Friday, November 11, 2011

Dan Vogt Takes Caribou During Alaska Hunt

WTU's Missouri Field Director Dan Vogt had a great hunting trip to Alaska last September, where he took this nice caribou. He shot this one 1.6 miles from camp the afternoon of the first day of his hunt, around 4:30 p.m. It took him and his partner the next day and a half to pack the animal out. He shot his second caribou on the third day. Dan said the experience was truly spectacular and he thanked God for the great weather.

Jim Kurdziel Mule Deer Success

WTU Michigan Field Director Jim Kurdziel had a very successful Colorado mule deer last week. Jim was bow hunting in the northeast prairie portion of the state when he made a 65-yard shot to tag this huge 290-pound buck, with a 26-inch plus inside spread, and a gross score of 189.

Sign Someone Up For Landowner Fridays Reward Program


Popular program recognizes landowners who allow hunting on their property. 
Whitetails Unlimited’s Membership Appreciation Rewards Program’s new component, Landowner Friday, is off and running, and is a simple way that hunters can say ‘thank you’ to people who allow hunting on their land.
“This is a recognition to those landowners who allow responsible hunters to access their land,” said WTU Executive Director Pete Gerl. “The lack of places to hunt is one of the biggest problems hunters face, and everyone in the hunting community needs to do what they can to deal with this critical issue. Cabela’s has generously donated $50 gift cards as prizes for the landowners.”
The “Landowner Friday” recognition portion of the program requires that a current WTU member go to the WTU website and register the name of a landowner who permits them to hunt on their land. The landowner does not need to be a WTU member. Every Friday, one landowner will be randomly selected from that list to receive a $50 Cabela’s gift card.
Hans Feld of Nasewaupee, Wisconsin, was a recent Landowner Friday winner, and he said, “It was a nice surprise. I had no idea, but I appreciate very much Dave putting my name in.” Feld has managed a deer camp in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for decades, and says that since he’s at a point in life where, “I don’t need anything anymore, but now I go out before the deer season and buy something foolish for myself. This was a real treat.”
This year Feld said that he’s going to look at electric hand warmers for riding his ATV, because his thumbs are starting to get cold if he’s on the vehicle for an extended period of time. Feld said that he plans to visit the Cabela’s location in Richfield, Wisconsin, this weekend, “I’m sure I’ll be able to find something to make me happy.”
Any Whitetails Unlimited member can nominate landowners who allow them to hunt by clicking here.
The Membership Appreciation Rewards Program began in 2008, and has been very popular with both WTU members and industry supporters. Now four lucky member winners are selected each week (Monday – Thursday) through a random computerized drawing of current WTU members. The winner on Friday is selected from the member-nominated landowner list. Winners are notified by mail, and winners and their prizes are posted on the WTU website.
Memberships can be obtained by clicking here, or by phone at 1-800-274-5471. Official rules for the program are available here.

John Hunter Arrows Nice 10-Pointer

WTU's New York Field Director John Hunter scored this dandy 10-pointer on the second day of the New York bow season last September. The buck green scored in the 140’s. He is having a European mount done, and plans on having it officially scored shortly thereafter.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Change is the Only Constant


