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This show may be heard following its broadcast date by clicking on the following link: http://webtalkradio.net/shows/hoveys-outdoor-adventures/. If it is not the current show, it is still available as an archived show and on iTunes.
Derringer pistols figure prominently in this conclusion of the National Rifle Association’s 141st Annual Convention in St. Louis. Not only was Heizer Defense’s new Double Tap .45 ACP-9mm double-barrel Derringer introduced, but a Davide Pedersoli near-replica of the 1860s Lincoln Derringer is test fired against a life-size Zombie Pizza Delivery Man target. Both accuracy and chronograph information was obtained to determine the operational characteristics of this historic style of gun.
The Whitney was originally introduced in the 1950s-60s as a sleek-looking sport semi-automatic .22 L.R. pistol. Its rakish lines were a bit too much for a buying public who was only moderately accepting of the Ruger .22 semiauto at the time. Consequently, the company failed. Olympic arms’ version has a polymer frame, but is still a good-looking gun which they also offer in a variety of colors, including pink. Olympic offers a very impressive line of AR 15 platform rifles and 1911s in various configurations and calibers as well as the Whitney handgun. For more information go to: www.olyarms.com.
16-gauge Sauer&Sohn drilling with a variety of loads, pheasant feathers and squirrel tail on deer hide. 
H&M Metal Processing is an Ohio company that impregnates gun metals with black nitride to produce a slick, corrosion resistant thermal-chemical diffusion that does not change the dimensional characteristics of the part, as plaiting does. This finish is available as a black matt, satin or glossy black finish. Not only do they do gun parts, they also treat a variety of industrial products where corrosion and wear resistance are significant factors. Individuals can send their guns in (disassembled) for treatment at a current costs of about $200 for a rifle or pistol. For more information go to www.blacknitride.com.
U.S. made high-quality gun safes are produced by Liberty Safe of Payson, Utah. These employ a one-piece box made of U.S. steels and fastened by a bank-vault-like closure with seven to a dozen large steel pins serving to lock the doors. Installation is provided by your local dealer who receives training in safe placement and installation. Dehumidifers are available for all Liberty safes as either built-in units in the larger safes or as after installation sales.There is storage space on the doors, in shelfs as well as a variety of arrangements of gun racks. To look at the safes go to: www.libertysafe.com.
program directed to young kids. There are DVDs, coloring books and comic books with this safety message available from the NRA. For more information contact www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie. The NRA can provide both instructional materials and very often speakers on gun safety. Another program goes under the general name of Firearms for Freedom. There are several options available to NRA members who own collections of guns and who have no one to leave them too. These include tax deductible donations, selling the guns and you and your spouse receiving an annuity or collection and sales for estate settlement after you die. For particular information on your situation contact cburgess@nrahq.org. 
This show may be heard following its broadcast date by clicking on the following link: http://webtalkradio.net/shows/hoveys-outdoor-adventures/. If it is not the current show, it is still available as an archived show and on iTunes.
U.S. Presidents have been very largely gun owners and users. This would be expected for those who had military backgrounds like Washington, Jackson, Harrison, Lincoln, Grant, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Reagan, and Bush 1 & 2; but gun ownership also extended to presidents like Truman and Johnson, who did not. Some were avid hunters. Teddy Roosevelt, with his son Kermit, made an African Safari after he completed his term. Eisenhower included Georgia quail hunts among his annual activities. The most flamboyant of them all was Jackson who fought at least 13 duels and was connected with about a hundred others, according to some sources.
On one duel about a disputed horse race, he faced Charles Dickinson. Dickinson was allowed the first shot and hit Jackson in the vicinity of the heart, Jackson put his hand to his chest to staunch the blood, and attempted to fire at his opponent. The gun misfired. Ignoring the code which would have counted this misfire as his shot, he recocked the gun and made a second attempt. This shot struck and killed Dickinson. Jackson survived and retained that bullet in his body for the remainder of his life.
A fine set of cased Henry Deringer pistols. These were made in larger and smaller sizes and were sold as pairs cased with accessories for loading and cleaning. Although Booth dropped the pistol that killed Lincoln, the mate to this pistol was never recovered.
