Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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SHOT Show officially starts tomorrow, but if you're lucky enough to get an invitation, the day before the show starts is Industry Day at the Range. This is the day when the manufacturers set up at the Boulder Rifle and Pistol Club, which is an excellent facility near Boulder City, Nevada with tons of room for the over 200 manufactures who let us handle their new products. This is the day for actually shooting the latest guns and checking out the great new optics and gear. If you've read John's g... Full story
Day 3 is in the books and the energy hasn't abated at SHOT Show. The aisles are teeming with people eager to see everything, talk to everyone, and learn something new. At times you can barely squeeze through the aisles, and occasionally you have to stand in line for while to handle the newest guns. But the people who work the booths are unfailingly kind and helpful, even though you know their feet must be killing them and they must be dog tired. SHOT Show people are the best. We spent a while... Full story
Safety is huge at the SHOT Show, and there are always lots of companies with gun safety products to show. This year was no exception. The Allen Company has a new holster called the Swipe MQR (Magnetic Quick Release) holster that makes it easy for you to quickly access your weapon while keeping it safe from anybody wanting to walk up and take it off you. It works by using a patented magnetic system that releases in half the time as a regular snap – you clear the lock by "swiping" directionally t... Full story
The Key To Success Is Being Versatile Back in the day, Wes McCracken was one of the best anglers on the All Star Bass trail. The key to his success: he knew that you have to be versatile to catch fish consistently. "Every lake is different, and every year it's different, too," says McCracken. One thing that he can count on most of the time, though, is a worm bite of some sort. "Finding the fish is the hard part," says Wes. "Figuring out what they want is simply a process of elimination." This... 
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We just got back from a seven-day hunting/camping trip and I discovered quite a few things that make life a lot easier for a camper. We camp rough - no trailer, no cots, no RV. We just throw a couple of self-inflating pads in the back of the truck and roll out our sleeping bags. Warmers Blankets That said, one of the most important things is being warm enough. Lightweight sleeping bags are usually fine in Arizona, but when nights get chilly, you need more. Something along the stocking stuffer li... Full story
Patagonia Lake is a small reservoir about an hour south of Tucson. Formed by damming Sonoita Creek, this beautiful little lake offers good crappie, catfish, and bass fishing in Southern Arizona. The terrain around Patagonia is very different from the deserts surrounding the central Arizona lakes. Patagonia is at an elevation of 3,750 feet, and the surrounding country is grassy hills and scrub oak and juniper. Dan Marzano Takes Us To Patagonia Patagonia looks more like a midwestern lake than an... Full story
Before you know it, the holidays will be upon us and we'll all be scrambling to find the perfect gift for the people we love. If someone you love also loves the outdoors, here are some ideas that are sure to please. Good Maps Are Essential Build Your Own Whether your passion is fishing, hiking, hunting, off-roading, RV-ing, or geocaching, good maps are essential. The best way to get the perfect map is to visit MyTopo.com and build your own. These are especially great for hunters because you can... Full story
Last month, when I was writing about Grandparents' Day, I mentioned that we take our granddaughters on a big road trip/hiking trip every year. In between, we take a day now and then and just go to a small town or great place nearby. Since we've been doing these trips, small and big, for nearly two decades now, we've discovered some secrets to making every trip memorable and fun. Know Your Audience What is fun to a 5-year-old is not necessarily fun for an 18-year-old. What is safe for an 18-year-... Full story
Sunday, Sept. 10 is Grandparents' Day, and this year, we salute Marge and John Anderson who have shared the wonders of outdoors with their granddaughters for over two decades (and loved every minute of their times together). When we found out that our son and daughter-in-law were expecting their first baby, I quit my job so I could stay home and take care of her. Since the day she was born, Trinity has been the joy of my life. Then, three years later, Emily joined us, and brought us even more... Full story
In Arizona, people tend to think of heading north to cool off in the summer, but there are many places in the southern and eastern areas of our beautiful state that also offer higher altitudes, cool forests, and great hikes. These places include Mt. Lemmon near Tucson, the Pinaleno mountains near Safford, and the Mt. Baldy Wilderness near Greer. Mt. Lemmon In July, the Burro fire was raging and crews were using the Mount Lemmon highway as a firebreak. Residents, campers and hikers were forced... Full story
Trapp Technology pro Kevin Finley just came home from the California Open where he took 13th out of 87 pros. If he looks familiar to you, it's probably because he fishes tournaments all over the West, plus he was just on the Fishing with Johnny Johnson television show. Kevin is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, plus he's one heck of a stick - he's been fishing out of the Trapp Technology boat for quite a while now, and as a business owner himself, he appreciates their expertise in IT solu... Full story
At 5000 feet, Payson stays quite a bit cooler than Phoenix in the summer. Temperatures may reach the mid 90s, but if you're in a shady forest, it seems a lot cooler. We love to go to Payson, and started taking the granddaughters there years ago. There are plenty of good hotels and lots of great places to eat in Payson and the surrounding area, and there are great hikes as well. Tonto Natural Bridge One of the places near Payson that we love the most is Tonto Natural Bridge. It's actually more... Full story
