Bright Idea Outdoors Weblog

BrightIdea Blog Adds News Feature

If you look over at the right sidebar of this blog, right below the OBS badge, you'll notice a new typelist entitled "Outdoor News: Virginia and Surrounding Area."  This idea came to me yesterday as the result of items I noticed on two other blogs, and I had planned to wait to add the new module until I found at least five good stories.  But this news item concerning Chronic Wasting Disease in Virginia's deer herd was too important to wait on.

Maybe many of you local readers were already aware of this (the story is about nine days old) but it's news to me, and I figured it would be of interest to anyone who hunts in this part of the country. 

The idea to do the news typelist came to me yesterday as I was reading Arthur's recent post "What is This Blog About Anyway?" in which he discussed the conflict between writing about his own experiences and broader issues related to hunting and the outdoors.  For me, the typelist addresses that issue as well as my desire to cover issues of particular interest to sportsmen in Virginia, my home county of Loudoun and the surrounding region.  I had been thinking about that for the past few days after visiting Switchfisher.com, which focuses on fishing in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

For now, I've just got the one story on CWD, but I'll be adding another story momentarily.

New Friends and Old at the Nation's Outdoor Sportsmen's Show

My family and I had a great time over the weekend as I delivered three seminars on Hunting With Kids at the Nation's Outdoor Sportsmen's Show in Chantilly, Virginia.  Actually, I flew solo on Friday night, heading over to the show right after work and speaking to a small audience.  The crowds were larger on Saturday, when my whole family joined me, and on Sunday when just my two oldest boys tagged along.

This was my second time participating in the outdoor show as a speaker and the third year in a row I've attended.  What I always like best about it is the people I meet and get a chance to talk to.  One of my first stops was at the Ducks Unlimited booth where I caught up with Dave Elwing of DU's Pentagon Chapter.  Dave is a really nice guy who helped me out last year with a post I wrote on the Wounded Warrior Blind Project at Quantico Marine Base.  He spends his spare time building duck blinds with wheelchair access for disabled veterans; like I said, a really nice guy.

At the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Booth, I met Rudy Hassalll of the Winded Bowhunter blog.  Rudy shares my passion for getting kids outside and writes about conservation issues that affect sportsmen across this nation.  Rudy and I are practically neighbors, and it sounds like he'll be hunting not far from Camp Cowboy next fall.  I hope we get a chance to talk again.  Maybe it's time to finally hold that Regional Bloggers Summit . . .

Speaking of bloggers from my region, another one I met for the first time was Steve Moore of SwitchFisher.com.  Steve, who was working the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries booth, writes a strictly fishing blog and focuses on the region comprised of Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.  He added my blog to his blogroll in the "local blogs" category, which got me to wondering if I should create something similar. . .

I also had interesting discussions with the outfitters from River Ridge Outdoors in Independence, Virginia and the professional hunters from Molopo Kalahari Safaris in South Africa.  It will be a long time before I can afford an African hunt (or even a "semi-guided" hunt in southwest Virginia) but it's always fascinating to talk to people who make their livings in the hunting business.

Absent from the Nation's Outdoor Show this year was Kevin Paulson of HuntingLife.com, who was out of town at a slightly bigger event.  I mention Kevin because it was he who first gave me the opportunity to speak at the Nation's Outdoor Show when HuntingLife.com sponsored the event in 2008.  Even though Kevin was not directly involved with the show this year, he put me in touch with Annette Elliot of C&E Gun Shows, once again helping me advance my "career" as an outdoor writer and speaker.

Thanks for your help Kevin, and I'd also like to thank Annette and her husband Steven; I wish you all luck and hope to see you again later this year!

Nation's Outdoor Show: Last Chance

As the final day of the Nation's Outdoor Sportsmen's Show gets underway, I just learned that Rudy from the Winded Bowhunter blog has been there working the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation booth.  I did not get a chance to stop by RMEF yesterday but will make a point of doing so today sometime prior to my 1:15 p.m. seminar on Hunting With Kids.

I took the whole family yesterday, and everyone had a great time.  Brett caught a fish in the trout pond (right across the aisle from where my seminar takes place.)  Now I just have to decide whether to count that as his first fish or not.

Hope to see you there today!

Nation's Outdoor Show Starts Tomorrow

Be sure and set aside some time this weekend for the Washington D.C./Northern Virginia region's only major hunting and fishing expo.  The Nation's Outdoor Sportsmen's Show starts Friday afternoon and runs through Sunday.