Jackson was also the first president to face an assassin. In 1835 Richard Lawrence waited for Jackson outside of the White House. When he emerged, Lawrence drew one pistol and attempted to shoot Jackson. This pistol failed to fire and he tried with another. Both pistols malfunction, and Jackson rushed at Lawrence with his cane and beat him to the ground. Jackson had to be pulled away to prevent him from killing his assailant. When the guns were tested, they were found to be in perfect working order. Lincoln was not so fortunate, and John Wilkes Booth’s .44-caliber Derringer pistol fired and sent a ball into the president’s head. Booth also stabbed Major Henry Rathbone before jumping from the viewing box onto the stage. Booth injured his leg when he jumped, but nonetheless escaped. This pistol may be seen today in a museum in the basement of the Ford theater, and the bullet is preserved at the National Museum of Health and Medicine.
I will be producing a YouTube video where I describe, load and shoot a replica Derringer pistol, similar to the one used to kill President Lincoln. This replica is currently made by the Davide Pedersoli company in Italy and available from Dixie Gun Works and other sources in the U.S. Although .45-caliber (.440 patched round ball) and similar in size and functional characteristics to the original guns made by Henry Deringer in Philadelphia, the replica gun uses brass fittings, while the originals were most often made of iron and steel components. The video, “Derringer Vs. Pizza Zombie,” may be seen at: http://youtu.be/YiIeURpyi34. I also have a more expansive post on this pistol on my Backyard Deer Hunting Blog at: http://www.hoveysmith.wordpress.com.
Although no guns that belonged to former Presidents were on exhibit at this NRA Convention, related guns, commemorative guns and those of the same type were. On this show I talked to collectors associations and an auctioneer about a variety of historic guns that were associated with U.S. Presidents. George Washington carried a brass-barreled flintlock pistol and a pair of such pistols belonging to War of 1812 General Amos Hall was shown by the American Society of Arms Collectors and described by Vincent Rausch. To find out more about the society go to: www.americansocietyofarmscollectors.org.
George Washington as a young man and surveyor also owned a flintlock Kentucky rifle, according to those at the Contemporary Long Rifle Association. The use of flintlock guns as both civilian and military arms extended through the periods of the westward explorations of Lewis and Clark during the Jefferson administration, the war of 1812 and the Mexican war. Although considered second-tier arms by that stage, some unconverted flintlocks were also pressed into service by the Confederacy, although most were converted to the percussion system by the 1860s. The use of numbers of rifles by the U.S. militia under the command of Jackson resulted in the defeat of the British troops who were still armed with the notoriously inaccurate Brown Bess Musket. In an irony of war, the Battle of New Orleans was fought after a piece treaty had been signed in Europe, and the news was on its way across the Atlantic. To find out more about the Contemporary Long Rifle Association go to: www.longrifles.com.
The pistol maker, Smith & Wesson, started making rimfire revolvers by the time of the Civil War.
The first were chambered for what is now the .22 short, but a more powerful .32-caliber gun was quickly introduced. A fine engraved gun was ordered by President Grant similar to the pair shown in this cased set, according to Roy Jinks, the Smith and Wesson historian. This started a practice of the company giving guns to the U.S. presidents. Known recipients included Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Ronald Regan and one was being prepared for John Kennedy, but he was killed prior to its delivery.
As a western rancher living on the edge of the Dakota badlands, Teddy Roosevelt used a 1976 Lever Action rifle and is shown here with that gun. As firearms technology advanced, he kept abreast of developments. Among the guns he took to Africa was an 1895 Winchester chambered for the .405 Winchester cartridge which he considered his “lion medicine”. Two Gatling guns chambered in the then new .30-40 Krag cartridge were used to support his charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba, and this was among the first tactical use of these guns to support an active engagement, rather than for protecting a fixed position. At least one of these guns still exist in private ownership, and I spoke to an attendee who had actually fired it.
Miniature firearms and arms have been made since the Middle Ages, and one that I saw at the Convention was a tiny engraved Colt 1872 revolver that Miniature Firearms Specialist Wayne Driskill had just received for evaluation. This was one of a number of pieces that are likely to be auctioned during the coming year. This particular gun has ivory grips with a TR for Teddy Roosevelt carved into them. (The coin shown in the photo is a 25-cent piece.) The oldest piece that he had at the show was an English-made pinfire revolver. Although tiny, these guns are fully functional and would shoot, if proper-sized ammunition was available. To see more of these guns go to: www.waynedriskillminiatures.com or contact him by E-mail at wdriskill@hotmail.com.
One of two 1895 Winchester rifles offered in a raffle by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation at the NRA Convention.
