Public Blog Thu, 17 Oct 2019 23:01:15 -0600 Jim Zumbo - All Things - CMS web development by Brandesigns Web Solutions. en-gb An Adventure in Southern California It was 1981 when the editor of Outdoor Life called and told me he wanted me to go on a little fishing trip. I was all ears, and when he explained the details, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to accommodate him. However, since I’d been with the magazine full-time for only a few years and I was expected to accept editorial assignments, I agreed with masked enthusiasm.













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It All Started Here - Part 2 - Continuation of my Writing Career Part 2. Continuation of my writing career.





















TO BE CONTINUED to Part 3...

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It All Started Here - Part 1











To be continued in Part 2.

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Behind the Scenes with Pat McManus












BARMAID to Pat: “And you sir?”





BARMAID to Pat: “And you sir?”




patrick f mcmanus quotes 2


Ticks, Chiggers and Me
















Pocket guide for tick identification:

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Spring Turkey Season Over in Most States Leaves Me Reminiscing of Crazy Hunts in the Turkey Woods Wanna laugh? Shake your head in disbelief? With the 2016 spring turkey season over in most states, and still open in a few, I thought I'd offer a few funny stories of my past hunts.

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Coffee, Me and Elephant Poop Many years ago I saw a sign on the bulletin board in my daughter's college dorm. It said, "Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits." So now that I'm convalescing from my open heart surgery, I often sits. Thinking, at least deep thinking, is often not a priority. I'm reminded of an English professor when I was in college. He was a bit strange, and at one point instructed us all to go outside and lie down in the grass. He asked us to focus on a single blade of grass and write as much about it that we could. So as I sit here, I look around beansand see my cup of coffee on the table. Taking a cue from the weird prof, I'll write about coffee. At least, whatever is worth writing about. Some info will be entertaining, some educational, and some worthless.

EARLY HISTORY. I don't know when I began drinking coffee, certainly when I was a teenager. Having been raised in the east, my coffee was violated with cream and sugar. If you ordered a coffee in a diner, it either came with sugar and milk on the side, or it was already mixed in. I believe that's pretty much the same today. So, when I moved west, I continued to drink sissy coffee. Most westerners drink their coffee black. My coffee preference changed when I went on the Scarsdale Diet. Now then, unless you have gray in your hair, you're probably unaware of the Diet. Breakfast was the same every day. BLACK coffee, a piece of toast, and half a grapefruit. The diet worked. I lost 40 pounds, and when I went to a writer's conference, many of my friends thought I'd contracted a terrible terminal disease. The doc that dreamed the diet up was shot to death in 1980 by a jealous mistress. That murder propelled the book into the limelight, until it was proven than the diet contributed to heart disease. So much for the Scarsdale Diet. But it was successful for me because I was converted to black coffee, and, living in the west, I wasn't teased anymore by my redneck buddies.

A FAMILY TRADITION. During my early years, our entire family gathered for dinners on the holidays. That included parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and a black sheep uncle who the women didn't like because he'd been fooling around on his wife. Dinner was always Italian, of course, with about 11 main courses. Well, almost. When dinner was winding down, the women would scurry back and forth to the kitchen, carrying away platters, dishes and silverware. And then came the demitasse, between the assorted nuts and homemade (dago red) wine. Now then, if you think you have experienced strong coffee, you ain't seen nothing until you've tried demitasse. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being strongest, it ranks a 12. Demitasse traditionally is served on a silver platter in a fancy, polished ornate silver pot, with several little tiny cups, similar to those that little girls would sip on at a make believe tea party. For an adult male, fingers200249084 001 could not fit in the little cup handles. You had to hold the cup delicately between thumb and index finger, where your pinky involuntarily sticks out. Quite the sight - manly men all slurping at their demitasse in delicate fashion. When the demitasse was done, out would come the cigars and after-dinner libations, notably anisette, an Italian liqueur tasting like licorice. I always believed the cigars and sweet drinks were necessary to wash away the vile taste of demitasse. As you may have gathered, I wasn't a fan of demitasse, but I had to go through the motions to maintain my role as a family member.

MOCHA AND LATTE WHAT? Not long ago, there were no espresso shacks scattered all over Everytown, USA, and people had to drink coffee that was available to them. That meant black or with cream and sugar. Nowadays you can drive up to a shack and order a concoction of flavors that will permanently disguise coffee to an unrecognizable state. Another change is the coffee served in convenience stores. Coffee is offered in many strengths, and often I have difficulty locating just a cup of everyday coffee. Makes me crazy.

