May 20th, 2008
By Arthur

My brother and I were shooting the bows last weekend and we got to talking about doing an activity that I really do miss. We realized that we hadn’t shot an archery 3-d course in quite some time.

When I first got into archery, we used to shoot these courses all the time. We would start around May, and then just make our rounds through the local courses. Honestly, at the time, it made for a great Saturday morning ritual for myself and a buddy of mine. I can’t think of a better way to spend 3 hours on a weekend then shooting the bow. It was awesome.

While we will have our 3-d course set up on my cousin’s property again this year, it is just not the same as getting out and shooting a true 3-d course. It is much easier, and closer to my house, but it doesn’t provide for the different scenarios that you can experience while shooting a 3-d course for the first time. It is a great experience, and I think the closest representation of actually shooting at an animal, that you can find. Sure there are video shoots and such, but they don’t provide the feeling of realism that being outside, deciding the yardage, and taking the shot does. It is great practice and a great time.

So my first outdoor intention for this year is to get out and shoot a couple archery 3-d courses. It might be hard, with the newborn on the way, but I’m sure the wife will be nice enough to let me work it in.

I’m looking forward to it.

Author’s note: That is not one of us in the picture. It was just a very good representation of the activity I am talking about.

Popularity: 32% [?]

December 04th, 2007
By Arthur

This next post, is indeed, not your normal outdoor site post. It does not cover hunting, nor fishing, but does cover an event that happened outside that should never be forgotten. A particular time and place in American history that is well preserved.
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“A mist halo’s the meadow, and a soft wind breeze whispers through the trees”

With that single line from country singer, Darryl Worley, I was hooked. As I continued to intently listen to the rest of the song, the story unfolded in front of my eyes. I knew this particular song must be about the civil war, but once I checked the disk for the name of the particular song, it didn’t ring a bell for me. Shiloh? I didn’t remember that name in history class. With a little help from google I tracked down what Mr. Worley was speaking of. The Battle of Shiloh.

Ever since the first few lines of that song I have been hooked. I am a complete history buff and a sworn patriot, so to get me hooked on something that has a direct relationship with how America was formed, and how it has evolved, is not hard to do. Normally you will find me reading about WWII, since my grandfather took part in that war, but Shiloh, the song and the battle, stirred something inside me. It was a different feeling about history then I’ve ever felt before.

My wife then picked me up, Jeff Shaara’s Civil War Battlefield’s, for Christmas. Much to my excitement Shiloh was the first covered battle in the book. Mr. Shaara also takes the time, in this great guide to civil war battles, to explain how the battle was important and what pertinent things you should take in on your trip to Shiloh. I also visited the National Parks Service site for the Shiloh battlefield-checking out photos, reading some of the history, and finding out the exact location. Immediately I was planning the trip.

I have never been to a civil war battlefield before and my plan had always been to visit Gettysburg first. After this particular song, and all the research I’ve done, that plan has changed. I’m not sure why, but something in the song makes me feel like it is my calling to visit Shiloh. That my calling is to visit this sacred place. I can’t explain the feeling that comes over me, but it is strong. I need to witness first hand the different places and aspects of the battle. From the Hornet’s Nest, to the Sunken Road, to the Peach Orchard, and Bloody Pond. Something from within screams for me to visit this hallowed ground. I need to stand on the very ground where the battle took place and take in everything that surrounds it.

I believe that everyone should take the time to visit and appreciate places like Shiloh. We must never forget where we came from and the sacrifices and events that have lead us to be able to live how we live our lives today. History, if forgotten, will repeat itself. History, if forgotten, will be lost upon the next generation who need to appreciate it and respect it more than anyone.

If I had my way I would be standing on the Shiloh battlefield tomorrow. Unfortunately all of us have prior responsibilities that we must attend to. Hopefully by next summer I will actually be able to set foot on the very ground that Darryl Worley sang so passionately about. Making my way through the park and standing in the very place where young men once stood. Where they were ready to sacrifice everything for a cause that they felt was just, even though, to quote the song again:

“From the looks of this ol’ graveyard, hell nobody really won.”

Popularity: 47% [?]

October 23rd, 2007
By Arthur

This is quite honestly my most important Outdoor Intention at the moment.  I want to know what it feels like to tag a deer again. I know that this would require me to actually shoot a deer, and for some reason that has been hard to come by the last few years.