If for no other reason than its size and the fact that this Gatling gun was complete with its field carriage and caisson, the military marked .45-70 gun was one of the most popularly viewed pieces at the show. This gun was one of over 1,000 collectors-grade firearms that were to be sold by Rock Island Auction Co. in an event to be held April 20-22 that is expected to bring over $3,000,000. If you see this post before the show broadcast date, you can still participate. Call the company at (309) 797-1500 for details or E-mail the company at jvoss@rockislandauction.com to receive information about this and future events.
An original Gatling gun from the 1870-80s with its rarely seen field carriage and even rarer caisson. This gun has U.S. Military inspectors markings.
In an election year Presidential candidates often attend the NRA convention to address the association’s 4,000,000 members. This year Mitt Romney received the top billing of the Republican Party candidates, and spoke for about 40 minutes outlining what he termed as his vision for America which included an unambiguous promise to protect the rights of gun owners and hunters. Romney’s recent political activities have been associated with Illinois and Massachusetts, which have some of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation. Nonetheless, as you will hear on this program, he passionately asserted that he would strongly defend and support gun ownership and hunting. Should he backside on these points, all Americans would have justifiable cause to remind him.
To listen to this segment of Romney’s speech go to my YouTube video “Mitt Romney on Guns at the NRA Convention, 2012″ by activating the following link:http://youtu.be/dk5K8KJtzT0.
The cooking segment of the show is about making whiskey at the Jack Daniel distillery in Lynchberg, Tennesses. There, Jessie James conducted the tour, and I recorded sections of it as we walked through the operation. Although this was not a sampling tour, 
everyone got a strong whiff of the fermented sour mash (sufficient to burn the nose hairs) when they stuck their heads down into the retort. Jack Daniel starts off as a clear 141 Proof whiskey and then is charcoal filtered and aged in charred white oak barrels. There is is ”fined” as the alcohol works its way into and out of the wood. This process is what imparts the amber color to the finished product. Red, Green and Black label Jack Daniel is bottled from barrels depending on how high they are stacked in the barrel house. Gentleman Jack is twice filtered through the charcoal – once before aging and once afterwords. The whiskey may be aged for various lengths of time, depending on its position in the barrel house and color. A new product, Tennessee Honey, is made by mixing honey with Black Label Jack Daniel for a sweet after-dinner drink. Another specialty product is a single barrel malt where, for approximately $40,000, a person and the master distiller will select a single barrel, and this entire barrel will be specially bottled for him. The used charcoal is sold to grilling enthusiasts who want a bit of Jack Daniel flavor to their meat, and the sour mash left over from distilling is used for cow feed. This part of Tennessee is noted for its happy cows.
Clifford Casey is an artist who lives in Norman, Oklahoma, who has chosen pencil as his preferred method of artistic expression. With just pencil and paper Casey can do a remarkable job of preserving the memories of a hunt and, using the flexibility that the method allows, can combine elements from different photographs in the same picture. The medium of using carbon-based pencil on paper is more precise than charcoal, allows better shadings and will last hundreds of years longer than color photographs, so long as it is protected from scrubbing and moisture. For about $225 he will draw an 14 X 18-inch image that can include two people – additional people incur an extra fee. For more information go to: www.cliffordcaseysart.com.
Ads on this show include those from Honest Abe Political Consulting from Springfield, Illinois, who advises political candidates to tell their constituents the truth that they are likely saying what they must say to be elected and then will do whatever is possible once in office. SIN, Inc.’s (Synthetic Industrial Non-Nutritives. Inc.) new Zombie pizza that requires no refrigeration and Real Pigment’s natural toxic pigments that enable you to paint like Michelangelo.
Hunting Spring Hogs and Turkeys, April 2, 2012
Author’s dog Demeter, guarding a wild hog taken from Williamson Swamp a few years ago with a crossbow on a hunt during June’s blue moon.
This show may be heard following its broadcast date by clicking on the following link: http://webtalkradio.net/shows/hoveys-outdoor-adventures/. If it is not the current show, it is still available as an archived show and on iTunes.
Go once more into the breach Dear Friends as Hovey chainsaws his way into Williamson Swamp Creek for Hog Quest 2012 to take hogs and wild turkeys with muzzleloading pistols, a muzzleloading rifle, flintlock shotgun and crossbow.
Chris, Brandy, Madison and Amber.
The show starts with his introduction of his Great-Nephew-in-Law, Great Niece and Great-Great Nieces as he does a question-answer session on the niceties of wild hog hunting. In this discussion he tells about cutting paths through the dead-fall, slash and overgrowing vines of a clear-cut forest to safely get to his hunting area which overlooks a hog wallow that he has been baiting with corn.
