Field Notes

I know he hasn't made the greatest of decisions while in office, but lets move past this and appreciate the small victories as they come. Maybe he has an ulterior motive, may be not. With age comes wisdom. Obviously he has tried to do the right thing in his eye (mind) and he has some compassion for our Earth and what little resources we have left.

Chad, ya just gotta get into a trade pub niche that guys like Joe the Plumber can't fill.

It ain't the most exciting journalism, but there's a lot less competition than sportswriting or features or general politics. And a lot more rewarding in most cases.

The missus and me have managed to scratch out a living this way. If Joe makes a million, he makes a million. The market is full of caprice and we learn to live with it.

Back in the late 80s, I was a sportswriter for a small paper in upstate NY. I was covering a basketball game at the Meadowlands, and ran into a guy I used to know when he was a goofball college kid. He was stringing for the NY Post. He wanted me to drive him back to lower Manhattan. Me, I wanted to get back to upstate and told him best I could do was drop him off on the Upper West Side. He didn't like that. Now he's a big powerful guy in the media, and if I had driven him downtown, I might have had a chip to call in at some point. But he's still a goofball. And the older I get, the less I am willing to deal with goofballs. Such is life.

Whoever that last poster was, okay, maybe, he wants Joe the plumber to go away.
I'll remind you he wasn't a McCain campaign operative, he came into view because the "Messiah" walked up to him and he dared to ask a question. The media made him a celebrity.
I'd sure as hell rather hear what he has to say, as an ordinary citizen, than Chris "thrill up my leg" Matthews, Katie "the perkie one" Couric, Keith Olbermann, or Jerry Rivers (aka Geraldo Rivera)or any others of the lock-step media.
I'll listen to my neighbor, co-workers, or other non-media people on this and other blogs, before any of the talking heads. They/we are out in the real world, not regurgitating news for ratings.
And Chad, quit begging. (I know you were kidding).

Mike Diehl,

YOur standard response of asking anti gun people if they would want thier first amendment rights to be restricted is a great responcse but you need to point out to them also with this arguement that with out the 2nd Amendment there isn't going to be a 1rst Amendment. Remember that the 2nd Amendment was put there for the People to be able to defend themselves from other Individuals and from the Government (you know the group of people that have guns and a monopoly on force)
"What, Sir, is the use of a militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty. Whenever governments mean to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise an army upon their ruins."

Elbridge Gerry
Debate U.S. House of Representatives
August 17,1789

(found in "The Essential Second Amendment Guide" by Wayne LaPierre

How can you say he didn't ask for the attention that the campaign brought him? Did they take him hostage? You say "You go Joe", i say "Just go away Joe"! Please!

Screw it Chad, give me an address and I'll send you a freebee, just because I enjoy your writing.
You may just be an Ernie Pyle in the making yourself, and if you take up cartooning perhap I'll be able to put your work on the shelf next to my Bill Maulden collection.
Just keep up the good work.
Paul

Only in America, and only in these pathetic times we live in.

You know, this got me thinking how much I hate John Cafferty and Wolf Blitzer. You go Joe! May Chuck Lidell punch John Cafferty and Wolf Blitzer in the throat. Amen.

Here here JohnL. Isn't this what we should have been praying for. Something else besides the scum employed by Turner and Murdock?

Chad, you may be a dumb ass,but you just made my day a wee bit better
( I THINK WE all have been a dumb ass a time or to).
Don

Chad, this isn't directed at you personally.
On another note, after the nationwide rectal exam that Joe the plumber was subjected to by the "media and journalists" I say "You Go Joe". He didn't ask for the attention, it was thrust upon him by the "professionals" for daring to ask a question when approached by the messiah. This resulted in nasty stories, rumors and outright lies just to discredit him, and the loss of his job. If someone else offered him this job, go for it!
I'll be interested to read some thoughts from a non-insider,(maybe kinda somebody like me/us?) who wasn't indoctrinated by journalism professors or sitting in newsrooms, but bases his opinion on what he observes and makes up his own mind.
johnl

Talent has nothing to do with your success or lack of. Success in particular occupations (esp. the celeb type) is based to a degree upon what the naive zombies populating our country clamor for. So take heart, become notorious and your chance will come.

