I'm Back

Hi all.  It has been a while since I have posted to the blog.  I was hitting it hard studying and finishing up my internship.  I have also been in the process of finding a permanent job to get my adult life started.  While I consider myself an avid outdoorsman, I chose the health and safety profession for my career; however, since I last posted, I took a job as a safety and health specialist contractor with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania placed with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.  How fitting?! I have been in this position for about a month and a half now, and I am really seeing how diverse and complex the agency is as far as all of the different bureaus that are involved in maintaining Pennsylvania’s wildlife.
Now that I am settled in, I plan to really get things running with this blog.  I enjoy the outdoors as a way to escape the stress and bustle of modern society.  I also find peace and serenity in writing and documenting my adventures.  Because I love reading about other’s adventures, I decided that I would like to also share mine with the community who follows this page.  I plan to write as much as I can.  Although it might not be daily, I would like to keep this going and get some interaction with you all.  This is my way of sharing my adventures with others who find the same peace and quiet in the outdoors.  We will cover everything from hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and shooting.  I will also do product reviews where I see fit for new things I try out.  I also love photography, so I will post photos and videos from my adventures as well.  I hope you all enjoy what I have to offer, and if you have any suggestions or questions, never hesitate to shoot me an email or comment!
Tight lines, happy campin’ and straight shootin’!

2017 Great American Outdoor Show

Today, Jill and I attended the Great American Outdoor Show, sponsored by the NRA.  Although I have been living in Southcentral Pennsylvania for going on 4 and a half years now, this is the first time that I have ventured out to see this show.  I have seen it on TV, in magazines and on social media, so I was expecting it to be an impressive event.  What I didn’t realize was just how impressive it really was! What a cool show to attend.  I went first to the shooting sports section to check out the Crossbreed Holsters booth.  I have been looking at these holsters at the Sportsman’s Shop in Ephrata for my new CCW, and when I heard about their show specials I just had to stop by and see what they had to offer.  As it turns out, my more than supportive girlfriend decided that this would make a great anniversary present (she’s a keeper), and decided to go half on the holster with me.  They were out of the model I was looking for, so I ordered it and will expect it in a couple of weeks.  I also stopped by the Nine Line Apparel booth to talk with their sales representative.  He stopped me because he was happy to see my thin red line patch on my hat.  We talked about what Nine Line is about and how it is a veteran owned and operated business that supports wounded veterans.  It is a noble cause and they also have some awesome designs on their apparel.  I will probably be purchasing some soon.

After that, we walked through the archery hall.  I stopped at the PA Game Commission booth and talked to the person in charge of promoting archery in the schools.  I was lucky enough to participate in intramural archery in elementary school, which was very unique considering the more urban and developed area that I come from.  This, and my father’s love for archery really got my love for archery started, so I was more than happy to see the PGC working to push for archery in the schools.  Among some of the vendors where the local shops where I like to spend hours on end, such as Kinsey’s Outdoors and Lancaster Archery Supply.  There were also plenty of cool new products being shown off.

Although I am not in the market for a trip right now, Jill requested that we finish off our adventure by walking up and down the aisles in the outfitter’s area so she could look at all of the cool mounts that were on display.  There were most certainly some very cool mounts on display from various regions in North America, as well as exotic locations.  While walking through the outfitter’s area, I met a gentleman from New Zealand.  He was sitting talking with one of the outfitter’s and he saw me walking past and was trying to talk me into buying a trip! I told him I wasn’t financially ready for that yet, but I would keep them in mind!
Overall, the experience was great.  Unfortunately, we only had two hours to walk around.  It was great to see what we were able to cover in those two hours, but I will need much more time next year to really see what all is there.  I look forward to making this an annual trip to see what new and exciting products the outdoor community has to offer.  Look for a review of my Crossbreed Holster in the near future!
Tight lines, happy campin’, and straight shootin’!