February 27, 2007Three steelheads ready for journey back to sea
A recent float on a coastal river produced three nice hens in the 8- to 10-pound range for Dad and Will. All were hatchery fish, which the fisheries experts out there urge anglers to keep to limit their spawning efforts. (They want native fish be the primary spawners.) So all three ended up in Dad's smoker. Check out that color! No need to add the "color added" disclaimer on this fish. My folks live on a small creek in the Umpqua River watershed. When Dad's done cleaning fish he chucks the carcasses in the creek. That may sound kind of gross but it makes sense. The rotting carcasses, along with the carcasses of fish that die after spawning, add important nutrients to the creek, a nursery for steelhead and salmon fry. February 22, 2007Sponsors swift to boot Zumbo after anti-gun blog entryIn a career spaning over 40 years, Zim Zumbo established himself as one of the country's .leading hunting writers. That career is reeling in the wake of some controversial comments Zumbo wrote in his blog on the Outdoor Life site. Zumbo had heard that a growing number of predator and varmint hunters were using guns such as the AR-style rifles for their sport. The ARs are rifles that share their appearance with the famous military M-16 (and its derivatives). But they are semi-automatic, just like many sporting and hunting rifles. Well, Zumbo wrote that he felt such "terrorist" and "assault" rifles (his words, not mine) have no place in hunting. Etc, etc. Ooof! It's not unusual to see that kind of stuff from commentators who are uneducated about guns. From a guy who makes his living around guns, no. As one could guess, the outrage was strong and swift. Zumbo has apologized, and even written that he's set up a trip with Ted Nugent to learn more about such guns. But that hasn't stopped a number of sponsors, including Remington and Cabela's, from severing ties with the sportsman. Outdoor Life has also dropped the blog. So, this appears to have been a career-killer, one that shows that when you bite the hand that feeds you, that hand can bite back. Hard. February 14, 2007Snorkeler mistaken for rodent shot in headA sad reality of hunting is that people are sometimes mistaken for game and shot at and, sometimes, hit. Usually, the shooters think they are firing at something big, such as deer, elk or even turkeys. That's what makes a story out of Oregon really strange. The victim was mistaken for a rodent. The man, an avid diver, was snorkeling in Oregon's Smith River when he was shot by a man who mistook the snorkeler for a nutria, a large -- but not that large -- rodent that lives around water. Although the .22 caliber bullet struck him in the head, the victim is doing remarkably well. The shooter helped get him to a hospital. The last thing you expect to see in the middle of winter is a snorkeler. But this is just another story that demonstrates how important it is to make a positive identification of your target before pulling the trigger. Will a looming triathlon motivate a fitness turnaround?I went to my doctor Tuesday morning for a regular check-up. It wasn't pretty. First, I had to step on a scale. I was 210 pounds. Some of that was clothes and shoes, but I'm still over 200 pounds. I'm 6-foot-2, but given my gangly frame I should be between 170-180, according to my doctor. "Even 190 would be OK," he said. My clothes have been feeling tight. This confirmed that the clothes weren't shrinking. Next came the blood pressure test. My BP has been borderline for a few years. Tuesday morning it was beyond borderline. I also had blood drawn for a cholesterol test. Don't know the results yet, but I'm not hopeful. I've never watched what I eat, which meants I get too much salt (BP) and fat (cholesterol). So I'll have to watch that, now. But the bottom line is I'm just in bad shape, which not only elevates those bad numbers, but just doesn't fit well with the stuff I like to do. So I'm going to try turn this around. I've always found I do better with this kind of thing when I have a specific goal. So not long after that appointment I got on line and signed up for the Smith Mountain Lake triathlon, which is May 5. The race is a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike ride and 5-kilometer run. Back when I was doing triathlons regularly, that would have been cake. But that's been 15 years. Still, as long as I stick with my self-imposed program, I'll be alright, although I might not be ready by then to be seen in public in a Speedo. I started Tuesday night with a 400-yard swim session. I had to stop twice. But it was a start. February 13, 2007Slipstream cycling team pushing clean ridingThe New York Times ran a really interesting article today about a cycling team that's going above and beyond in order to prove its riders are not using performance-enhancing drugs.