Chad you said "it's not fair." This leads me to believe you are still a naive dumbass, with all due respect ofcourse. Next time you feel your lips begin to form the words "that's not fair" or, "that is fiar," stop yourself and say "that's life." Best regards.

Jeff

See, I even screw up trying to post a comment...

CJ, there are a lot of people who would wholeheartedly agree with your wholehearted agreement of my dumbassedness, but I think you, uh, misunderstooded me: You see, paying gigs aren't my problem, paying gigs that shower me with free stuff are my problem.

As for my comment on the Gun Nut blog, who said anything about humor? That's how I really am...

Mike, you just summed up the whole of my writing career more succinctly than I ever could. A journalist... of some kind or another.

CJ, there are a lot of people who would wholeheartedly agree with your wholehearted agreement of my dumbassedness, but I think you, uh, misunderstooded me: You see, paying gigs aren't my problem, paying gigs that shower me with free stuff are my problem.

As for my comment on the Gun Nut blog, who said anything about humor? That's how I really am...

Mike, you just summed up the whole of my writing career more succinctly than I ever could. A journalist... of some kind or another.

Chad,
Speaking of terminator spinnerbaits...a few years back a local tv weatherman came out with his "own" brand of titanium spinnerbaiats. They sold like hotcakes at the local stores, I still have a couple. However it seems they were taken off the market when the owner of the patents raised a stink. Maybe you should do TV?

Chad,
Speaking of terminator spinnerbaits...a few years back a local tv weatherman came out with his "own" brand of titanium spinnerbaiats. They sold like hotcakes at the local stores, I still have a couple. However it seems they were taken off the market when the owner of the patents raised a stink. Maybe you should do TV?

Chad,
Speaking of terminator spinnerbaits...a few years back a local tv weatherman came out with his "own" brand of titanium spinnerbaiats. They sold like hotcakes at the local stores, I still have a couple. However it seems they were taken off the market when the owner of the patents raised a stink. Maybe you should do TV?

The problem is that you take your calling as a journalist -- of some kind or another -- seriously. It should be apparent already from talk radio and political trash talkers that Crap Is King.

If you want to make regular money, get yourself a morning radio show and make sure that you talk about farts, booze, bosoms, or the antics of pro-athetes, every break from 6-10 AM. Make sure you have a couple sidekicks who will snort appreciatively at your humour and you'll be living the dream. ;)

Love

Thank you for your self deprecation. You might try a different style than your recent blog post on Petzal's Gun Nut, humorous or not.

There may be a good reason you are not getting too many paying gigs. Probably for the same reason that I get none.

I wholeheartedly agree that you are a naive dumba$$. I think it has little to do with being an Okie.

CJ

A prank targeting Google has resulted in a 9/11 related symbol query of ? ¦¦ become on of today’s largest search terms.
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At the time of writing it ranked at 13. Who is running the prank is unclear at this time, although we have a few ideas where it might be coming from.
[url=http://www.inquisitr.com/14461/prank-targets-google-with-911-symbol-search-%e2%9c%88-%e2%96%8c%e2%96%8c/]Open[/url]

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A prank targeting Google has resulted in a 9/11 related symbol query of ? ¦¦ become on of today’s largest search terms.
The symbols, showing a plane flying into the World Trade Center have been searched for tens of thousands of times or more, placing the search term for several hours in the top 10 searched for terms in the United States.
At the time of writing it ranked at 13. Who is running the prank is unclear at this time, although we have a few ideas where it might be coming from.
[url=http://www.inquisitr.com/14461/prank-targets-google-with-911-symbol-search-%e2%9c%88-%e2%96%8c%e2%96%8c/]Open[/url]

classic option for Google :)

A prank targeting Google has resulted in a 9/11 related symbol query of ? ¦¦ become on of today’s largest search terms.
The symbols, showing a plane flying into the World Trade Center have been searched for tens of thousands of times or more, placing the search term for several hours in the top 10 searched for terms in the United States.
At the time of writing it ranked at 13. Who is running the prank is unclear at this time, although we have a few ideas where it might be coming from.
[url=http://www.inquisitr.com/14461/prank-targets-google-with-911-symbol-search-%e2%9c%88-%e2%96%8c%e2%96%8c/]Open[/url]

classic option for Google :)