Navigating in the swamp at night requires the use of a GPS unit and flashlight to negotiate his cut trail and get down a steep bluff to the creek’s floodplain which is laced with intersecting creek channels. Nightfall on the third evening brings an unexpected event when turkeys fly to roost in a cypress tree further down the creek. In a change of plans, he returns before daylight the next morning and sets up for these birds in the creek bottom.
At daylight he records an interchange between himself and two hens roosted in the tree and three gobblers across the creek. The result is that the turkeys fly down, but to a clearing somewhere in the cut-over timber and not into his decoys. Failing in both is attempts at wild hogs and turkeys, Hovey explains that hunting is the process of progressive, successive approximations with each hunt yielding knowledge to increase the likelihood that the next hunt will be successful.
CVA Optima pistol, repaired Tree Lounge "Ground Lounge", Gerber folding saw and Marble's soufanger extendable knife.
Hunting tools to be used on these hunts includes the CVA Optima .50-caliber muzzleloading pistol which has arrived, Traditions’ Vortek .50-caliber muzzleloading pistol which is being shipped, CVA’s Electra .50-caliber rifle, Davide Pedersoli’s Mortimer flintlock 12-gauge muzzleloading cylinder-bored shotgun, Marbles’ soufanger (hog stabber) extendable-blade knife, Tree Lounge “Ground Lounge” stand, solar-powered flashlight, Poulan Chainsaw, Gerber folding saw, Garmin GPS unit, ThermaCell and Wicked Ridge compound crossbow, which is made by TenPoint Crossbows.
Wallow day 1.
The presence of wild hogs is indicated by large-scale disturbance of the wallow 
usually following each days’ distribution of corn, although other swamp animals also eat corn nothing tears up the ground like a drove of hogs coming in to feed. Usually the corn is packed in using a 1960s-era Camp Trails backpack that has been upgraded with new straps and a belly band.
Ads on this show include those from Honest Abe Political Consulting who councils politicians to be honest and tell people that they are telling them whatever they want to hear in order to be elected and that they will do whatever is possible when they get into office, and SIN, Inc.’s (Synthetic Industrial Non-Nutritives Inc.) new whole roast hog available in pink or zombie colors that provides the butter, salt and sugar tastes that you crave in a product that has no known nutritional value.
The show concludes with an original 10-minute outdoor musical composition by a group of 20-odd unschooled musicians to offer comfort and solace to anyone in this 24/7 connected world in honor of the anniversary of the death of his late wife, Thresa Babb Smith.
Phase Changes in Hunting, March 19, 2012
Detailed gun cleaning and repair is one of the many tasks to get done between hunting seasons.
This show may be heard following its broadcast date by clicking on the following link: http://webtalkradio.net/shows/hoveys-outdoor-adventures/. If it is not the current show, it is still available as an archived show and on iTunes.
The weeks between the close of deer and waterfowl seasons and the opening of turkey season are the time to “fix up and put up” our gear, least we, like an early Renaissance composer, be crushed to death when our mountains of gear collapse on us. In his case he was flattened by his own books. We are in more danger of being tripped up by, stumbling over or being impaled by some inconveniently placed objects while we search through our piles trying to find something that we know we have “somewhere.”
Decoys are probably my worst offender, if for no other reason than there are so many of them. Take them out, restring those that need it, put on new weights and hang from the rafters or stack them in a corner of a shed until next season. After all,you need the floor space to make room for all of your turkey hunting junk.
As I hunt most often with muzzleloading guns, I shoot, clean and repair these. This year I undressed and cleaned Cantank, a .45-caliber flintlock rifle. You can see the details of this in a video “Cleaning a Kentucky Rifle” at: http://youtu.be/cbxxyn_74D8. I also repaired the fiber optic sights on another muzzleloader, put a new ramrod tip on a third, a scope on another and got a CVA Optima .50-caliber pistol outfitted with a red-dot sight for hog hunting.
You remembered those boat motors that I could not get started last Spring? I took them to Burns Outboard Service, Inc. in Rincon, Georgia, near Savannah. On this show I interview owner Brian Burns about outboard repair, keeping these engines operating in salt water and got some useful tips about preventative maintainance. Look for later bowfishing episodes using these engines.
Charles Eddins with power saber saw and drill.