Every year, in nearly every state, there are changes in laws and regulations that relate to hunting, and every year Whitetails Unlimited receives many inquiries as to what our position is regarding these changes.
For the most part the callers are disappointed, because the answer is pretty consistent: we don’t have a position. The callers are often frustrated with that answer, because they want Whitetails Unlimited to support their position. Lets face it –  having a national conservation organization in their corner would be a big stick to swing.
Now, there are pretty good reasons we don’t get involved in these types of issues, and it’s not because we are gutless, uninterested, in the pocket of the DNR, a particular political party, not real hunters, unethical, or have been paid off by one side or the other. (These are just some of the more recent accusations that I’ve heard – believe me, I’ve never had an envelope stuffed with cash slid under my desk!)
There are three basic reasons we don’t take positions on the myriad changes in laws and regulations that are proposed each year:
  1. We don’t know enough about each case, and we don’t have the resources available to properly evaluate the countless proposals and issues that arise throughout the U.S., each of which includes unique cultural, historical, legislative, regulatory and scientific components. The vast majority of these issues are best settled through the local and state regulatory and legislative process, which itself can vary from one area of the country to another.
  2. Our membership is spread across the nation, and when we come out with one stand on an issue, we are speaking as the voice of our entire membership. Should we poll our members on each issue and just mirror their voice, and would it need to be a simple majority, a majority of those responding, or some sort of supermajority to put the WTU stamp on an issue? The logistics of that would be a nightmare. Or to make it simple, should we just decide in the office, have a vote of the board of directors, or have one person in the headquarters decide? That would be pretty arrogant to impose that kind of opinion upon the WTU membership.
  3. Hunting traditions can change drastically from one area of the country to another, and what may be a blazing controversy in one place is old news in another. Hunters are convinced that they way they hunt is the “right” way to do it, but should everything be the same in Georgia as it is in Minnesota?
However, we do present information through our publications and web site on issues in an attempt to educate and inform our membership on issues facing the white-tailed deer and deer management, rather than advocating for a particular position. The next step is up to you. WTU strongly encourages individual members, outside of their membership in WTU, to become active in the political and regulatory process with issues that relate to hunting and conservation on the local, state and national levels.
  

Sunday, November 6, 2011

A Different Way To Shoot Ammo

A Different Way To Shoot Ammo
By Jeff Davis

These images are of some .338 Federal rounds, for a story in Whitetails Unlimited Magazine. They were shot on a piece of black Plexiglas, and lit with a small soft box on the right and an umbrella providing some fill on the left.

During the time I was shooting, I just kept moving around looking for different ways to show the ammunition. I always try to have a selection of both vertical and horizontal images so the page designer has a selection to work with. It's surprising how a small change in the position of the camera, or a change in the direction, balance or intensity of the lights can make a huge difference in the photo.

When I was setting up the shoot I had a couple of rags and some metal polish and I was polishing each round (when you look closely at ammunition  you will see a layer of oxidation on the brass, copper, and lead). Someone walked by, stopped, and looked again. They asked what was I doing, and I replied, matter-of-factly, "Polishing my ammo," with a tone of voice that implied that was something that everyone does everyday, and why in the world would anyone ask such a question. "You're not one of those people who never polish their ammo, are you?" I asked. They shook their head and continued on down the hall. And I wonder why people groan when I walk into a meeting.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

First One Back to the Cabin

First One Back to the Cabin
By Jeff Davis 

I’m the first one back to the cabin, but it’s no warmer inside than outside. There’s a skim of ice on the leftover coffee, but I can feel a weak blush of heat from the stove as I walk past.

I stir the ashes, fill it with split logs, open the damper and pull a chair close. My socks are wet, and my toes are numb from the cold. Dry socks are in my duffle under the bunk, but I can already feel the waves of heat from the now crackling fire. I pull a log in front of the stove and prop my feet inches from the front of the stove.

I’m still shivering, but my toes start to tingle. Tiny pinpricks turn into painful stabs, but I know it’s because they aren’t numb anymore. The heat hits my face, and in a few minutes my skin feels, dry, tight and hot. I smell hot wool, and pull my toes, now inside steaming socks, a little farther away from the stove.

The pinpricks assail my toes; my knees and face are getting painfully hot, but my shoulders and back are still being squeezed by the cold. A small bubble of heat, centered at the stove, grows inside the cabin, but outside that bubble it is still the frozen North. A blanket over the shoulders seals me inside the bubble.

I’m finally warm enough to stop thinking about how miserably cold I am. I stare into the fire roaring in the stove and think about – nothing. I stare into the fire, and my mind is truly blank. I watch as colors move and dance, ephemeral shapes form, and then disappear. I’m relaxed, comfortable and at peace with everything.

Many times I’ve sat, just staring into a fire, feeling contented, serene, and empty, regardless of how many people are around. Sometimes thoughts race through my mind: memories, emotions, plans and dreams. Just as suddenly they are gone, replaced by a simple, empty connection with the heat and light of the fire.