A prank targeting Google has resulted in a 9/11 related symbol query of ? ¦¦ become on of today’s largest search terms.
The symbols, showing a plane flying into the World Trade Center have been searched for tens of thousands of times or more, placing the search term for several hours in the top 10 searched for terms in the United States.
At the time of writing it ranked at 13. Who is running the prank is unclear at this time, although we have a few ideas where it might be coming from.
[url=http://www.inquisitr.com/14461/prank-targets-google-with-911-symbol-search-%e2%9c%88-%e2%96%8c%e2%96%8c/]Open[/url]

classic option for Google :)

A prank targeting Google has resulted in a 9/11 related symbol query of ? ¦¦ become on of today’s largest search terms.
The symbols, showing a plane flying into the World Trade Center have been searched for tens of thousands of times or more, placing the search term for several hours in the top 10 searched for terms in the United States.
At the time of writing it ranked at 13. Who is running the prank is unclear at this time, although we have a few ideas where it might be coming from.
[url=http://www.inquisitr.com/14461/prank-targets-google-with-911-symbol-search-%e2%9c%88-%e2%96%8c%e2%96%8c/]Open[/url]

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A prank targeting Google has resulted in a 9/11 related symbol query of ? ¦¦ become on of today’s largest search terms.
The symbols, showing a plane flying into the World Trade Center have been searched for tens of thousands of times or more, placing the search term for several hours in the top 10 searched for terms in the United States.
At the time of writing it ranked at 13. Who is running the prank is unclear at this time, although we have a few ideas where it might be coming from.
[url=http://www.inquisitr.com/14461/prank-targets-google-with-911-symbol-search-%e2%9c%88-%e2%96%8c%e2%96%8c/]Open[/url]

classic option for Google :)

A prank targeting Google has resulted in a 9/11 related symbol query of ? ¦¦ become on of today’s largest search terms.
The symbols, showing a plane flying into the World Trade Center have been searched for tens of thousands of times or more, placing the search term for several hours in the top 10 searched for terms in the United States.
At the time of writing it ranked at 13. Who is running the prank is unclear at this time, although we have a few ideas where it might be coming from.
[url=http://www.inquisitr.com/14461/prank-targets-google-with-911-symbol-search-%e2%9c%88-%e2%96%8c%e2%96%8c/]Open[/url]

classic option for Google :)

A prank targeting Google has resulted in a 9/11 related symbol query of ? ¦¦ become on of today’s largest search terms.
The symbols, showing a plane flying into the World Trade Center have been searched for tens of thousands of times or more, placing the search term for several hours in the top 10 searched for terms in the United States.
At the time of writing it ranked at 13. Who is running the prank is unclear at this time, although we have a few ideas where it might be coming from.
[url=http://www.inquisitr.com/14461/prank-targets-google-with-911-symbol-search-%e2%9c%88-%e2%96%8c%e2%96%8c/]Open[/url]

classic option for Google :)

Chad,

Sometimes things are different when you look @ them from just the outside.

Maybe Joe the plumber has toiled in obscurity for years and he finally feels he's getting his shot.

Jim

Okay, so he's inexperienced, let's send that glorious ink-stained wretch Helen Thomas over there.
Or any of the rest of the lock-stepped lefties.
johnl

Blog on Chad. Mark Twain was 32 before he gained notoriety and fame. Perhaps your Gentry City is about to steam into your port.

Joe the plumber IS getting instant fame...kind of like the old lady who yelled "Where's the beef?!" in the infamous 80s Wendy's commercial...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug75diEyiA0

However, Chad the blogger had me chuckling out loud today. Good post! I enjoy your humorous entries.

Joe the plumber - just another example showing you don't have to have any real talent to become a celebrity in America. I'm not saying it's good or bad, but to those who actually work for it, Chad, I feel your pain.

As alongtime freind of Bob Decker I just learned that the buck was scored non-typical. I saw the buck first hand and can only say this, "Thousands of hunters like myself hit the woods every year in Wisconsin after the elusive trophy whitetail. You've broken the state record and I couldn't be more proud. You're the top seed among many great hunters and fallen trophys,something you can treasure forever. Congradulations Bob!"

