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Category: “Aw shucks
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ETHICS OR ELITISM? BY DAVE WORKMAN
DAVE MAKES THE MISTAKE OF SHOWING A GROUSE PHOTO
Dave posted this photo, which Insider readers have seen before,
to introduce himself to a group of grouse hunting devotees recently.
It ignited a lively debate because, well, he didn’t use a shotgun.
It was an innocent-enough mistake — well, not really a mistake; perhaps an error in polite judgment — but it provided an opportunity for some folks to examine their principles, and maybe their perspectives, on a question for which there may be no satisfactory answer.
This started with an invitation to join an online group devoted to grouse hunting. It’s one of my favorite early-fall activities. It was sheer coincidence the invitation somewhat coincided with my work on last week’s column about working on my classic Ruger Standard .22-caliber semi-auto pistol. I’ve killed grouse with this pistol, and with my much newer Ruger MKIV, and it was the posting of an image of me with the newer pistol and a dead grouse, to sort of introduce myself which ignited the fireworks.
Considering a handful of reactions, you’d have thought I punched the Pope. I sensed there might be a problem when one guy remarked, “Not how I would ever shoot a grouse short of being starving.” Ooookay!
Another fellow chimed in, “Shotgun & bird dog more sporting.” A third stated, “They would stand a chance if you let them fly.” A fourth gent sneered, “Try wing shooting them like a grown up.” If everyone agreed all of the time, I wouldn’t have anything to write about.
There were ample defenders of my plugging a fool hen with a handgun — dubbed “ground swatting” and it’s not a compliment — including the very diplomatic group administrator, who sagely observed, “It’s not my preferred method of harvesting them, nor do I believe I (or anyone else) am entitled to be condescending of your methods. We are all part of the hunting community. Congratulations on your successes with your preferred method of harvesting! Shoot straight & often in your upcoming season!”
In my defense, one guy wrote, “I’ve always enjoyed the holier-than-thou faction of the grouse hunting community.” Another observed, “Head shooting spooky grouse with a pistol is more of an accomplishment than with a rifle or shotgun on the wing.”
In all, more than 185 comments were generated, and it reminded me of my days as managing editor of a monthly publication about hunter education. Frequently, somebody would bring up “ethics,” and as one might guess, one person’s ethics sometimes turned out to be another guy’s definition of elitism.
In this case, I found myself up against some folks who religiously hunt over dogs, using shotguns, and anyone doing it differently is apparently … something less.
Elmer Did It, Too!
My guess is that the purist dog crowd never heard of Elmer Keith, whose name is hardly strange to American Handgunner and GUNS Magazine readers. Keith was the father of long-range handgunning, and his 600-yard shot on a wounded mule deer buck with a .44 Magnum is the stuff of legend. On page 126 of my revised 1961 edition of “Sixguns By Keith” is a photo of Elmer taken in 1932. He’s holding three dead blue grouse in his left hand and a Smith & Wesson .38/44 in his right.
During my online discussion with the grouse group, I and a couple of other people explained to the crowd how shooting grouse with handguns is completely legal and something of a tradition in western states, which seemed to surprise some of those folks. To prove it, I contacted wildlife agencies in Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Utah and Oregon. They all allow shooting grouse with rimfires, and it is safe to conclude birds taken in such a way are shot on the ground or sitting on a stump or tree limb.
Is it ethical? Here’s where the fun begins. Wingshooting purists don’t care for it, while everyone else seems to at least understand it or embrace it. Last year, I wrote an Insider column about using pistols for small game which seemed to have been read by many of my pals. It’s hardly a “lost art,” and it takes more than mediocre skill to maintain consistency.
Balance shooting a grouse off a tree limb with a pistol at 20-25 yards or farther against walking in on a bird holding tight to cover because of a good dog hovering close. When the unfortunate fowl finally explodes from cover, it will be facing a spreading payload of birdshot, as opposed to dodging a single projectile. Which is truly more “sporting?”
Yes, Dave does hunt fool hens with a shotgun.
Here’s proof he’s not a complete ogre.
What is ‘Fair Chase?’
People talk about “fair chase.” What is that, exactly? According to the Boone and Crockett Club, fair chase “is the ethical, sportsmanlike, and lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper or unfair advantage over the game animals.” Okay.