February 12, 2007How Snowshoe Mountain gets its daily snow reportAs a skier, I've spent a lot of time looking at snow reports. And a lot of time wondering how the resorts gather the information they put on those reports. I looked into it for my story that ran in the paper on Feb. 9. One of the people I talked to was Linsay Kutsko, who compiles the daily report at Snowshoe Mountain, where she works in the marketing department. In addition to a great quote about how she considers the report a factual document and not a marketing tool, she provided a detailed -- and, I thought, really interesting -- rundown of how the resort figures out its weather report, and how she puts the daily snow report together. Here, in her own words, is the complete answer she provided: "Snowshoe, WV is an official National Weather Service reporting location under NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) The radar that the NWS uses is out of Charleston, which is inaccurate because of the extreme difference in elevation. (600 ft. vs. 4800 ft.) Therefore, they rely on Snowshoe’s reports for their daily records of temperatures, snowfall, rainfall and wind which they take into account when they are reporting their forecasts using their radar. They take three separate measurements to get the snowfall totals: Snow depth (on the ground, taken every 24 hours at 6:30 a.m.) – average depth taken from several locations on the mountain b/c of the windy locations (yes...taken by a yard stick, essentially) New Snowfall measured every 6 hours – usually higher than depth on the ground b/c on the ground is affected by ground temperature, air temperature, wind friction, compaction, thawing from sunlight, etc. Water content (from snow or rainfall) taken from a section of the snowfall that was measured and melted down. This has a lot of factors – was it a dry snow or wet snow? They measure this to find out approx. how much run-off will occur from the snowfall. [1 inch of snow is equivalent to about a tenth of an inch of rain (on average), but this number depends totally on temperature and humidity, which they take into account. They also take the temperatures at each observation, which is what they use to calculate the highs and lows. Snow Reporting I get in at 6:30 a.m. and first call the compressor house to find out the temperature on the top of the mountain and at the base. He tells me what trails are open, which lifts are open, what trails were groomed and if there was snowmaking overnight. He will also tell me what trails will have snowguns on during the day (if any). I usually talk to Sherman, he’s a snowmaker so he’s out each night and he tells me about the morning conditions and the average snow base in relation to how much snow we are making each night. Then I call the operator, who has been in touch with security and recorded the new snowfall for the past 24 hours. Then I look at the forecast on the NWS / NOAA website for Snowshoe, WV. I find this website is the most accurate as far as weather forecast and especially temperature. The snow report comments usually start with a snowfall update, then specific openings/closings and trail info and I end with a little info about whatever great deal we have going right now that anyone coming up to the mountain would definitely want to know about."
February 9, 2007West Virginia poacher busted after bragging on InternetYou'd think that any idiot poacher would know better than post evidence of his crime on an Internet bulletin board. Robert Daniel "Murphy" Kane II apparently isn't just any idiot. That's why the 26-year-old from Bridgeport, W. Va., posted a picture of himself with two bucks on an Internet bragging board, under the heading "Opening Day Bucks." The thing is, the daily deer limit is one. Tipped off by citizens who saw Kane's post, conservation police officers busted Kane, who ended up paying more $861.50 in fines. The apple apprently didn't fall too far from the tree. Kane's father was also busted for three violations, including conspiring with his son in a game law violation and illegal possesion of a buck deer. February 1, 2007The subtle approach
Making it as a pro bass angler is as much about fishing well as it is about savvy marketing. Few are more savvy than Crews. Every single driver Crews passes or who passes Crews on the road this year is going to notice this rig. They will all be in cars or trucks. Advance Auto Parts sells parts for those cars and trucks. Sounds like a pretty good partnership to me.
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About this blog
While growing up in rural Southern Oregon, Mark Taylor developed a passion for the outdoors while he and his younger brother tagged along with their father on fishing, hunting and camping adventures. Graduating from Northwestern University in 1988, Taylor spent four years as an officer in the U.S. Navy based in Norfolk before moving into journalism. After five years writing about the military for a Norfolk-based publishing company, he became the outdoors editor at The Roanoke Times in 1998. He lives in Roanoke with his wife and twin daughters. .....Advertisement.....
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