Bright Idea Outdoors Weblog

Nation's Gun Show is this weekend

The Nation's Gun Show will take place this weekend, beginning at 3 p.m. today at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia.  Click here for more information.

Virginia's Youth Deer Hunting Day is September 25 and other news

Young hunters in Virginia will once again have the opportunity to take a deer well in advance of the their adult counterparts.  The state's second annual Youth Deer Hunting Day takes place September 25 throughout most of the Old Dominion.  Click here to read my article on the event on www.examiner.com.

There's also some good information on the youth deer hunt in the latest edition of the Virginia Outdoor Report.  This monthly (or is it twice monthly?) report prepared by David Coffman of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is an excellent resource for anyone interested in hunting, fishing, boating, conservation or general outdoor recreation in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  It contains a wealth of information, and Mr. Coffman must put a ton of time into producing it.  The report is available by free email subscription.

In other news, my home county of Loudoun is looking at killing the ticks that carry Lyme Disease while they are still on their main carriers: whitetail deer.  I read about this in last week's Loudoun Times Mirror but can't find that article online.  I did find some information on the proposal in this May article by Jason Jacks.

Apparently, the strategy would involve installing deer feeders with corn framed by pesticide-laden brushes.  When a deer sticks it's head in, the pesticide would rub off the brushes onto its neck, supposedly killing the ticks it carries.

Lyme disease is a huge problem in our area.  I know; I've had it twice. 

So has Supervisor Jim Burton (I-Blue Ridge) who is working on the proposal.  Still, I'll need a lot more information before I'm comfortable with this plan.

First of all, feeding deer is illegal in Virginia throughout much of the year and is discouraged at any time by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.  Would this be allowed during the feeding ban period of September-January?  Second, for this pesticide to work and kill ticks all over the deer, it would have to enter the whitetail's bloodstream.  That leaves me wondering if the meat will be safe to eat.

Anyone who hunts, eats venison or is interested in wildlife management in Loudoun County needs to get the facts on Burton's plan before it moves any further.  I'll see what I can do to help with that and report back when I get some more information. . .

My Business is Picking Up

Picking up dead deer that is! 

The big doe pictured below flopped over in the parking lot of a Sterling, Virginia shopping center.  Luckily, she was in the shade, and I was able to get there before the stench scared off too many shoppers.

Before

After

If you need same day service on a deer or other animal that has chosen your property as a final resting place, please give me a call at (703)431-0182 or email outdoorblogger@verizon.net.

I make dead deer dissapear!

Gone Fishin'

"Are you kidding me, Dad?"

"You take it off the hook!"

Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, But. . .

First of all, credit for the title of this post goes to Kenny Chesney and his song "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven."  Click here to listen.

So my nearly-three-year-old son Brett and I are driving home in Boss Blue--my dad's old truck--and he asks me if Grandpop has a beard anymore.

"No," I say, then think better of it.  "Well, I guess he might have a beard, in Heaven with God.  I think beards are pretty popular in Heaven."

"You go to heaven when you die?" Brett asks.

"Yeah, you do if you believe in God.  Remember Pastor Chip was talking about God today?"

"Yeah."

"You believe in God, don't you?"

"I do," he says.  "But I don't want to go to God!"

I smile, thinking that I don't blame him.

Out of the Wild: Casting Call

Usually when I hear the phrase "casting call" I think about the Captain ringing my phone at O dark thirty to see if I'm ready to go fishing.  But I got an interesting email today from someone with Pilgrim Films and Television who wanted me to help get the word out about a casting call for the new season of the Discovery Channel show "Out of the Wild."

Here's the press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 22, 2010

DISCOVERY CHANNEL CASTING ADVENTURERS FOR "OUT OF THE WILD" SEASON 2

The Discovery Channel and Pilgrim Films are now casting for the second season of its Emmy-winning series, "Out of the Wild." This time, we raise the bar for our adventurers by sending them on an epic journey through the wilds of SOUTH AMERICA. The challenge: Join a band of fellow explorers as you trek through some of the harshest climates and roughest terrains in the world. Why? To test yourself in ways you never thought possible and to see the world like you never have before.

If you think you have what it takes to live and thrive in nature's most brutal environments, then we want to hear from you!

TO APPLY, simply send an email to OTWCasting@gmail.com with your name, a recent photo, your phone number and a brief explanation of why you should join our adventurers. Visit www.pilgrimfilms.tv/casting for a full application and more information. You must apply no later than August 26, 2010!

Applicants must be at least 21 years of age to apply and a resident or citizen of the United States.

Sémi Aboud

Director, Talent Development and Casting
Pilgrim Films and Television, Inc.

12020 Chandler Blvd., Ste. 200

North Hollywood, CA  91607

PH: 818-478-4540
FAX: 818-351-8103

 

Know anyone that would be right for that show?  I'm not sure; I've only watched bits and pieces of it and only a couple times.  Somehow though, the aforementioned Captain comes to mind. . .

Archery Season Approaching Fast in Maryland and Northern Virginia

It's hard to believe that deer season is only a little more than a month away!  Click here to read my latest www.examiner.com article on what you need to do to get ready.

Back From the Beach: Some Notes

Just got back from a week in the Outer Banks.  We planned the trip on the spur of the moment, deciding to do it the morning before we left and booking the house about 12 hours before we got on the road. 

I took a lot of pictures with my Blackberry Storm, which is actually a pretty good camera.  Unfortunately, the touch screen is frozen up right now, and I'm going to have to take it to the Verizon store today.  I hope to be able to recover the photos, but, if not, I know the photographer in our group took plenty of good ones. . .

Some of the pictures I took were published in previous blog posts.  Others were published on my DC Outdoorsman Examiner page on Examiner.com.  This is a new writing gig that I got just before leaving my trip, so the first four articles I wrote all focus on fishing while on vacation in the Outer Banks.  Examiner.com encourages its writers to post 3-4 articles per week, which will be a little tougher now that I'm home and not fishing every day.

Still, I'm looking forward to the challenge and, hopefully, making some money from it. . .

That's right, Examiner.com does pay its writers.  Later this week, I'll do a post detailing how I came to be an Examiner and how you can too if you're interested. . .

Meanwhile, it's back to work today.  The whole employment dynamic in our household has changed dramatically over the last few weeks.  I wrote about a month ago that I'm starting a business but still haven't gone into any detail on what that business is.

More on that soon too!

Return to the Avalon Pier

My kids, their cousins, my brother-in-law and I fished the Avalon Pier in Kill Devil Hills, NC this morning.  It was the first time in about five years that I'd returned to the place where I got hooked on fishing the Outer Banks and the first time I'd taken the boys.

For more on how we did, check out my article on Examiner.com.

Check Out My New Article on Examiner.com

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-58021-DC-Outdoorsman-Examiner~y2010m7d14-Northern-Virginia-angler-experiences-slow-fishing-in-Duck-NC

Click above to see the latest article I've published as "DC Outdoorsman Examiner" for www.examiner.com.