Loony News Volume 9 Issue 2 August 2017

John Barsness & Eileen Clarke www.riflesandrecipes.com

And bird dogs are famous for eating ANYthing. Friends What’s Up? have reported sweaty old hunting socks disappearing from the bedroom floor only to show up 24 hours later in the backyard. (We’ve found a few bandanas in the same Ode to Fido condition.) And when our big male chocolate Lab, Keith, EC was a pup he slurped up a dime and a bottle cap before we could stop him. Those, too, passed. He continued that way, and it made life easier sometimes. Yes, we had to hold on to our money and bottle caps, but when Keith developed thyroid issues, we’d just toss his pills on the floor. No hiding them in wadded-up balls of cheese, like we’ve had to do with every other bird dog we’ve owned. Of course Keith was also the one who ate my brand new prescription glasses. Well, just one lens and the tem- ple on that side. But it was a 200 mile round trip to get them fixed. Two, trips actually. Two hundred miles to drop them off and 200 miles to pick them up again. But he was just a puppy. Our friend Norm Strung, a long time contributing edi- tor to Field & Stream, proved to me years ago that pup- pies up the ante on dogs-will-eat-anything. He always sat down at 5 to watch the evening news with a martini and a jar of peanuts at his elbow. There was more to the rou- I walked into the kitchen first thing Tuesday morning tine. Each evening, Norm’s bird dog would get the first and was surprised to find a bit of food on the floor. Sur- slurp of the martini and 3 peanuts. They all seemed to prised, because I live with dogs, and as we all know they like it as puppies, but as each bird dog got to about 16-18 operate by the Anything-that-hits-the-floor-is-ours rule. months old, the thrill of the martini wore off. (Of course, But here was food. It took me a second to realize what in my germophobic mind, Norm won the humans-who’ll- it was. I’d been making a largish--for us--batch of Fresh eat anything-prize for finishing off those martinis.) Italian sausage, in the course of which I’d chopped up quite a bit of fresh basil. It was a basil leaf on the floor. Where Else Are They Now? My dogs don’t eat basil. It was Wilbur, our 22-pound John is presently appearing in every issue of Guns, Shih Tzu, who first decided basil was inedible, but Lena Handloader, Rifle, Sports Afield; occasionally in American the Bird Dog soon agreed. (I think it was peer pressure. Hunter, American Rifleman,and frequently logs onto the ‘ask Or maybe a lips-that-touch-basil-will-never-sniff-my-butt the gunwriters’ forum at www.24hourcampfire.com thing.) In any event, I did the unthinkable in a house Eileen wants everyone to know that Tenderize the Wild isn’t where dogs live; I picked food up off the floor. just for tough old animals. Yes, it has 112 marinades, brines and It’s not like these two are fussy. Wilbur spends sunny rubs for all the animals we North Americans hunt: but those 112 afternoons eating dandelion tops until, like a trout with recipes include simple board sauces for tender big game, birds the tail of the last little fish he tried to devour sticking and wild pigs, as well as rubs and marinades for not-so-tender and long marinades and brines for tougher ones. And let’s not out of his mouth, he can’t swallow any more. And Lena? forget the art of ‘enhancing’ flavors. We don’t all hold out for Lena is a magician. Her big act is making Wilbur’s poop the rutty old buck, but with a freezer full of great wild meat, it disappear. pays to keep things new and exciting so we don’t ever have to say, “Oh, not that elk again!” www.riflesandrecipes.com ~1~ Norm’s wife Sil had to take it a step farther. We had while John was pumping gas, but when he got in the driven down to their cabin one May afternoon in 1988, truck again, I said, “I’ll be a minute.” I needed chocolate. to pick up our new bird dog, Keith. He was just 8 weeks Any chocolate. No matter. So I went inside the conve- old and a mutual friend had delivered him. First she put nience store again and walked around for ten minutes, gravy on his puppy chow. (He was soon to discover that finally purchasing a package of two Hostess chocolate would be the best meal of his life: John and I don’t do cupcakes. Down the road 20 miles, I’d choked one down, gravy for dogs.) But that evening, Sil had a couple more but just couldn’t eat the other. Manhattans than she needed, and wondered just what a “I’ll save it for Gillis,” I said. “He’ll eat it.” Af- puppy wouldn’t eat. It started out pretty innocently, but ter all, we already knew he liked chocolate. (And that it by bedtime she was sneaking him whole cloves of garlic wouldn’t kill him or make him even a tiny bit sick. It was and, if your dog has never eaten lots and lots of raw gar- he who had snarfed up an entire box of turtles--choco- lic, let me just say you’d be better off if he puked it up. late, nut and caramel jobs--that John had wrapped and John and I spent the night in Norm and Sil’s guest room put under the Christmas tree for me. Didn’t touch the with our noses as close to the open window as possible. Dickel I’d wrapped for John.) For pure grossness, our present chocolate Lab, Lena So there his cupcake sat, wrapped up on the dash wins the prize. While walking in the wildlife manage- board, until we got to the rest stop 30 miles from home. ment area north of our house one winter day, Lena was John let Gillis run around and do his thing while I took my casting left and right as if hunting season was still open, turn at the outhouse. Then we switched places. When disappearing every now and then into the brush for a few John joined us again, I grabbed the cupcake. seconds at a time. Then she came back to the center of “Gillis, come. I have something for you,” I said. I un- the 2-lane access road, and slicker than snot, deposited wrapped the cupcake, and offered it to him. something from her mouth to the grass. Gillis hesitated. Something I’d never seen him do be- “What is that?” I asked. fore. When I offered him the leftover spaghetti on a duck “You don’t want to know,” John answered. He was clos- hunting trip, he hadn’t hesitated. (He hadn’t hesitated er and I made the mistake of catching up with him. Lena either, when he immediately barfed it back up.) But he had swallowed, then vomited, a beaver’s foot, this being a was thinking this cupcake over. trapping area. Had there been a sign posted, which trap- Finally, he took a step toward me, rolled his lips back pers are supposed to put up on public land to warn people from his teeth, and gingerly grasped the cupcake with the (we’d already saved Keith from a neck snare years before) very tips of his incisors, his tongue rolled back too, letting we wouldn’t have been there. We left immediately, with as little as possible of the thing actually be in his mouth. Lena on her leash, but still she won that prize. He started to turn, then looked up at us as if to apologize, Aside from basil, there has only been one other thing then spun around and trotted across the parking lot to that only one other dog wouldn’t eat. The dog was Gillis, the trees. John’s first bird dog and an uncut male black Lab. Gil- We watched as he quickly dug a hole, deposited lis was nine when I first met John in the Hostess cupcake and covered it 1983, and he was my first Labrador re- back up--first with his front feet, then triever. In a way, he spoiled me. Aside turning, threw more dirt on top with from teaching me to love bird hunting, a salvo from his hind feet. Done, Gillis was a long, lean dog. You could he wandered back to the truck and keep food in his bowl all day long and jumped in his bed. let him eat whenever and however “Maybe he thinks if it’s buried long much he wanted without his gaining enough the nasty stuff on the outside weight. One dog sitter tried that with will rot away,” John said. Keith, and within a week he looked like “Just shut up.” a knockwurst, but Gillis was good that “Interesting, that he won’t eat way. You didn’t want to sit on the floor something that you