Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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I saw a great meme the other day: It said, "Quit saying I'm hard to buy for – you know where the gun store is!". Made me laugh and also made me realize that gift-giving season is almost upon us. If you've got a shooter or two on your list, here are some ideas from stocking stuffer to splurge. SSP Eyewear SSP Eyewear is known for great shooting glasses, and their newest offering is the Methow Kit with six different interchangeable lenses plus the ability to accept an adapter for prescription l... Full story
Cool Days Mean Great Crappie Fishing Cool days mean great crappie fishing, and nobody knows Roosevelt crappie better that Curt Rambo, Leroy Price, and Art Chamberlin. Curt is a jig guy and Art and Leroy like to troll. Here's how they do it. "I drive around and look for brush in twenty to thirty feet of water," Rambo explains. "Sometimes it takes an hour to find a good spot, and sometimes you don't find one all day." Just about any cove with submerged brush can be good. Drop A Jig Down There Look... Full story
Arizona is blessed by an abundance of gorgeous hunting country, but that also means that hunters have a lot of ground to cover while hunting. Optics are crucial in most western hunts, but particularly in hunting Coues deer. There's more to "glassing" than just sitting down with a pair of binoculars, so I'm sharing some tips from Leupold, makers of some of the finest optics I've ever used. I'll also share some tips on ammo, gear to carry, and more. Glassing Most hunters carry binoculars, but the... Full story
There isn't much hunting going on this month, and it's a bit warm to go out shooting (unless you pay for an indoor range), but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be training. This is a great time for dry-fire practice, mental conditioning, close-quarters combat training, indoor-range time, classes, and research on legal matters. This is also a good time to check your concealed-carry permit to see if it needs to be renewed soon. Dry-Fire Practice Dry-fire practice is simply practicing with an... Full story
There are many situations that probably don't require a lethal response. A dog attacking your dog as you walk, for instance, or some guy with road rage who isn't armed but is still intent on punching you out. There are also a lot of situations that make you feel anxious even if no one is attacking you: walking through a deserted parking garage at night for example, or walking back to your car at night when no one else is around. You probably wouldn't want to have a gun in your hand for those... Full story
If you have a concealed carry permit and carry a weapon regularly, have you ever considered carrying a back-up weapon? Not just a knife or a tactical pen or a monkey fist, but a secondary firearm? I've heard lots of reasons why you would want to have a second gun on you, and I've also heard plenty of reasons why people don't want to carry a second handgun. Let's look at both sides before discussing what type of secondary weapon to choose and where you might carry it. Pros Guns sometimes... Full story
You already know our "cover girl", Margie Anderson (and thanks, John Anderson, for this great photo). She is the ultimate outdoors woman and an expert on fishing, hunting/shooting, hiking, wildlife (including birds), wild flowers, Arizona destinations — you name it. We consider ourselves very fortunate to have Margie as a regular contributor. Besides our appreciation of her knowledge and talent, others have recognized her as well: three times "Outdoor Writer of the Year" from Arizona Game & F... Full story
For quite a while now, waterfowl hunters have been required to use shotgun shells that do not contain lead. Seems the lead pellets in the water get ingested accidentally by waterfowl and it is toxic to them if it builds up. In Arizona, the Game and Fish Department encourages hunters who hunt in Arizona's condor ranges to use lead-free ammo or to remove gut piles if they are shooting lead. The condors eat the remains and get lead poisoning from the tiny lead fragments. If you do use non-lead... Full story
When I was a kid, you could drive out Cave Creek Road to Jomax Road and be in the boonies. We'd go out there as a family, often with another family or a few aunts and uncles. While the ladies made breakfast, we'd set up a bunch of cans or cardboard boxes and we'd all take turns shooting at them. It was one of my favorite things to do as a kid. Afterwards, we'd pick up all the cans and targets and toss the paper and cardboard in the fire, but take the cans home to dispose of. One thing I learned... Full story
Even if you bought a pistol purely for self-defense purposes, you need to practice with it often. For one thing, you need to develop muscle memory. Muscle memory comes after you've done a movement so often that you can totally zone out and your body still performs the movement flawlessly. With guns, safety should always be your very first priority, and becoming completely familiar and competent with your pistol is one of the keys to staying safe. Of course, you don't want to get so familiar... Full story
I've known Rob Vanderkooi for decades and he's one of the best bass fishermen I know. He's also a heck of a good hunter. Rob guides for The Arizona Fishing Guides now, so if you want to learn some great techniques and have a super good time, call them and set up a day fishing with him. Carolina Rigs Come To Mind One thing I always think of when Vanderkooi comes to mind is Carolina Rigs. I'll never forget when he and his partner brought a 42-pound 6-fish limit to the scales in an All Star tournam... Full story
