Thanksgiving Menu Thanks to Mr. Clemens
When Mark Twain was traveling abroad he became homesick for American food so he put together a menu of foods he wanted to eat as soon as he got off the boat in the states. This list of foods, which can be found in his book, A Tramp Abroad, seems appropriate today especially the roast turkey, Thanksgiving style. It's also interesting to see the regional foods he mentions. The Connecticut shad he lists is still caught in the Connecticut River today, a stone's throw from our house. Note that there are a many game dishes, too. Enjoy the list and I'll bet it'll have your mouth watering by the time you are finished. Perhaps if I were to add a couple of really American foods to this list it would be a cheeseburger and maybe buffalo wings.
"Greens, Southern style; Hominy; Radishes; Baked apples, with cream; Fried oysters; stewed oysters; Frogs; American coffee, with real cream; American butter; Fried chicken, Southern style; Porter-house steak; Saratoga potatoes; Broiled chicken, American style; Hot biscuits, Southern style; Hot whent-brond, Southern style; Hot buckwheat cakes; American toast; Clear maple syrup; Virginia bacon, broiled; Blue points, on the half shell; Cherry-stone clams; San Francisco mussels, steamed; Oyster soup; Clam soup; Philadelphia Terapin soup; Oysters roasted in shell, Northern style; Soft-shell crabs; Connecticut shad; Baltimore perch; Brook trout, from Sierra Nevadas; Lake trout, from Tahoe; Sheep-head and croakers, from New Orleans; Black bass from the Mississippi; American roast beef; Roast turkey, Thanksgiving style; Cranberry sauce; Celery; Roast wild turkey; Woodcock; Canvas-back-duck, from Baltimore; Prairie hens, from Illinois; Missouri partridges, broiled; Possum; Coon; Boston bacon and beans."
We all know that we gun owners and hunters are a bit like long-tailed cats in a room filled with rockers with our president-elect. I have heard gun sales have increased during and since the election and according to statistics taken from the latest Pittman-Robertson federal excise tax collection report, which is based solely on U.S. civilian sales, total sales were up 5.1% in the second quarter of 2008. Ammunition led with a 14.2% increase and handguns saw a 9%. I also hear that AR-15 platform rifles are doing a brisk business. If the recent election doesn't incite you to stock up (pun intended) then the state of SC has sweetened the deal. On Nov. 28 and 29 the state will waive the state’s sales and use tax on the purchases of handguns, rifles and shotguns. SC is calling this their first annual Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday. The tax exemption also applies to any local sales and use tax. It does not apply to accessories like ammunition, black powder, holsters, and such. SC has posted a list of 
During the depression, authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote lavishly of the high life. And brother if you could spare a dime, the movie theater was also an escape. They served the purpose that cable TV and the internet do today—they distract the public of hard times and bring us entertainment. Fitzgerald allowed us to peek into an affluent world and become part of it if only for a few chapters. And Hollywood gave us images of we still remember. Benelli is offering more than a peek into that world. A limited edition—only 200 will reach US shores—shotgun called the 
Hurd State Park lies on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River roughly between the city of Middletown and the small town of Haddam. The state of CT swears they will stock pheasants in this area. Cooper, the gun pup, and 
DU has received a $1MM grant to protect, restore and enhance some 4,747 acres of wetland and associated habitats in 21 counties located from Saginaw Bay to coastal Lake Erie on the east shore of MI's Lower Peninsula. The habitat protected and restored through this work will provide breeding and migration areas for waterfowl as well as other grassland nesting birds. This grant piggy backs on the great work that is being done on some 16,000 acres in the Saginaw Bay area.
Have you heard that 
If your 401K fell like a rock this past year, then know some things do increase. Take for instance this year FL’s dove season, which now has an increased bag limit from 12 to 15 birds. The daily bag limit is a combined limit of both mourning doves and white-winged doves. The state’s dove season runs in three-phases over 72 days—Oct. 4-27; Nov. 15-30; and Dec. 13 - Jan. 11, 2009. According FL Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission the state is collecting data on the dove population to it remains unhindered by the increase in bag limit. The state has banding about 6,000 doves since 2003, so if you kill a banded you will find information on the band that will tell you where to report the band information. If bird number take a nose dive in the future for any reason, there are built-in triggers in the data-collection system to alert the state and federal wildlife managers.
