Lessons From The Show.

     The Worcester Sportsmans show has come and gone once again, like it does every February. I must say, I was surprised and dissapointed with this year's show. For whatever reason the show was significantly smaller. By my estimation the show decreased in size by more than 50%. In fact, I'm not so sure it's worth the $10 anymore. Hopefully next year it can get back on track. If not I'll be looking for another show to attend. I did come away from the show with a couple of things of interest, which as interested, responsible sportsmen, I will share.

     There is a move afoot here in massachusetts to get the striped bass reclassified as a game fish. This effort, and the bill, H792, A bill to designate wild striped bass as a game fish in the waters of Massachusetts, is being headed by the organization Stripers Forever. This bill would put a stop to the commercial fishing of striped bass in Massachusetts, and hopefully lead to an increase in the population which has plummeted. The SF website provides plenty of information, as well as a petition caring sportsmen can sign. As a sampling of the information which can be found I'll provide you with this; In 2008 there were 4241 commercial permit holders who took a combined total of 1,155,150lbs of striper. If you wish to do more, SF is having a hearing on the bill at the state house on February 28th. Please consider supporting SF.

     Another interesting bit of information came from the booth of Mass Dept of Agriculture Resources. By now I'm sure we've all seen the signs and posters warning us to not move firewood.

     Well maybe it's just me, but I never really stopped to think about it too much. But there is indeed a problem with the Asian Longhorned Beetle. This beetle is an invasive species that spreads easily, and is killing our hardwoods. MDAR has lots of info concerning this beetle on their website, and has a team that can visit your property if you think you might have an infestation. It's time we all paid a little closer attention when we're in the outdoors, and try to take a little better care of what we have been provided.

Things You Should Check Out; This and That.

     It's that time of the year again. With most hunting seasons behind us, and in many places freshwater fishing seasons closed sportsmen are searching for an outlet. That's where the various sporting shows come into play. Two that have captured my attention are:

     The Worcester Eastern Fishing and Outdoor Expo, held at the DCU center in Worcester, Mass. This year the show is held February 10-12th. This is my local show, and I attend every year.

http://www.sportshows.com/worcester/index.html


     Another show which I'm interested in is the National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic. Held February 17-19th in Kansas City, Missouri, this show is bound to be exciting. Sponsored by Cabelas, as well as Pheasant Forever, and Quail Forever, no doubt there will be lots of good information available. Unfortunately, I will not be in attendance (unless some unexpected funds come along/ All Seasons Outdoors HQ needs a new water heater), so if anyone makes the trip I'd like to hear about it.

http://www.pheasantfest.org/


     The last thing I'd like to feature is Sir Jack's. This up scale, online retailer has a few nuggets which I find are quite interesting, and make an appropriate addition to any hunting, or fishing camp.  Every camp needs a quality cocktail/ mixology book. Sir Jack's has them. Harry Johnson's Bar Tender's Manual not only tells you how to mix, but how to serve, and how to host. In addition, you'll find shooting related flasks, a Warthog tusk cork screw, and some fine upland and trout stream themed stationery for writing invites to camp, and thank you notes. Check it out.

Things You Should Check Out- Worcester Sportsman Show Edition

The Worcester Sportsmans Show opened yesterday at the DCU center in downtown Worcester. Hoping to avoid the weekend crowd I attended the opener. Though the show is predominantly big game, and fishing oriented there were a few wingshooting oriented participants, and I found a few things I think are note worthy.

NEPVA, New England Paralized Veterans of America is a charity group which organizes activities for paralized veterans. Many of those activities are outdoors oriented. In particular, the NEPVA organizes a bass fishing tournament, pairing up local bass pros with a vet. If you've got any interest in bass fishing, I'd bet they'd appreciate any time you can volunteer.
http://www.nepva.org/

There was a product featured that I am seriously considering purchasing. A company called Phazzer is making a pair or sun glasses with a built in video camera. They say the camera will clearly video out to 50 yards, and store about 2 1/2 hours of video, powered by a rechargeable battery with a 4 hour life. The glasses also come with a set of three interchangeable lenses. The show price was $199, but I found these same glasses sold at LL Bean for $169 for the camo frames, or $159 for the black frames. I haven't tried these out, but I wish I'd had something like this all along. With a pup on the way I'll be wanting to video training and hunting to document and memorialize my dogs in ways I've not been able to. I suspect these glasses will also find their way into both the duck blind and the tree stand.
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/68091?feat=505846-CL2

If you've been following my blog you'll know that I've been dealing with the inevitable passing of my English Setter, Austin, due to cancer. Like most dog owners I've got lots of pictures, and I've been trying to find a way to use some of these pictures to memorialize Austin. Well, I think I've found it. Alan James Robinson, is an artist from Easthampton, Mass. Alan works in watercolor, and has been turning out some really nice stuff. He specializes in wildlife, and does both equine and canine portraits. The coolest thing he had displayed, however, was a series of works where he paints images on either nautical charts or topographic maps. I've already begun searching for an appropriate photo of Austin to be painted along side a grouse and a woodcock on a map of the region of New Hampshire we frequently hunted.
http://themapguy.com/catalog/index.php

Probably the biggest highlight of the show was meeting Paul Fuller, of the TV show Bird Dogs Afield. Paul has a passion for bird hunting and sporting dogs, and has produces a great show which features him and his handsome German Shorthaired Pointer, Dillon, hunting various locations in the US and Canada. The show airs locally in the New England area, but can also be viewed on the web. In addition to his show Paul writes the bird dog column for Northwoods Sporting Journal. There are two ways you can watch Paul's show on the web. You can link directly through his website,
http://www.birddogsafield.com/
Or through the My Outdoor TV website, which offers a selection of other outdoor sporting shows.
http://www.myoutdoortv.com/
Check them both out. You won't be disappoint.