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Ron Spomer Outdoors Current Publications

If you are one of the unfortunates who is still waiting for that first exciting hunt of the new season, perhaps a bit of reading will tide you over. Despite rumors to the contrary, I don't spend all of my time on Facebook or communing with nature. Proof is "It Always Comes Down to a Stalk," my tale in the September 2012 issue of American Hunter of a recent mule deer hunt in Colorado.  On p. 30 of the same issue I report on tricks you can use to safeguard your bird dog while introducing him to the hazards the accompany the joys of hunting "out West." Cliffs, rattlesnakes, wolves, cougars -- it's dangerous out here. If you're angling for something new in the deer woods, check out my treatise on "Pacific Blacktails" in the Sept/Oct. Successful Hunter on p.40. The only reason whitetails are considered masters at evasion is because too few hunters pursue our West Coast blacktails. Learn how these woodland waifs are truly our most elusive deer. And if you've scratched your head over kids -- of any age -- who watch too much TV, read "TV Training Promises New Hunters" on p. 62. Like do-it-yourself projects? Gun Hunter, Sept. 2012, carries a step-by-step how-to on glass bedding a molded plastic stock. This is an inexpensive way to fit an existing rifle with a temporary, inexpensive youth stock while retaining accuracy. If shooting rifles rather than building them turns your crank, you might be interested in my report on an iconic rifle, the slim, classy, fast-shooting Browning SA-22 autoloader. This classic is approaching its 100th year of production, but may not last much longer due to high costs. Get 'em while they're hot. Bird hunters might find inspiration -- and certainly a few useful tips -- for ringnecks in the September North American Hunter. On p. 45 I spill some of the secrets I've learned during more than 45 seasons pursuing this King of upland game birds. Not for nothing was I raised in the Pheasant Capital of the World. My article "Be A Pheasant Master" tells all! On page 90 of this same issue you can learn why a double barrel shotgun is not only still valid, but may be the best shotgun action of all time. Editor Dave Scovill at Rifle has done it again. He's put together a special edition of this fine, hard-core rifleman's magazine that focuses on all of our 7mm cartridges and rifles. My contribution, the "Seven Deadly Millimeters" analyses our love affair with this bore size plus the history of its development from the first 7mm in the latter years of the 19th century to the hottest 7mms of the 21st century. Check it out and your love affair with .30 calibers may fall on hard times. While a lucky few have already indulged in far north sheep hunts this year, you, like me, may have missed yet another season. Dig up the August issue of American Hunter and you can relive my last Dall hunt in "Sometimes It's Quick, But It's Always Steep" beginning p. 52. The pictures alone should have you longing for the freedom of the alpine. In the Hardware Department I review the excellent, bright Steiner Nighthunter XP binocular. P. 84. And on p. 32 I dig into the dogged question: "Trial Champ vs. Blue-Collar Dog." Should you get a pup from field trial bloodlines for regular hunting? I'm remiss in not alerting you to an editorial I think every hunter, not to mention every citizen, should read. It's "Wild Heritage" in the July/August Sporting Classics. Call the editorial offices at 800-849-1004 if you can't find a copy. In this hard-hitting piece I describe and deride the first amendment abuses heaped on law-abiding hunters by the animal rights police who are increasingly and almost incessantly attacking not only our rights to hunt but our reputations when we hunt. The religious fanaticism of these wild-eyed animists costs taxpayers millions upon millions each year while jeopardizing not only individuals' reputations and jobs, but wildlife itself. It is time we stopped the animal rights police. For more pleasure and less agitation, read my Rifles column on the 7x57 Mauser in this same issue of SC. Did you know this is the progenitor of the .270 Win., .25-06 Rem., .308 Win. and many more of our most popular hunting rounds? And in the Sept./Oct. issue of SC I report on the 75th Anniversary of the iconic Winchester M70 rifle and the special editions Winchester is building as a tribute to both the rifle and the man who made it famous, Jack O'Connor. P. 56. With pheasant seasons beginning in about a month in some states, this is a good time to read "Preparing for the 2012 Season" on p. 20 of Pheasants Forever magazine. This conservation organization continues growing and fighting for upland bird habitat across the country. Finally, I must report that someone wrote an adventure story in Sports Afield about my wife wading about the swamps of Mozambique in pursuit of a Cape buffalo 15 times her size. These are the Black Death man-killers that should have known better than to get in the way of the determined, 5-foot, 2-inch Betsy. "Showdown in the Swamp" begins on p. 62 of Sept./Oct. issue. If you're wanting to plan an African adventure of your own, you should read all about the wonderful Masailand of Tanzania in "The Travelling Hunter," p. 20. Truly a hunter's Eden. While you're enjoying your vicarious outdoor adventures in the comfort of your easy chair, I'll likely be struggling in the cold, damp Northwoods, trying to get in the way of a moose. The work never ends around here. # # #