would,” John if he was within 100 yards, but he kept went on. his boyish figure. “What happens here, stays here,” I Now the food Gillis wouldn’t eat. said, giving him the cold eye. John and I had been antelope and “Oh, yeah. Right,” he said. “Sure.” sage grouse hunting in Eastern Mon- So: turtles, toast and jelly, my tana, and after three days in the buttered popcorn, John’s sun-dried camper we were driving home again, tomato and red onion popcorn, to- about 8 hours in good weather. We matoes, lettuce, onion slices, garlic had stopped for gas in White Sulphur Nine-pound Nikki, our first Shih Tzu with one of the and even jicama: those they’ll eat. Springs, when I got a craving for more palatable canine edibles, a wild boar bone. Her It makes me wonder what a choco- chocolate. house mate, Gideon, the 65 pound Lab/Llewellin setter late Hostess cupcake and a tiny sliv- cross pictured on the previous page, was the bandana I’d already looked for ‘good’ choc- er of basil have that a beaver’s foot eater. He would have gone for this wild boar femur, but olate, and not found what I wanted Nik told him it tasted like basil. and a martini don’t. I’ve decided I don’t want to know. ~2~ 4. Divide the veggies evenly in four servings, then slice Good Eats the steaks thin on the diagonal. Serve the steak slices on The Totally Grilled Dinner top of the grilled salad, place a good dollop of wasibi/date Serves 4 sauce on the side and dip into it with each forkful. EC * This is a good time to have a well-seasoned grill, so Despite the somewhat longish list of ingredients, this is once hot, wire brush any leftovers from the cooking sur- a simple, quick cooking recipe. The steaks get marinated face, and wipe (using long-handled tongs) with a paper overnight, then you toss the dates in a mini chopper and towel dipped in about 2 tablespoons of oil. puree, cut a few veggies in half, wipe with oil and grill for a total of 10 minutes of actual ‘work’. The finished dish is a feast for the eyes as well as the mouth, and with most of us anxiously awaiting the start of hunting season, it’s a way to forget just how long it’s been. BTW, I used Ingle- hoffer brand Wasabi. It comes in a squat squeeze bottle, in the mustard section of the store. Ingredients For the steak marinade 1 pound venison steaks ½ cup soy sauce ¼ oil For the date sauce 6 pitted, chopped dates (about ½ cup) ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons prepared Wasabi For the cooking/assembly 2 romaine lettuce hearts, cut in half lengthwise (leave the root attached so they’ll stay intact on the grill) 4 ripe tomatoes, cut in half 8 sweet mini peppers, cut in half ½ red onion, cut in chunks large enough to not fall through the grate (see the photo at right) 2 tablespoons oil ½ teaspoon salt ¼ coarse ground black pepper Preparation The night before, put the steaks in a resealable plas- tic bag with the soy sauce and oil. Close the bag and refrigerate overnight. For the date sauce, combine the chopped dates and enough of the rice wine vinegar in a mini-chopper to purée them without spraying vinegar ev- erywhere. Puree. Transfer to a small bowl or jar, and stir in the prepared wasabi. Cover and refrigerate. Cooking 1. Preheat the grill to 400-450°F, about medium.* Cut side up, brush the halved romaine hearts and tomatoes Don’t have prepared wasabi at your local store? Subsitute the with oil, and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Puree the Caribbean Dry Rub from Tenderize the Wild for the mari- wasabi/date mixture in a mini blender and set aside. nade--1 tablespoon of the mix will do for 1 pound of meat. 2. The steaks will take a few minutes more than the ro- Then let it sit overnight in the fridge to tenderize and flavor maine hearts and veggies, so start the meat first. After and serve your grilled salad and steaks with bottled Caesar 2-3 minutes, gently lay the romaine hearts and tomatoes dressing. Put the rest of the dry rub in a shaker bottle and add it to your next potato salad or baked potato. cut side down on the grill, and strew the mini peppers and Caribbean Dry Rub red onions beside them. (Tongs are handy for this job, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and for pulling the food off the grill later, too.) 1½ teaspoons ground allspice 3. Take the steaks off the grill when they are 130-140°F, 1 teaspoon dry leaf thyme rare to medium, however you like them but no more ½ teaspoon cinnamon than medium. Cook the romaine hearts until tender and ½ teaspoon onion powder grill marked, about 4-5 minutes then turn the romaine ¼ teaspoon garlic powder hearts over for another two minutes. Remove all the veg- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper gies then. (They won’t be completely cooked, but like a ½ teaspoon salt good salad, they’ll be crunchy and tasty.) ~3~ Cookie Corner Game Care Notes Knife Sharpening for Dummies (like me) EC Okay. Raise you hand if you can’t sharpen a knife without an electric sharpener. Okay, now the rest of you: raise your hand if you can’t sharpen a knife without train- ing wheels--like a Lansky knife sharpening kit. (That’s not to knock either method: they’re just a bit more weight to carry out in the woods--and what if you get lucky and need to sharpen your knife in the woods? The less weight Ginger Snaps the better.) Just in case you’re looking around there’s a lot Makes 3 dozen 2½” cookies of people with their hands up--and I would have been one of them until about a year ago. It’s the angles. I couldn’t EC There are two things that never taste as good as home- feel them. John, who knows how to do it says, just lay made: the first is tomatoes. It’s why anyone who plants a the knife on the stone and feel the angle. Um. Sorry, garden ALWAYS plants tomatoes. But the other thing that I just can’t. I’ve tried. And I know lots of other people doesn’t hold a candle to homemade is Ginger Snaps. Until who’ve tried. And can’t ‘feeeeeeel’ the angle. (Why do I I made my own a few years ago, I wondered why such a feel like I’m about to get kicked out of yoga class?) thing even existed. Now I know. These snaps are tangy The truth is I’m too literal. So last year when I had a and with an extra egg yolk in the batter, they’re moist and houseful of dull knives I went looking for a How to Sharp- rich as well. They will spread out 2 to 2½ times their size, en A Knife video. There were lots, but no surprise, not as you can see above, so leave lots of room around each a lot of help. They were mostly into the feel-the-angle cookie on the cookie sheet. And don’t forget to roll them school or--worse--selling me their magic knife sharpen- in sugar: that makes the tops crackle a bit, and provides ing gear. A Cooks Illustrated video finally saved me. No a sweet intro as you bite into this dynamic cookie. zen feely stuff. Their approach was: You know what a 90° Ingredients angle looks like. Where a floor meets a wall is 90° all day 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon long. (Unless, of course, you live in a 107 year old log 1 teaspoon ground ginger house....) A hunting knife is often a 30° angle, which is ⅓ 2 teaspoons baking soda of 90°; a filet knife about 15°, ½ of that, and boning and 2 cups all purpose flour chef’s knives are somewhere in between (18-25°). So 1 whole large egg + 1 egg yolk you set your knife at a 90° angle to the sharpening stone- ¾ cup room temperature butter -straight up and down--and then divide the 90 to what 1 cup brown sugar you need. