The BP Gulf Oil spill is not something we will soon forget and while the area has made great strides in recovery there is still a ways to go. BP and some of the other companies involved have paid fines and penalties to the federal government which one would expect would be used to restore the area back to how it should be but if we (and I mean You and I) don’t speak up that money is going to be dumped in some Washington government sewer to never be seen again.

The damage from the oil spill was done in the Gulf, so Congress should ensure that oil spill fines go to the Gulf, not to unrelated federal spending.
This Gulf state agreement paves the way for Congress to do what voters expect: hold the parties responsible for the Gulf oil disaster accountable for restoring the Gulf because our nation’s economy depends on a healthy Gulf.

As sportsman we need to speak up because the gulf is an important region for us as wintering grounds for many birds as well as the fish and seafood we get from the gulf. So take some time and send an email or make a phone call….its important.

Dad Served In Korea

The M1 was the rifle that many of our soldiers carried and a cache of them is soon to be returned to the United States from Korea.

a large number of Korean War surplus M1s may be on their way to the U.S. to be sold to Korean War veterans and their families as souvenirs this summer — in time for the 62nd anniversary of the Korean War.

F&S “The Gun Nut”

My Dad served in the Army over in Korea and I’m sure he used the M1 while he served. Dad wasn’t a hunter or owned any guns so growing up I never saw him with a gun. I was in college when I first took up hunting and years latter when I killed my first Maine Moose it was cool to have him there photographing us loading that critter into a truck.
I know a lot of people have guns that have been passed down from generation to generation but that is not the case in my family. I’m giving a serious thought to trying to get one of these guns as another connection to my Dad and the service he did when our country needed young men to serve.
I took photos of the Korean War Memorial in Washington DC shortly after it opened and brought them up to Maine to let him see it. I wish we’d had the opportunity to visit it together. Thanks to all who served especially our Korean War Veterans as we come up on the 62nd Anniversary.

I buy a lot of my outdoor toys on line and by far Cabela’s is my primary source for these purchases but Bass Pro and LL Bean get some of my attention as well. It would appear that Amazon who I primarily still think of as a book seller is looking to branch into sporting goods.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) maybe entering the sporting goods sector, Reuters quotes Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) as saying.

The analysts reached the conclusion after looking at job ads by the company. Amazon’s new initiative would put in competition with sporting goods retailers, including Dick’s Sporting Goods (NYSE:DKS), Hibbett (NASDAQ:HIBB) and Cabela’s (NYSE:CAB).

Amazon will release their quarterly earnings on Tuesday.

FNN

It will be interesting to see what impact Amazon will have if any but I’m very loyal to Cabela’s and their many years of top notch customer service will not be forgotten when a book seller tries to enter the market,

I don’t go to the movies much but I’ll admit “The Grey” has intrigued me enough that I might have to head to the theater and check it out. A group of guys stuck in Alaska after a plane crash in the dead of winter and hunted by a pack of wolves sounds pretty good. Sounds like it has some gruesome scenes and a rated R rating maybe not a date night choice.

I see that the Black Bear Blog has a story up about the animal rights wackos wanting folks to boycott this movie because of the way wolves are portrayed….. remember they are really cuddly critters.

