The Suburban Bushwhacker gave us a heads up on a blog that was new to me called Sleeping in the Dirt. Just a quick look told me that I will like this blog. Their caption: “For those who fish, not just post about it.” While I might fish (without a bow) 6-10 days a year, I love blogs from guys who really get out there and bring back stories and pictures from the action. Too many outdoor bloggers spend their time tilting anti-hunting windmills or waxing philosophically about why we hunt. I sometimes wonder what percentage of those writers’ time is actually spent outside? Anyway, this is not a problem for the guys of at Sleeping in the Dirt. Take a look for yourselves, and I’ll add it to the blogroll so you can find it again.

The last Ducks Unlimited Magazine had a cover story titled, “In Praise of the Pump”, which can be found here. I read it the same weekend I hunted with a couple of Super Black Eagle 2 toting friends. We were standing in flooded timber and dealing with both mud and ice. One of these $1400.00 wonder weapons turned into an occasionally functional single shot. I’m not picking on the Benelli, it happens to every auto. Or as the DU piece says:

I am not looking to start a debate here, so please don’t send letters. Somewhere out there in duck country, somebody has a pump gun that jams on every duck hunting day that ends in the letter y while someone else has an autoloader that has not jammed since disco was the rage. But the heart of the matter is that there is more “stuff” going on inside semiautomatics, while a slide-action gun is beautiful in its simplicity. Too much oil on your pump? Not a problem; wipe it on your sleeve. Not enough grease in the action? No worries, steal a little off the outboard. Drop your pump in the lake? Clear the barrel and then fire away. The pump is not powered by gas, springs, or inertia. It is powered by the operator, so it will usually accept a shell with a little ice or a few rust spots on the brass.

If I think back over the years it’s pretty easy for me to think of one time or another when I’ve seen each major auto fail. Usually it’s cold, muddy, and dogs and/or boats were involved. Sometimes it’s a clean pheasant hunt on a sunny day like this past November in South Dakota when I watched a Berretta become reduced to a single shot.

But honestly the reliability isn’t the only issue for me. Nor is speed. My grandfather used to say that a good hunter could shoot a pump faster than an auto, and I agree. The real benefit to me is accuracy. I believe the secret of shooting accurately after the first shot is rhythm, and there is no rhythm without a pump. Again, I’ll borrow from the DU article:

… a hunter who shoots one a lot for ducks actually revels in the time and process of pumping the gun. He uses this time to find a second bird—peeking over the receiver at a greenhead that has ducked behind an oak while he works the slide action back. He hears the satisfying sound of the action sliding open. There’s a solid ringing of steel on steel as the bolt returns home. Having calculated the lead during this opening and closing process, the experienced pump gunner anticipates the mallard as it appears again from the other side of the tree. At this point, I don’t like the drake’s chances.

I’ve always thought it was crucial to readdress the target after the first shot or you will continue to make the same mistake you just made.

So what do I use? Well this piece has caused me to start a post breaking down the choices you have among pumps on the market. Until you get that post, you can see my two guns that get 95% of the action:

A Browning BPS 3″ 12 gauge and:

A Winchester Model 12 2 3/4″ 12 gauge.

My little hunting partner:

I was driving down the road today scouting geese when this skit crossed my mind… specifically the final answer to the, “Is pimpin’ easy?” question… Even after several years it still makes me laugh…

The Colonel tipped me off to this photo set of decaying urban Detroit that is amazing. Check here.

Someone over at Bowsite started a thread of old hunting pictures. Some you have seen before, but most are just old family pictures. There are some very cool old photos you should see. Check here.

I won’t say anything bad about KSU today. I probably should. I definitely could. But somehow it seems cheap after such a great game. Props to Kansas State and Kansas on a great game, great environment, and gut wrenching final 10 minutes.

I’m one of the few people who still reads the print newspaper every day. Sometimes I wonder why. Today the FYI section had an interesting graph comparing the money Avatar has made with other all-time revenue generating movies. It was essentially a copy of this graph:

The above chart came from here.

Maybe it’s not interesting… maybe it’s moderately interesting… I guess it’s up to you and what type of things you like to learn about and read. But then I looked closely at the chart in the KC star and found this footnote:

Note: Adjusted for inflation, “Avatar” ranks 26th in box office revenues.

WTF!?!?! So let me get this straight: You make a chart that appears to be designed to show that Avatar has made more money, faster, than any other movie… followed with a footnote that says, “nah, just kidding, how’s 26th sound?” Is this the type of thing that works because it’s in the FYI section of the Star? Or is perhaps because Americans have become increasingly math illiterate? Or maybe the author himself is one of those people who just, “doesn’t get math”? Or maybe I’m overreacting? But we’re not talking about Calc III here…

I’ve been getting a bunch of google hits regarding the Behenna trial and appeal because of this post that I wrote in September. At the time I was only posting because I was concerned about the absurd amount of half-truths being put out there regarding the case, and I wanted a platform to express my hatred of Bill O’Reilly and Phil Kline, even in passing. There is apparently some future in hating Phil, he’s getting ready for an ethics hearing before the Kansas Supreme Court. That’s a story for another day.

Anyway, Mr. Behenna has had his sentence reduced twice, once by the Army’s parole board, and once by the governing body of the 101st. His appeal is ongoing. For more information on the appeal you can follow my link to the previous post.

This year the Kansas Department of Wildlife tested a whole bunch of heads in the Northwest corner of the state where infected animals have been found before. The results seem to indicate that CWD is spreading, both in geographic area, and in the number of deer affected.

So the question is: what next? I have not seen any type of plan put forth by KDWP although I certainly haven’t done an exhaustive research project on the issue. I actually hope their plan is to do nothing, at least at this point. I’ve hunted several times in Colorado, and I’ve had a few elk tested. I’ve also had deer in both Missouri and Kansas tested. It’s really no big deal from a hunter’s standpoint. In a few weeks they give you the results and you move on with life, no big deal.

For now the KDWP is advising hunters who kill a deer in the Northwestern corner of the state from traveling with the carcass. Here’s the new press release.