I've never seen anyone that I'd spit on if they were on fire driving a Land Rover anyway. Likely some snobbish yuppie that uses the Rover to go skiing only. In a rush to get that tall nonfat soy chai latte at Starbuck's most likely.

For all you sour grapes out there, the bull was taken in a limited draw area where only a few other hunters were licensed anyway. The State of Utah is depriving the masses from hunting the trophy areas anyway. Better odds of winnning a $ million in the lottery than getting one of those Utah tags as a non-resident. Buy the lotto tickets. Then if you win, buy a trophy hunt!

Garden Patio,
There is a long held philosophy that civilization will cause the decline of the species in the long run becuase we now protect genes that would otherwise have been weeded out. It's a harsh view, but the prevelance of food allerghies are a pretty strong arguement.

JC

Damn liberal tree hugging Bush.

Thats an interesting post, i wonder what would happen if only the "weak and scrawny" humans survived. Food for thought. Keep up the good work with your blog, it's excellent!

President-elect Barack Obama delivered a speech today, January 8, 2009. Obama discussed the current economic crisis and urged Congress to act quickly in passing a stimulus bill, warning that the recession could become
[url=http://www.inquisitr.com/14704/obama-speech-january-8-2009-video-transcript/](Video + Transcript)[/url]
Infrastructure? What is he thinking? The US has some of the best infrastructure in the world. Anyone who has traveled can see that. Only Europe has better... and not ALL of Europe. Not only that, but there are 250,000 people out of work on Wall Street, and Obama is going to hand them all a shovel? ...NONSENS !

I'm not for cloning anything, the past is the past. Well, maybe Welch would be okay.

Yes, we hunters buy too much high tech crap and don't relay on skills enough. There are 100 styles of camo out there with scent lock this, carbon release that. I go to a military surplus store for my camo and it works fine.

Chad,

I cannot be held responsible. Considering how few vacations days I, like most Americans get, and considering that when drawn for a tag my season is about a week, I have no choice but to shoot whatever is legal regardless of it's a monster of a little fork horn.

hey another sean ill add a j on mine for reference ive posted all the rebel stuff, anywaise guns in parks great idia thank you bush now let me graduatem and get to iraq bye yall.

That bull is huge for one thing and another thing is if any one of you guys talking smack had the cash I guarantee you would pay top dollar too..

Two comments:

1. In Colorado you can carry a concealed handgun in your car even without a CHP (finally, some rational thought). Rocky Mountain Gun Owners (http://www.rmgo.org/alerts/2008-ParksHSP2.shtml) is investigating if this means a person can visit Rocky Mountain National Park with a loaded handgun in the car even though they don't have a CHP.

2. For Williams (2 posts above): 26 states share reciprocity with Colorado so in our state, a good portion of the out-of-state visitors could carry concealed if they have a locally issued CHP.

3 CLICKS for big o

my question is this. Are the genes from a year and a half year old deer different when he turns 4 or five year olds? do genes change with age? Does a deer that breeds at 1 1/2 produce an interfior deer than if it would breed at 4 1/2? I don't think so, that is why QDM works, cuz those deer are just waiting to grow large, no matter how many years of yearling harvest takes place.

I hope your all talking about the other(EVIL)p.e.t.a. not the one we're all members of People Eating Tasty Animals, The True PETA

Hey Jay, Ive guided in Colo. and still go when I can, and know some spots if you want to do some hunt trading (Elk in colo. for Deer in Ill.)No monsters but still a fun hunt.

I too regard the comments trophy hunting is degrading the big game population with grave suspicion. It seems the comments come from two areas; [1] from animal rights activists, and [2] from lazy big game hunters. The animals are there, but the “best and brightest” aren’t going to be easily seen or hunted.

I’ve noticed today’s majority of big game hunters…no matter the choice of hunting implement… want easy access, meaning: ATV, 4x4 trails/roads, and convenience to set up manufactured deer stands or access to transport heavy duty building materials for said stands.

BTW stand hunting is not the best type of hunting for trophy North American animals IMHO.

I dare write 90% of Upstate NY big game hunters are hunting in glorified, landscaped suburbs or parklands bogusly being defined as big game habitat. These aren’t lands inhabited by the “best and brightest” big game.