Straight from the B&C website come these tenets:
1. Obey all applicable laws and regulations.
2. Respect the customs of the locale where the hunting occurs.
3. Exercise a personal code of behavior that reflects favorably on your abilities and sensibilities as a hunter.
4. Attain and maintain the skills necessary to make the kill as certain and quick as possible.
5 .Behave in a way that will bring no dishonor to either the hunter, the hunted, or the environment.
6. Recognize that these tenets are intended to enhance the hunter’s experience of the relationship between predator and prey, which is one of the most fundamental relationships of humans and their environment.
Well, whaddaya know, items #1 and #2 apply directly to my situation, as well as #3 and #4. Evidently #5 is subject to some dispute (I’d suggest taking it up with Elmer!), and #6 seems open to personal judgment at the end of the day when the game bag may be full or not.
Here, again, sportsmen and women do not necessarily concur on the finer points. I know guys who have stalked game over considerable distances in order to get close enough for a clean, humane shot. Is that different than someone who may be on wide-open ground, and who takes an accurate shot at several hundred yards, using a rifle chambered for a long-range caliber?
Yet there are some in the outdoors with a “my way or the highway” approach. They tend to look down their noses at others who do things differently. This may be where “ethics” becomes “elitism.” Not everyone can afford a hunting dog, nor do they have the time or a home big enough, and neither can they afford a hunting lease.
Having hunted on public and private land, and a couple of times by invitation at a “hunting club” or “preserve,” I’m not sure there is a pat answer about fair chase, despite what B&C says. It’s not clear whether anyone at B&C ever hunted blue grouse, a bird of such remarkable stupidity at times that it will freeze in place or run along on the ground rather than take wing. Birds that dumb might deserve getting plugged by me, or Elmer.
Question: Is “fair chase” going without a professional guide? If you hire a guide, is that somehow less “fair” than hunting on your own? Maybe there is no correct answer, so we each do what, in our hearts, is the “right” thing; what you’d do if grandpa was watching. Maybe that’s ethics, and in some ways, it might be tinged with a bit of elitism.
And Then There’s This
My state’s wildlife agency encourages hunters to:
• Be considerate of non-hunters’ sensibilities and strive to leave them with positive images of hunting and hunters.
• Do not flaunt your harvested animals.
My reaction on social media was to be as considerate of non-hunters’ sensibilities as they are to mine (I’ve had people yell how they wished I’d get shot). I recall “big buck” contests held at local sporting goods stores in the days of my youth, when hunters were encouraged to show off their successes. There’s noting wrong with this. Yet nowadays hunters are encouraged to cover up their game, as if to hide what we do.
Back On Target
Last time I lamented one of my Ruger .22 pistols was shooting low and left. Practice pays off because a couple of hundred rounds has gone downrange since our last visit, and my pistol is back on track.
Dave’s classic Ruger appears ready to rock after return visits t
o the range. More than 40 shots went into this target from 15 yards.
Small game hunting ought to be fun this fall!
It still shoots a bit low, so all I’ve got to do is raise the front sight just a bit, or gently stone it down a bit. Windage seems to be fine — I didn’t do a thing to change it — so maybe I was just a bit rusty.
The great thing about practicing to shoot small game with a rimfire sidearm is being able to afford lots of ammunition and having the time to leisurely burn it up.
At some point, I may have to change my bullet weight from 40 to 36 grains, or simply switch brands of ammunition. I doubt there will be an effort to drift the rear sight slightly to the right (I’ve got a sight adjustment tool from Brownells for this purpose), but at least the equipment is at hand.
I was using different ammunition to punch the target in the accompanying image; 36-grain lead hollowpoints, where previously I was shooting 40-grain RNL ammunition.
Learn from my experience. Even with all the years I’ve had shooting handguns, my skills can suffer without regular range visits. You are no more or less prone to share the same experience at some point. Don’t throw in the towel, find out where the problem is and adjust accordingly.
Shoulda Known Better
You might think a fellow in his early 60s would know better than trying to break into a home, with a gun in his hand, especially in Missouri.
Recently, Fox News reported an incident in which an older guy — who probably should have been enjoying his senior years in a lounge chair or on a porch somewhere — entered a home in Missouri’s McDonald County. Only too late did this guy discover he had picked the wrong house. The residents were there, and both had guns of their own.