I hear the others coming back to the cabin. I don’t need the blanket anymore, but the stove needs another load of wood. I fill it, close the door, and put the pot on top to boil water for coffee and cocoa. They are coming back to a warm cabin with their tales of adventure and near misses. They are glad the fire is roaring and the cabin is warm. I’m glad I had that time to myself, hot and cold at the same time, with nothing to think about except a mesmerizing dance of heat and light.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Whitetails Unlimited’s Trail Camera Contest Is Online Again

The First Place winner in the Best Non-Deer category last year showed a
line of four badgers heading for a den.

Whitetails Unlimited’s Trail Camera Contest Is Online Again
Here is your chance to share those amazing trail camera images.

Whitetails Unlimited Trail Camera Contest is back, and entries are already coming in.
“We get some fantastic images every year,” said Whitetails Unlimited Magazine editor Jeff Davis, “and we’re looking forward to seeing what our members have captured in the last 12 months. We get some unique photos, not all of which include deer. Trail cameras provide a window into the natural world and a view that most people never see, and everyone I know loves to look at these images. This is our chance to collect and share some of the best trail camera photos out there.”
Photos must be entered via the Whitetails Unlimited website, and must have been captured during 2011. There are three categories: Best Buck, Best Antlerless Deer, and Best Non-Deer Photo. There will be first, second, and third place winners in each category. An individual may enter a total of three images in the contest, and entries can be submitted until 12:59 p.m. on Wednesday, December 28, 2011. Judging will take place during the first week of January 2012.
Images must have been taken with your trail camera, and all images must include the camera’s date stamp. Winning images will be posted on the WTU website, and also published in Whitetails Unlimited Magazine.
Complete contest details are available at www.whitetailsunlimited.com.
WTU Press Release

WTU Press Release

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Radio PSAs on Hunting Safety Availalbe From Whitetails Unlimited


Whitetails Unlimited Has Hunting Safety Radio PSAs Available
Set of five public service announcements include topics on hunting safety and encouraging hunting with family and friends.

Whitetails Unlimited has a set of five hunting-related public service announcements available for use by radio stations. The PSAs, in both 15- and 30-second versions, can be downloaded as .wav files from the WTU website, and are also available on a CD, which will be mailed free upon request.
Training youngsters to safely shoot and hunt is
essential, and is a responsibility for everyone
in the shooting sports.
“Promoting safe hunting practices and encouraging more people to get out hunting are two of our central messages,” said WTU Executive Director Pete Gerl. “Commercial radio is a huge and very effective method of mass communication, even in this age of the internet. We appreciate those radio stations that know how many hunters they have in their audience, and take their commitment to public service seriously.”
The five PSAs include Stand Safety, Hunting Safety, Hunting Tradition With Son, Hunting Tradition With Daughter, and Take a Friend Hunting. Each is available in both 15- and 30-second versions.
The PSAs can also be downloaded from the WTU website by going to www.whitetailsunlimited.com, and then clicking on the News button, and then Media Resources. Scroll down until you get to Radio Public Service Announcements.
Any radio station wanting a free CD mailed to them can simply email a request with their mailing address to jdavis@whitetailsunlimited.com, and it will be sent via First Class mail.
WTU Press Release