I started to be real serious about hunting about 10 years ago.  In that first year, I picked up a bow, practiced continually for about 5 months, and ending up shooting my first deer-an 8pt.  From that day on I shot deer consistently every year until about 4 years ago.  I went that season without shooting a deer.  The next season I made my comeback by shooting a 7pt and life was back to normal.

Then came the start of the drought.  3 years ago the property we had hunted for 5 years, through some circumstances beyond our control, went away.  We started looking into new property to hunt and ended up signing a lease for some property that was close to my home and had produced for some friends in the past.  Of course the year we lease there were no crops present on the property at all.  Early season was decent and then the property went cold.  I have never been so frustrated in my life.  No matter what I did, or what tactics I used, the deer sightings were few and far between.

I took that season as a learning experience and then our hunting group decided to try and change it up and find a new piece of property to lease for the next year.  I can’t get into the details, but what I can tell you is that this was the first year these particular landowners had leased this property, and it was horrible.  They ran a business on the property and needless to say about half-way through the season clear cut about every piece of cover the deer had without notifying of this beforehand.  I was shocked and extremely angry all at the same time, and so went my deer hunting for that year.

Fast forward to the present.  We have excellent property this year that a friend of ours, who we recently met, was nice enough to let us hunt.  Finally!  It is excellent hunting ground, and a better piece of property then I could ever dreamed of hunting, but I just can’t seem to catch a break.  I can’t lie and say that the frustration levels haven’t been very high at certain points, and I just long for the day I get a clear shot.

So I would love to fulfill this Outdoor Intention this year.  Hopefully it will be fulfilled sooner rather than later.  I do have a question for you readers out there as well.  Have you ever had a hunting slump? And what helped you get through it?  Please leave me a comment and let me know.

Popularity: 30% [?]

October 16th, 2007
By Arthur

I thought I would start off my series, Outdoor Intentions, with something that I think every person in the world is entitled too: Personal Protection. I wanted to start out the series with the #1 outdoor aspiration and intention on my list:

Acquiring my CCW(Concealed Carry Weapon) permit.

Michigan, since July 2001 has been a “shall issue” state. What that means, in simple terms, is that the local gun boards will issue the permit as long as the applicant meets a certain set of established criteria. This changed from the previous “may issue” policy that required the applicant to establish that he/she was qualified for the permit and also had a good reason to fear injury or death.

I had been thinking about getting my CCW permit for the last couple of years and just haven’t gotten around to do it. The requirements now to acquire the permit are not very hard, but do require some time and some cash. The basic steps to getting the permit are simple.

You pick up an application at a local police station, sheriff’s office, or county clerk’s office.

Then you participate in a local pistol training course that must be certified by the state, a national firearms training organization, or a state firearms training organization. The training must be held by a certified instructor and is available at many local shooting ranges and conversation clubs.

You then submit your application, that must be accompanied by your copy of certificate completion from the pistol training course.

You pay a fee of $105 and have your fingerprints taken. The fingerprints are then forwarded to the Michigan State Police for processing.

Once the local gun board receives the fingerprint comparison report, they will issue or deny the permit within 45 days.

Once you receive your permit you are then permitted to carry a concealed weapon wherever you see fit, with a few exceptions obviously. I won’t go into all the places where you cannot carry a concealed weapon in Michigan, but a few examples include churches, schools, etc. Many states also recognize Michigan’s CCW permit in there state. I won’t bother to list them all, but there are many states that recognize Michigan’s CCW permit. Michigan also recognizes permits from every other state in the U.S.

There are also safeguards in place that prevent anyone who is convicted of certain criminal offenses, or has been diagnosed with certain mental conditions, from acquiring a permit. Also any alcohol related offenses will prevent you from receiving your permit. I think those things are in place for very obvious reasons and are a very good idea.

I think that acquiring my CCW will provide some piece of mind and some added protection for those certain moments when force is or maybe needed. So many people ask why I need a CCW permit. I think the more important question is why not? Why would a person not want to be able to protect themselves by any means possible? Why would a person not put themselves in a better position to protect their family, home, and belongings if the need arose?

I look forward to getting my permit and excercising my god given right to carry and protect my family and belongings!

Popularity: 34% [?]