HERS AND HIS Madonna puts cream in her coffee and prefers dark roast. Since I drink mine black, I like traditional roast. So is there a compromise? Nope. We have two coffee pots, side by side. It works.

2354697259 46f3344160 zCOWBOY COFFEE This is the real deal, the coffee of all coffees. Many won't like it, but there is no choice if you want to be a real cowboy or cowgirl. Two things are mandatory-- a campfire with plenty of hot coals, and a pot. The real deal pot is an old battered, scorched pot with innards removed. Or an old equally beat up tea pot. So you dump in an unmeasured amount of water, an unmeasured amount of coffee that you scoop out of the container with your hands, and set the pot on the coals. When it boils over, you remove it from the coals and set it on the ground. If it's at night, be sure you set it on level ground, and not on a rock or log where it might tip over. Wait 30 seconds after it's removed from the coals, and dump in a little cold water to settle the grounds. There are no doubt other versions of cowboy coffee. Mine comes from countless nights sitting around campfires in real cow camps where the men would rather ride their horse to the outhouse rather than walk.

WHY SEATTLE? For some reason, Seattle is perceived to be the chosen place where coffee is king. I don't get it. Why Seattle, where rain is practically an every day occurrence in the winter, along with most other months of the year? You'd think a place like North Dakota would be the coffee capital, where below zero temps are common and snowmobilers frequently run into the top wires of utility poles ( because the snow drifts are 40 feet high). In fact, the weakest coffee I've ever had has been in the Dakotas. Go figure. Maybe Seattle is king because Starbucks is headquartered there. Starbucks cafés amuse me, especially in airports where people are usually in a hurry. I've yet to see one with less than five people in line, more like 15 or 20. And the servers run around busily, dumping various ingredients in containers and using machines making whirring and grinding noises. That reminds me of my oldest daughter who lives in the Seattle area. She has a coffee bean grinder that must weigh 20 pounds, and when in use, it emits more decibels than my chain saw. She wears ear protectors when she uses it. True story.

AND THE ELEPHANTS. Sit down when you read this. In some hotels in Thailand and on Maldives Island, you can order Black Ivory coffee.10004 an elephant in the wild pv This is coffee made from beans that have passed through the digestive systems of elephants. This is true. Check it out on your Google machine if you don't believe it. The enzymes in the elephant breaks down the protein in the beans. Coffee bean protein translates to bitter coffee. These beans are worth $1100 per kilo ( 2.2 pounds). A cup of elephant poop coffee will cost you $50. I wonder how many people will apply for the job having a title of coffee bean elephant poop extractor? I think I'd pass.

AND FINALLY. So where do I go if I want a quick cup of coffee when I'm on the road? McDonald's, of course. No lie. It's not bad stuff, in my mcdonalds small coffeeopinion. And now you know everything you need to know about me, coffee, and elephant poop.

]]> (Jim Zumbo) Public Blog Fri, 29 Jan 2016 18:15:00 -0700
MISSING THE SHOT SHOW download     So I'm sitting here, feeling sorry for myself, because I'm missing the SHOT show, which is the biggest event in the hunting and shooting industry. It's winding down now. It is the 38th show, having its beginnings in St. Louis in 1979. SHOT stands for Shooting, Hunting Outdoor Trade.

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went to college I attended most football and basketball games.


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A Firewood Disease. Could it be? FW1So she walks over, looks at the woodpile, and says, "I think you have a problem." I put down my 8 pound splitting maul, thankful for the break, and say, "problem? I have a problem?" "Yes," she says, "and there must be a name for it." She thinks a minute and says, "I've got it. EXCESSIVE COMPULSIVE FIREWOOD DISORDER. ECFD. That's the name of your affliction. I think it fits." And she walks back in the house. I'm sure she's feeling pretty proud about herself for that perfect acronym.

I look at my woodpile. Woodpiles, actually. There are seven of them. I did a rough measurement. Something like 95 firewood or face cords (2X4X8). The piles are not simply stacked with little forethought. They are carefully considered. One is all Russian olive. Another is elm, oak, and ash, none of which grow wild in northwest Wyoming. So where did I get that wood? If I told you I picked the wood up while visiting pals in other states, I might get a knock on the door from the CIA for illegally transporting firewood across state borders. So I'm being mum on that issue. Actually, the oak might have come from elsewhere, but the ash and elm were obtained locally, in town, where I was FW2quick enough to beat the competition and to lay claim to wood from trees that were cut down. There are also piles of softwoods mixed with cottonwood and aspen. Those are native here. Most of the softwoods are Doug fir. There is also Engelmann spruce, lodgepole pine, limber pine, ponderosa pine, alpine fir, and cedar. Last year there was a pile of wood from Washington's coastal rain forest obtained while visiting my daughter, Janette. The CIA can't get me for that because it's gone, burned up, no DNA as evidence. The piles are also segregated by age. The older wood will be burned first. Green wood will be allowed to season, ready in a couple years. A guy down the road says I have a lot of junk wood.