Tales From The WTU Banquet Trail


Tales from the Banquet Trail
By Jeff Davis

“It was your worst nightmare,” said Whitetails Unlimited Field Director Larry Yost. It was actually worse than that … because this was real.
Yost was in the middle of the Wymore Chapter banquet in Nebraska, and just found out that the caterer wasn’t going to show up. He was in front of a sold-out crowd of 220 people, 20 minutes before dinnertime, and he had no food.
At the beginning of each banquet everything is in order, and
there are no problems. After the doors open, the WTU Field
Directors need to be ready for anything.
“There are always problems that need to be managed at every banquet,” Yost said, in his typically understated manner. “But this was a little different.”
The problem was the caterer had multiple jobs that night, and somehow had scheduled the WTU banquet for the wrong date. “I had everything confirmed, just the way I do for every banquet, and as far as I knew, everything was fine. I’ve never had this problem before.”
There’s an old saying that says it’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness, but at that moment it didn’t look like Yost had any candles in his bag of tricks.
“This banquet was in a town of less than 1,000 residents, there were no restaurants, no grocery stores, and I had 220 people who had bought tickets for a banquet. It’s hard to have a banquet without food, but it didn’t seem like there were any alternatives.”
It was the resourcefulness of some of the WTU members that produced success from the jaws of certain disaster.
“We were talking over our options, which weren’t many, when WTU sponsor Chad Lottman and his wife, Courtney, came up and said they might be able to help,” said Yost. It turns out he had a butcher shop in Beatrice, 25 miles away, and could arrange getting steaks cut and ready for the grill. Rex Adams, the chapter event associate, said his wife, Jodi, and daughter Cami would run to pick up the steaks, and could also stop at Kentucky Fried Chicken and Wal-Mart for side dishes and supplies. Now they had a plan, but there was one last problem: cooking the steaks.
There is a lot of activity at every WTU banquet, including
raffles, games, auctions, and door prizes.
It was Chad and Courtney to the rescue again. In addition to owning a butcher shop, they also own C & C Processing in Diller, and they compete in barbeque contests in the summer. Chad had a huge portable grill, but it was next to his shop stuck in the snow and mud.
A friend volunteered to retrieve the grill and get it fired up, and the last piece of the jury-rigged solution was in place. The grill was dug out of the snow and extracted using a 4X4 pickup truck, it was then filled it with charcoal and pulled it back to the banquet site. Meanwhile, Jodi called KFC and told them what was going on, and they pledged to put together biscuits, potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, and vegetables. Jodi and Cami set off with a blank check from Yost to make the 45-minute round trip to pick everything up. The grill arrived and was ready to go as soon as the steaks got there, and volunteers pitched in to get the meat on the grill and the serving tables set up. In short order everyone was enjoying a great steak dinner.
The dinner, which was scheduled for 7:00 p.m., was served about 8:30, and Yost said, “We didn’t get a single complaint. I can’t thank everyone enough, both those that pitched in above and beyond what anyone could expect, and everyone else at the banquet. Everyone was fantastic.”
Yost said the one key ingredient was to keep everyone informed. “We told the crowd right away that we had a problem, and kept them informed through the whole process. We didn’t try to hide it, and after the night was over I didn’t get one single complaint. The crowd actually had fun with it. We kept the games going, adjusted the schedule for the night, and just kept everyone busy while Chad and Courtney and the instant volunteers got the food together. That disaster turned into a memorable night.”

No Two Banquets the Same

Lining up for dinner at a Wisconsin WTU banquet.
While Yost’s banquet disaster was unusual (no other WTU field director has ever had a caterer not show up), most banquets have problems of one kind or another. But all the WTU field directors stress that problems are just one more thing to manage, and their goal is to make sure the people who attend banquets, or other WTU events, never know there were any type of problems.
But there are things that are beyond any control, and can’t be fixed, like the weather. Snow or ice storms are a regular problem each year, but a really strange weather event can also happen.
One Nebraska banquet took place in a facility situated on a bluff overlooking a picturesque river valley. Bad thunderstorms are not unusual in Nebraska, so the severe thunderstorm warning didn’t have any effect on attendance at the banquet. It became a day to remember for those present, as they looked out of the huge windows of the restaurant while a tornado passed by in the river valley below them. Luckily, no one lived along the river in that area, and the tornado damaged only trees, no buildings.
A massive storm of another kind threw a wrench in the works for a Texas banquet, as the tail end of a hurricane dumped massive rain, and high winds knocked out power to the banquet hall just after the field director arrived to set up. He was able to secure a generator on the back of a truck, and they ran the entire night using the portable power source. And the record-setting rain from the hurricane? Didn’t seem to bother anybody; the entire sold-out crowd of more than 400 showed up, and everyone had a great night.
WTU VP for Field Operation Dave Hawkey helped solve
a plumbing problem while attending a WTU banquet.
It was a mess, but few of those attending the banquet
even knew there was a problem.
Power was the problem at another banquet, this time in Iowa, and the field director was once again Larry Yost. The entire town was out of power when he arrived at the community center in Anthon, Iowa, at 9:00 a.m. to set up for the event. They got some lanterns and flashlights to use until the power was restored. As the day went along, it became apparent that perhaps the power was not going to get turned on before the event started, or not at all. Craig Handke, the event associate, luckily happened to be an electrician. He had an idea to call a neighbor who had a large generator that would run off a tractor. The tractor arrived at 3:00 p.m. and the guys went to work wiring the community center to the generator. At 4:30 the lights went on and the crowd started to arrive. Yost had another sold-out event, with more than 350 people attending – and the entire night was run on a tractor that was parked out back behind the community center.

