If you are a Parker-phile you know the legend of the Czar’s Parker. The "Czar Parker gun," as it is known, was commissioned by Czar Nicholas II, the last czar of Russia. As the story goes, an officer in the Czar’s army ordered the Parker. Whether it was a gift for the Czar or special ordered at the request of the Czar no one knows for sure. And since the Communists’ cancelled the Czar’s and his family’s subscription, that bit of information is lost to history. The dimensions of the gun were clearly designed to fit a man of the Czar’s short stature. The Parker was on its way to Russia, on the dock of New York harbor, when Germany declared war on Russia and World War I rumbled to life. The gun was returned to Meriden, Connecticut—Mecca for all Parker-philes—and Parker Brothers ended up selling the shotgun to Henry Sanford, a New York banker. It remained in Sanford’s family until March 13, when it was auctioned for $250,000 in Fairfield, Maine. The auction set a world record for a Parker shotgun at auction. Similar condition Parkers typically sell in the $50,000 to $75,000 range.
Sanford had the shotgun refitted with a stock made to his dimensions. If he had left the gun as is, it would have probably fetched another $100,000. If the Czar had actually touched the Parker, add another $100,000. I think Sanford did what most Parker-holics would do, use the shotgun as Parker Brothers intended. Of course he should have kept the original stock.
The buyer, Jack Puglisi, of the
Puglisi Gun Emporium in Duluth, Minn., will also pay a 15-percent auction fee, bringing the total price of the gun to $287,500. And what a show piece he has for his shop. Maybe he should sell tickets to offset the cost.
Click here to see a video about the auction.
If $250K is too steep for your wallet, you might want to order a
new Parker being offered by Remington for $49,000. Or you can buy 50
Wingmasters or 111
Remington SPR210.
The other day I was perusing the Desert Rat's posting of moose from near Presque Isle in Maine and I was reminded of my first encounter with the beasts in Maine’s Western Mountian Region or as some know it Region D. Three moose rose from their beds and shook off a dusting of snow. The two young ones tussled their antlers like two fighting puppies. The older moose grunted and the youngsters stopped wrestling and then they all silently disappeared into the woods. That was many years ago. We had permits for deer but not for moose. And that is the other memory my Arizona hunting blogger friend jogged, my yearly donation to the state of ME. Some call it a moose permit lottery but I am beyond that denial stage. For over 20 years I entered this so-called lottery. My time started well before the state offered extra points and other such schemes that put the odds in an entrant’s favor. I figure over all the years and all the fees I could have purchased a very nice rifle. In the 1980s, when I was deep in denial a trip to my local gun store followed every lottery submission. No tags, no new rifle, year after year after year. With all the time and energy spent on the application process, I think I could have had more luck winning a mega-millions drawing, probably a few mega-million drawings. What’s a non-resident to do? Chuck Hulsey, Regional Wildlife Biologist, in Region D recently reported that he has encountered people who have applied year after year with no success. I have never met Mr. Hulsey, but Hulsey wrote that determining success is a little complicated because of many variables.
We all have fond memories of an early fall morning following behind grandpa through a cut corn field to the sound of dog’s collar bell. At some point in our lives we were smitten with the outdoors. Many area rod and clubs here in the northeast offer youth hunts, which are great ways to introduce the next generation as well as pass along your hunting knowledge and woods lore. Many clubs and friends and acquaintances that have passed along events happening at their clubs and I have been remiss in getting the word out. These events not only include youth specific activities, but include field trials and shoots. There is still time to get involved before the year closes. The Pomfret Rod and Gun Club in Pomfret, CT, regularly holds fun trials. For a fee you get breakfast and a bird plus the opportunity to see dogs and their owners in action. The 
We received an email from 
You've read that the turkey hunting is great up north (
It wasn’t what your grandfather would call a tradition turkey shoot, but the NWTF's Still Target Championship. The NWTF conceived the shoot 16 years ago as a way to help turkey hunters better understand point of aim and point of impact with their turkey guns. This shoot judged competitors on their ability to shoot stationary targets exactly 40 yards away. The winner was determined by the number of pellets shot into a three-inch circle. Back in my turkey shoot days we paid the entry fee and were handed a 12 or 20 gauge field load of #8 shot. From 40 yards we fired at cardboard squares with an X draw across it. The winner was the shooter with a pellet at the center of the X. As the winner you had a choice of a frozen turkey or a canned ham.
Today—finally—CT’s small game hunting season opened. The third Saturday at 7:00 a.m. is a yearly ritual for many bird hunters who take to the fields and woodlots for pheasant and grouse, perhaps even a bobwhite. This year it has been a long wait and hearing about other state season openers just increases the anticipation even more. Now CT is not what you would call a pheasant-hunting purist’s destination. But it does offer the locals a chance at pen-raised pheasant. This year the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) purchased 15,857 adult pheasants.
Back in 2004 the NY Department of Evironmental Conservation (DEC) launched a study called the 
This year’s Vintage Cup or the 11th Annual Side-by-Side Championships and Exhibition will be held September 27 thru 30 at 
The 36th annual 
Since 1906 the Cape’s sea shore has been stocked with pheasant and hunting was been allowed since 1914, making it was one of the oldest hunting programs in the US. But in 2002 a federal suit filed by anti-hunting groups brought the hunting to a stop. The fate of the land and how it would be used for recreational purposes was in limbo.
The state of 
The 
By the sound of all the crowing, the wild pheasant population in central Wisconsin seems the highest it has been in 10 years, even with habitat loss and the increased urbanization of the rural landscape. To get a handle on the pheasant numbers, 
Have you shared hunting, fishing, and shooting with someone who has never had the experience? Well now is the time to take a friend or a family member to STEP OUTSIDE and tell 
STEP OUTSIDE is a mentoring program offered through the NSSF that helps greenhorns spent some time with old timers out in the field or on the water. I’d say it’s a great way to spend quality time and enjoy lasting memories with family and friends, but that would be sappy if not true.
Got to the 
There are those among us who strive for tradition by walking in the footsteps of their fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers. The