It's CHARACTER wood, bubba. It ain't junk wood unless it's punky and crumbles in your hands. I think wood that's all the same size, same shape and same species is boring. I love tossing a piece of mystery wood on and wondering how it will burn. Chalk it up to me being a pyro, and a fascination for flames produced in a fireplace or campfire.

More than one person has gazed at my woodpiles and asked what in the world I'm going to do with that much wood. Easy answer: Ain't no such thing as too much wood. And I add this comment: "some people get a workout by going to the gym. Some people have a personal trainer. I have neither, and I'm not paying for that exercise." My exercise is free and I have something to show for it. I've never been a fan of running, jogging, walking, or meaningless exercise. Not for me.

FW3As I see it, there are many negatives to having a real fireplace. I define a real fireplace as one that burns real wood, not the propane job that is make believe. I fully understand why some folks have fake fireplaces. A big one is they have no chimney. Hmmmmm. Some live in houses where a fireplace was never built it nor can it be built in. Some simply don't want the mess and bother and work that goes into a real fireplace. Don't get me wrong. Some of my dearest friends have non-wood fireplaces. They're ok for them, not for me. If I ever get a propane fireplace, something is very wrong. Tar and feather me. Life, at that point, would not be worth living.

So what are the realities of having a real fireplace? First, you need wood. You can get wood two ways. You can buy it or obtain it yourself. If I ever buy firewood, tar and feather me again. Life, at that point, would not be worth living. I get my wood from private or public land, the latter being on two national forests in the Cody region. The Feds charge around $27 or so for a firewood permit which gets you a few pickup loads. Though there's lots of public forest land around Cody, there are not lots of accessible trees that qualify for removal. Key word is accessible. And nowadays the Feds passed more laws that restrict your ability to drag wood out of the forest. So, if an accessible tree even LOOKS like it's dying, the good folks from town will immediately cut it down.

One of my favorite wood-cutting adventures is to drive up to the Beartooth mountains with my fishing rod and chain saw. Returning homeFW5 with a truck load of Lodgepole pine and a mess of brook trout is my idea of a fantastic day. Or I might drive up to the Bighorn Mountains, same chain saw, same fishing rod, but I have to buy a firewood permit for that forest. Not a biggie. Easily done. It's worth it.

Ok, so we've determined that wood is essential for a wood-burning fireplace. Once the wood is located, it must be reduced to firewood length logs. If the tree is standing, you cut it down and this can be tricky. Dead trees are far more unpredictable than live trees. So, with the wood cut up, you haul it or roll it log by log to your truck. You obviously prefer that your truck is at the bottom of the slope and you're
cutting uphill rather than vice-versa. So you load and stack the wood in your truck and drive home. When you get home you unload and stack it in your yard. Then, at some point, you must split it so you can then burn it in smaller sizes.

The last step with your wood is to bring it in the house and to the fireplace. With that done, the process is complete. But wait. There are other little issues. Bringing firewood in the house will cause bark and debris to fall on the carpet. There may be bugs in the wood. You are FW6required to feed the fire more often then you might want. And then, the ashes must be taken out and the fireplace cleaned regularly, and if you don't live alone, you hope like hell that your spouse or significant other loves the ambiance and heat from the fireplace as much as you do.

Our fireplace burns 24/7 from late September to mid-May in most years. Sometimes in June if a cold front moves in.

My only lament is that we don't have the great hardwoods found around much of the country. Oak, ash, maple, hickory, cherry, etc. But we make do with what we have. And as far as the obvious creosote that accumulates because we burn a lot of softwoods, not to worry. A chimney sweep takes care of that issue each year. 

It really bothers me that some of my very best hunting buddies have accused me of looking for firewood when we're hunting for elk or
mule deer. But I have to say that every now and then, a chunk of wood catches my eye. It just sort of jumps up at me and says "take me home to your woodpile." 

