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An Elsie Education
On behalf of the L.C. Smith Collectors Association, I wish to thank you and the editorial staff of Shooting Sportsman for publishing the well-written article by Michael McIntosh, "Sweet Elsie's Charm," in July/August. The article provides the insightful history and features of the L.C. Smith shotgun. The photography by Terry Allen is magnificent! It shows the delightful engraving artwork found on L.C. Smith guns. One objective of our mission statement is "to stimulate and educate members and the public in their knowledge of the history and production of the L.C. Smith shotgun." How could this be done better than through a very informative article written by double-gun expert Michael McIntosh for publication in your prestigious magazine? Thank you again for a job well done.
Frank Finch, Executive Director
L.C. Smith Collectors Association
Traditional Threats
I write to you regarding a subject that has concerned our community for quite some time, and the problem is getting worse. I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Boatwright's letter in September/October: The continuing loss of hunting lands to private commercial operations may very well be the biggest threat to our hunting traditions. I would like to recommend an excellent article on this subject: "Commerce, Conservation & The Democracy of Hunting," by Jim Posewitz, appears in the summer issue of Pheasants Forever Magazine.
I have heard some of the comments about your magazine being "elitist" and, although I'm not criticizing your fine publication (which I do enjoy very much), I do think it can be used to illustrate the issue. There are numerous advertisements in your magazine for private commercial hunting operations. As an exercise, I researched a couple of them just for information. In general, three days hunting at one of these places costs more than my entire-season quail lease and my annual eight-day trip to South Dakota and Kansas. Again, this is not a criticism. I'm sure those operations provide a superb hunting experience. However, they do remove access to large parcels of hunting lands for the majority of the hunting population. I also recognize that my modest quail lease does the same for those less fortunate than myself.
As Mr. Posewitz points out, it's all about the dollar, and we need to find a way around that barrier if our hunting heritage is to survive. Public hunting is part of the answer and provides experiences ranging from excellent to overcrowded/over-hunted. Some states are doing the best they can, but they are struggling uphill against the dollars of the commercial operations and outfitters. I certainly don't begrudge them making a living; however, we all need to work together to find a way forward or accept the condition where the average working man cannot afford to hunt.
I don't have any easy answers. Perhaps a start would be for each of us to take a youngster hunting at our expense. Another step we can take is to support the many conservation organizations that work to improve habitat and provide opportunities to hunt. Finally, I would like to recommend another piece of reading. Gene Hill touches on this subject as only he could in his story "Time-And This Place" in his book A Listening Walk.
P.A. Barry
Highland Village, Texas
Stories for the Common Man
I've been an on-again, off-again subscriber to Shooting Sportsman for a number of years and do enjoy your magazine even though I can't afford 99 percent of what you advertise, nor am I financially able to even consider the hunts you cover on private ranches or in other countries.
I was actually refreshed by the story "Lonely Shores," by Don Thomas, in July/ August, because it was written by and about a freelance hunter hunting on "public" land. And for the benefit of most of your advertisers and a goodly number of your readers, the difference between hunting on public land and shooting on private property is as big as the difference between carrying a Browning or Benelli and owning a Boss or Bosis.
Keep up the good work, and try to include a few more stories we common folk can relate to.
Peter Struck
Via e-mail
Rules Are for Fools
Having recently returned from a hunting trip to Uruguay, I would like to comment on recent letters to the editor regarding ethics and piles of birds setting a poor example of resource conservation. As a dedicated Nevada snowcock hunter of some 15 years and having hunted every legal bird available in the Western US, I looked forward to bird hunting in South America. My goal was a quality hunt without numbers attached, focusing on perdiz, but with the opportunity to also enjoy pigeons and doves.
Los Gauchos Outfitters set us up at Estancia La Paz, where the perdiz hunting was fabulous, the dogwork remarkable and the food and lodging beyond compare. My hunting companion remarked after the first day that this trip could not get any better, yet it continued to improve for the next 31/2 days. We fired 750 rounds between us and easily could have shot two or three times as many if we had wanted to.