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve sharpened 3 tablespoons molasses to 15° rather than 17°; what matters is that you hold the 3 tablespoons white sugar, for dusting/baking knife at the same angle with each swipe of the blade on Cooking stone, each time you sharpen it. So how do you do that? 1. Preheat the oven to 350F˚. In a medium-sized bowl, Let’s imagine a hunting knife--30°. If it’s only some- combine the cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and flour. In what dull, use a steel on it first because a steel doesn’t a cup, break the one large egg and add the extra yolk. take off as much metal as a stone and your knife will last 2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together longer: 30° angle, 10-15 gentle strokes on each side of with an electric mixer until they are well mixed and start the blade, with the sharp edge of the knife pointed to- to look light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. (Start on low ward the steel. Test the sharpness by cutting paper, not then go a click faster once they’re combined.) your scraping thumb. If the paper folds over instead of 3. While keeping the beaters going, add the whole egg the knife slicing through, your next step is a stone. Some and extra yolk, and mix that about 3 more minutes. Add people use several stones from coarse to fine, but for the molasses, and when it’s mixed with the batter, add the simplicity we use a diamond stone and steel at our house. cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and flour mixture a half a It’s your choice. But here’s the method: cup at a time. Mix until well blended. 4. Measure the white sugar out into a saucer. Shape the batter into 1” diameter balls, and roll in the white sug- ar. Place on a greased cookie sheet (or parchment-lined cookie sheet, my preference these days) and bake 8-10 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet until the pan is cool enough to handle then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. (This is where parchment is handy: holding one end of the parchment slide the cookie sheet out from under it. ) Let them cool 5-10 minutes until they firm up. Enjoy.

~4~ 1. Set the knife on the stone at a 90° angle--straight up. 2. Now bend down, and look at that angle, and divide the Rifle Loony Lit knife to stone angle in thirds, then angle the knife at the The Last Hunter top of the first third as in the photo above. That’s 30°. Will Weaver For this chef’s knife I dropped the angle another third so Published in 2010, available it was about 20°. on Amazon and other sites. EC This is a cautionary tale for everyone who loves hunting. Yes, the story is saturated with hunting stories, from the author’s earliest weap- on--a chunk of wood with a clothes pin/rubber band pro- pulsion device--to his Dad’s classic .30-’06, but what it’s really about is how our world has changed in the last half century. Will Weaver grew up on a 3. Once you have the angle set, place the fingers of your farm, in a family of farmers: his Dad’s farm abutted that of two off hand on the knife blade and slide the knife along the uncles, and every hunting season dad, grandpa, cousins--once stone--knife edge leading as you draw it across, point to even a local minister who didn’t show good gun safety and heel, 10-15 strokes for each side of the blade--then test was escorted none too politely off the family farm--took to the on the paper. Still dull? Do another 12 to 15 strokes until woods. There was the heirarchy of those who push and those it is sharp. BTW, keeping your off hand on the blade keeps who stand, the daily lessons of respect for game and immersion it off the stone, with less chance of getting cut. And just in living off the land. Whether it was catching frogs to sell to the so you don’t have to hold the stone, place a folded, wet city folks for bait, or picking fruit to be turned into an army of paper towel under it. That will keep it from sliding around. mason jars filled with mince meat, Weaver’s life was a locovore’s Test your blade on a piece of paper, and if it slices through heaven before Uber-Urbanites made it so darned trendy. Yes it rather than folds the paper over, you’re ready to finish. was work. Will’s dad had contracted polio as a kid, and the work and post-polio syndrome sapped the strength from him. But it was also the way a lot of us lived pre-WWII. In 1945, the US was divided 50-50, city vs country. We Baby Boomers left the farm to go to college, find a good job and raise kids. Those kids got even further from the farm and rural areas, and here we are now, like Will Weaver, his kids more interested in basketball and high finance than waking up in the predawn cold and head- ing into the woods. More than one reviewer of this book has mentioned that Weaver’s description of family life rang a lot of bells. Despite having grown up in a big city, it did for me, too, given that my Dad was also born in 1913 like the author’s, and my Dad also met Babe Ruth. The author’s father met The Babe while being treated for polio; my Dad was raised in an orphanage, one of the many the Babe visited in his lifetime. 4. Finish with the steel, using the same angle. Sharp- Beyond that, I only dreamed of growing up on a farm, but ar- er yet. The only trick to sharpening knives is to always ranged my working life to end up in farming country. In Mon- sharpen them to the same angle, otherwise you’re dullling tana, in my circle of friends, I know several Dads and Grandpas them instead. The first time you sharpen this way, you who are raising kids who love hunting. Will’s trajectory goes may find it takes a while. If you know what angle it was the opposite way, and sadly, the way most of the rest of us are sharpened to last, repeat it. Otherwise accept that you’re going. And while more girls are taking hunter safety these days, starting over, but once the knife is sharp, as long as you the overall average age of hunters has risen and hunter access has continue with the same angle it will be much quicker to gotten more difficult. Even getting to the range to sight in a gun sharpen the next time. If you have to, mark the angle can be an all-day affair for a lot of us. you used on your calendar so you’ll remember each time. The Last Hunter isn’t a hard-core, brass and powder hunting After years of trying to feeeeeel the angle, being able book. But the story is universal and important: we need to heed to divide and conquer--and see--the angle worked. We all the message. The legion of those of us who hunt can’t keep get- learn differently. This worked for me. ting smaller and older. ~5~ Seeing Is Believing Tract Toric 10x42 Binocular glassing for details invisible to your naked eyes, say a JB deer’s antler sticking out of a bush half a mile away, more weight can help steady the view, especially with the higher magnification that makes serious glassing possible. So I went through my checklist, directly com- paring the Toric and EL. Not surprisingly, the Swarovski came out slightly ahead in most optical categories, but wasn’t any sharper, and neither binocular showed any visible trace of chromatic aberration—the fringe of blue or purple color around the edges of objects, due to the lenses not focusing different light-rays exactly the same. Edge-fuzz was just about the same, so minimal nobody would notice it unless really looking, as was field of view. The only optical category where the EL really The optics market keeps getting more crowd- beat the Toric was close-focusing, but both focused on ed. One of the new companies is Tract Optics, recently objects far closer than any hunter would be interested started by Jon LaCorte, who worked for Nikon for many in unless they’re also butterfly watchers. The EL’s is years, where I got to know him. One of the major differ- listed at about five feet and the Toric about eight, but ences between Tract and most other optics companies the test Toric focused at seven feet. Both have dust/oil/ is their products are sold only through their website, water resistant lens coatings that work very well. www.tractoptics.com, bypassing the traditional layers The Toric required only ¼ turn of the focus of retailing--including wholesale distributors and their wheel to go from 12 feet to infinity, the EL about 1/3 of sales representatives, and on-line or brick-and-mortar a turn—but the Toric’s focusing was noticeably firmer, stores, each of which takes their cut of the eventual so is more likely to stay focused in the field. The EL’s price to the consumer. The Tract system results in con- diopter adjustment is included in the focus wheel: You siderable savings