According to the narrative, the suspect in this caper fired at the homeowners. Probably to his surprise, they shot back. He missed, they didn’t. He wasn’t killed, just wounded in both legs. The homeowners held their unwelcome guest for the local sheriff’s department.
No News is Good News
Rasmussen is a seasoned polling firm, and their survey results are typically spot-on, so when they recently did a poll on media trustworthiness, it was worthy of attention.
Turns out 25% of likely voters don’t think the major news networks are reliable. Another 25% like Fox News, 13% favor CNN, while 12% trust MSNBC, Rasmussen noted. The “big three” are in single digits: NBC and ABC (7% apiece) and CBS (6%).
“Fifty-eight percent (58%) of voters believe the problem of bias in the news media is getting worse,” Rasmussen said, “compared to just 13% who think the problem is getting better. Twenty-six percent (26%) say the media bias problem is about the same as usual.”
The Pentagon announced Monday that it had finished withdrawing U.S. forces from a $110 million military base in Niger, Africa, as the nation’s ruling regime takes over.
Niger’s Air Base 201 previously hosted hundreds of U.S. troops who have now evacuated at the request of the country’s military junta. The Pentagon said in a statement on Monday that all remaining forces and assets at the base have been withdrawn as final evacuation efforts come to a close.
“This effort began on May 19 following the mutual establishment of withdrawal conditions and coordination will continue between U.S. and Nigerien armed forces over the coming weeks to ensure the full withdrawal is complete as planned,” a statement from the Pentagon reads. “The effective cooperation and communication between the U.S. and Nigerien armed forces ensured that this turnover was finished ahead of schedule and without complications.”
American soldiers in front of military vehicles that they are preparing to board a cargo plane in Niamey on June 7, 2024 during the ceremony for the first departure of American troops from Niger. (Photo by BOUREIMA HAMA/AFP via Getty Images)
Some U.S. troops will remain at the U.S. Embassy in Niger while final withdrawal operations are completed in the coming weeks, according to The New York Times. Some equipment from Air Base 201 was shipped out, such as weaponry, but other equipment was left behind.
The U.S. relationship with Niger began to unravel after the country’s military regime toppled the democratic system in mid-2023, sending the nation spiraling into chaos. The regime was adamant that it did not want the U.S. to maintain a presence in Niger and demanded its immediate withdrawal.
Attempts to negotiate with the military regime largely failed as the country became increasingly hostile to troops stationed in the country. Officials issued a formal order in May to begin evacuating U.S. forces over the coming months, with the last of troops expected to depart from Niger by mid-September, according to the Times.
Some prominent U.S. defense officials argue that not having forces in Niger limits the U.S.’ ability to conduct counterterrorism operations against extremist and terrorist groups in the Sahel region.
TOPSHOT – Niger’s security officers stand guard as supporters of Niger’s National Council of Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) gather oustide Niger and French airbase in Niamey on September 3, 2023, to demand the departure of the French army from Niger. (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
“This does make safeguarding U.S. security interests in the Sahel that much harder,” Maj. Gen. Kenneth P. Ekman of the Air Force, tasked with overseeing the withdrawal, told the Times in July. “The threats from ISIS and Al Qaeda in the region are getting worse every day.”
However, some defense experts and former U.S. officials who previously spoke to the Daily Caller News Foundation believed that withdrawing forces from Niger was the right decision, given that they were falling under an increasing amount of danger from the country’s hostile government and population. Boots on the ground are not necessarily needed to conduct counterterrorism operations, as the U.S. has other extensive military and intelligence capabilities, experts told the DCNF.
“What the [Biden administration] was not understanding, is that these guys are cold-blooded. This new government in Niger? They don’t care. They do not want the United States involved in their country,” Michael DiMino, a former CIA official and senior fellow at Defense Priorities, told the DCNF. “There was this denialism for several months that, ‘We can salvage this, we did fix this.’”
The Pentagon and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Categories
“Don’t give a shit”
The United Nation’s Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons In All Its Aspects (PoA) is now almost 23 years old. With a lack of any meaningful measurables and reporting remaining steady at around 50%, it should come as no surprise to anyone that follows the logic of the United Nations (UN) that expansion, not compliance, remains its priority.
That drive to expand was on full display during the PoA’s Fourth Review Conference, which concluded on June 28th after two full weeks of negotiations. As the only American firearms user group attending in a sea of anti-firearm nations and Non-Governmental Associations (NGOs), the NRA fought fiercely to stem the PoA’s growth and preserve the rights of American firearms and ammunition users against increased international standards meant to destroy those very rights afforded to us by our Second Amendment.