Just Another Day in the Office

These tales of woe seem pretty dramatic to me, but for the WTU field directors it’s just another day in the office. When I thought this might be an interesting story, I sent an email to all of them asking them to send me stories of disasters that have happened at banquets, and I got no response. None. So I called them on the phone, and uniformly they replied that each banquet has problems or challenges, and that it is just their job to handle them. “You wouldn’t last long in this job if you let problems get in your way,” one said to me.
Many youngsters attend WTU banquets with
parents and grandparents.
“The reality is, it doesn’t matter what the problems are, we have to fix them and produce a great event,” said Ohio Field Director Denny Malloy. “We’ve got people who have bought tickets, and are expecting an outstanding night. They shouldn’t have to care what happens behind the scenes, so we just have to make sure they have a great time. If things go wrong during the event, we try to be fair, honest, and work from good intentions. The old saying, ‘the customer is always right,’ normally works.”
When asked for an example, Malloy recounts the time he was running a card raffle for a gun, where a deck of cards are sold, the purchased cards are torn in half, and a winning card is drawn after the entire deck is sold. The winning card this time was the four of clubs, and a winner quickly presented himself. And then another winner showed up, also with a four of clubs, from the same deck. Everything was on the up-and-up; the deck actually had 53 cards in it, with two four of clubs. And that was the winning card.
“I could have tried to see which four of clubs was actually drawn by matching up the tear pattern in the card, but these guys had done nothing wrong – they bought the cards that we were selling – and so I ended up giving away two guns from that game, and everyone was happy.”
Malloy says that while each event is unique, there are also many similarities. “It’s like being in a band. You get there early, set up, the crowd comes in, and then it’s a roller coaster ride until the end of the evening. Then everyone leaves, you tear down, and head home, sometimes 22 hours after you left the morning before.” Malloy emphasized again that no one needs to know the behind-the-scenes nitty gritty. “The time from when the doors open until the last person leaves is the only time that’s important. Good fellowship, good food, good games, good times, and working toward a good cause; that’s what’s important, and that’s what we have to deliver. It doesn’t matter how many problems I had to fix, it only matters if everyone had a good time.”
Larry Yost told me the same thing. He estimates that it takes a minimum of seven hours to set up before the doors open on the day of a banquet, if he has enough people helping. “I can’t say enough about our volunteers. They’re fantastic, and we couldn’t do it without them. Our volunteers and committee people go far beyond what can be expected.” Yost says the volunteer corps varies with each event. “Sometimes it’s all guys, sometimes it’s entire families. Sometimes it’s the same people every year, sometimes it’s a new crew, sometimes we have too many people, and sometimes we barely have enough. But whatever it is, they do a fantastic job.”
Dinner is a centerpiece event at most WTU events.
In addition to the physical set-up the day of the event, field directors must coordinate many details far in advance. Arranging for the location to hold the banquet, organizing the meal, having hundreds of individual products and merchandise (from guns to can cozies) delivered, securing local sponsors, working with ticket sales, and a hundred other details take a great deal of time throughout the year. When asked about the time it takes to arrange a banquet, Yost replied again, “That’s our job. That’s what we do. It’s all so that people have fun at our event, and want to come back next year.”
All the field directors I talked to emphasized that same point. It doesn’t matter exactly what happens at each banquet, as long as the crowd enjoys it. “Our key to success is to be flexible. The night flows, and going in I have a schedule in mind, but you have to be able to adapt.” Malloy agreed. “I do things a little differently than Tim Powers does at his banquets in Iowa, or LeRoy (Schultz) does with his events in Wisconsin, or any of our banquets in Texas or Maine. But that doesn’t matter. Each banquet is unique because each region is unique. What matters is we’re raising money for a good cause, we’re providing a great night for our banquet attendees, and our volunteers are supporting their communities and their sport through their hard work.”