to hunters desiring high quality op- pull the wheel back slightly to unlock the diopter, and tics. after adjustment, push the wheel forward to lock it. A good example is Tract’s top-of-their-line To- The Toric uses the more common diopter-ring on the ric binoculars. I requested a 10x42 for testing, partly right eyepiece, which costs less to produce. Like the because I prefer 10x42’s for all-around hunting use, focus wheel, it adjusted firmly yet smoothly. and partly because of my Swarovski EL 10x42, used The EL has two slim hinges between the bar- as a base-line for optical performance. Binocular com- rels, one at the front and one toward the rear, holding parisons are truly valid only when comparing the same the focus wheel. The Toric has a single “piano-cover” size binoculars, both in magnification and objective- type hinge, two inches long. Usually slimmer double lens diameter. Comparing an 8x30 to a 10x42 isn’t as hinges save weight over a piano hinge, but the Toric impossible as comparing apples to oranges, but is kind weighs a couple ounces less than the EL, a binocular of like comparing Galas to Golden Delicious. They’re known for its relatively light weight, and the Toric’s also different kinds of apples. noticeably smaller in overall size. When making comparisons I use a pretty long Both binoculars are rubber-armored with a nub- check-list, including such optical basics as brightness by finish, making them easy to hold and control even in dim light, chromatic aberration, accuracy of color in sweaty hands. The Swarovski has twist-turn eyecups rendition, and fuzziness around the edge of the field of with three click settings; the Toric’s have four settings. I’d view. Then there’s how close the binocular can focus, rate the mechanics of the Toric slightly ahead of the EL’s, usually far more important to birdwatchers than hunt- though both binoculars work very well. ers, but the list also includes mechanics, including ease Now we come to what many hunters consider of focusing, eyecups, any perceived mechanical slop most important, the price. Right now the 10x42 To- (including how well the binocular stays in focus), and ric can be ordered for $626, which includes free UPS the diopter adjustment, used to compensate for the ground shipping. The 10x42 averages around $2600 slight differences often found in a pair of human eyes. from various websites, and that normally doesn’t in- There’s also weight and size. A lot of hunters clude shipping. Many hunters consider Swarovski bin- think very small, light binoculars are more desirable— oculars the best in the world, and I certainly won’t and they are, if you’re one of those hunters who only argue with them—but many hunters also can’t afford looks at stuff they’ve already seen. But when seriously Swarovskis. But most of us can afford a Tract Toric. ~6~ Down the Barrel

How Much Does Price Matter? Winchester Magnum, with handloads pushing 210-grain JB Berger VLD’s to almost 3000 fps. But even lower-priced One cliché often heard when discussing and scopes are very bright and reliable these days. I’ve nev- scopes is “you get what you pay for,” but whether it’s true er tested a modern, multi-coated scope that’s rated less or not depends on what individual shooters want from than a 6 (1/4-inch line), including a bunch costing $250 their rifles and scopes. “You get what you pay for” often or less, and some selling for well under $500 have rated a comes from shooters who (1) want rifles and scopes they 7 (3/16th line). For legal hunting in the U.S., there’s little can not-so-subtly brag about owning, and (2) often don’t practical difference between a scope rating 7 or 8—partly know anything about lower-priced rifles and scopes, be- because a scope’s reticle is more important in dim-light cause they’ve rarely tried any. aiming than optical quality, the reason so many newer In fact I have a local friend who’s exactly like that. scopes have illuminated reticles. The first time we went “gopher” (ground squirrel) shoot- As for toughness and reliability, in my experience ing together he took one look at my .22 Hornet’s scope Burris’s Fullfield II’s (FFII) are about as tough as any “set- and said, “Why do you have and-forget” variables made. a Burris on your rifle?” It In fact, I’ve never had a FFII turned out he firmly believes malfunction on rifles cham- expensive European scopes bered for rounds including are the best in the world, the .300 Weatherby, .338 and not just any Euro-scopes Winchester and .375 H&H but one particular brand. I Magnums, and have had sev- didn’t say anything then, but eral scopes costing over $800 after we started shooting come apart on rifles cham- and he missed a gopher or bered for such cartridges. two, I couldn’t resist asking The typical retail price for the how he could have missed 3-9x40 FFII is $199, and they with a $1200 scope. We’re usually rate between 6 and 7 still good friends, however, on the optics chart, two rea- partly because he’s never sons I have one on my Ruger said, “You get what you pay No. 1B .22 Hornet, the very for.” scope questioned by my Eu- The truth is that ro-scope-loving buddy. Along modern manufacturing has with never changing zero in leveled the playing field so thousands of rounds, the Bal- much that often a truly “af- listic Plex multi-point reticle fordable” (advertising-speak makes hitting small rodents for “cheap”) rifle or scope is just as accurate or bright as out to 300+ yards pretty easy. (Yeah, the .22 Hornet more expensive models, and just as often equally reli- doesn’t kick much, but a lot of shooting with even smaller able. I know about scope brightness due to having tested rounds with often shake a scope apart. Believe it or not, many scopes with my home-made chart since developing I had a scope come apart on one of my 2017 rodent ex- it in 2009. The chart has alternating black-and-white lines peditions, while mounted on a .17 Hornady Rimfire Mag- measuring from 1-inch thick at the top to 1/16-inch at the num!) bottom, and scopes are rated by the thinnest lines that Some Burris fans worried when the production can be seen at night, with the chart illuminated by a 100- of Fullfield II’s went to the Philippines a decade ago, but watt lightbulb 25 yards away. the machinery was designed by Burris, and Burris taught The best any scope has rated is 8, meaning the the workers how to use it. As soon as possible, I got my 1/8th inch line can be seen. Several scopes have rated hands on one of the Asian 3-9x’s, and in every way it was that high, and at first they were all expensive Euro- at least as good as the American-made model, and in scopes, but during those eight years several scopes made some small ways better. That Philippine 3-9x is the one elsewhere rated an 8, including a couple of Leupolds us- that’s been on my Ruger .22 Hornet for nine years now. ing “outsourced” lenses (meaning made in Asia). How- The accuracy of today’s “affordable” rifles is be- ever, the Leupolds retailed for over $1000, and the most coming phenomenal. I’ve mentioned Ruger American recent scope making the grade was a Tract Toric 3-15x42, Rifles (RAR) several times in various articles since they retailing for only $694. appeared a few years ago, but this July I range-tested My test Toric also proved very reliable. It’s a tur- an RAR Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor for the first time. ret-dialing scope, and worked precisely during an exten- The Predator’s a slightly more expensive version of the sive test on my primary scope-breaker, a Heym SR-21 .300 standard RAR, with a camo-painted and a medium- ~7~ contour barrel, factory-threaded at the muzzle for a sup- pressor. For the first test I handloaded 140-grain Berg- , requiring far less movement. Unfortunately, the er Hunting VLD’s with 41.5 grains of H4350, a standard middle position allows the bolt to be opened, so the bolt Creedmoor accuracy charge for bullets in the 140-grain handle can be inadvertently knocked upward a little. In range. quite a few Model 70’s this results in the safety being