So Utah has become the first state to have a state firearm, in addition to a state flower, state bird, etc.  It’s actually surprising to me that it hasn’t happened before.  Utah’s choice, the Browning 1911 design is very appropriate considering its role in the freedom of our country.

The full CNN article can be found here.

There is a fair amount of chatter from liberal anti-gun pundits whining about it.  I hope the idea takes hold.  I would like to see the Winchester 1895 in .405 become the North Dakota state firearm in honor of Teddy Roosevelt.

From the Outdoor Channel, a very heartwarming video of WWII veteran Ted Gundy, 85. He shows his eagle-eye marksmanship as he’s invited to try out modern sniper equipment.  Check it out:

This comes to me by way of Ivan at the Yukon Goes Fishing blog.  I grew up in the Flathead Valley in Montana, downstream from the proposed mining that seems to be foiled for now at the headwaters of the Flathead.  The video is a beautiful trip to that area and shows what an incredible, special place the Flathead is. I hope the headwaters area can be turned into a national park in Canada along with Waterton and Glacier on the US side.  If you only ever see one national park, make it Glacier!  I have seen many of our national parks, and Glacier simply takes one’s breath away. 

Take 25 minutes and immerse yourself in the Flathead, thanks to EP Films.  If you’re an outdoor photographer, or you just like to look at stunning photos, this is an impressive film.

Flathead Wild ReEdit from EP Films on Vimeo.

A story from the Twin Cities area of Minnesota:

Minnesota Ice Fishermen Catch Scuba Diver on Lake Waconia: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

Prompted by the Outdoor Blogger Network, I’m posting a photo I took in 2007 of one of my favorite places, Orwell Reservoir near Fergus Falls, MN.  Sunset is a magic time there, and my family has spent many an hour fishing for smallmouth bass, channel cats, and crappies.  It is the site of my daughter’s first catfish from a kayak, good memories of fly-fishing for smallies, and a great place for watching eagles.  It has a 10 hp motor limit, so it is free of wakeboarders and jetskiers. Click to enlarge.

I hear the dinner's pretty good at these folks' house.

We had visitors on Christmas eve here in Wahpeton.  It’s one thing when the in-laws come for dinner, but turkeys? They invited themselves right up my next-door neighbor’s sidewalk and then proceeded out of his driveway and down the street, much to the delight of all in the neighborhood except for the one grinch who had to honk at them.

Merry Christmas, everybody!

Hurry up, Ma! It's cold out here.

Bellies full, the turkeys head to the next house.

My wife and daughter had a comfortable viewing position from across the street.

I must admit to having split personalities.  I am drawn to guns with high gloss blue and figured walnut one minute, and black matte industrial tools with phosphate and polymer and matte finishes the next.  This idea is very evident if you look at the shotguns that I have owned.  The fanciest was probably a Grade V Browning Citori in 20 gauge that I never should have let go, and the crudest was, ironically, a double barrel over-under, too, albeit a Brazilian double with a stock that I swear was carved from a 2×4. I have owned a silver receiver Beretta 391 lightweight with gorgeous wood, a Browning Gold Stalker with black matte everything, and many in between.  For waterfowl, however, I have never managed to hang onto anything because (startling confession begins here) I don’t do that much waterfowling. Any really nice duck guns I have ever had have been traded off for things I would use much more often.  

Benelli 20 ga. Nova and Remington 12 ga 887

What I have ended up with is a 2o gauge Benelli Nova (black on black) and a Remington 887 12 gauge (black on black on black–hey, it even has plastic over-molded on the barrel).  Both are very similar and are cut from the same cloth–inexpensive, and made to smash against the boat, get dirty, and cycle hundreds of rounds without complaining.

In looking back on the history of waterfowl guns, I couldn’t help but think about a pair of Winchester Model 12s I know.  Both are family guns, so were easily accessible to compare to their modern counterparts.  One is a 12 gauge belonging to one of my in-laws and one is a 16 gauge that I inherited from my great uncle who shared my love of jump-shooting ducks and fly-fishing.  The Model 12 was definitely the equivalent of the Nova or 887 in its day.  Very practical, and it’s not surprising that most of the Model 12s one sees are beat to heck.  My 16 ga. was definitely used, but not abused. Most of the finish is gone from being carried afield hundreds of times, but there is not a single drop of rust. The bore to this day is mirror-bright.