Rev Ed Adams

This past weekend my wife’s Uncle Edward lost his battle with cancer but his faith will win the war over death and we’ll see him again. Edward Adams was a country minister dedicating his life to service in small churches all across the southeast. When I joined this family a number of years ago Uncle Edward was one of the interesting people I got to know. At the family gatherings he always seemed to be the center of attention at least until he said grace and we could get to the food. He had a love for the outdoors and he and I often swapped stories about hunting and fishing. I never got to actually hunt or fish with him but the stories we shared were special.
The story that has been sticking out in my mind this week was one he told me at Christmas a while back about how he’d gotten a deer that year. It seems he was driving home after visiting some sick folks at one of the local hospitals when he spotted a buck feeding in a small field behind a house. He stopped at the house and went up to the door and knocked on it. A woman answered the door and he introduced himself and then asked her if she minded him hunting in the field behind her house. I guess cause he was a minister she told him that be fine. That in and of itself is pretty funny but what he did next to me was hilarious but it’s within his character to do. He asked the woman if he could borrow her bathroom to change into his hunting clothes. After changing he went out there and snuck up on that buck and killed it.
That story brings a smile to my face every time I think about it and seeing a deer standing in a field near a farmhouse brings it to mind often.
Uncle Edward loved the outdoors ; chasing rabbits, surf fishing at Carolina beach, hunting turkeys in South Carolina. I’m going to miss him and I’ll miss hearing his tails of adventure in God’s great outdoors. His love for the Creator who made this world and his desire to teach others about God’s Love is even more important. I hope and pray that you have Peace With God like Uncle Edward did and I do.

I wish you all a Happy New Year…. May 2012 be the Year You Catch that record book trout….kill the big bear, complete your turkey slam…. or whatever it is you desire to do in the great outdoors. Above all lets hope 2012 is a safe year for all of us.

Happy New Years

Moose with a banded goose he killed

Another milestone with this being the 6th year I’ve been blogging here on Moose Droppings. Lots of changes in those 6 years but still good old me sharing my hunting adventures, my photography, and my views on a lot of different subjects. I’ve been really blessed to have a number of people help me and encourage me along the way… I dare not try to list them for fear I’d leave someone out.

What initially started out as just a place to share some of my stories and photos has really blossomed into a place where people can come and get information as well as share. I try to stand up for the average sportsman across the state be it with NCWRC or one of the many special interest groups because that’s what I am just an average guy that loves the outdoors.

As we go into the next year I hope to improve the stories and information I bring you weekly. If you have suggestions for stories or comments please feel free to share them with me. Not many blogs make it through the first year so with six years I must be doing something right or I’m crazy.

A little of both maybe…. Happy New Year and please make it one of your resolutions this year to introduce someone to the wonderful outdoors. Take someone hunting or fishing.
God Bless
-Moose-

Federal Judge Emmet Sullivan has ruled that the city will pay 1.1 million dollars in legal fees for the defendant Dick Heller. Heller’s defense team initially sought 3.1 but the judge scaled that back giving the city what they consider a “victory”.
The Heller Case challenged the DC law that banned private citizens from owning handguns in what is to many of us a clear violation of the 2nd amendment.

NBC Washington

To me this is another victory for our rights. Rights given to us by God and no man or government should deny us these rights.

As we get ready to roll into 2012 it promises to be a very active political year.

The deer meat pulled apart like pulled pork

The Mincemeat Pie was not a hit but it was more the unwillingness of folks to even give it a try. A pie with deer meat in it was a pretty foreign concept and seemed to be a hurdle hard to overcome.
My wife tried it and she liked it but being married to me she knows wild game is often on the table and she will usually try something once. I had a nephew who gave it a shot and while we haven’t talked about it I hear he thought it was ok.

I realize that much of this is a cultural thing growing up in New England it was a pie I saw often around the holidays. Here in the South its not a pie people have seen before. I’ve tried grits and don’t see what the big deal is I usually pass on them. I got a brother who lives in Maine that every time I go up there I bring him grits…. he just loves them.
The dessert table at Christmas was overflowing with goodies…many time tested in the family…. so it was understandable my pie got looked at and past over.
I guess if your not going to push me to eat grits I won’t push ya to eat my mincemeat pie… but I’ll tell ya you don’t know what your missing.

Chances are good if you stop by my house on Christmas next year there be a slice of mincemeat pie and a good cup of coffee waiting for ya but if ya looking for grits you better head to my brother’s house in Maine.

Cheaters Outdoor TV

The daytime TV show Cheaters is making an outdoor version to expand their market. First episode Vern from Vermont is caught in the act of cheating on his wife with “a fat ugly cow” according to his soon to be ex. Exciting TV for sure