These weeks are also the time to bring home fix-up jobs to conclusion. I received a letter from my insurance company of 40-odd years informing me that I had a brief period to put rails around my porch and install a stair rail on the front steps or they would cancel my policy. I special ordered a vinyl rail kit from my home-town building supplier, got it in time and put it up with the considerable help of my brother-in-law. I made the stair rail from 1 1/4-inch galvanized pipe which I was able to get locally and have cut and threaded. The associated videos are ”Installing Vinyl Porch Railings“ and ”Building a Pipe Stair Rail” at: http://youtu.be/S3AQgXg1gEk. I have a few words to say about the insurance company on my show. It was not so much that I objected to doing it (The house does look better.), it was the threat implied in the letter that gave me offense and the short time that I had to do the work made things unnecessarially costly.
New vinyl railings on porch and 1 1/4-in. pipe railings were installed with the help of my brother-in-law Charles Eddins. The porch took 5 1/2-hours to custom cut and fit.
Working on these projects prohibited me from doing some hog hunting and attending the 45th. Annual Claxton Rattlesnake Roundup, whose quaint practices I describe on the show. Nothing like a little snake handling before lunch to whet the appetite. I do not have any particular problems with snakes, although we have ample numbers of them. They do cause problems with biting my dogs, but all five that I have had bitten survived without treatment. The treatment is risky, and I cannot afford it anyway. One pointer went blind after being bitten four times. Nonetheless, he still found his way around, hunted and was the best tracking dog that I had.
Auntie Thresa Claus
This was also the time to bring to conclusion some cultural projects, like a new Christmas play, “A Visit from Auntie Thresa Claus,” that I wrote in 2009. This was read on my Christmas Show in December, 2010, and you can listen to the entire show or just hear the 2009 version of the story on YouTube as “Audio Reading: A Visit from Auntie Thresa Claus.” I started a Kickstarter launch on March 1 which will end on April 3, 2012 to stage the play and make a video. Kickstarter allows a creative person to post a project, set a funding goal and a campaign period. If sufficient money is not raised, neither the originator nor those who pledge are billed. This allows a person to “test drive” a project to see if there is sufficient national support to advance it. My funding goal is $10,000. Backers can contribute as little as $1.00, and all will receive a reward. Those sending $25.00 will get a signed print of Auntie Thresa Claus and large contributors may even go on a deer or turkey hunt with me here at Whitehall. Go to: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hoveysmith/a-visit-from-auntie-thresa-claus for details. You will also find a short video about the play, a brief description of the revised plot and a bit of biographical information. I am nowhere near reaching my goal, and everyone’s help is needed.
Rutabaga greens and roots ready to make a fine meal.
The cooking segment of this show features “Cooking Home-Grown Rutabagas” where both the green tops and roots are cooked. These are quite different from the almost bowling-ball tough waxed roots most frequently seen in the store, and the tops are between turnips and spinach in taste. Not only do I enjoy the fresh greens and the roots, but my dogs also eat them with enthusiasm. View “Cooking Home-Grown Rutabagas” at: http://youtu.be/IfgaCjDAh7w.
Ads this week are from Buy Cheap, Make Cheap, Sell Cheap, Inc. whose new division advises insurance companies on how to increase profits by doing home inspections and demanding costly repairs to force older policy holders to drop their policies or do the repairs. Either way, the company’s risk is reduced. SIN, Inc., Industrial Non-Nutritives, Inc., in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, introduces a special all Irish green selection where everything on the table is formed of their base product, Glop, and colored emerald green which gives the diner the butter, salt and sugar taste that they crave with products having no known nutritional value.
The Naked Truth About Snipe Hunting, March 5, 2012
Snipe, a double-barreled D. Pedersoli muzzleloading shotgun and a Hobie Boat used to cross the canals to reach the flooded former rice fields on Butler Island, Georgia.
This show may be heard following its broadcast date by clicking on the following link: http://webtalkradio.net/shows/hoveys-outdoor-adventures/. If it is not the current show, it is still available as an archived show and on iTunes.
Dottie Head
Snipe are so often encounted as a crude outdoor joke perpertrated on children that some, like my guest Dotty Head, don’t find out until they were adults that these are game birds that are legally harvested throughout North America and not made-up creatures. Head relates her snipe hunt on Daufuski Island, South Carolina, where she and two younger friends were put out in the scary woods at night to catch some of these all-too-ellusive birds with a burlap sack, baseball bat and flashlight.
The smallish snipe belong to the family of shore birds and are almost always found near water feeding in saturated ground. After having been successful in taking a few snipe per trip in prior years, I returned to Georgia’s Altamah Wildlife Management Area to hunt Butler Island with the same muzzleloading shotgun that I had used a few weeks before to shoot a North Carolina swan.