I will present my seminar on getting kids involved in hunting at 5:15 p.m. Friday, 10:15 a.m. on Saturday and a third time on Sunday at 1:15 p.m.  I haven't had much time to prepare and am a little nervous but am sure everything will come together when the time comes.  Wish me luck, and I hope to see you there!

Nation's Outdoor Show Returns to Northern Virginia

A few weeks ago I wrote that I had a big announcement.  Well, it was up in the air (I thought) for awhile, but now it's official: I will once again be presenting a seminar at the Nation's Outdoor Sportsmens Show, which takes place this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

I don't have much time to write now (I've got to get prepared for this weekend) but I will be speaking about getting kids involved in hunting.  You can check the show website for details, and I plan to preview my seminar before the end of the week. 

Hope to see you there!

A Plea for Sunday Hunting in Virginia

Deer season may be over in Virginia, but hunting opportunities still abound here in Loudoun County.  Goose season is in, and a couple weeks remain for squirrel hunting.  And in this part of the state we can actually hunt antlerless deer all winter.

Oh how I would love to take advantage of one or more of the current hunting seasons tomorrow morning!

No such luck; it's illegal to hunt on Sundays in Virginia.  Since I work on Saturdays now, I essentially can't hunt at all.

Every year I say I'm going to get actively involved in the effort to get this unjust law repealed.  And every year I put it off and get nothing done.  Last winter, early in the state legislative session, I appealed to my local delegation.  Several weeks later, I got a response from Senator Mark Herring (D-Loudoun) who said he didn't have a problem with Sunday hunting but that there was too much opposition from more rural areas of the commonwealth.

For months, I've been telling myself I needed to get in touch with Senator Herring on this issue again.  But, again, I put it off and only a few days ago got around to sending him a hastily-composed email.  Here's what I wrote:

Dear Senator Herring:

 

I know I'm a little late to the game with this, but I'm writing to reiterate my support for lifting Virginia's ban on Sunday hunting.  There are many reasons for my position, but I'd like to focus on the economic benefits of repealing this archaic law.

 

• Raising Public Revenue: Hunters already pay a separate license fee for each different type of hunting (i.e. bowhunting, crossbow, muzzleloader, waterfowl.)  Why not charge a separate fee for a Sunday hunting stamp?  I would be willing to pay as much as $100 extra and am certain that thousands of hunters from around the commonwealth would as well.  People who currently don't buy any hunting licenses because they don't have time to hunt would also be more likely to buy them if there were one more day a week on which they had the opportunity to pursue game.
• Helping Merchants in Related Industries: Clients would be more likely to book a weekend trip with a guide who could offer a Sunday hunt.  Hunters would make more purchases of gear, ammunition and other things they need for their hunts (i.e. gas, coffee, breakfast sandwiches), thus helping retailers and the state through increased sales tax revenue.
• Decreased Spending on Emergency Services and Roadside Deer Removal: The highways of Northern Virginiaare littered with dead deer.  VDOT pays contractors to remove them.  Deer-related crashes often result in injuries and damage that require the attention of police, fire and rescue.  In a part of Virginia where the deer overpopulation problem is so severe that hunting is allowed seven months of the year, it is absurd to prohibit hunting on what could be the most productive day of the week.

 

Please take these factors into consideration (as well as the obvious constitutional issues) during the current legislative session.  If you choose to introduce or support any bill to allow Sunday hunting and need help articulating your position, I'd be happy to talk or write more about the issue.

 

Good luck with everything.

 

Best Regards,
Matt Coughlin, Leesburg

 

If you'd like to be able to hunt on Sundays in Virginia, please contact your local members of the General Assembly.

Another Wisecrack at the Pool

Since my last post was so well received--at least by my own family--and since I still don't have any hunting or fishing to write about, I'll record another funny comment my son Jake made at the pool. 

Whenever we go to Ida Lee, the kids bug me to let them get in the hot tub.  They can't, first of all because you have to be 16 and second because I don't want them getting in a public hot tub.

"I wouldn't get in that thing," I said one day as we prepared to go home from the pool.

"Why not?" Jake asked.

"Germs,"

Jake got a disgusted look on his face and picked up his towel.

"Dad, you used to be a regular guy.  Then you became a church guy.  Now you're an anti-germ guy!"

He stalked off to the locker room, no doubt wondering what I was going to spring on him next.