Johnny Johnson is one of the best-known and best-loved fishermen in Arizona. With his popular television show Fishing With Johnny Johnson http://fishingwithjohnnyjohnson.com/ and his trademark hee-hee-hee laugh, he has made thousands of fans. At the recent Wild West Bass Team Championship, crowds of people jumped up and ran over to take photos the minute his truck and boat came into view. He has a way with kids and never turns them down when they ask for a photo with him. We once fished with him... Full story
The best gift ever, though, is spending time with him. Chances are, your dad is the one who introduced you to the outdoors. I know that was the case with me. My dad took me hunting and camping all the time, starting when I was really young, and that gave me a love of the outdoors that is stronger than ever, even now. If your dad is outdoorsy, here are some gift ideas that are sure to make his day this June 18th. ATN Smart HD Binocular Let's just start right out with the splurge – the ATN S... Full story
The Wild West Bass Trail is a relative newcomer on the bass tournament scene, but it was founded by people with tons of tournament fishing experience. They wanted to make the best tournament circuit out there, and they have spared no expense and worked their tails off - with great success. Their mission is to promote the highest quality companies and provide premier fishing events in the western U.S. They have the highest guaranteed payout on the West Coast, and tournaments are televised so pro... Full story
There are 90 wilderness areas in our state - a total of 4,512,120 acres. That's a lot of country! But what exactly is a wilderness area, what can you do there, and how does a place become a wilderness area? A wilderness area is a place where the lands are designated for preservation and protection in their natural state and where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by men (from the Wilderness Act of 1964). These lands remain undeveloped and no permanent improvement or human... Full story
Tai Au is one of the best-known bass pros in Arizona - he started a Facebook page called "AZ Anglers" and there are now over 13,000 members. Tai is all about sharing his love for and knowledge about fishing, which is why he created a place where Arizona anglers could share, ask, learn, and even brag a bit now and then. Started As A Kid Tai got into fishing when he was just a kid, going out with his dad. His mom and dad were actually "Boat People" from Vietnam, and he was actually born in a car... Full story
The only bad thing about camping is putting all that stuff away when you get home, right? Well, when I was a kid, we camped and hunted all the time, and my dad had a big old Army field desk that we called the Camping Box. The front panel of it was removed, then it became a table by hooking the front panel to the side of the box and folding the legs out. The inside was all drawers, and we put all the usual camping stuff in there - paper towels, dish soap, seasonings, silverware, dishes, matches... Full story
Gary Senft is an Arizona icon when it comes to bass fishing. I've been doing stories with him for decades, and he has a wealth of knowledge about techniques and tactics for catching bass in our desert reservoirs. The amazing thing is, he doesn't try to keep this information to himself – he loves to teach other people about fishing. Started Early Gary's mom and dad started taking him fishing when he was just a tyke - they'd hit the local lakes and ponds twice a month or so. The bass fishing b... Full story
This is the perfect time of year for an outdoor adventure in Tucson. The weather is great and the wildflowers should be amazing this year after all the rains we've had all winter. All four of these places offer nice hikes (or at least walks), and all four of them let you see different aspects of the glory of the outdoors around Tucson. Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park is actually two districts - one to the east of Tucson called the Rincon Mountain District, and one to the west called... Full story
I've known Matt Shura since he was just a kid, and he's been a heck of a stick all that time. He started out catching bluegills at a pond at Power and Guadalupe with his dad when he was about five or six years old. That first bluegill had him hooked for life. Going to the lake? Check out the lake level at http://data.hydrometdataservice.info/dwr/ Then he started watching bass fishing on television, and he was fascinated. By age ten he had his first boat - a ten-foot jon boat with a trolling... Full story
If you have been reading my stories here on Arizona Boating & Watersports and Western Outdoor Times for long, you know that my husband John and I love to go outdoors adventuring with our granddaughters. We've been taking them fishing, hiking, shooting, exploring, and hunting almost since they could walk, but we had never been kayaking together until yesterday. I found a Groupon for the Clarkdale Kayak Company and it was such a bargain I signed up the four of us. First off, let me tell you that I... Full story
If you are looking for easy hikes with great scenery close to Phoenix, I've got a couple for you. Both of these are easy enough for very small children and older folks, but one has a waterfall (sometimes!), and one has a flowing river. Both have entry fees, but they are small. The Hassayampa River is a hundred miles long, but for most of that distance it runs underground. At the Hassayampa River Preserve near Wickenburg, however, the water comes to the surface and runs crystal clear over the... Full story
Randy Spray has been putting in for a bighorn tag for 43 years and had never drawn one. He told a friend, "I really need to draw a tag, I'm getting older and pretty soon I won't be able to do a bighorn hunt." That friend suggested that Randy try putting in for Rocky Mountain bighorn instead of Desert Bighorn, and that did the trick. He was already in the max bonus point pool, and this year he finally drew his tag for the archery hunt in 6A. Shooting the ram was not a problem. Spray is an avid... Full story
This show is for trade only and is not open to the public, but Western Outdoor Times writers John and Margie Anderson, who are both members of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), will be at both the Range Day and at the Show, and will be sending daily updates from the show on the latest equipment and news. The SHOT Show ® is owned and sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation http://nssf.org/, a trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting, and shooting... Full story
