Ken Piper

Getting ready to go hunting is a MAJOR undertaking!

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:45:38 GMT

Getting ready to go hunting is a MAJOR undertaking -- at least for me. Being primarily a bowhunter, scent is my biggest concern, and I spend a lot of time agonizing over it and looking for new ways to reduce my "scent footprint."

I learn something new every year, whether from reading the articles for Buckmasters, from other hunters, or just by accident. This year was no exception.

As I was getting ready to head to Dreamwoods Adventures hunting camp in southern Illinois, I gathered up all my hunting clothes and equipment. My bow, arrows, quiver, etc., are not a problem since I shoot pretty much year-round, but the clothes and other gear seem to get scattered out over the course of the off season. Having finally gathered everything together, it was quite an intimidating pile: Five large bins (I've learned to purchase the clear ones so I can see what's inside) full to the brim of clothing and gadgets.

Next comes the sorting. I sort my clothes several ways: First by function (bow, gun, waterproof or extreme cold) and next by whether the item will be worn as an inside layer or outer layer.

Before I begin to wash my hunting clothes, though, I run a load of T-shirts, underwear and socks through the washer, and I use my hunter-friendly laundry soap. Running that first load of non-hunting items first helps remove any other scent, perfume and UV brightener residue from the machine. I'm a big believer in the UV factor when it comes to deer hunting. If you don't know what I'm talking about, visit http://www.atsko.com/products/uv-protection/u-v-killer.html to learn more. While you're at ATSKO's website, look around a little and check out their laundry detergents and other products.

Next into the washing machine will be the base layers: Long underwear tops and bottoms, followed by mid layers like vests.

Something I'm learning about base layers is that it is best to buy them in sets. I have several mis-matched tops and bottoms, and I end up spending a lot of time trying to decide which pants to wear with which tops. From now on when I buy base layers, I will get sets so I don't have to think about it and can match them up instantly. Also get a few different colors if possible when buying different weights so you can quickly determine between various levels of insulation.

The last things I wash are the outside layers, the gloves and face masks. Here's another hint: You can't own too many face masks. I go way overboard when it comes to keeping my teeth and gums clean, but I try to use a facemask only once before washing it. We emit a LOT of stinky odor from our mouths, and the cloth of our facemasks captures and holds that odor. Get several masks and wash them regularly.

As you wash your clothes, make sure to take them directly from the drier to a plastic bin or bag. Also make sure that you have dried a few loads of non-hunting clothes without drier sheets or other scented products. Also clean out the lint filter.

Probably the most useful thing I learned this year in the preparation process was a way to wash some of the other gear I have to take with me. I have been hesitant in the past to wash things like hoist ropes, safety vests, deer drags and even my hunting pack because I was afraid (and rightly so) that the strings and straps would get tangled in the washer and cause damage or become damaged.

This year as I was washing, I noticed that my wife has several "delicates" bags in the laundry room. These are mesh, zippered bags for washing bras and shirts with straps, etc. She doesn't need to know that I borrowed one and washed my safety rope, hoist rope and several other items. It worked like a charm. I just washed the empty bag first with the T-shirts and socks to remove regular detergent residue and I was all set.

I also washed my fanny pack in the machine this year. My dryer is two years old, and I finally figured out what the shelf unit that came with it is for. The shelf slides onto the dryer door opening and can be used to dry shoes, hats or objects with metal or plastic clips (like hunting packs). The item sits on the shelf throughout the drying cycle and doesn't tumble. You can't really mix other items at the same time, but it's a good tip to know when you need to dry something quickly, or when allowing an item to dry outside runs the risk of picking up unwanted scent.

KP's Law

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:06:47 GMT

I don't know how this happens to me every year: All summer it feels like hunting season is never going to get here; then it's upon me so fast that I'm not even close to having anything ready.

I'm sure that part of the problem is that it's so hot for so long here in Alabama. October is here and we're still getting highs in the 90s every day -- not exactly stand-hanging weather.

But even if it wasn't for that, I'd still be behind. It seems that nothing goes right for me when it comes to equipment.