16 and 12 ga Winchester Model 12s

Of course, if one were to really cover the history of pump guns, one should mention the Remington 870, probably one of the best (and most boring) pump-action shotguns ever.  The best ones were in found in days past, with the current crop of Expresses being as interesting as a piece of gravel, and finished to match.  The Ithaca 37 and Browning BPS were much better (and a little bit nicer, being bottom-eject, in my opinion).  The are also generally finished much nicer.  

But this article is about plastic guns, and not the kind that shoot water.  Unlike the old Model 12s in the family, the Nova and 887 will probably hold up to the wear and tear a little bit better, allowing things to bounce a bit off the plastic parts, instead of leaving gouges in walnut.  The recoil pads are certainly better than the plastic buttplate of my 16 or the hard rubber on the 12 gauge Model 12.  

Remington SuperCell recoil pad on 887 12 ga.

Let’s take a look at the similarities and differences of the two polymer quacker-blasters:

Benelli Nova polymer receiver

Outwardly, both guns have a matte black finish and a polymer receiver outer shell, combined with composite stocks that have molded-in grip areas on both the pistol grip and the forend.  Each gun has a mid-bead on its vented rib, and there is a rubber recoil pad.  Remington wins the battle of the pads with its superb SuperCell pad, a welcome addition on a 3 1/2″ 12 gauge.  Honestly, on the Benelli, which is a 20 ga, the pad is not an issue for me, but I assume they use a similar pad on the 12 gauge model.  I have also heard many reports that the Nova in 12 gauge form is a pretty hard kicker, so I think if my chamberings and guns were reversed, I would have to invest in Benelli’s recoil reducer or at the very least a Limbsaver recoil pad.  

Remington 887 receiver

An area where the guns diverge is in their barrels.  The Remington comes with one choke, a modified tube, while the Benelli comes with the standard three-choke assortment of Modified, Improved, and Full.  The guns also diverge in their treatment of the outer barrel finish.  The Remington 887 barrel is over-molded with plastic in a method that Remington terms Armor-Lokt.  The Benelli is more traditional steel on both the inside and outside with a durable matte-black finish.  

Benelli Nova barrel

Remington 887 barrel

Other areas where the guns diverge is in the placement of the slide release and safety.  The Remington places the slide release on the front of the trigger guard, with a crossbolt safety behind the trigger.  The Benelli, on the other hand, places the slide release and the safety both in front of the trigger.  One annoying thing about the Remington is that the forend is so large and has so much plastic protruding to the rear, that it is possible to pinch a hand between the forend at its rear-most position and the trigger guard.  I will have to use mine for long enough to see if I get used to it or if I have to remove some material from the rear of the forend.  

Spring will have to arrive for me to test both guns against one another, as I have not yet fired the Remington.  Reports around the Internet are mixed, with some saying that the Remington has less recoil than most 3 1/2″ 12 gauges.  The recoil pad is certainly a good start.  My initial impressions comparing the two guns are that the Benelli seems to have a smoother action and more stylish features, while the Remington has the look of a brute, even though it swings and shoulders well.  The thickness of the barrel with its plastic shroud may be deceiving.

For a guy who once laughed at Glocks and their “Tupperware” containers, I have come a long way.  I own a striker-fired polymer 9mm pistol (Ruger SR-9) and my duck-blasters look like they can be hosed off.  But then I redeem myself by pheasant hunting with an Ithaca SKB side-by-side with some nice walnut (that has dings in it).  They say variety is the spice of life, and I think those of us who really like guns shouldn’t limit ourselves to one finish and stock material.

I submit for your viewing pleasure my photographic study on a custom fly rod and filet knife built by Bob Cumming (www.cummingknives.com) for me, with my great uncle’s creel.  Details: Rod is an 8 weight on a Lamiglass Perigee blank, STH reel, knife is ATS-34 steel with Bob’s beautiful handiwork.

Summer Project #1 this year was rebuilding my daughter’s 1960-something Alumacraft Tampico II.  How did a 15 year old get a boat? She inherited it from her grandfather via an uncle.  Typical of many old aluminum boats, it was “improved” by someone along the way. Sporting a 40 horse Johnson of early 70s vintage, a set of worn-out control cables, and a dent or two, it didn’t look like much to anyone but a kid who really likes boats.  In addition, it had been fitted with a flat plywood floor, homemade seat pedestals, and storage hatches.  The problem with this kind of improvement is that it adds weight to a boat that didn’t come from the factory with a few hundred pounds of plywood, and that weight is added high enough to create a flat floor over the top of the original bottom, which means a higher center of gravity.  I always cringe when I see boat projects where people create a flat deck on top of an old boat with a 15″ transom and an original weight of only a few hundred pounds.