That happened a couple years ago, when I was driving my truck up a wooded canyon, looking for mule deer. Rick Lambert, Miranda Lambert's dad, was in the truck along with my Wyoming rancher pals Gary and Jake Stearns. As I drove, I saw a beauty of a log, two feet in diameter and four feet long. I immediately applied the brakes FW8and said something like, "holy smokes, lookit that log." The boys were not impressed. I said something to the effect that it was far too heavy to load in the truck. "Stop," said 27 year old Jake Stearns, Gary's son. "That log is a piece of cake. Let's load it." I gleefully FW7backed up to the log, and the four of us lifted, but it slipped. Unfortunately, Rick Lambert didn't let go in time. He wrenched his shoulder and was obviously in pain. Jake then suggested we roll the log up a bank level to the truck bed, drop the tailgate and roll the log in. It worked. That log made it to my woodpile, but it took awhile for Rick to heal. And so the rumor about me looking for firewood over game still persists.

I think I have the biggest woodpile in all of northwest Wyoming. Seriously. But there's ONE guy who has a bothersome very large stack. I hate losing all that sleep over that. Maybe some night I should sneak over with a ruler and measure his pile. ECFD. That's me.

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Alaska's Healing Hearts Bear Hunt & Fishing Adventure 2015 When the two boats finally cast off the ropes and left the dock at the Homer, Alaska harbor, you might say the people on board were a bit excited. It was a dream come true for six of them, all combat veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. They were about to embark on a five day bear hunt/fishing trip hosted by Alaska's Healing Hearts Foundation, an organization that makes many activities available to veterans. The eagle.groupadventure was made possible by the generosity of Mike Flores, who owns Ninilchik Charters. Mike, who has two sons active in the U.S.Marine Corps, made his two boats available for the trip.

One of the troops had been to Alaska before, the other five had not. Before the boats left the dock, one of the veterans said, "I can't believe I'm in Alaska. If the trip was cancelled right now, I'd still be happy." They came from Kentucky, Texas, Washington, California, and two rom Oklahoma.

The plan was to anchor the boats together in a sheltered cove each evening, and hunt and fish during the day. The boats, the 48 foot Arctic Sundy, and the 53 foot Arctic Endeavor, easily accommodated the six warriors and seven crew that included captains, deckhands, guides, cooks, and whatever else needed to be done. 

Trevor.bear1Several bears were spotted, but all were far from the beach and high up on the slopes. Typically, after an arduous climb through steep terrain and dense brush and blowdowns, the target bear disappeared before the hunters could maneuver into shooting range. However, Trevor Phillips, a US Army Veteran and Purple Heart recipient, managed to take a fine six foot bear. With help from his hunting partner and one of the deckhands, he skinned the bear, quartered it, and transported the meat to the beach. They, and most of the other hunters, finally made it back to the boats by 2 am. All of them returned wet and tired, but upbeat and ecstatic about their first Alaska experience.

Fishing was outstanding. Everyone caught halibut, cod, rockfish, and yelloweye during the adventure. WhenCole.yelloweye1 it was time to leave, everyone expressed their disappointment at having to depart. New friendships were forged, and the troops came away with memories never to be forgotten. Besides the hunting and fishing adventure, the outing allowed the veterans to share stories of their past. Because all of them understood the rigors of combat, they had a special sense of camaraderie, which is critical to helping them deal with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) or TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). Said one, "this trip allowed six of us to come together and communicate in a fabulous wild setting. None of us knew each other. Now we're bonded as extended family."

This was the fourth annual black bear Hunt offered by Alaska's Healing Hearts, a non-profit foundation based in Wasilla. Composed of a nine member board, all are volunteers. There are no salaries or administrative expenses. The bear hunt is just one of many activities offered in Alaska. Funds come from private donations, sponsors, and fundraising events. Donations can be made on the Alaska's Healing Hearts' website.

Many individuals and businesses helped make this trip possible. Mike Flores of Ninilchik Charters provided the boats and crew, Land's End Resort in Homer and Inlet Tower Hotel in Anchorage offered free accommodations, Inlet View Cafe in Ninilchik offered free meals, and Cabela's in Anchorage offered merchandise and had a meet and greet for the veterans.

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Everyone was smiling. 







(Stamp prototype designed by Oregon Wildlife Artist Shari Erickson)


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Iditarod Race in Alaska Starts Today Rick Casillo3Today is the official start of the Iditarod, called The Last Great Race on Earth. This dogsled race, with some 50 mushers competing, runs about 1100 miles, ending at Nome. Because of poor snow conditions, the restart begins in Fairbanks instead of Willow today. You can follow the race on the Iditarod homepage.