In a contrarian sort of way it seemed appropriate that having taken the Nation’s largest waterfowl with the gun that I sould also attempt to bag the smallest. The prior-hunt-preparations went well enough, and I developed a load using 7 1/2- steel shot that would comply with the area requirements that only non-toxic shot could be used. This shot would be loaded in my Thompson/Center Arms 12-gauge Mountain Magnum single-shot, which I would carry on the hike to the paddocks and back using a new sling just sent to me from BPI Industries. It was comfortable on the shoulder, did not slip and used steel fasenings to connect it to screw-in eyes on the shotgun.
Mountain Magnum 12-gauge muzzleloading shotgun shown with BPI sling and J.J. Audubon's snipe. This scene was likely from Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta.
To date, the Mountain Magnum has taken swan, geese, ducks, squirrels, rabbits and a turkey. Now it would attempt to bag itself a snipe. I had been sent the gun from Thompson/Center Arms. I increased the gun’s weight by putting beeswax and lead shot in the buttstock and adding a solid metal ramrod. This made the Mountain Magnum much more comfortable to shoot with 1 1/4-ounce waterfowl loads and 100 grains of Hodgdon’s Triple Seven powder. The gun’s interchangable choke tubes give it added versatility. Reliability was enhanced by its using musket caps, instead of the tiny no. 11s. This gun, as a shotgun, was only made in small numbers and its production life was only a few years. Nonetheless, modified as I have explained, it remains one of the most useful of modern muzzleloading shotguns.
The uncharacteristically warm weather on February 4, 2012, caused me to decided to hunt wet, wearing only calf-length rubber boots, rather than the more cumbersome hip boots or waiders. On a previous hunt I had used a Hobie Boat to cross the canals around the flooded paddocks, but as that had been returned to the manufacturer, I hoped to find some of the DNR’s boats still in place to ferry me across the canal. None were present on the first launch areas that I checked. One may have been in use by another hunter whose shots I could occasionally hear from a distant corner of the island.
I slung my gun and trudged on to a crossroad on the west side of the paddocks. Here the ditch had not been re-dug in decades and the matted grasses had so clogged the canal as to make a dry-land bridge from the roadway-dike into the paddies. I saw a distinctively shaped tree growing by the road and took that as my landmark as I broke through the very thick and tall marsh grasses into the once-flooded part of the paddock.
I did flush a few snipe, but did not manage to hit any of the swift flying birds. After tromping around for a hour or so, my hip joints started to bother me, and I decided it was time to move to a fresh area. The problem was that on this cloudy day I was unable to pick out my tree. (A good argument for carrying a GPS.) I knew the general direction, so I started towards the west end of the paddock, knowing that I would intersect a road. I did, but there was a water-filled canal in front of it. I thought about just plunging in and swimming across, but I did not know how deep that water was, I was carrying heavy cameras and gear and there was also a 12-foot alligator in those canals somewhere.
Getting into and out of these flooded paddocks proved to be an interesting experience.
Once again going into the interior of the paddock I paralled the road, pushing my way through the head-high grasses. I made my way towards the road heading for a tree that somewhat resembled the one I had passed going in. Myfeet suddenly broke through the vegetation, and I was rapidly sinking. I sat down, put my shooting bag and gun down on nearby clumps of stiff grass and extracted first one foot, and then the other.
Fanny Kimble, the northern wife of a plantation owner, had lived on that island in the early 1800s and wrote a book, Journal of a Residence on a Georgia Plantation, in which she complained about her experiences and dammed slavery as an institution, although she and her husband profited from it. She rightly termed Butler Island as, “The most amphibious piece of land I ever saw.” In this she was quite correct, and to extract myself I had to do my best imitation of a frog.
After recovering both feet, I put my gun and bag down for added support and lurched forward about six inches, beat down another platform of marsh grass, did another “hop” and so proceeded until I reached the drier ground next to the roadway where I beat down some 15 feet of thorny briers to once again stand on the dike-road. My gun was now too wet to shoot, and that ended my hunt. Returning to my truck which was parked under the I-95 overpass, I stripped off my clothes, dried off and changed. My hunt finished, I went back to Darien on U.S. 17. They were having what they call a ”First Saturday” event with music, crafts, food, fresh produce and seafood. It was there that I met Chef Eric of the Darien River House, who I interviewed later, for the cooking section of the show.
Chef Eric serves Thursday-Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and has a Sunday brunch from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. You can visit his website at www.DarienRiverHouse.com or call for reservations at (912) 437-2510. He and I have almost identical thoughts on how to best cook wild-caught American shrimp and other seafoods, and he shared some interesting recipes.