So what did we do? We ripped out all of the plywood and started over.  I also determined that the boat was probably not worth replacing the motor with a late-model 40 horse remote-steer outboard and all of the accoutrements. I figured a tiller with less horsepower would be a good match, which also solved the problem of what to do with the broken windshield.  It came off and I carefully cut the closed bow back a bit to provide a more open feel, while carefully planning reinforcement in that area so that the bow was not dangerously flexible.  I left most of the closed bow in place in case a bow-mount trolling motor was ever desired.  

With all of the plywood removed, I spent a large amount of time using Zinsser adhesive remover to take off the carpet glue that was EVERYWHERE on the thing.  Then I worked on the transom, removing the rotten inner and outer boards.  I bought a piece of 3/4″ marine plywood (the kind without voids and without being treated with chemical that attacks aluminum).  After I cut the transom pieces, clamped them in place, and drilled them out for bolts, I ordered epoxy sealer and used a liberal amount.  Once the transom was done, I designed two new bench seats complete with flotation foam underneath and treated those with epoxy sealer, as well.  For comfort and low maintenance, I covered them with marine carpet.  

With most of the work done (painting is next year’s project), I figured it was time to see if the old girl would float.  And float it did.  No leaks whatsoever, an experience I have had many times with aluminum boats far older than me (I own three aluminum boats, ranging from 8 to 48 years old, and none of them leak).  With all of the weight removed from the boat, I tested it with an old Honda 8 horse four stroke motor that I got from another project (Summer Project #2, which I will relate in another post).  Obviously, the boat did not plane, but it pushed it well enough to take my daughter and her cousin fishing and catch several northerns and show the potential of the boat.  I plan to find a fairly late model short-shaft tiller outboard in the 20-30 horse range for it at some point, as well as either refinish and rewire the trailer or replace it all together.

Not bad for a free boat.  With aluminum prices increasing in the last few years, and the cost of a new boat, I would say that I have a headstart for my daughter’s fishing and boating career.  Her grandpa’s boat is alive and well even though he has passed on. She can directly experience heritage through some fish swung over the side and into the old Alumacraft.

The obligatory pictures:

It’s been a busy summer doing things like building a fence and working for food, but one of the highlights was a trip to the Boundary Waters in mid-June.

Here’s what I learned:

1. Kayaks (especially the plastic kind) are a *#$%## to portage.  Next time: Kevlar canoe. Double portages won’t be necessary and I might keep my sanity.

2. Better shoes than trail hikers would help on muddy, rocky portages.  We did OK, but everything was muddy this June.  It was so wet it was hard to find dry firewood.

3. You can never travel too light.  There are things I would leave home next time, although we did a reasonable job of reducing everything into a set of gear that probably didn’t exceed thirty pounds for two people. Kayaking probably forced us to get used to a level of gear that would work out very easily in a canoe.

4. bwca.com is a great resource and pumping campsite info, portages, etc. into the GPS made finding things very convenient. (Yes, we did have maps and compasses for backup).  

5. Finding campsites early in the day was a bit of advice I was given prior to our trip, and it was wise.  We got the last campsite on the lake we wanted.  If we had not been able to camp there, another long portage would have loomed at the end of the day.  We also made camp as it started pouring for a few hours.

6. A waterproof digital camera was worth its weight in gold.  My wife bought me an Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 that was my constant companion.  The pictures of our trip show some great memories.

7. Get in shape before you go.  I should have done a better job of getting out and getting active before we left on our trip this spring.  Although I survived and didn’t collapse, a lot of things probably would have seemed just a little bit easier if I was in tip-top shape.

8. Prepare, prepare, prepare.  We began our preparations as soon as we applied for our permit in January.  A couple of trial runs in the kayaks close to home made us feel very comfortable once we put in with all of our gear on the trip itself.

9. Make a checklist before you go and use it.  I modified a packing list someone posted on the Internet and thought it through many times before we left.

10. Talk to people who have been there.  I gained a lot of useful information by asking really stupid questions of people who had made Boundary Waters trips.

11. (I always have to turn it up to 11!) Wear a boonie hat. They’re awesome!

Now for some photos to prove we’ve been there: