Field Notes

So guys, you got any advice for this poor fella:

From the syndicated advice column “Ask Amy,” as seen in the Chicago Tribune:

Dear Amy: My girlfriend and I have been together for two years. This month she gave me an ultimatum: I give up hunting, or she leaves.

What should I do?

-- Befuddled in Binghamton

Check out the full story and tell us what you think.

The latest polls have presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee atop the list of contending Republicans in Iowa. On the day after Christmas, a time when he says he would normally be hunting ducks in Arkansas, he opted for Hawkeye-State pheasants instead:

From an Associated Press story on Forbes.com:

Of four birds flushed by the party, three were felled. Huckabee claimed the third with his .12-gauge [sic] shotgun. He proudly displayed the birds and said jokingly, "See that's what happens if you get in my way."

He also jested about Vice President Dick Cheney's hunting accident in which a fellow hunter was shot. Asked why Cheney hadn't been invited, Huckabee chuckled, "Because I want to survive all the way through this."

Check out the full article and tell us what you think of Mike Huckabee. Would you vote for him?

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Forget what you know about the shotgun formation, the pick-and-roll and the hit-and-run. It's time to update your high school sports lingo. Start with these: jig-n-pig, crankbait, Carolina rig.

That's right, bass fishing. In high school. As an Illinois High School Association sponsored activity. . . .

Back in October, the IHSA board of directors decided to explore whether it would be possible to host bass fishing tournaments to reach students — boys and girls — who aren't involved with the more traditional sports programs. It would be the first of its kind in the country.

[Now,] a spring season is looking more and more likely. Best-case scenario has the prep anglers wetting their lines for the first tournament in spring 2009.

Check out the full story and tell us what you think.

If your significant other is like me (scary thought, huh?), then he or she hasn’t done any Christmas shopping yet. Which means there’s still time for you to steer that person in the right direction. So, before I sign off for the holiday, let me help you out with that. Just post what you want for Christmas, pull up your comment, increase the font size, and leave the computer on. If you have a laptop, put it in a conspicuous spot, like the kitchen table or the top shelf of the refrigerator.

Here are some ideas from the Belleville News-Democrat. According to this southern Illinois paper, the top-selling gifts for area hunters this year include:

--Camouflaged Crocs
--Wool socks
--Benelli Super Black Eagles (tough call between this and socks, huh?)
--H&R Sluggers
--Remington and Mossberg youth guns
--Winchester SuperX3s
--DU Sweatshirts
--Under Armor clothing
--Superfire Flashlights
--G. Loomis fishing rods
--ABU Garcia and Shimano fishing reels
--Crossbows
--And binoculars, scopes, and pocket knives

There, that should get you started. I’ll be posting headlines again next Wednesday. Until then, here’s wishing all of you—and all of yours—a very happy holiday.

In a nutshell, according to this Pioneer Press story and a complaint filed by the FLW, after finishing sixth in a kingfish tournament, North Carolina angler Perry Johnston tried to get one of the top five boats disqualified. The FLW said, sorry. So he demanded a three-year deal including payment of his tour entry fees, a sponsored boat, and free use of a Chevrolet Suburban. The FLW said, sorry. He then complained that the organization failed to pay him for certain tournament winnings. The FLW sent him a check. Finally, he allegedly went on a boating Web site called "The Hull Truth," and wrote that the nonpayment "will prove to be a big mistake for the FLW organization. In 12 days, the FLW (and) ALL THEIR SPONSORS for this event will be served with a lawsuit ... GEE I WONDER HOW KELLOGG'S, PROCTOR & GAMBLE, DURACELL and the other sponsors are going to like a lawsuit they receive concerning the FLW stealing prize monies from the fishermen?"

Now the FLW is suing Johnston.

Check out the whole story here and tell us what you think. Did Johnston go overboard? Have we simply not heard his side of the story? Or is this just what you get when you mix big prize money with fishing?

From the Wyoming-Tribune Eagle:

In October, Jeff Garcia took his fifth-grade son on an elk-hunting trip.


The annual trip had been planned well in advance and had been discussed with the child’s teacher. Garcia had made a deal with his son that his grades had to be good, A’s and B’s only, and he had to complete all his school work. . . .



For each day missed, the school district had sent a letter home notifying the parents there had been an unexcused absence.

Be sure to check out the full article, then tell us what you think.