Easier to Remember the Good Times than the Bad

It struck me that when I talked to the field directors and asked them about interesting things that had happened at their banquets, they instantly recounted things that had happened that were fun, good, or uplifting. It took quite a bit of prodding to come up with problems.
A happy winner at a banquet in Fountain City, Wisconsin.
“A couple of sons brought their dad on his 90th birthday,” Malloy remembered, “and at another banquet one fellow introduced me to his 85-year-old wife, who got a deer that year. I’ve met World War II veterans, and a whole new crop of returning veterans in the past few years. One night we had to stop the auction as a bunch of guys were putting the top on an eight foot by eight foot pyramid of cups on one side of the room. At a banquet in San Antonio we had an auctioneer who arrived ‘in character,’ and changed costumes and characters at least 10 times during the night. I’ve never seen anything like it. He was running all over the room, and theatrically collapsed on stage after the last item was sold. It was a great show.”
Yost agrees – the banquet successes make you forget the problems. “If I remember a problem it’s because it was pretty dramatic, and I don’t remember a whole lot of problems. I do remember a whole lot of names and faces, and people smiling and going out the door after a great night. Some of these events are the biggest fundraisers in the town all year, and they do great things with the 50% of the proceeds that are returned to the chapter. I had a banquet in a town of 565 people, and we sold 420 tickets. That banquet made a real difference for that town.
Malloy summed it up best when asked if the job ever drove him crazy: “No. This is a great job. We produce good times, for a good reason.”

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Caliber Confusion: Some Myths and Misconceptions About Ammo