I covered this over on my blog, (The Hog Blog) when the article came out, and I'm actually glad to see it getting a fair slamming around the blogosphere.

The researchers themselves, at the end of Ms Huang's article, cleary say that the evidence to support this "theory" is far from conclusive.

What kills me is that the whole thing points at hunting, but uses examples that are primarily drawn from isolated populations of animals that are generally (exception of Quebec bighorns) poached. Huang also excludes any mention of other likely causes for diminution of some species, that may include changes in climate and/or habitat.

The general theory of Darwinian Selection is interesting and plausible, and I can't argue with the fact that we should pay attention. But the article as published by Newsweek is misleading at best, and intentionally propagandistic at worst.

The argument itself, that hunters are hurting the species, is ancient in the anti vs pro hunting debate, and it's been roundly rejected as having any grounds in fact... anecdotal or scientific. Huang's article strikes me as little more than an attempt to revive the argument in order to sway a few more non-hunters against the sport.

I've heard rumor of states that consider removing their antler restrictions periodically to help restore the balance of poor to good genetics in regards to antler production. Based on what i've seen in PA, either I've become a fantastically stealthier creature in the past 6 years or the management practices have a huge impact in antlers. But what I have also noticed is more very large bodied, even sway-back bucks with large twiggy forks. I suspect they are living to their seemingly advanced age due to the antler restrictions and will be more successful from a procreation standpoint than thier 8 point peers who are getting knocked down before they are 3. Don't get me wrong, the management system has added a lot of excitement, I just see how this story could have merit.

Smarter deer or just more paranoid?

I think some deer are just a bit more skittish by nature and basically afraid of their own shadows. These deer tend to be more nocturnal and thus survive longer that those who don't.

FWIW, I don't think it's the boom stick that keeps deer freaked out as much as the intrustion of hunters into the woods in the dark. It doesn't take a spooky, paranoid animal long to figure out somethings up.

Jim

Another point often overlooked is how well deer manage to coexist with humans. Deer are very adaptable and it is usually the smartest that make it from season to season without getting shot especially areas adjacent to suburbia.
A good example is my buddy's farm in NC where I hunt. It is only 96 acres, but mid-summer one can sit on his porch and watch the deer feed at the back of the field (about 350 yards). All the bucks are in velvet and every one looks to be a wall hanger. During our deer season which runs from mid Sept. to Jan. 1st if you bow, muzzle load, and firearm hunt, they are chased with dogs (but not from my friend's farm) and baited, but I see none of those spectacular bucks taken during the deer season.
The only time any of us has taken a better than average deer is during the rut. Personally I prefer to shoot myself a doe. I think they taste better and I am not into trophys. It just goes to show anecdotely that despite our new fangled equipment and hunting pressure the deer are in no danger of losing prime breeders.

Chad we mostly agree. I think the results that I expect for Arizona are primarily a consequence of game management strategies. But I can also see how natural selection would work to select for smaller, wiley bucks.

"So if there was a genetic predisposition toward smaller deer wouldn't it manifest itself despite such management practices?"

Not entirely. The game management practices impose a kind of skewed fitness regime. After all, it's the hunting rules that, if obeyed limit what we can shoot. We can see sexual dimporphism in many species, and this is often manifested as bigger males and smaller females. This observation indicates that given enough time, dimporhism can be sex-linked. But I think that your point that the 1.5-3 year olds tend to get shot is also very important. The wiley bucks, big or small, figure things out and avoid getting shot.

Maybe then, the characteristic that we're selecting for is "smarter deer." If they ever get themselves organized, things could get interesting.

That article shows why people who have no idea about a subject should know better than to try to write about it. Stupid is as stupid does...

Mike, I just don't think that it's possible for hunting to have any impact on selection one way or the other and here are my admittedly non-scientific and purely anecdotal reasons.