The arguments for expansion this year mirrored many of those from the past, especially in regard to including international regulations on ammunition under the PoA’s terms, synergizing its language with that of other legally binding UN instruments such as the Arms Trade Treaty and Firearms Protocol and establishing international regulations over personally manufactured firearms, or as the UN calls them, craft-built weapons.
There were also call to expand the PoA into new areas, such as the environment, technology, and gender dominions. The most notable of these were calls for the creation of an Open-Ended Technical Expert Group to study and develop international regulations and oversight on what the UN considers “new technologies” (polymers, modular weapons, and 3D printing), as well as the inclusion of language calling for the exploration of the relationship between firearms, “masculinities” and “genders in all their diversity.”
The justification for expansion of the PoA is transparent, as the inclusion of new language and regulations not only hamper the ability of civilians to use and possess firearms, but also allow for the PoA to continue to exist. It is hard to debate against the continuation of a body that has shown no real impact on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, or that only 50% of its members even bother to report to; however, if one can show continued growth an argument can be made that life still exists. Accordingly, expanding into ammunition, creating a new technical group, and arguing that firearms have a disproportionate impact on diverse genders ultimately creates a case for increasingly tailored interventions by the UN. This in turn calls for the expenditure of funds on more regional meetings in developing countries and fundraising opportunities for NGOs to continue producing junk-based academic “studies.” It’s the financial lifeblood of many, and the circle of life in general at the UN.
Fortunately, by the end of two-weeks of negotiations, and considerable efforts working friendly delegations, most of these calls for expansion were either removed from consideration entirely or watered down with limiting language leaving them barren of any real-world implications. In particular, the multiple references to international ammunition regulations included in the initial draft of the outcome document were watered down to a single paragraph that accomplishes nothing more than recognizing the existence of the Global Framework for Through-Life Conventional Ammunition Management. In addition, any regulations pertaining to private manufacturing were edited to include limiting language pertaining only to those manufactured illegally under national laws.
Unfortunately, it’s not all good news. the Open-Ended Technical Expert Group was established, and membership was limited to governments and invited “experts” only. The Group will also meet informally, which in UN parlance means that unless invited, we will be unable to attend. It is no surprise that this is the format agreed to, as it has always been the goal of the UN to exclude any real experts that could dispel their ideological views and instead fill their seats with anti-firearm academics that feed off the questionable science of their colleagues. Again, it’s the UN’s circle of life.
The next meeting of the PoA will be in the early summer of 2026, during which the Open-Ended Technical Expert Group will hold their first meeting. Until such time, we will be working to find a seat at the table so that we can continue to fight the UN from interfering with our national sovereignty.
BY JOHN TAFFIN
By the winter of 1956–57 John had the first three early Ruger single actions offered —
the .22 Single-Six, the .357 Blackhawk and the .44 Magnum Blackhawk.
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.” — Robert Frost.
Anyone who cannot look back down their personal Road of Life and see many, many roads — which ones were chosen and the effect it had on life — has just not been paying attention. I will say there’s no such thing as chance or coincidence. Everything happens for a reason. We may not understand the reason at the time, we may never understand it but it’s always there.
Beginning
The first fork in the road I remember came in fourth grade. One day my teacher said she would like me to spend a couple weeks with the fifth graders. After those two weeks she asked if I would like to go into the fifth grade permanently. There was the choice. Should I stay on the road marked fourth grade or did I fork off into the fifth grade? I chose the latter. For the rest of my school days, I was always one grade ahead and graduated after 11 years, instead of 12. Was it a good or bad choice?
I was not ready for college by any means and lived in the area containing the general offices and main plants of five tire companies. I had just turned 17 and after graduation, went to the office of one of the tire companies. I took the test required, scored high and told I could have my choice of any job. They then looked at my birth date and informed me they could only hire people who were at least 18 years of age. There’s a reason there somewhere and I soon found it.
Another Change
A construction company was hiring order boys and I got the job. The salesman would write up the orders and we would go all over the building to fill the orders and bring them to the shipping department where they would be delivered the next day on a fleet of eight bright red Reo trucks.