im- After adjusting the 3-9x40 Burris C4 Plus to get possible to push forward, as some dangerous game hunt- on paper at 100 yards, I fired five rounds. After each suc- ers have discovered to their dismay. This condition can ceeding shot the hole just got a little darker, and the group be fixed by a good gunsmith, but the CZ’s original safety later measured .33 inch, center to center. And yes, you works correctly, all the time. Or at least the ones on my can see the edges cut by all five bullets around the outside 550’s have. of the single hole. I’ve owned several accurate hunting I don’t know what the advantage of an Oberndorf rifles chambered for various 6.5mm cartridges over the bolt handle might be, except possibly looks. Straightening years, including a 6.5-06 E.R. Shaw Mk. VII, and a cus- the handle to a 90-degree angle from the bolt moves the tom 6.5x55 built on a commercial FN Mauser 98 action, knob about half an inch forward, and bolts are most easily rebarreled by Charlie Sisk with a #3 Lilja and a minimum- manipulated with the knob farther to the rear—the reason dimension Pacific Tool & Gauge reamer. None of the other the Lee-Enfield’s considered one of the fastest-working 6.5’s have shot as accurately as this “affordable” Ruger. bolt actions ever made. The company also fills the hole in Of course, the Ruger American doesn’t have sev- the knob, again to what purpose I don’t know. When I’ve eral of the other must-have items on the rifle-loony reli- really needed to work the bolts on my 550’s quickly, it’s ability list, such as controlled-round feeding, and it’s not been easy. nearly as attractive as my 6.5x55, classically stocked in In fact even European companies are starting to “California English” walnut. But so far the Ruger’s fed ev- build less-expensive rifles for the American market, and as ery round from its detachable magazine, and extracted you might imagine they work very well. Recently I tested a and ejected the empties. I suspect it will do fine for 98% Sauer Model 100 XT, a “cheaper” version of their excellent of big game hunting on earth, despite its classic deficien- 101 XT—so much cheaper, in fact, the suggested retail’s cies. only $699, less than half the price of the 101. This may But if you must have controlled-round feeding, you not sound cheap compared to a Ruger American costing also don’t have to spend all that much these days. Among half as much, but in all respects it functioned so much like the CRF factory rifles on the market are CZ 550’s, Ruger the 101 there wasn’t any practical difference—and it has Hawkeyes, and what used to be called Winchester Model a slick 3-position safety lever, somewhat resembling those 70 Classics. All can be purchased new for under $1000, on CZ 550’s. Apparently America’s “affordable” trend con- often well under, and even if you want a CRF chambered tinues to make inroads even across the Atlantic. for larger cartridges more suitable on dangerous game, the price isn’t much more. And yes, they are reliable. In Alaska, Ruger Hawk- eyes are probably most popular, while in Africa I’ve seen Tips more CZ’s. The manufacturer-suggested retail price for a big-bore Hawkeye or CZ is $1200+, meaning they can be purchased in what’s often called “the real world” for some- what less. However, if you buy a CZ 550, be aware that some shooters (especially those who sniff “you get what you pay for”) feel they’re not really up to the task unless modi- fied. They often recommend one gunsmithing service in particular, which charges around $800 to replace the fac- tory single-set with a single-stage, the slick-work- ing unobtrusive lever on the side of the action tang with a 3-position Model 70 type, and straighten the bolt handle so it resembles those on Oberndorf Mauser sporters. This is all fine and dandy, but the factory trigger can be easily turned into a single-stage by adjusting the primary pull to around 3-4 pounds, whereupon the set feature disappears. The safety works great as-is, and in fact some hunters don’t think the Model 70 type safety is The most precise but time-consuming way to make sure the absolute best ever designed. I am among them, find- case-necks are the same thickness is “turning” them with a tool ing pushing its wing all the way forward takes a LOT of that shaves off a thin layer of brass. Most lathe-type case trim- mers can be used for the job, and I’ve turned a bunch of necks movement. In contrast, the CZ factory safety requires far with my old Forster trimmer. It does a decent job, but really pre- less movement, so tends to be quicker. cise turning’s normally done with a hand-tool like the Sinclair in Some get around the long push of the Model 70 this photo. See page 10, for the rest of the story. safety by setting it in the middle position when expecting ~8~ come a part-time gunsmith, partly to make accurate rifles Honest Guns for himself. He figured it out pretty quickly, and soon was making hunting and benchrest rifles for other people. Arnold Erhardt 6MM PPC Mickey set up some wind flags and a target at the other JB end of the meadow, and invited me to shoot one of his bench rifles, a 6mm PPC. I’d never used formal wind-flags before, mostly judging wind by “natural” signs, thanks to plenty of varmint shooting. Mickey explained how to keep track of the flags out of my left eye, while aiming the scope with my right. After a few warm-up shots to get used to the flags and the very light trigger, I shot a 5-shot group. It started off really well—as Mickey said, looking through his spotting scope, “the hole’s just getting darker”—but the fourth shot landed outside the dark hole, far enough to see a sliver of white paper between them. The fifth made the original hole slightly darker. “That third flag got ya,” Mickey said. “On that shot it switched around just as you shot.” This was all very interesting, especially learning how a very mild shift in the breeze, partway to the target, One of the interesting side-effects in most suffer- could ruin perfection. ers of RLS (Rifle Loony Syndrome) is an obsession with Back in Montana I started experimenting with ben- accuracy. After all, didn’t Townsend Whelen write, “Only chrest handloading and shooting techniques with one of my accurate rifles are interesting”? However, most hunters varmint rifles, a heavy-barreled Remington 700 I’d accurized naturally confine themselves to bench-testing their hunt- in several ways. Eventually 5-shot groups averaged in “the ing rifles, where 1-inch, 3-shot groups are usually consid- middle twos” (in ordinary English a quarter of an inch) but ered plenty for big game, and somewhat smaller groups there’s a big difference between the two’s and one’s. good for varminting—or bragging. A few years later a genuine benchrest rifle Competitive benchrest shooters are something showed up on the used rack at capital Sports & Western else. Most shoots take place at 100 and 200 yards, and Wear, with a very low price tag. Chambered for the 6mm unless your rifle’s capable of putting every bullet into PPC, it was also marked with the name of the gunsmith, close to the same hole at 100, you’re not going to place Arnold Erhardt, one of the two veteran smiths in Capitals’ at larger matches. This means 5-shot (not 3-shot) groups shop. Arnold’s since semi-retired (I don’t believe any gun- in what benchresters refer to as “the ones,” groups aver- smith every fully retires), but over the decades he built aging between .1 and .2 inch. A rifle capable of averaging just about any sort of rifle, from traditional flintlocks to in the twos (.2+) might win a local shoot, but not compe- modern benchrest rifles, partly because he liked to shoot titions from statewide level on up. any sort of rifle, including hunting with flintlocks and com- I’ve never had any serious interest in competi- peting in modern benchrest shooting. Arnold’s name on tive shooting, mostly because I’m a hunter, and between the rifle compelled me to carry it over to the counter to year-round hunting in Montana there have been trips to start the paperwork. other places. But