Actually, I should qualify that; my bow is shooting very well. When I do my part, it hits exactly where I'm aiming. It even seems to cut me a break when I don't do everything just right. But when it comes to firearms, I'm jinxed. Heard of Murphy's Law? It's the one that says, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Well, Murphy is just a pen name I use now and then. It's really Ken Piper's Law.

Last week I was asked to fill in on a caribou hunt for Buckmasters Executive Editor Russell Thornberry. That whole process is the material for a long article, but we'll stick to the firearms aspect of it for the sake of this blog.

With only about a week to prepare for the trip, I grabbed my trusty .270 Remington Model 700 and gave it a once-over only to find the trigger had rusted solid. There was no rust visible, but apparently saltwater had gotten inside the trigger mechanism on a trip to the Arctic two years ago. I cleaned the barrel and outside of the gun when I got back but never thought to take it apart.

A quick email to the folks at Timney Triggers (www.timneytriggers.com) had a replacement on its way via overnight shipping. GunHunter magazine editor Larry Teague helped me put in the new trigger (make that Larry put in the trigger while I watched and made comments), and we were off to the range. It didn't take long to figure out that I had a major problem: the gun wouldn't fire. It seems that the new trigger required a little work on the stock to make it fit a little less snugly. Before you ask, we tried the mechanism many times at the office prior to putting the gun back together. It should have worked, except for Ken Piper's Law.

We headed back to the office, where I took a Dremel tool to the offending part of the stock and quickly had the rifle working properly. Of course the day was shot by then.

The following morning found Larry and I back at the range. The gun was firing okay, but it wasn't holding a very good pattern. It seems the extra work on the bedding that Larry and I did while we had the gun apart wasn't such a hot idea after all. I had brought along my old Remington Model 760 that I've had since I was a junior in high school, and it was shooting great groups, so at least I had a gun ready for the hunt. It was time to head back to get some real work done.

As Larry and I were packing up, I grabbed one of the sand bags that helps weigh down the rather nice Caldwell bench rest Larry had graciously brought along. When I picked up the sand bag, the bench rest, with my beautiful Model 700 Mountain Rifle still resting in its grooves, flipped off the table and onto the cement of the range, gun-first. I'm including a picture of a Mountain Rifle LSS so you can fully understand my misery. The gun will definitely require some work at a gunsmith to smooth out gouges in the end of the barrel, and I'll be calling Nikon for a replacement scope as well.

Larry, who was going on the caribou hunt as well, just looked me and said, "Man, that gun just doesn't want to go to Canada again." Thinking back on what it had to endure on the last trip, I couldn't blame it. Then I headed for an appointment while Larry went back to Buckmasters headquarters.

About two hours later, I made it back to the office only to run into Larry coming down the hall and shaking his head. He pulled me aside and said, "You're not gonna believe this, but our hunt just got cancelled." We like to have fun in the office, so I really didn't think much of it and returned to my desk. Larry followed me in. "Well, at least now you'll have time to get your gun worked on before season," he continued. This was going a little too far.

Then I realized he wasn't kidding. "You're serious, aren't you?" I asked.

"Yes. The outfitter called and said the caribou had all migrated out of his area and told us not to come."

At that point, there was only one thing I could say: "I think I'll go outside and shoot my bow."

Virginia Tech Incident

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 20:02:06 GMT

By Ken Piper

The lead headline in my local newspaper read, “How Safe Are Our Campuses?” That was Tuesday, April 17, the day after the terrible shooting at Virginia Tech.

I suppose it’s human nature to want to feel safe, but when will we realize that we are never safe? That’s not to say we should live our lives in fear. Nor should we walk around believing that nothing bad will ever happen and that all people are good. Truth is, there are some very sick and evil souls in the world. When such a person wants to kill and is willing to die in the act, there isn’t much anyone can do about it.

The anti-gun crowd would have you believe you would be safe if guns were taken from us. It didn’t take them long to use the Virginia Tech shooting to say that if people didn’t have guns, the tragedy wouldn’t have happened.

