time for anglers to visit national parks like Yellowstone, Glacier and many others. Many anglers hire licensed outfitters, whose livelihood depends on access to these parks. All national parks have been closed due to the shutdown. 

 BLM Closures: Outfitters, hunters and anglers will not have access to 4,000 visitor centers, facilities, campgrounds, boat ramps and other recreation sites because they are closed. 

 Corps of Engineers Recreation Areas: Campgrounds, boat launches and other facilities have been closed due to the shutdown. 

 Forest Service: Recreational activities such as Forest Service cabin rentals have been suspended during the shutdown. Certain campgrounds have been closed due to the shutdown. 

 State Lands: The shutdown has led to friction between federal land management agencies and some state governments. For example, though the Fish and Wildlife Service has closed refuges to hunting in Wisconsin, state officials have refused to adhere to a directive from the National Park Service to close certain state parks and other recreation areas operated with joint state/federal funding. 

 Approximately 7,825 of the USFWS's 9,551 employees; 24,000 of 28,700 Forest Service employees; and 10,250 of 10,800 BLM workers have been furloughed. As a result, resource management planning, NEPA reviews, and other critical natural resource management activities have ground to a halt. 

Has the shutdown affected your fishing or hunting? Please share your stories.