Ads on the show include one from a new sponsor, Man Scent, who retails fragrances like cosmolene, wood smoke, rosin and bread to make, “A man smell like a man, rather than a bucket of floral-scented slop water from your local florest.” SIN, Synthetic Industrial Non-Nutritives, Inc., also offers a new presentation of its basic raw material “glop” shaped like a 6-inch shrimp which its focus groups preferred to the 1, 2 and 3 foot lengths, “ to give consumers the salt, butter and sugar taste they crave, anyway, anytime, anyhow they want it,” according to company officials.
Started too late to include on this show is the launch a new outdoor-friendly Christmas play. As explained below, support from listners, the outdoor industry, friends and business associates is vital to make a go of this project.
Old Auntie Thresa Claus soon to be young Princess Thresa Claus
On March 1, I did a Kickstarter launch of “A Visit from Auntie Thresa Claus.” This play includes gifts of a wild goose for Christmas dinner and a Daisy Air rifle to a young son. At this stage in the launch numbers are particularly important. Donations as little as $1.00 are accepted and will receive a reward. The first 100 who give $25.00 or more will also get a signed print featuring Thresa Claus. The first five who give $100 will see the performance/filming, attend the after-play party and have a chance to visit with me, cast and crew. Because I hunt, publish about guns, cook and eat wild game, this will turn off some potential doners who might otherwise support a new short Christmas play. The support of the outdoor community is needed to overcome this funding gap. If the project is not fully funded you will not be billed and I will receive no support.
De’j`a Vu Vegas. Shot Show 2012. Part II Ext., Feb. 13
The Shot Show is not all about guns and tactical gear. There is a place for art too, as illustrated by Tom Hoover and his Reflective Arts' display of prints, mugs, puzzles and other items that bring a little of the outside indoors.
This show may be heard following its broadcast date by clicking on the following link: http://webtalkradio.net/shows/hoveys-outdoor-adventures/. If it is not the current show, it is still available as an archived show and on iTunes.
You never know who or what one is going to see at large international trade shows, like the 2012 Shot Show in Las Vegas. This year I had a chance to exchange a few words with Brian “Gunny” Zins, and it is his quote that opens this show amid the clatter of gunfire in the background. Gunny is an ex-Marine, multiple times U.S. pistol champion, now a TV Personality and reps for Glock Arms and SOG knives. He very much enjoys his present life, and he was not embarrassed to tell me so.
This show is a special extended edition and runs a full 90 minutes of interviews with knife, gun, accessory makers and people who make their living in different aspects of the Outdoor Industry. I also took this opportunity to do record a “live” segment on making homemade salsa from experiences derived in the now-closed kitchen of the Casa Hispanica Calente Maximessemo, in Las Vegas. This pilot restaurant closed because you could only work in the kitchen wearing full protective gear and the kitchen exhaust fumes were so loaded with capsacins that it acted like a bear spray when released in an urban setting near a Las Vegas hospital.
Wenger's new multi-bladed hunting knife intended for the U.S. and European markets - a butcher shop in a pocket-sized package.
Wenger is a maker of Swiss Army Knives and introduced an interesting hunter’s knife to sell in the American market. It features skinning and gutting blades, a cork screw an awl as well as a combination bone-wood saw. It also has orange scales to prevent it from being lost in the woods. This knife will retail for about $85.00 in the U.S. For a look at this and the many other multi-bladed folding knives as well as their fixed-blade patterns go to www.Wengerna.com.
Lady knives from HallMark.
HallMark Cutlery is owned by the Hall family and is a knife distributor that does cutlery design, sourcing and distribution. On this episode, Jessica Hall and I talk about knifes that ladies might appreciate for a Valentine’s Day gift. While perhaps on the unusual side so far as gifts go, small knives are very useful for many purposes in everyday life and we discuss several possibilities. To take a look at their entire selection of folding and fixed-blade knives go to: www.hallmarkcutlery.com.
Excalibur's new Eclipse crossbow is all black and picks up the modern "tactical" look in crossbows, but is also very useful for hunting from blinds where dark colors are desired to keep from spooking approaching animals.