I support their right to have an opinion, and even their right to express it. I just wish the right to express an opinion carried a little more responsibility.

Speaking of opinion, I try not to listen to national news. That’s not to say I don’t try to keep up with current events; I simply avoid listening or watching national news because it is laced with so much opinion that it’s hard to tell where the story stops and the opinion begins. So for entertainment, I sometimes turn to sports radio. I turned on the local station for my drive home from work the day after the Virginia Tech shooting. I was sickened by the words I heard only seconds after hitting the “on” button.

John Feinstein, a columnist for the Washington Post, was a guest on the Paul Feinbaum show to talk about a column he wrote concerning Don Imus. Of course, he took the opportunity to express his anti-gun sentiments and proclaimed, “When will people in this country learn that it is time to take the guns away from the people?”

I almost wrecked the car.

But that wasn’t all. The next four callers then proceeded to tell the radio audience what the Second Amendment means – and none of them got it right. Some were for gun ownership, some against, but all were supremely confident they knew exactly what the Second Amendment meant.

Feinbaum then closed the segment with a statement that people could debate forever and we would never know what the founding fathers really meant in the Second Amendment.

I’d like to remind Paul Feinbaum that, as a journalist, he should realize that even though it isn’t possible to have the founding fathers here to ask their opinions on the matter, it is still possible to read their other thoughts to get a better picture of what they were thinking when they wrote that amendment.

In other words, I would encourage those four callers to Paul Feinbaum’s show of April 17 to do a little bit of reading on the subject. If you read the writings of the founding fathers, you don’t need my opinion or anyone else’s to know exactly what the Second Amendment means.

I suggest you start with the writer of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson.

Following are a few quotes from Mr. Jefferson on the subject of firearms ownership:

“The constitutions of most of our States assert that all power is inherent in the people; that ... it is their right and duty to be at all times armed.” – Thomas Jefferson to John Cartwright, 1824. ME 16:45

“A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun, therefore, be the constant companion of your walks.” – Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 1785. ME 5:85, Papers 8:407

“No freeman shall be debarred the use of arms (within his own lands or tenements).” – Thomas Jefferson: Draft Virginia Constitution (with his note added), 1776. Papers 1:353 “One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion for them.” – Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 1796. ME 9:34

These do not sound like the words of a man who wanted firearms only for the purpose of a militia, as the first caller claimed. Nor are the words of a man who felt a gun’s only use was to get food, as Mr. Feinstein claimed.

But let’s say for just a second that Feinstein got his wish and guns were outlawed. What makes him or any of the other anti-gunners think they can keep guns out of the hands of criminals? Drugs like cocaine and marijuana are illegal in the United States, yet they are readily available in our streets and schools.

Further, anti-gunners refuse to look at facts; they would rather play on emotions following tragedies to make their arguments. Yet every time a municipality empowers people with gun rights, crime goes down. And guns are used in defense against criminals four times more often than used by criminals. But you won’t see that on the news.

You might not know this, but there was another tragic shooting on a campus just down the road from Virginia Tech. This one occurred on Jan. 16, 2002, at the Appalachian School of Law.

In that tragedy, the shooter killed three people. But before he could do any more damage, two students ran to their vehicles, retrieved personal firearms (against school rules) and subdued the murderer, preventing any more killings.

In the end, we’re all responsible for our own safety. Whether that means carrying a concealed firearm, taking a self-defense class, or just refuting the baseless and emotion-based efforts to take away our guns, safety requires responsibility.

In addition to exercising your right to bear arms, you should arm yourself with another powerful weapon: facts.

Anti-gun people, just like anti-hunters, use emotion and fear to sway public opinion. The only way to counter emotional arguments is with facts. Have a little fun and learn some history by looking up the writings of the founding fathers.

I leave you with one of my favorite quotes from patriot Patrick Henry:

"Are we at last brought to such a humiliating and debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with arms for our own defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in our possession and under our own direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?” – 3 Elliot Debates 168-169.