Only the individual hunter will know at the end of the day if he followed his own morals and ethics. Rules are for fools who wouldn't follow any law written to ensure decent behavior. Most of the hunters I know are not fools.
Bob Steele
Sparks, Nevada
The Right Start
In July/August I took note of the letter from Carolyn Borgman ("A Not-So-Average Reader"). Several things come to mind to help her get started hunting.
First, take and pass the hunter-safety course offered by the state game department. Although this course is not the be-all and end-all, most states require it to obtain a license. It will serve you well to have this knowledge in your lexicon of information.
Go back to the excellent article by Michael McIntosh (Shooting: "No Quarter Asked or Given," Nov/Dec 2001) that shows you why quartering targets are so important to practice to hone your game-shooting skills.
It's not a bad idea to start hunting over a dog, as not only will this be a wonderful experience but also you and the dog will find more birds and lose fewer when they are hit. For this reason, hunting with a guide or an experienced hunter who has a dog makes sense.
You will need the right clothing, particularly footwear and pants. You can get by during the early upland-bird season without a jacket, so see if this is your "cup of tea." If you get into waterfowling, then you will need a complete set of clothing and likely wading gear. Get the ladies stuff fitted to your needs.
Always focus on the leading edge of the bird-beak or feet or "shoulder," never the beating wings.
Perfect your gun mount, as 85 to 90 percent of birds in the field are missed because of the mount. Shooting sporting clays without a pre-mounted gun is a great way to get there.
Make sure that the speed of the load you shoot in practice is within 50 fps of the load you will use in hunting, as this make your sight picture right in all settings. But you will probably miss your first few field birds in front due to the effect of adrenalin when the bird flushes. It's OK; you will settle down.
Remember: The worst day in the fields, woods or sloughs is always better than the best day working. Have a great time with the experience.
Bob Shannon
Via e-mail
On behalf of the L.C. Smith Collectors Association, I wish to thank you and the editorial staff of Shooting Sportsman for publishing the well-written article by Michael McIntosh, "Sweet Elsie's Charm," in July/August. The article provides the insightful history and features of the L.C. Smith shotgun. The photography by Terry Allen is magnificent! It shows the delightful engraving artwork found on L.C. Smith guns. One objective of our mission statement is "to stimulate and educate members and the public in their knowledge of the history and production of the L.C. Smith shotgun." How could this be done better than through a very informative article written by double-gun expert Michael McIntosh for publication in your prestigious magazine? Thank you again for a job well done.
Frank Finch, Executive Director
L.C. Smith Collectors Association
Traditional Threats
I write to you regarding a subject that has concerned our community for quite some time, and the problem is getting worse. I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Boatwright's letter in September/October: The continuing loss of hunting lands to private commercial operations may very well be the biggest threat to our hunting traditions. I would like to recommend an excellent article on this subject: "Commerce, Conservation & The Democracy of Hunting," by Jim Posewitz, appears in the summer issue of Pheasants Forever Magazine.
I have heard some of the comments about your magazine being "elitist" and, although I'm not criticizing your fine publication (which I do enjoy very much), I do think it can be used to illustrate the issue. There are numerous advertisements in your magazine for private commercial hunting operations. As an exercise, I researched a couple of them just for information. In general, three days hunting at one of these places costs more than my entire-season quail lease and my annual eight-day trip to South Dakota and Kansas. Again, this is not a criticism. I'm sure those operations provide a superb hunting experience. However, they do remove access to large parcels of hunting lands for the majority of the hunting population. I also recognize that my modest quail lease does the same for those less fortunate than myself.