Next I consider crossbows and talk to Bill Troubridge, Randy Wood and Scott Belvedere of Excalibur, 
Ten Point and Barnett crossbows about their new products. Black, tactical and carbon fiber technology are definitely “In” this year, as are progressive improvements by all companies to reduce weight and, in the case of compound bows, limb width. Ten Points’ Carbon Elite, shown in the photo L, has all of these features. Crossbow makers realize that no matter how appealing the newest advances in crossbow technology might be, many in this economy are having to watch their money. Each has made the effort to produce very capable crossbows that can sell in the $500 range complete with accessories. These, like Ten Point’s Wicked Ridge brand, have medium-weight draw-strengths, proven technology, excellent triggers and will kill deer and other game day after day. The lowest price crossbow offered by these three companies remains Barnett’s RC 150. The RC, and the Ranger before it, has a skeletal stock that may be adjusted to fit any shooter.
The present RC uses compound limbs to develop a 150-pound pull capacity that with its short, light-weight arrows will kill smallish deer at close range – been there, done that. This bow is a hanger-on of Barnett’s previous attempt to always produce the absolutely lowest-priced crossbows on the market, and the RC is not as durable as Barnett’s more modern offerings, like the Jackal. The triggers on the RCs are imbedded in the stock and are not repairable. The Jackal is, by far, the superior crossbow at a cost of $300 + compared to the RC’s $200 +, with prices depending on sights and accessories. Nonetheless, the RC retains the advantages of lighter weight and a fully adjustable stock for those who cannot handle a heavier crossbow. There remains a place in the market for an advanced RC with a more dependable latch-trigger mechanism.
Barmett Ghost with carbon-fiber components and a very large foot piece that is convenient for those wearing snow or marsh boots.
Bob Baker of Freedom Arms establish his reputation making beautiful and effective single-action revolvers chambered for the .454 Casull, and later, other calibers including the .22 L.R. Less well-known is that he also makes a single-shot pistol chambered for what are usually considered to be rifle cartridges for long-range pistol hunting. These are most commonly equipped with scopes and shot from braced or supported positions. I often hunt with single-shot handguns, but these are mostly muzzleloaders used at very close range in the thick cover where I take my Georgia deer. I kidded Bob about making one, but warned him that there were probably only six of us in North America who might actually buy one. For more information go to: www.freedomarms.com.
guns for the past 20 years completely missed Coonan Inc’s .357 Magnum pistol. Dan Coonan took up the challenge of making the 1911 shoot the rimed revolver cartridge in the 1980s and has been producing the guns ever since. He also modified the basic pistol to incorporate refinements that Browning made to his later 9mm High Power design. This allowed him to offer the gun with a 6-inch barrel and compensators without lengthening the slide. These adaptations give better ballistics from the .357 because of the absence of the barrel-cylinder gap and the longer barrel. To learn more go to: www.coonaninc.com.
Not only is the buttstock adjustable, but many options including a vertical pistol grip and accessory lights/sights can be attached to the forend.
The new polymer Ruger American does not replace the company's existing line of bolt-action guns, but offers a 6.25 pound option in popular calibers.
Hunting is not all about guns and loads. It takes a lot of other ”stuffs” to get us into the woods and be reasonably comfortable while hunting. One problem that I talked about in a recent show about a North Carolina swan hunt was not having a place to sit so that I could rise and make effective shots on approaching ducks. Integrity Outdoor Brands now has a Hunters Seat with a swivel top with enlarged feet and a triangle of strong fabric to keep the seat from sinking into the marsh. This seat carries easily in a pouch and the top moves silently so that it could also be used when deer hunting. To see these an other hunting aids offered under the San Angelo brand go to: www.SanAngeloproducts.com.
Irish Setter boots by Red Wing provide a variety of footwear options for hunters.
- Beretta OptiFade outfit.
I was particularly taken by this Southern hog-hunting print which could depict a hunt anywhere from North Carolina to Texas.
Concluding the show coverage is an interview with Randy MacMillan and Bill Henson, the “stars” of the “Coyote Tales with Mac and Prowler” TV show that is available on cable on the Legacy TV channel. To learn more about this pair of down-home characters and their coyote hunting and bowfishing episodes go to www.macandprowler.com. I attempted to entice them to come and hunt with me in Georgia, and we will see what develops. I certainly have the coyotes, and we need to be taking more of them on a regular basis to prevent deprivation on deer fauns and other species. If only we could train coyotes to home-in on armadillos. They may take an occasional one, but they and the hard-shelled opossums seem to be simultaneously increasing in numbers. 
The end product - a bowl of salsa that exactly suits your taste.
Making salsa can be a fun family event.
There is a lot of variability written into this recipe. It will likely take several ”experimental batches” until you obtain exactly the taste that you want. If your efforts produce something too hot for you to eat, then freeze it and use it in later soups and vegetable dishes a few tablespoons at the time.