PA, OH, NY and the NWTF are continuing a 4-year study to estimate the spring gobbler harvest rates in each of the three states. This past winter OH banded 222 birds, PA banded 332, and NY tagged 350. The leg-bands are an aluminum band secured via a stainless steel rivet. Past research has typically used aluminum bands that are squeezed closed, but these bands sometimes fall off. Each leg band is secured to a male turkey's leg, and has a unique letter-number combination. All bands are imprinted with a toll-free telephone number so you can report a harvest or recovery of a band. The study will allow comparisons of harvest and survival rates among the three states, with their varying harvests, hunter numbers and hunter densities. So what’s the deal with hens? Here’s where the CSI twist comes in. Hens caught during the trapping efforts are part of the study. Breast feathers from both males and females are gathered to help build a forensic DNA database. So what’s in it for you other than helping the state and securing the turkey’s future? How about $100. A reward of $100 will be paid for reporting the band to state authorities. The chance of harvesting a bird wearing a $100 band is low, but the information being gathered is significant. So far, $11,300 has been paid to Pennsylvania turkey hunters for reporting bands.
It had become sort of a joke when we would drive through Hartford and pass the Blue Dome of the old Colt factory. I would say to my son: You know that Blue Dome… And he would finish the sentence: ..is the old Colt firearms factory. Today, Colt Firearms is not a big player in the firearms business, but from the late 19th century to the mid 20th century, Colt manufactured many popular firearms. The Single Action Army and 1911 are just two iconic products they produced—and still do today but with fierce competition from domestic and foreign producers. Ironically, one of those knock off manufacturers, United States Fire Arms, actually produced SAAs in the old Colt building. USFA has since moved out of the space and, by the way, makes a swell clone of the SAA. Look for an upcoming Unboxing story on one. Samuel Colt was a true marketer. He produced a good product and he made sure everyone knew about. The 1863 revolver was a revelation. It wasn’t just a single shooter but a six-shooter. Colt never saw the great success of his company, he dies and his wife ran the company for 40 years ushering in its success. I am sure Colt is smirking from wherever he is, knowing his 
The state plans to release some 100,170 ring-necked pheasants on public lands throughout the upcoming small game hunting season. This may sound like a lot birds but it is actually a 50% reduction in the state’s pheasant program. In preparation of opening day 50% of the birds were released. Another 25% were seeded at the end of October. And the remaining 25% will be released Nov. 5. Remember only cocks are legal in WMUs 2A, 2B, 2C, 4C, 4E, 5A and 5B. Cocks and hens are legal game in all other WMUs. If you are interested in how many birds are released per region the list follows. These regional allocations are based on the amount of suitable pheasant habitat open to public hunting and pheasant hunting pressure:
Recent polls indicates a close race between McCain and Obama in some key states. Do know what will turn the vote one way or another in those states? The “hook-and-bullet” vote—your vote. You can call OH, WI, IN and PA Blaze Orange states since many voters in these states are anglers and hunters, as well as outdoor enthusiasts of other sorts. As you may know by know, neither candidate is an avid outdoorsman. Obama has stated that when he was a kid he spearfished, but he has never gone hunting or fishing in IL. Neither McCain nor Obama own a gun. McCain’s running mate Palin is not only a gun owner and an NRA member, but an avid hunter. Here’s where it gets a little weird. Obama’s running mate, Biden favors gun control but is a gun owner himself. He has three shotguns. Things get even stranger. McCain, who is endorsed by the NRA, supports background checks for buyers at gun shows and inked a law restricting special-interest group advertising, two positions strongly opposed by the NRA. Need another perspective? The Brady Group endorsed Obama-Biden. Decisions. Descisions. And the latest poll I've seen from Gallup shows Obama with a five-point lead over McCain. Get out and vote. Vote Blaze Orange.
NH has been hit hard lately with firearm manufacturing lay-offs. S&W announced a few weeks ago a lay-off and now SIG has announced a 10% lay-off of production staff. In an interesting turn of events and in light of the compensation packages for CEOs, SIG is suing a former chef executive and chairman who headed the company from 2005 to 2008. He is alleged to have gone on African safaris on the company’s dime in excess of $830K. And I have a problem with a $11.99 in-room movie on my expenses. SIG also contends he took at least $552,000 for "purely personal reasons" and collected some $88,000 in stipends. He also rounded up his compensation by $200,000 to cover taxes. And just add the proverbial frosting to the cake, SIG says he took credit for a reorganization plan that was actually the idea of other senior management at SIG. By taking the credit for someone else's idea he recieved some $8 million in equity compensation. Isn't anyone honest these days?