the subject of rifle accuracy interested It’s a rifle he built for a local customer, with a me from the time I acquired a Daisy Red Ryder “BB gun” synthetic stock painted metal-flake Kelly green, a 25-inch at age eight, and at 13, I performed my first “” Hart barrel measuring .960 inch at the muzzle, a 2-ounce job on a Marlin Model 81 bolt-action .22 rimfire. trigger, and (because the customer’s budget was limited) Over the next few decades I accurized quite a a “sleeved” Remington 700 action, with a thick aluminum few centerfires, but wasn’t exposed to real benchrest tube was epoxied around the action to stiffen it. Ben- rifles until around 40, while attending one of the Ground- chrest actions built specifically for the purpose don’t have hog Shooters and Prevaricators Conferences that Melvin magazines, so the bottom of the action was left solid, Forbes used to throw at what was called “The Farm,” an with enough steel in other places to hold a heavy barrel 800-acre piece of creekbottom and mountains Melvin and very firmly in place, reducing vibrations. But such actions several West Virginia friends purchased as a getaway are understandably more expensive than a sleeved 700. place for their families. The old farmhouse was converted Primarily I bought the rifle to experiment with into a bunkhouse capable of sleeping around a dozen which factors really matter in accuracy, but also thought it people, while retaining the big kitchen, and the long, cov- might be interesting to use it some on prairie dogs. Rather ered front porch overlooked a meadow large enough for than buying the precisely-made hand dies that real ben- attendees to wander down to the other end (where some chresters favor, I used a set of Redding Competition Dies. benchrests had been built) and do some target shoot- These use bushings to size down the neck, and you can ing, while not interrupting the prevaricating taking place try slightly different diameter bushings to see which result among porch-sitters. in the most accuracy with a particular bullet. The seating One of the other attendees was the late Mickey die has a sleeve very slightly larger than bullet diameter, Coleman from Alabama, who in mid-life decided to be- ~9~ keeping bullets perfectly in line with the case body while they slide into the neck, and a micrometer seating stem, Handloading Tips to control seating depth within .001 inch. I’ve covered the basics of handloading for this ri- Neck Thickness Uniformity fle before in a chapter of , including JB The Big Book of Gun Gack One basic technique for improving handload ac- how I didn’t mount a real benchrest scope. Serious “short curacy is making sure the necks of your cases are at least range” bench shooters normally use fixed-power scopes reasonably similar in thickness. Cases with uniform necks in the 35-40x range, often with their adjustments “frozen” normally end up straighter after resizing in dies with ex- so they don’t shift, but the only vaguely appropriate scope pander balls, and also release the bullet more evenly I had was a 4.5-30x50 Bushnell Elite 6500, and it worked upon firing. very well. The most precise but time-consuming way to make I tried several powders and bullets, including a sure case-necks are the same thickness is “turning” them couple of bullets made by small manufacturers specifically with a tool that shaves off a thin layer of brass. Most lathe- for benchrest shooting, but the most accurate load turned type case trimmers can be used for the job, and I’ve turned out to be the 65-grain Berger with 30.0 grains of Hodgdon a bunch of necks with my old Forster trimmer. It does a Benchmark, not one of the usual suspects in bench shoot- decent job, but really precise turning’s normally done with ing, though some competitors use it. After some experi- a hand-tool like the Sinclair in the photo, page 8. mentation with seating depth, 5-shot groups at 100 yards However, I only neck-turn brass for my 6mm PPC averaged .18 inch—in the ones, but barely. I thought this benchrest rifle and my new 6XC by Charlie Sisk, another was pretty good for a scope not usually considered ap- heavy rifle with one of the customized “700 footprint” actions propriate for serious benchrest shooting. he turned out a few years ago. Both rifles are so precisely Just as nifty, to me anyway, was the fact that made accuracy can definitely be improved by neck-turning, 5-shot groups with 55-grain Nosler Ballistic Tips averaged but most hunting rifles have looser tolerances, to allow sure just about ¼ inch with two different powders, Benchmark chambering and extraction in the field. Consequently neck- and CFE223—and the Benchmark load averaged 3500 fps turning doesn’t normally improve accuracy, but sorting brass at the muzzle. The Bushnell 6500 can be used as a dialing for reasonably consistent neck-thickness can. scope, and the 55-grain Ballistic Tip load turned it into a One reason I use my RCBS Casemaster more pretty good 500-yard prairie dog rifle. than any other concentricity gauge is it also measures Now for the rest of the story. During a visit to neck-thickness. Cases for varmint rifles are sorted for no Western Powders in Miles City, Montana, a couple years more than .001 inch in variation, while in most big game ago, they gave me some of their new Accurate LT-30 and rounds I’m looking for a maximum of .0015. Cases for LT-32 powders. LT-32 had become all the rage among calibers from around .35 up work fine with no more than short-range benchresters, and by golly groups shrank .002 inch variation. slightly in my rifle too, at least with the 65-grain Berger A recent example was a Weatherby Mark V Ultra bullet. Accuracy with the 55-grain Ballistics Tips declined Lightweight in 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum, loaned to me slightly. for an article on handloading their latest super-zapper. I In 2016 Lee Hoots, the editor of Handloader bought 40 Weatherby cases which, since they’re made by magazine, asked me to test some Sellier & Bellot prim- Norma, are usually quite uniform. These were: 37 of the ers. These can sometimes be found at lower prices than 40 had necks varying less than .0015 inch, and the other American-made primers, and some handloaders like their three measured around .002. performance. I said sure, and ordered two bricks, one of The Ultra Lightweights, like all newer Weatherby large-rifle primers and one of small-rifle. rifles, are normally very accurate, but their slim, fluted The test consisted of substituting the S&B’s in barrels can make them pretty particular about the loads various handloads already worked up for eight rifles. they shoot well. Cartridges with lots of powder room for Among the rifles chosen was, naturally, the Erhardt 6mm their caliber also tend to be touchy, but after sorting the PPC. Lo and behold, the S&B’s resulted in a slight but brass I was able to come up with loads for four bullets, measureable difference in the accuracy of the 65-grain from the 127-grain Barnes LRX to the 143-grain Hornady Berger with LT-32. Between the new powder and primer, ELD-X, that grouped well under an inch for three shots at I now own a benchrest rifle that groups an average of .03 100 yards. (The most accurate load used the 140-grain inch smaller at 100 yards! That’s only about 1/32nd of an Nosler Partition, which some shooters would find aston- inch, but amounts to an improvement of 20% over the ishing, though I didn’t. But that’s another story.) original load, putting the rifle firmly in the “middle ones.” However, for most factory big game rifles you Many hunters would be extremely happy with a 20% in- don’t need a gauge to measure neck-thickness unifor- crease in accuracy. mity. Instead, trim the cases and chamfer them lightly, Which is exactly why I bought this rifle, and con- then look at the shiny ring around each dark mouth with tinue to dink with loads. Its superb accuracy demonstrates a $2 magnifying glass. You’ll be able to see if any necks how changes in techniques or components can affect our vary significantly in thickness. Set those aside for offhand handloads. It’s a VERY honest rifle, so honest it speaks practice, and use the cases with consistent neck-thickness more accuracy truth than any of my others, and I suspect to work up handloads. Colonel Whelen would find it extremely interesting. ~10~ The Back Burner