The musher you see in this picture is a special person. He is Rick Casillo, and I'm honored to know him. Rick owns Battle Dawgs, and he spends much time supporting our troops. He'll be wearing the AHH brand during the race -- Alaska's Healing Hearts, a foundation that I'm mighty proud to be President.

Rick's wife, Jennifer, is a military officer and has been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. I'm happy to say she's on our Board of Directors. Jennifer has a quote: "the true battle for a veteran begins when they get home." Together, Rick and Jennifer are a fantastic couple.Rick Casillo2

Rick's journey during the race will be a supreme test of man and dogs. They'll face raging blizzards, whiteouts, wind chills down to 100 degrees below zero, dangerous rocks and debris in places where there's no snow, and incredible fatigue that goes along with this amazing race.

Rick's bib number is 52. Watch for him during the race. I'm one of his biggest fans. Go Rick -- we love ya, man.

]]> (Jim Zumbo) Public Blog Mon, 09 Mar 2015 11:42:09 -0600

Fair? Ethical? In my opinion, not at all. Not even close. Many states agree, and several have already outlawed the use of drones when hunting. Alaska, Montana, and Idaho were among the first to ban the tiny aircraft. The prestigious Boone and Crockett Club, America's oldest conservation organization, recently passed a new rule, stating that the use of a drone when hunting will disqualify a trophy animal that otherwise might be eligible for the record book.

drone2HOW POPULAR? The interest in drones is booming nationwide. Technology continues to improve every day due to the public demand. You can buy a drone for a child for $20, and you can purchase one equipped with a camera for less than $60. More expensive models allow more bells and whistles. Remember B&H photo in New York City? When I was buying film and cameras years ago, that company was one of my favorites with great prices and a variety of products. Check out what's hot in their catalog now. Drones, dozen and dozens of models.

PROBLEMS. Many incidents of drone use have been in the national spotlight recently. One crashed near the White House. Another went down in a popular geyser pool in Yellowstone Park, and the owner was fined several thousand dollars. There have been near misses with airplanes near airports . There were concerns that drones would be active over the Super Bowl game, endangering people in the stands. A reputable report states that drones will be as common as cell phones in 10 years.

POSITIVE BENEFITS? Are there positive aspects of drones? Sure. As crazy as it sounds, Amazon is seriously pursuing an idea of using them to bring a package to your doorstep. That would solve all sorts of delivery issues when perfected. You can use drones to offer a new aerial perspective for a variety of family activities. Amazing footage of outdoor scenes from an aerial view can be obtained, such as sending the drone up over a bubbling creek, or filming a beaver cutting down a tree, or filming an osprey nest from high above.

LAW ENFORCEMENT. There are law enforcement advantages as well, such as sending a drone out to look for patches of marijuana in the wild, observing a house containing possible suspects, and a myriad of other purposes. A game warden can use a drone to observe possible violators who are suspected of keeping too many fish, or checking a hunting camp to see what critters are hanging in trees. Then too, farmers can use them to map their crops, foresters can use them to monitor wildfires in remote areas, and so on.

PERSONAL PRIVACY. But what about the negatives from the standpoint of personal privacy? For example, if you've wondered what goes on at the swimming pool behind your neighbor's six foot high fence, you might send up a drone and check it out. But is it legal? Not in Texas. New laws have been enacted to protect a person's privacy. Other states are considering similar legislation. In Oklahoma, legislators are considering a law where it could be legal to shoot a drone down over your property.

A woman in southern Maryland thought it was cute when her nephew filmed the property from high above, but when he maneuvered it just outside the window she was watching from, she became concerned. She was a member of a group of farming representatives and met with state legislators to consider laws that would restrict drones over private property without the owner's consent. Said one surveillance expert, "drones make it possible to invade privacy without trespassing.

PROTECTING YOUR PROPERTY. An on-line organization goes so far as to offer people free registration for protecting their privacy. You sign up with your address, the organization records your address and GPS location in a database, and coordinates with participating drone manufacturers to automatically prevent drones from flying over your property.

SHOOT IT DOWN? I like the Oklahoma law being considered by legislators -- shoot down a drone if it's hovering over your house. But that can pose new problems. Suppose it crashed and hurt someone. Suppose the bullet or spent shot injured someone on the ground. Obviously, this is a complicated issue.

The Obama administration is now working with FAA to come up with guidelines. One thing is for sure -- drones aren't going away.

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