Because of this job I met a fellow who would become a lifelong friend and he introduced me to the best gun shops and gun shows. His name was John also and is now a retired LEO living in Florida. Because of him I bought my first .22 Marlin 39A and soon followed it with the .22 Ruger Single-Six. Then came the .38-40 Colt SAA, .45 Colt SAA, .357 Blackhawk Flat-Top, .44 Magnum Blackhawk Flat-Top and others. At the time I kept a running gun tab at Boyle’s Gun Shop.
The second thing happened after I had been there a few months. The boss came to me and said, “I want you to be foreman of the men charged with unloading everything that comes into the building.” I’m just 17 and was asked to be the foreman of men, the youngest of which was about 32. These men were all black working for minimum wage as there were few real opportunities for black men yet in the 1950s.
I was told my job would be to assign them to their various tasks and just stand there with a clipboard to check off everything. I was only 17 but smart enough to realize these guys were not going to work for me if I didn’t do anything but stand there with a pencil.
So I worked right alongside of them and two things happened: I gained their respect and with hard work, built myself up to the point I could pick up 500-lb. bars of pig lead or put a 200-lb. keg of nails on my shoulder and walk up three flights of stairs and back down again. Now I can barely pick up a fork and forget stairs.
John’s first centerfire sixgun and first Colt Single Action was a 4-3/4″ .38-40 purchased in 1956,
followed by the first 2nd Generation Colt Single Action to appear in his area, a 7-1/2″ .45 Colt.
Another Road
I was working hard every day, paying my Mom room and board, buying everything I needed for myself and definitely buying guns. I was as happy as happy could be.
It was my habit to go to church with my mother. The church had a large youth group but no one ever approached me. I found out later it was because I looked older and my Mom, who had been a teenage bride, teenage mother and teenage widow all in the space of less than two years, was now in her late 30s. She looked younger and I looked older so they thought I was married — to my mother!
One particular morning my mom wasn’t feeling well and I arrived at church early where an usher put me into a Sunday school class. At the same time, there was a young girl who went to church with her father on the other side of town. This particular day she and her father had an argument so she came to my church. She normally only came to the Sunday night youth group but when the usher shoved me into Sunday school class, there she was.
Up to this time I had no time for girls. All my expendable money went for guns and shooting. I had never dated through high school and this young blonde made a real mistake — she paid attention to me. One look at her and I was totally smitten by the young girl who now is known as Diamond Dot. Was it coincidence we both wound up in the same spot at the same time? We were married the following February, now going on 62 years ago.
Hook Of Kismet
We were both earning about $200 a month and wanted to have a family. This meant Dot would have to quit her job and we would have to live on half this amount. I loved my job but had to find something different. How was this going to happen?
We had been out shopping on a hot Saturday afternoon and decided to stop by the apartment to put the milk and meat in the refrigerator. In the 1950s many cars were set up so you could start it, remove the key from the ignition and it would still keep running.
I did a very stupid thing — I took the key out, left the motor running and handed the keys to Dot. I don’t have the slightest idea why I would leave the car running since we didn’t have air conditioning anyhow. Dot placed the milk and meat into the refrigerator, came back out and I asked her for the keys. I could tell by the look on her face what just happened. The car was running and the keys were in the locked apartment!
The back door of our apartment opened onto a balcony-type porch about 10 feet off the ground so we rarely locked it. All I had to do was shinny up the porch post, go in the back door and retrieve my keys. I could still shinny in those days.
As I got up to the banister and prepared to step over, I put my foot on a clothesline hook to help me over. I was wearing moccasins and the sharpened hook went into the bottom of my foot. Blood was flowing, so I wrapped it in a towel, retrieved the keys, went back out to the car and had Dot drive me to the hospital to get bandaged and a tetanus shot. I was told I would have to be off work for at least a week. Was there a reason for all of this?
Reasons
I found out on Monday morning when Dot called me from her office at the factory to tell me they were hiring. Since I was now over the age of 18, I was hired making three times what I had been making. Now we could start a family of our own. If Dot had not left the keys in the apartment perhaps none of this would’ve happened.
The downside to my new job was unlike the one I loved, I hated every minute in the place. I worked the night shift six days a week and there was simply no joy in going to work — but as I have tried to teach my children and grandchildren, there are things in this life we do, not because we want to, but simply because we have to.
I dreaded going to work and my only thought was “Why am I here?” Was there really a reason? Had I taken the wrong fork in the road?