The Conflicts of Public Hunting Land ants) were sometimes allowed to take small game, but JB since they usually weren’t allowed to own weapons, they primarily used traps and snares. The fictional character When I was growing up and starting to hunt in Robin Hood was an outlaw because he and his band Montana, plenty of public land was a given—and some- of merry men used longbows to poach deer, the King’s times included private land. Until relatively recently, up- game. (No wonder they were merry.) land bird hunters could legally hunt unposted private Americans designed a more equitable society, land, and often did. This was a strange law, since it by- and one of the by-products became known as “the North passed property rights and American model of wildlife conser- didn’t include big game vation,” where wild game doesn’t hunting, no doubt because belong to the landowner. Instead birdshot posed little dan- game is held in trust for citizens ger to livestock, buildings by their states, provinces and— and humans. The wardens sometimes—national governments, of the Fish, Wildlife and which regulate hunting to insure a Parks Department basically reasonable chance for everybody to ignored trespassing laws participate. until big game rifle seasons I’ve hunted in several countries opened in October—unless, following the European model of of course, the trespasser game belonging to the landowner, wasn’t carrying a , and not just in Europe. After pur- or was stupid enough to chasing a hunting license, hunters shoot near a ranch house. must also pay landowners for any Eventually, however, many people from other game killed, though that doesn’t always guarantee hunt- states “discovered” western upland hunting, partly be- ers the entire animal. When I hunted red stag in the Czech cause upland birds declined in many other places. More Republic in 1992, the fee to the landowner only bought bird hunters meant more people hopping fences to hunt the head, hide and innards. The meat cost extra, because private land, so more landowners started objecting, and game meat is sold commercially in most of Europe, as the law was changed. well as other countries around the world. (“Market hunt- Conflicts between various laws have always- ex ing” was common in North America into the early 20th isted, even in America, the land of the free. The classic century, partly because the supply of wild game seemed example is not being allowed to yell “Fire!” in crowded endless, but eventually we realized it wasn’t, and made buildings (unless of course there’s actually a fire), despite selling wild game illegal—also part of the North American the First Amendment of the Constitution plainly stating, model.) “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of In some ways the European model works pretty speech.” Another legal conflict also applies to hunting, and well, since placing a price on game enhances its value to in fact was part of the reason for Montana allowing upland the landowner, a common argument for hunting in Africa: hunters to hop fences. The landowner gets paid, whether a rancher, native tribe This conflict goes back to when our country was or, in the instance of parks or reserves, the government. established. One of several things Americans hated about (Hunting in parks is common in Africa and Europe, but Britain and Europe was that wild game belonged to the also occurs in a few parks in the U.S., including national owner of the land it lived on, and landowners were often parks.) royalty. One little-mentioned aspect of royalty is how they This monetary return provides an incentive to originally became royal: They forcibly took land from oth- conserve wild game and habitat, the reason outlawing er people, especially those they eventually called “com- the sale of elephant ivory or rhino horn does more harm moners.” than good. By eliminating a legally-controlled commer- To royalty, hunting eventually became not a cial market, it creates a black market, increasing prices means of obtaining food but a political pastime, much like enormously, thus encouraging poaching on the poorest business golf. They reserved huge tracts of land where continent on earth. In many parts of Africa, ivory and only royals could hunt, and commoners caught poaching rhino-horn poachers are shot on sight, something many were severely punished. Commoners (also called peas- American hunters support, though they wouldn’t have ~11~ supported punishing poachers of “the King’s deer” in Eng- the Federal formation of the District of Columbia, it also land. includes “like Authority over all Places purchased by the However, the European model makes hunting Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same more expensive. While I’ve encountered hunters of aver- shall be, for the erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, age means in European countries, their opportunity is far dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings.” In other words, more limited than over here. In Norway I hunted with military installations for the defense of the nation. employees of a major hydro-power company, who as a The counter-argument is another part of the Con- perk were allowed to hunt company land surrounding stitution, Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2: “The Congress private reservoirs. But if they changed jobs, or the com- shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules pany changed its policy, they’d have to pay to hunt. (A and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property similar situation sometimes exists here, especially in east- belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Consti- ern North America. A friend from northern Maine used tution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of to hunt huge tracts of timber company land, but public the United States, or of any particular State.” This sounds access ended several years ago due to liability problems.) like Federally-owned land is legal, and the Supreme Court Today, many American landowners lease the has ruled to that effect a number of times going back to hunting rights to their land, or charge hunters a “trespass the mid-1800’s. fee” to gain access to game belonging to all of us. Some It’s also exactly why the United States has been states even sell tags to landowners, who can then re- able to purchase a LOT of land since the country was sell them on the open market with an added-on trespass founded, including 1803’s Louisiana Purchase of the Mis- fee—often amounting to big bucks, for big bucks. Some sissippi River drainage from France in 1803, doubling the hunters object to landowner tags, because they seem size of our young nation. In fact, the Lewis and Clark Ex- dangerously close to the European model, even though pedition, formally named the Corps of Discovery, was an the meat can’t be sold. Army survey of the Louisiana Purchase along the Missouri Another contradiction of the North American River, the major tributary of the Mississippi. We’ve also model is the raising of privately-owned deer, elk or oth- purchased some other good-sized chunks of countryside er “wild” animals as livestock. Game ranching’s legal in from other nations, including southern Arizona and New many North American states and Canadian provinces, Mexico from Old Mexico (the Gadsden Purchase of 1847), and a major source of chronic wasting disease, due to and 1867’s Alaska Purchase from Russia. importation of ranch-grown animals from other parts of A second objection to Federal land ownership is the U.S and Canada. assuming state governments will take better care of lo- Game ranching’s been legal in Montana for a long cal public land than cumbersome Washington-based bu- time, but started growing considerably about 25-30 reaucracies. Here in Montana, state lands (as in many years ago, for the same reason more non-residents came other states) are legally bound to create income for public to Montana to hunt upland birds: Hunting became more schools, due to the U.S. Enabling Act of 1889, allowing difficult in other parts of the country, due to increased the territories of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota urbanization. This increased demand from “hunters” who and Washington to form state governments and enter the don’t mind shooting animals (in particular large-antlered Union. bull elk) in what are essentially livestock pastures. The Enabling Act says “the people inhabiting said As game ranching grew, resistance also grew proposed States do agree and declare that they forever among more hunters, partly due to the threat of chron- disclaim all right and title to the unappropriated public ic wasting disease. In 2000 a Montana voter initiative [Federal] lands lying within the boundaries thereof.