As Mr. Posewitz points out, it's all about the dollar, and we need to find a way around that barrier if our hunting heritage is to survive. Public hunting is part of the answer and provides experiences ranging from excellent to overcrowded/over-hunted. Some states are doing the best they can, but they are struggling uphill against the dollars of the commercial operations and outfitters. I certainly don't begrudge them making a living; however, we all need to work together to find a way forward or accept the condition where the average working man cannot afford to hunt.
I don't have any easy answers. Perhaps a start would be for each of us to take a youngster hunting at our expense. Another step we can take is to support the many conservation organizations that work to improve habitat and provide opportunities to hunt. Finally, I would like to recommend another piece of reading. Gene Hill touches on this subject as only he could in his story "Time-And This Place" in his book A Listening Walk.
P.A. Barry
Highland Village, Texas
Stories for the Common Man
I've been an on-again, off-again subscriber to Shooting Sportsman for a number of years and do enjoy your magazine even though I can't afford 99 percent of what you advertise, nor am I financially able to even consider the hunts you cover on private ranches or in other countries.
I was actually refreshed by the story "Lonely Shores," by Don Thomas, in July/ August, because it was written by and about a freelance hunter hunting on "public" land. And for the benefit of most of your advertisers and a goodly number of your readers, the difference between hunting on public land and shooting on private property is as big as the difference between carrying a Browning or Benelli and owning a Boss or Bosis.
Keep up the good work, and try to include a few more stories we common folk can relate to.
Peter Struck
Via e-mail
Rules Are for Fools
Having recently returned from a hunting trip to Uruguay, I would like to comment on recent letters to the editor regarding ethics and piles of birds setting a poor example of resource conservation. As a dedicated Nevada snowcock hunter of some 15 years and having hunted every legal bird available in the Western US, I looked forward to bird hunting in South America. My goal was a quality hunt without numbers attached, focusing on perdiz, but with the opportunity to also enjoy pigeons and doves.
Los Gauchos Outfitters set us up at Estancia La Paz, where the perdiz hunting was fabulous, the dogwork remarkable and the food and lodging beyond compare. My hunting companion remarked after the first day that this trip could not get any better, yet it continued to improve for the next 31/2 days. We fired 750 rounds between us and easily could have shot two or three times as many if we had wanted to.
Only the individual hunter will know at the end of the day if he followed his own morals and ethics. Rules are for fools who wouldn't follow any law written to ensure decent behavior. Most of the hunters I know are not fools.
Bob Steele
Sparks, Nevada
The Right Start
In July/August I took note of the letter from Carolyn Borgman ("A Not-So-Average Reader"). Several things come to mind to help her get started hunting.
First, take and pass the hunter-safety course offered by the state game department. Although this course is not the be-all and end-all, most states require it to obtain a license. It will serve you well to have this knowledge in your lexicon of information.
Go back to the excellent article by Michael McIntosh (Shooting: "No Quarter Asked or Given," Nov/Dec 2001) that shows you why quartering targets are so important to practice to hone your game-shooting skills.
It's not a bad idea to start hunting over a dog, as not only will this be a wonderful experience but also you and the dog will find more birds and lose fewer when they are hit. For this reason, hunting with a guide or an experienced hunter who has a dog makes sense.
You will need the right clothing, particularly footwear and pants. You can get by during the early upland-bird season without a jacket, so see if this is your "cup of tea." If you get into waterfowling, then you will need a complete set of clothing and likely wading gear. Get the ladies stuff fitted to your needs.
Always focus on the leading edge of the bird-beak or feet or "shoulder," never the beating wings.
Perfect your gun mount, as 85 to 90 percent of birds in the field are missed because of the mount. Shooting sporting clays without a pre-mounted gun is a great way to get there.
Make sure that the speed of the load you shoot in practice is within 50 fps of the load you will use in hunting, as this make your sight picture right in all settings. But you will probably miss your first few field birds in front due to the effect of adrenalin when the bird flushes. It's OK; you will settle down.
Remember: The worst day in the fields, woods or sloughs is always better than the best day working. Have a great time with the experience.
Bob Shannon
Via e-mail
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