Arizona Is Ablaze With Color - As a native Arizonan, I tend to believe that Arizona is the most beautiful and amazing place on the planet – and autumn in Arizona confirms that belief. John and I and the granddaughters are out and about pretty much all year, and we especially love to see fall colors – yellow, orange, and even red light up the hillsides and the banks of our streams. Ir can be magical to stroll along with color above and below from leaves that have already fallen and those that are... Full story
I'm not as young as I used to be. Last deer season, Margie and I lugged our heavy AR's all over the mountains in very rough and rocky terrain, and it was no fun. By the time you figure your backpack, optics, tripods, rifle, ammo, and water, you could be carrying 40 extra pounds around, mostly uphill and downhill. And that's BEFORE you have to carry a deer out. Heavy Loads For instance, Margie was carrying a big pair of Docter Optics 7X50 binoculars, a backpack that sagged off her shoulders and... Full story
Arizona allows all of its citizens to legally carry a concealed weapon, but a CCW Permit is still a great idea for a lot of reasons. First and foremost is the training you receive when you attend a CCW class. I've been shooting all my life, but I learned a lot of new stuff when I attended a CCW class. 'Shoot Or Don't Shoot' One thing that really opened my eyes was the "shoot/don't shoot" portion at the end of the class. I was handed a plastic pistol that interacts with a large screen, and a seri... Full story
Father's Day is coming up sooner than you think, and sometimes dads can be super hard to buy for. If dad is a shooter, we've got you covered – here are some ideas for gifts any shooting dad would be delighted to receive. Peltor Electronic Hearing Protectors Every shooter needs hearing protection, and Peltor makes the ones Margie and I wear. We love the electronic ones – you can hear conversation, but they electronically detect the sound of gunshots and muffle them. We bought our new dau... Full story
Four-wheeling is a blast – there are so many places to explore in this beautiful state, and many of them are hidden treasures that you can only get to on extremely rough roads. I've always had a 4WD pickup, but on our last deer hunt we became aware of the benefits of having an OHV: an OHV, or quad, or side-by-side, or ATV or whatever you want to call it, can get you where even a 4WD pickup can't go. A Quad Is Faster For me anyway, even if I can get my truck there, a quad can get there faster. I... Full story
The cover photo from the National Safe Boating Congress (NSBC) reminds us that although boating safety is stressed during National Safe-Boating Week, May 19-May 25, it must be a priority all year 'round. All of the organizations that stress safety on the water emphasize the importance of wearing life jackets. Far too many accidents, with injuries and fatalities, have happened to even good swimmers who were not wearing pfds. Although it may be tempting to not wear a life jacket - for reasons that... Full story
Why would you want to pay for a custom gun stock? First of all, for the way it looks and feels -- McMillan offers a variety of colors and combinations so you can make your rifle one of a kind. More importantly, a custom McMillan gun stock can help improve your groups at 100 yards anywhere from ¼ inch to ½ inch – and at greater distances, that can make a lot of difference. You can also get a custom fit to your gun – it's no fun trying to shoot a rifle that is too long, too short, ha... Full story
According to the Crime Prevention Research Center, the number of concealed carry permits in the U.S. is surging, and that increase is led by women and blacks. Over 6 percent of the adults in America now have a concealed carry permit - over 8 percent outside of California and New York. Why Carry A Concealed Weapon? These permit holders are very law-abiding citizens: In 2016, just 0.0092 percent of permit holders were charged or convicted of a felony. Why do people want to carry a concealed... Full story
Check Out These Four Great New Pistols It's January as I write this article , and that means it's time for the S.H.O.T. Show in Vegas. The Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trades Show is a huge deal that covers an incredible amount of square footage and lasts five days if you include the Industry Day at the Range. Margie and I will be going again this year, and we'll have a lot of stuff to tell you about next month. The S.H.O.T. Show is for Industry and Media only – you can't just walk in because y... Full story
When I met John (decades ago!), I had never really fished much at all. My dad took my brother and me hunting and camping all the time, and we always did a lot of target shooting, but we never really fished. In fact, I hadn't even seen most of the lakes because Dad didn't go there. Too many people, he said. But John was both a hunter and a fisherman. And once he took me fishing, I was hooked. We went to Christopher Creek and caught trout. I had a blast. Bartlett Was Our Favorite Once we got... Full story
Jim and Carol L. Allen, Publisher and Editor Carol and I wish you all a great new year. Angela Ogden, Production Manager Arizona Boating & Watersports News Magazine / Western Outdoor Times would like to introduce you to one of the best graphic designers in the business. Angela Ogden has a B.A. in graphic design from Point Loma University, San Diego, CA (1988). She has worked on newspapers and magazines and added her freelance work in 2005. Angela is based in Oklahoma and has clientele all over... Full story
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