Locker Room Humor

I got off work early today and used the opportunity to take my two oldest boys to the indoor pool at Ida Lee Recreation Center.  Ida Lee is one of the things that make Leesburg such a great place to live, and the kids love swimming, even on a frigid January day like today.

There is one thing about Ida Lee they don't like, however, and it led to nine-year-old Jake getting off a great wisecrack.

Even after going to the pool at Ida Lee a few times a year since about 2004, the boys still aren't comfortable with the naked men in the locker room.  Maybe we're the ones who are weird, but I must admit I don't really get it either when a guy takes his workout clothes off and then proceeds to wander around for 10 minutes before getting dressed.  Maybe it's a generational thing; guys my age seem, like me, to be all business when it comes changing their clothes, whereas the naked wanderers tend to be in their 50s or older.

Still, I tell the boys that they don't need to be embarrassed about getting dressed in the locker room and that, if they're going to continue to play sports, they'd better get used to it.

"I guarantee you guys in the NFL do that," I said today.

"I don't care," Jake replied.  "We're not in the NFL, and neither are those old guys."

Again, maybe I'm the weird one, but as far as I'm concerned, that's funny right there; I don't care who you are.

I got off work early today and used the opportunity to take my two oldest boys to the indoor pool at Ida Lee Recreation Center.  Ida Lee is one of the things that make Leesburg such a great place to live, and the kids love swimming, even on a frigid January day like today.

There is one thing about Ida Lee they don't like, however, and it led to nine-year-old Jake getting off a great wisecrack.

Even after going to the pool at Ida Lee a few times a year since about 2004, the boys still aren't comfortable with the naked men in the locker room.  Maybe we're the ones who are weird, but I must admit I don't really get it either when a guy takes his workout clothes off and then proceeds to wander around for 10 minutes before getting dressed.  Maybe it's a generational thing; guys my age seem, like me, to be all business when it comes changing their clothes, whereas the naked wanderers tend to be in their 50s or older.

Still, I tell the boys that they don't need to be embarrassed about getting dressed in the locker room and that, if they're going to continue to play sports, they'd better get used to it.

"I guarantee you guys in the NFL do that," I said today.

"I don't care," Jake replied.  "We're not in the NFL, and neither are those old guys."

Again, maybe I'm the weird one, but as far as I'm concerned, that's funny right there; I don't care who you are.

Local Paper Honors Fallen Hero

I don't read the local newspapers as much as I should anymore, and, when I do, it's usually not the Loudoun Times Mirror.  This paper shows up in my driveway once a week and usually goes straight into the recycling bin.

Last week, I picked it up on my way out and tossed it onto the floor of my truck, intending to dispose of it later.  The January 6 LTM stayed there until today when, as I was about to trash it, I noticed the front page headline: "Citizen of the Year: Stephan Lee Mace."  The story honors Mace, a soldier from Purcellville who lost his life in October when his unit was attacked in Afghanistan.  I took the time to read it today, and you should too if you haven't already.

The story on Mace serves as a reminder of the sacrifices young people in the military are making every day, of what courage and commitment are and of what really matters.  It also reminded me of the value of local newspapers.

A New Hunting Opportunity and An Incentive to Keep Blogging

I just got word that I may have a new property to hunt in the near future.  If it works out, this will be the first place that I've gotten permission to hunt as a direct result of my blog.

This new opportunity first surfaced in November when an extemely nice local homeowner found my blog and emailed me to ask if I knew whether it would be legal for him to shoot deer with a bow on his suburban property.  Like many Loudoun residents, this fellow was tired of the deer eating his plants. I replied that to answer that question definitively he would have to contact the DGIF but that I would be happy to take a look at the property and hunt it myself if it was suitable.

When I went to meet with him the day after Thanksgiving, I found the property to be so small and so close to a major road that I wasn't sure how comfortable I would be hunting there.  Still, I said I would come over one morning, watch the deer and see if I could get a shot that looked safe.

Then came December, and a number of factors that I've already written about enough combined to severely limit my late season hunting.  I never got a chance to give this new property a try.

But yesterday, the same guy emailed me to say that a neighbor with a much more hunting friendly property is interested in having me try to thin the herd.  I'm excited about the opportunity and hope it will turn into a good spot for Loudoun's late antlerless-only deer season and maybe even for the 2010 fall deer season.

Every time I start running out of blogging gas and consider giving this up, something happens to remind me what a useful tool this blog really is.  I'll let you know how it turns out.