Field Notes

From the Associated Press:

Rudy Giuliani . . . said Tuesday the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and a recent court ruling framed his current defense of a right to own guns.

"I think, after Sept. 11 — I mean I probably would have had the same impression before, I'm not sure — but after Sept. 11, all that seemed much more powerful to me," Giuliani said.

Convinced?

Jim Dicken, owner of Fishing Guides Home Page and editor of Fishing.com sent us this video of him hauling in a near-15-pounder.

He writes: “I was fishing with a #4 Mepps--actually not a #5 [mentioned in the video]. I tied on the smaller version by mistake. I was trying to get a muskie on film only to hear the guide say ‘big ole walleye.’ My idea of big is 7 or 8 pounds. I was NOT prepared for the size of this fish.”

Thanks, Jim. Great catch.

Most of us already know that if you want to release a fish unharmed, you should land and return the catch to the water as quickly as possible. How quickly? According to new research by the University of Illinois, less than four minutes is best. Check out the full story here.

When we last asked you this question, Thompson had just declared his candidacy on Leno. There’s been a lot of buzz--both pro and con--about him since. Here’s some of the latest:

First some pro, from The Washington Times:

While the NRA waited until October in each of the past two presidential election years before endorsing a candidate, the group plans to take a more high-profile role early in the 2008 Republican nomination process.

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who earned an "A" rating from the NRA during his time in the Senate, was the group's favorite.

And here, in the interest of balance, is some scathing con, from Rolling Stone: (Be warned that the full text contains profanity.)

[Thompson’s] campaign is basically a referendum on what America wants out of its president. Do we want an executive who solves problems. . . . Or do we want a lead actor to star in a television show about a fantasy America . . . where poverty and war and insecurity can be solved simply by keeping them off camera?

The people who are buying this fantasy are buying out of fear, because they can't bear to look anymore. They've simply given up trying to deal. If Thompson wins -- and he very well might -- that's what it'll be: total surrender. The lowest we've ever sunk.

Check out both stories in full and tell us your reaction.

Check out this press release from the National Wild Turkey Federation, detailing just how powerful an economic force the nation’s outdoorsmen are. Our spending, for example, is greater than the revenues of Microsoft, Google, eBay and Yahoo–combined. If we were a company, we’d be in the top 20 of the Fortune 500 list by this comparison.

If you think your right to hunt is iron clad or written in stone, you should talk to New Jersey bear hunters, whose season was infamously shot down by politicians. Now, a pair of anti-hunting legislators are taking aim at all outdoorsmen—and potentially providing a model by which other states could move to effectively ban hunting and fishing.

From the Asbury Park Press:

Instituting a law to prohibit fishing would be unimaginable only a generation ago. Fishing is so intertwined in New Jersey's recreational and economic past and present that it is hard to imagine living without it. Sadly, Monmouth County politicians may outlaw this essential part of our outdoor heritage.

Legislative bills A-3275 and S-2041 have been introduced by Assemblyman Michael Panter and Sen. Ellen Karcher, both D-Monmouth. These bills will eliminate freshwater fishing, hunting and trapping in New Jersey. It will be achieved by changing the structure of the Fish and Game Council.

Check out the full article and tell us your reaction.

Florida angler Dan Ficocello heard about the recent incidents at Flagler Beach: a surfer bit in the side; a swimmer rammed in the leg; a chunk bitten out a surfers’ board. So he went to the beach, paddled his kayak out about 250 yards out to drop a barracuda head, then paddle back and waited. Eventually he felt a tug, and three and a half hours later landed a 12-foot, 4-inch hammerhead, weighing 543 pounds. Read the full story here.

Rocky Mountain National Park rangers are giving new meaning to “No Dumping,” as they encourage visitors to carry out everything they carry in—and we’re talking everything. What you might otherwise deposit and leave under a rock (with several squares of toilet paper), you are now asked to tote home. More bluntly, rangers want you to bag that B.M. And for your convenience, they’re providing the bag. Read all about it here.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Illinois could be ''within a year or two'' of becoming first to sanction statewide fishing competitions at the high school level.

''What a great concept,'' Alsip bass pro Ed Bohn said. ''The whole thing is you would have to have adults involved, a type of boater/ co-angler setup.''

What do you think of the concept?

From an NRA press release:

Senate Bill 162 . . . would make “harm or threat of harm” to an animal a form of domestic abuse. In Wisconsin, being charged with domestic abuse means losing the ability to purchase or possess firearms.

The absurdity of SB 162 is that it not only equates animals to humans, but also does not define what “harm or threat of harm” is. Animal “rights” extremists could argue that the training of hunting dogs or everyday treatment of dairy cattle constitutes abuse.

Click here to contact members of the state Senate Committee of Judiciary and Corrections.