One, although it seems counter-intuitive I actually believe that if anything hunting pressure tends to skew selection toward potentially larger bucks, not away from it, and the key word there is potential.
The vast majority of bucks harvested during most states' firearms seasons are year-and-a-half old bucks. Simply put, lots of young, stupid deer tend to get shot first. And despite the reams of sometimes spurious stories written on how big bucks turn so stupid during the rut, my own experience on public land has taught me that rut or no, a big mature whitetail will respond to hunting pressure no matter how badly he wants to get some, and that hunting pressure drives a lot of rut activity nocturnal.
A big whitetail with a few seasons under his belt knows those smelly, loud boomstick things aren't around at night, so he's free to whip smaller bucks and breed with impunity.
And that segues into my next point, which is the seeming absence of large dominant bucks doesn't necessarily mean an absence of large dominant buck genes. Every big buck was once a small, shy basket-racked buck. Just because those small bucks are small right now doesn't mean they don't possess the genes to grow big.

I will concede that hunting pressure can perhaps affect that potential by keeping a large numbers of potentially large bucks small by shooting them before they have a chance to get large, but then that just gives the few bucks that do manage to live an even better chance of breeding, which then sort of perpetuates the whole cycle over again.

So whatever it is that might be affecting the physical characterisitics of a given population I don't think it's being driven by genetics nearly as much as it's being driven by management practices.

And that's why I think the story is utterly bogus, and why I think the deer harvest age-class structures in states that actively promote higher doe harvest and quality management would bear that out. If you shoot more does and fewer bucks those bucks that survive will grow larger.
So if there was a genetic predisposition toward smaller deer wouldn't it manifest itself despite such management practices?

I guess it all boils down to I believe those small, shy, weaker animals the article references are more likely to be shot than large, dominant animals, not less likely because I simply don't have that much faith in my species' ability to consistently outwit an educated game animal.

How's that for a defeatist attitude?

you dont have to worry about that in mitchell county nc. around here anything with horns, no matter how small gets shot, that why its so hard to do managment on 200 acres srounded by roads. you have every redneck within 15 miles spotlighting and shooting anything that moves.

The error in this is the assumption that the weaker, smaller animals are "less fit." From a purely natural selection point of view, one would not that the selection landscape has changed, and that smaller animals are now MORE fit under a fitness regime that includes effective predators that target large, big-antlered animals. The predictable result is selection for animals that are some combination of (1) more sneaky, (2) less visible, or (3) bearing smaller antlers.

I've long-suspected that selection for small males is occurring in southern Arizona. There's a lot of baloney about how small the "Coues" white-tailed deer is. That is true of the males. The females I have seen are often within the range expected for other parts of the country -- bearing in mind that around here they're not corn fed on amber waves of grain.

My explanation is that AZGFD issues too many permits, such that males very rarely live past 2-3 years of age. In the absence of robust, mature males, even a shy, diminutive, weak male (if he is cuatious and stealthy) has excellent access to females, and it is his genes that are passed along. Perhaps the ultimate result will be antlerless male deer. You can only shoot "antlered deer" in AZ.

Make no mistake there are PLENTY of does out here. I can't go rabbit hunting anywhere without pushing around at least one doe.

From what I gather, many of the commando joe hunters can't sit still for more than 15 minutes and spends too much time playing with his cell phone/blackberry/iphone waiting for downloads from his game camera to tell him where the animals are.

Then he bumbles off wearing the latest camo duds, hops onto his atv/bad boy buggy and motors his fat a$$ over to where the animal of choice once was. Upon arrival he sits there another 15 minutes before getting bored and goes in for lunch.

I'd say the fittest of the species are laughing their a$$es off @ many of today's "hunters".

The sad reality is that what the Brady thugs... and those behind the anti gun agenda, are trying to do is create a delicately woven situation that resolves to make criminals out of what we have always known in America as law abiding citizens. What makes a criminal a criminal? The violation of a "law". Guns are not necesarily the sole target, but the first step to taking away something more important~ all of our freedoms. I think that the next four years will bring many new "laws" that will make outlaws out of most of us in one way or another... people that are currently law abiding citizens, patriots, will be cast as dissidents and outlaws. What should be the right course of action for people who still believe in the America we hold so dear? I hope we can speak out with a voice that is better heard... take Mr. Grimes advice, contact your representatives, tell your friends, for God's sake, vote... the liberals figured out how to! Support freedom before we are all suddenly "outlaws"... and freedom slips quietly away...
Best~ JB

Even if you have a valid CCW and concealed carry is allowed in national parks very few people will be able to concealed carry anyway. If you look at it this way, most people who are visiting national parks and forests are out of state tourists so their CCW isn't valid in another state. I don't see that much need to allow concealed carry in parks. Just allow open, non-concealed carry with loaded firearms and everyone should be relatively happy.