… banned “hunting” game-ranched animals, along with new That provision shall be made for the establishment and game ranches, and the transfer of licenses for existing maintenance of systems of public schools, which shall ranches. Elk ranchers can still sell the meat, hides and be open to all the children of said States, and free from antlers, but those don’t generate nearly as much profit as sectarian control…. That upon the admission of each of “hunts.” (If you order elk steak or burgers in a restaurant, said States into the Union sections numbered sixteen and the meat’s ranch-raised, because it’s illegal to sell meat thirty-six in every township of said proposed States…are from wild elk.) This of course conflicted with private prop- hereby granted to said States for the support of common erty rights, and some landowners sued, but so far the schools….” law’s held up in court, because the wild elk belonging to As a result, Montana’s so-called “school sec- all of us took precedence over the private elk owned by a tions” didn’t follow the multiple-use mandate of Federal few. lands. Often they were leased to farmers and ranchers, Federal agencies administrate the vast major- who could legally post the state land against trespassing. ity of public land west of the Mississippi, primarily the This seemed strange to some Montana citizens, because Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Some other states covered by the Enabling Act allowed public Americans, however, firmly believe the United States gov- access to their state land. Eventually a compromise was ernment can’t legally own land, or only own very small reached—a fee paid by anybody who wanted to hike, fish amounts. or hunt on state land, adding to school funding. This belief’s based on part of the U.S. Constitu- This made quite a few landowners angry, because tion, Article I, Section 8, Clause 17. Primarily concerning they’d always regarded leased state land as theirs. (I’ve ~12~ even known one rancher who built his house on a school What’s Next? section.) For a few years after the change, some ranchers Our next issue is November 2017--the 15th in fact-- were so mad they refused to allow hunting on any of their right when the whitetail and mule deer bucks throw cau- land, but things have since cooled down. tion to the wind. (At least in Montana.) A lot of hunters Public land is an almost essential part of the North do the same, given that there’s usually only a few days American Model, since without free or cheap access many left to the season and, since Thanksgiving weekend is in hunters can’t afford to hunt—and if we turn over Federal the mix, lots of competition out there in the woods that lands to the states, some will inevitably end up in pri- last week. I have a hidey-hole I like to sit in then, where vate hands. In fact, about 70% of the Federal land that’s the grass is long and quite crisp by November. I go in been transferred to states since the early, with lunch, hot tea and a founding of America has ended up book, and just sit until it’s time privately owned. Much was land for the animals and hunters to granted to states east of the Mis- start moving. The crackly vegeta- sissippi in the 1800’s to encourage tion provides a wake-up call for settlement, but state lands are still both caution and opportunity, but being sold or traded off in some more than once the thick cover western states. About 15 years ago and narrow lanes have given me Eileen and I hunted quail in southern only a fleeting glimpse of big ant- Arizona with a friend from the Tuc- lers chasing lovely does. It’s a son area, and we were blocked from trade-off. That’s where the big hunting a public canyon, by a chunk guys are that time of year, but of former state land at the mouth of you have to get really lucky to the canyon that had been traded to get a good enough look to actu- a real estate developer. ally put one in the freezer. On As to whether state lands the other hand I know if another are more effectively managed than hunter is nearby. Federal lands, it depends. Some For now, it’s still summer, and state-owned timberlands in Montana John and I are working on the are managed pretty well, especially next big projects. Yes, John is since National Forests have become planning on Gun Gack II, though plagued by lawsuits contesting al- I have no idea what stage he’s at most any timber sale. But most state until he hands over the CD. All sections leased for ranching are I know is there’s still some car- vastly overgrazed compared to Bu- tridges and opinions that didn’t reau of Land Management tracts. make it into GGI and rumor is, Some pretty good-sized he’s going to fix that. chunks of Federal land also exist In the kitchen I’ve decided east of the Mississippi, the largest that the world needs more tasty Superior National Forest in northern jerky and pepperoni sticks made Minnesota, at 3270 square miles al- from wild game. It seems appro- most as large as Yellowstone Park. Several of over 1000 priate for hunters to carry wild snack sticks while they’re square miles exist in other states, including Florida, Loui- out hunting.... So I started with a Canada goose that was siana, Maine and Michigan. Eileen and I have also hunted lurking in the freezer, and brined it in the pastrami brine National Forest land for ruffed grouse and woodcock near from Tenderize the Wild (page 175), then sliced it all into Crystal Falls, Michigan. ¼” thick lengths and slow cooked it at 175°F for 4 hours Many of the people who want Federal lands trans- on metal grids in the oven. It’s amazing. (And I dare any- ferred to the states admit their ultimate aim is making one who doesn’t like goose to realize that’s what they’re all public land private. If this happens, leasing of hunt- eating!) From there I’ve moved on to bear meat, which ing rights and charging trespassing fees will become the gets no respect, and am on my third batch of yummy hot rule, not the exception. As in much of Europe, hunting will sticks--a combination of onion powder, garlic powder, salt primarily become a pastime of the elite, not the average and red pepper flakes that John loved from the start but “commoner,” and America was founded for the greater I’ve now toned down, but both versions will make it into good of all its citizens, not just a few. the cookbook because--some like it hot. If you believe in public hunting and the North So, a working title? How about Slice, Dice, Chop and American model of wildlife conservation, you might con- Grind: Snack sticks and jerky for the Hunter? Or, Chew: sider joining a group like Backcountry Hunters & Anglers The complete guide to wild jerky, pepperoni sticks and (www.backcountryhunters.org), a group founded in 2004 pemmican? Or even, The Anti-Vegetarian’s guide to meat specifically to keep public ground open and wild. It’s be- snacks? Or Five Times a Day: Get more meat in your diet? come a major voice in preserving our hunting heritage, I’m groping, here: [email protected]. and not just for us, but our descendants. ~13~