"The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools." — American naturalist Henry Beston
I know it is not winter yet. But did anyone see where fall went? Here we are looking down the barrel for mid-December, and I really don't know how we got here.
The much anticipated season for buck deer seemed to have snuck up on us — and then was gone in about three days, even though the calendar says it is two weeks. Now I know that some of you have some buck season left, there are some muzzle loader seasons still to come for many of us, and in my area there are two doe seasons upcoming.
Myself and a couple of deer camp buddies have been saying we are going to go at the doe seasons harder this year and put some meat in the freezer. Helen and I are planning to can some deer meat, too, as we have in the past. If all of this is to get done, my hunting buds and I are going to have to get with it.
There is, of course, a lot of hunting season left for this year and early 2024. The squirrel season will go through February here in West Virginia and in some other states that I say I am going to visit.
(READ MORE: Bushytails and cottontails will keep you on the hunting trail)
Will I actually get there? I don't know. My much-neglected squirrel dog, Abby the mountain cur, seems to remind me about this more lately when we are in the truck and she is crowding me while riding on the console. When I glance at her as we are hurtling down the interstate, she seems to be giving me a disdainful side-eyed look, or am I just imagining that? No, I think it is real.
I have also been making reservations to go the SHOT Show in Las Vegas in late January, and this is as late as I have ever waited for this. SHOT stands for Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade, and if you are involved in the gun and outdoors writing world, going to the SHOT Show seems almost required by some, but I am not so sure.
I do get caught up in some of the excitement of being there — at first. Three floors (14 miles of aisles) of guns and hunting paraphernalia can cause you to max out pretty quickly. The immensity of it all is daunting, to say the least. Every year when I enter the main hall of the Sands Expo Center with its thousands of booths and many thousands of people, I am more than a little taken back. I usually stand for a minute to take it all in, maybe like an ant would contemplate the universe.
(READ MORE: The SHOT Show is a jackpot for guns and outdoors enthusiasts)
Most everyone in Las Vegas seems to love it there. Nothing personal, but I get tired of it pretty quickly. It is lots of flashing lights and loud crowds and music, and everyone on the street seems like they are a little too excited about going to a party. It's just not, well, REAL.
That is just my opinion, you understand. Most of the population seems to love Vegas, so that is fine with me. Anyhow, you will be hearing from me later when I report to you about all the new shotguns, rifles, ammo and other goodies I learn about out there.
Thinking on things in the outdoors and firearms industry, I am sure many of you have seen the news that Rem/Arms, the company that is currently making Remington firearms after all of that company's troubles with two bankruptcies and selling of various assets, is closing its manufacturing plant in Ilion, New York. This firearms plant is the oldest in the United States, and it is probably thought of by Remington fans (like me) as some place that would never close.
Rem/Arms seemed to have gotten off to a rocky start, though, and never really hit its stride. They made a new version of the Model 870 shotgun called the Fieldmaster that many of us thought was great. Model 700 rifles trickled in at some stores, but I'm not sure these were in any great quantities.
Many of us desperately want Rem/Arms to be successful, but maybe we can only live on nostalgia for so long?
Anyway, the Ilion plant that has been making firearms for almost 200 years is closing in March 2024, and Rem/Arms said it will move to a new facility in Georgia.
We shall see.
"Guns & Cornbread" is written by Larry Case, who lives in Fayette County, W.Va. You can write to him at larryocase3@gmail.com.