Some people have a helluva attitude towards situations that they no nothing about. Public land is free to hunt on and most guides do not even bother with public lands. Which is self explanatory "public lands"!

PETA might as well run wildlife off the road -- they euthanize 90% of the animals they take in! Just google it. PETA is the "Planned Parenthood" of the animal world -- nice facade but they all have stupid bloody hands.

"The other side" = recently a local guy took the new Washington State record elk. He had bought a "Governor's Tag" at auction for 65K. My initial reaction was similar to Tom and Walt's until I put it in a more accurate light: Some people have lots of money; some of those people are happy to give to conservation and hunting causes; the money from "the Gov's tag" supports fish and wildlife. So, if I was going to make a big donation to increase hunting and outdoor sports in my state, I'd be really excited about the opportunity to donate AND get the trophy of a life time! Fish and Wildlife has benefited; the guides, outfitters and hunters have benefitted. Just imagine being one of the guides that got the chance to spend "days and days" scouting for that bull! That'd be "the scouting trip of a lifetime"! Heck, what's not to like about this?!?! I certainly don't mind getting to read about such a cool take!

Carry 24x7. Remember, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

Late to a PETA meeting? I don't get it. I dont think PETA runs animals off the road.

Its true that good people have been punished by the terrible and senseless acts of some bad people out there. Its too bad its almost always been like this. Its also true that almost nothing...not even good people having guns can stop idiots from committing crimes with there guns.

I all but had to give a DNA sample and promise my 1st born to get my CCW permit. If I'm honest and pure enough to pass all that, then surely I can be trusted to act responsibly on national park land. Oh, that's right, the Brady bunch doesn't work in the mediums of common sense and trust. Guess I wandered off for a moment. I don't know whether this whole thing is more amazing or depressing but would bet that it will only get worse over the next four years. On a side note, are Pelosi, Schumer, and company's body guards allowed to carry on federal property? Silly me...........

I'm a flat lander living in North Carolina;you can put in for a Colorado Archery Elk draw hunt in areas that are managed for really nice bulls and do it your self for less than $1000.00 including the tag. 5 of us went this year, 3 nice bulls, one was a 300 class, the other 2 were nice 5X5's and we saw 14 bulls within bow range along with over 20 cows. Being within bow range doesn't mean you will get a shot! Hunting is hunting. Awesome experience for a poor man whose dream was to hunt Elk and never thought I could afford to. We camped in tents, cooked our own meals and no guides except ourselves. You don't have to be born and raised in the mid west to be a great Elk hunter, just be in good shape and understand the animal you are hunting. We drove versus flying. Gas was $4.60 a gallon at the time. I recommend putting in for the draw areas versus the walk in public lands. We only say one other hunter the whole 9 days we were there.

I hunted with Keith twice once with one group of friends that was a hog and deer hunt and the second time with another group of friends for deer and hogs. Both times we went my friends got at least one hog and some killed deer I never did kill one but Keith has also let me come back the second time for free and told me the last time that I could come back agian whenever I wanted for free I do not think that I could ask for more than that from anyone. Both times we went the food was good and the lodge was in good shape. The last time I was down there was spring 2008. Keith is a very nice person and I cannot say that they did not take care of us. I am from Virginia and this was a worth while trip down I have never hunted the new piece of property that he purchased so I cannot say what it is like. Just wanted to post my expierence.
Thanks Scott Rhinehardt

I read the press release, and visited the Brady Center website. It is replete with the typical hysterical rhetoric one would expect from a bunch of fusilophobes. If you get agitated very easily I suggest you do not visit their website.

F&S reported it. The story is news, whether we agree with the methods or not. I don't have the $ to do this, but is it for me to judge? We've got enough outsiders sniping at us....we don't need to chop off our own nose.

clone R.W.?????YUP

Don

i think it is typical and it probley ant the world record but its a nice buck

and im sure that it was not hand feed even if it was ohh well he still killed it theres nothing wrong with feeding deer i do that i think it is a good kill with a bow good joe

that was the buck because i looked at it over a houndred times good job killing it

I read someplace that success usually comes to those who can afford it. Yup.