 
Caliber ConfusionBy Jeff Davis
Any time you get more than one person talking about guns you will get disagreements. At the very least. There are many myths, misconceptions, and legends about various guns and ammunition, and it seems like everyone who know anything about firearms considers themselves an expert. One of the problems is that the language of firearms has evolved with few rules, and as a result there is  lot of confusion. This won’t solve everything, but here are some things I’ve learned, when I was looking up other things.
Caliber vs. Gauge
Gauge is a measure of the inside diameter  of a shotgun barrel while caliber generally refers to the diameter measurement of rifle and handgun bullets. Except shotgun slugs (a solid bullet shot from shotguns) retain their gauge designation, and the .410 is the caliber of a small shotgun (and never called a 67-1/2-gauge). The gauge designation was developed hundreds of years ago, before accurate measuring devices allowed for precise, repeatable  measurement.
Caliber
Caliber refers to the diameter of a bullet, and can be expressed in either metric (7mm) or English (.284) measurements, depending on where it was developed (Europe or the U.S.), or the whims of the marketing department of the company that first designed the bullet.
Numbers Aren’t Always Exact
Remember that just because a number exists, that does not necessarily indicate an exact measurement. The .38 Special and .357 Magnum are both 38-calibers, but the bullet is actually 357-thousandths of an inch in diameter. The .30-30, .30-06, .300 Winchester Magnum, .303 and .308 are all different, non-interchangeable rounds that are all .30-caliber. However, 30-caliber bullets are .308-inch in diameter. I once saw a customer go ballistic (pun intended) because he wanted to hand load for his .30-30, and the clerk gave him bullets that were .308-inch in size. The clerk was right.
Those Other Numbers
So if a .30-30 and a .30-06 are both 30-caliber rounds, that are .308-inch in diameter, why do they have those extra numbers? In the case of the .30-30, it meant that there was originally 30-grains of smokeless powder inside the case. Same with the .45-70. However, in the case of the .30-06, the -06 has nothing to do with powder, but rather that was the year, 1906, that the round was adopted by the U.S. Army as the standard rifle round, to be use with the 1903 Springfield rifle (and don’t ask what the Army used in that rifle between 1903 and 1905). There are other cartridges, such as the .30-378 Weatherby Magnum that is 30-caliber (.308), but it used a necked-down .378 case. And then there are rounds like the 7.62x39 and the 7.62x51, where the 7.62 is the metric equivalent of the .308, but the 39 and 51refer to the length of the case.
Never Assume
A .22 LR (long rifle) is much different from a .220 Swift, a .22-250 or a .22 Hornet. A .300 Winchester Magnum will not work in a .300 Weatherby Magnum, and you can’t buy a spacer to make a .300 Super Short Magnum work in a .300 Short Magnum (someone asked me that once). I was once loudly ridiculed by a friend when I told him I wanted to buy a .44 Magnum rifle, because everyone knew that the .44 Magnum was a handgun cartridge. The joke was on him, as there are a number of rifles chambered to shoot handgun rounds (including the .44), and a few handguns that shoot some rifle cartridges. It’s a big world out there.
Other Language Problems
Language is constantly changing, and the rules can change as popular usage changes. It drives me nuts when a gun’s magazine is called a “clip.” However, I often use the word “bullet” to indicate an individual round or cartridge, even though the bullet is actually just one component of that cartridge. I call revolvers “pistols” which drives my son nuts, but then I sometimes do that on purpose (a revolver is a revolver, but a semi-automatic handgun is more accurately termed a 'pistol'). And then there is tradition. The Army still tells soldiers to “Lock and Load” on the range, which never made sense to me, as we were loading, but not locking. The phrase goes back to the loading procedure of breech-lock rifles two hundred years ago, but caries on to this day.
Why So Many?
Looking through a reloading manual I found bullets with actual diameters of .257, .264 (6.5mm), .277, and .284 (7mm). Do we really need so many bullets that are so similar, but actually different sizes? Well, I don’t need them, but someone does. Ever look to see how many different kinds of mustard are available? I like two kinds, but someone is buying all the other variations. The basic answer is that the bullet diameter is only one variable in the performance of a particular round. The case size, and shape, as well as the kind of powder and primer, all have an effect on the downrange performance.

To each his own.

WTU Supports 4-H Shooting Sports Workshop; WTU Press Release


Whitetails Unlimited Continues Support of 4-H Workshop
Whitetails Unlimited continues to be a sponsor of the 4-H Shooting Sports program, one of the country’s most prominent and active youth shooting activities. WTU’s unique partnership with 4-H goes back over two decades, to 1991 in Ames, Iowa, when WTU first joined forces with the 4-H Shooting Sports Foundation.
As in the past, WTU’s recent support focused on sponsoring the 2011 National 4-H Shooting Sports State Coordinator Workshop, enhancing volunteer recruitment, and supporting state resource development. State Coordinators are the folks who provide the leadership for the 4-H shooting sports in their particular state.
The 2011 leader-training workshop was held on September 26-29 at the Stoney Creek Inn in Columbia, Missouri. The 4-H workshop was well attended and had adult leaders from almost 40 different states. It was also sponsored through the generosity of Larry and Brenda Potterfield and Midway USA.
“Whitetails Unlimited sponsors the program because we recognize that 4-H is in a strategic position to offer a positive gun safety message to the youth of our nation,” said Pete Gerl, Whitetails Unlimited’s executive director. Currently there are over 300,000 young people actively taking part in the shooting sports program, and an established core of over 15,000 trained adult volunteer instructors. The program teaches youth the safe and responsible use of firearms, and the fundamental techniques of using air guns, .22’s, blackpowder, rifles, and shotguns. The basic principles of hunting and archery are also taught as disciplines of the program.
The 4-H Shooting Sports program is active in nearly all states and continues to be one the organization’s fastest growing projects, with over 100 programs currently being offered to 4-H participants. With over 6.5 million members in 4-H nationally, the potential for growth in firearm safety is tremendous.

WTU Press Release