After a long hiatus, we’re getting the blog back up and running!
Introduction:
Greeting all, it’s good to be back on the hunting blog! While we never officially ended it, over the last couple of years I have been sidetracked with other projects, which made it hard to keep up with regular postings. But as of this year I am semi-retired from my professional life, and have a bit more time for shooting, hunting, writing, and video production focusing on my lifetime love of airguns and hunting. So, let’s spend this first entry talking about plans for the future and what’s to come on Afield on Airguns.
Looking Back:
It’s hard to believe that we started the Afield on Airguns blog way back in August 2012! I’ve known Robert, Greg, and the Airguns of Arizona team much longer than that, going back to the mid 2000’s. I started seriously shooting airguns in the 1980’s and 90’s while living in Europe, but when I came back to the States in 2000, got very serious about hunting with them. I’ve had the chance to hunt small game, big game, and predators in various states, countries and ecosystems around the world and have been writing about airguns for several magazines during that time as well. These publications include Predator Xtreme, Outdoor Life, Fur-Fish-Game, Game & Fish, and Airgun Hobbyist in the USA, and Airgun Shooter, Air Gunner, and Airgun World in the UK. Because of this, I’ve been lucky enough to use literally hundreds of airguns over the years.
Looking Ahead:
The reason I’ve spent a few lines on this background is laying the groundwork for where I see this blog going in the future. I love to shoot, use different guns, hunt a variety of game, and travel to hunt. I’ll drive hours to Northern Wisconsin to hunt snowshoe hare, out to Arizona to hunt Alberts squirrel, Texas for javelina and hogs, and just about anywhere airguns are allowed for deer hunting. And in this blog, I want to share those trips, talk about the guns and gear used, explore new products and old favorites, and visit some longtime airgunning buddies along the way.
We’ll look at a variety of brands when it comes to shooting gear, and AOA has given me free rein in selecting the gear I write about. But having said this, they carry many of my favorite premium brands such as Brocock, Daystate, Western Airguns, American AirArms, KalibrGun, RTI, Weirauch, as well as scopes by MTC, Athlon, Hawke, and all the accessories an airgunner needs. So. There will be a focus on many of these quality guns getting hard use in the field!
In the coming year, I have multiple trips to Texas for small game, predators and hogs, and would like to work in a mule deer, prairie dog shoots in S. Dakota are on the schedule, Florida for hogs and iguanas, already booked for a week in Puerto Rico to hunt a couple new properties in September for iguana. PR is by far and away my favorite place to hunt them. I’ve also set up several additional squirrel and rabbit hunts in Wisconsin, Indiana, Arizona, Utah, Virginia, and a couple other venues to be determined. I will pick out a few whitetail deer hunts, and have Wisconsin and Missouri locked in already. I’m looking for a place to hunt nutria in either Texas or Louisiana, and plan to use the fat tire ebike, kayak, and backpack to get to some out of the way places! If you have a suggestion for game species, guns, or places I should try out, let me know and I’ll see if I can work them in!
Up Next:
As I write this I am preparing for two upcoming trips. Next week I’m heading up to Wisconsin for the closing days of squirrel hunting with the BRK Ghost .30 to try for a couple of the black color phase squirrels, and as a contrast, bag a couple of the snowshoe hares that have transitioned to their white coats for winter camouflage. A couple weeks after that, I pack the gear back up, and head down to the relative warmth of March in SW Texas in pursuit of rabbits, predators, javelina and hogs. Going to meet up with my longtime hunting buddy Chacho, and we’re going to a new ranch after I spend a week or so at my buddy Trent’s property. Hopefully he’s uncovered another hidden hunting gem for us! I’ll be adding some photos of that trip along the way, so stay tuned to the blog.
Again, it’s great to be back, and looking forward to bringing you some interesting and entertaining content. I enjoy engaging with readers and hearing your opinions and experience, so please feel free to post, provide your comments, and I’ll try to answer any questions you have.
Jim