Ask people such as the Brady Thugs why they want innocent people disarmed, and subject to being victims of criminals, and listen carefully to their reply!

The most dangerous people in America? The Brady Thugs,and other anti-gun kooks!
We need a law making every person liable for damages who votes for or influences "gun free zones": these are the places where innocent people are murdered. Think about it!

one small problem Mr. Helmke, dangerous people aren't allowed to carry concealed weapons!! bad people will always do bad things. don't punish good people for it!

All,

Please do not let your comments die here. Write your Senators and tell them the same thing. The liberals are being heard, (newspaper articule). Write the media in your area too. If you're not sure who to write to, go to: http://www.capwiz.com/nra/dbq/officials/
and you can look it all up by your zipcode.

The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. PERIOD!!

RG

PS - Then join either the NRA or the GOA (Gun Owners of America) both very pro 2nd Amendment.

I know Jason Cook personally and you
people have no idea what you are talking about. It doesn't even matter if you like the punishment or accept it, it is what it is. Don't pass judgement on someone you don't know, Jason is a hard working family man that is very sorry, and I know him you don't.

Dude, I agree with the guy that says when they try to take away the second amandment. Tell them you will try to take away the first. If they want to take my guns they will look that barrel pointin their way and move out

bull $#!! dangerous people?! yeah right, more like people protecting themselves from mountain lions and bears.

They are gonna either:
a.)try to make them remove this rule
b.)make it so they cant be concealed

On one hand, if someone sees your gun, they won't even bother you at all.
But if its concealed and they try to jump you, it would get ugly.

Words to live by:

"Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it."

National parks are not bastions of safety. As usual, the way the gun control crowd hopes to help is by disarming the law abiding citizen. I can hear the criminals now; "Gee, I had hoped to go into this national park and lie in wait by a hiking path, so that when I saw a single female hiker I could hold her at gunpoint, then rape and kill her, but golly! It's illegal to carry a gun in a national park! Curse the Brady crowd!" Sounds stupid when you say it out loud, doesn't it?

It's really too bad people like that are allowed to drive around nature, they should stick to city driving.

are you for real this probley a photo of a young gorilla at the pittsburgh zoo

At least one bright side is that there were not bulls that died. Not that bright of a side but somewhat brighter.

I read that the elk meat was donated to charity in Salt Lake by the Fish and Game.

So what did they do with the elk? Did they let them rot or did they deliver them to a food pantry??

I'am having a Camo themed wedding in 2009 and its going to be great, but I will not wear a camo dress. My dress will have Brown in the back and across the waist. We are both avid hunters.

Jay-from the original story, the guy paid 150K for the governor's tag to hunt elk anywhere in Utah. after that, a team of guides spent "days and days" spotting and evaluating animals on behalf of the hunter before he ever went to Utah, where he then spent nearly two weeks hunting before downing the bull. those services do not come cheap, so 200K is very accurate. i'm with walt, i'd rather read about the first whitetail of kid than an ego-driven kill by a $$$$$man.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11380830

Uneducated people are the problem. People who have nothing better to do than go to oposite minded websites to spill their ugly one sided views are the problem. People who like Mike said are too "short sighted", are the problem. I have never seen a vegetarian or PETA activist care for the well being of a wild animal. Park Rangers and other outdoor enthusiasts are the only people that truly dedicate their time to preserving natural habitat for wild animals. I could go on and on but I will leave you with this.

Melinda and Elizabeth - I BET YOU ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT IF I WERE TO INVESTIGATE THE WAY YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE I WOULD FIND TONS AND TONS OF CONTRADICTING ISSUES. Example - Leather shoes (animal hide), cosmetics (animal fat), non organic food (produce fertalized with animal waste), and on and on and on. Hunters should be the LEAST of your worries.

Jay, it seems you haven't heard the whole story. Check it out.

That elk is freakin' huge, congrats!

I recently bought a 1300 fps .22 caliber air rifle. It actually handles better than my rimfire .22. Laugh it up.

Probably late to a PETA meeting.