Outdoors in RI: Women who fish, Dogs who hunt, everyone should vote, 2A update – Jeff Gross

by Jeff Gross, contributing writer

Women who fish

Ladies one can go fishing and still have great nails.  My friend Jon’s wife, as you can see, is well experienced in catching Salmon, Trout, and Smallmouth Bass.  Applying a good coat of sealer on your nails will allow you to enjoy fishing and time out on the water without damaging the artwork.  Gentlemen: If you are having a little trouble convincing your gal to join you on the water show her these photos.  These photos are a great motivator.  You know a girl is a hard-core angler when she matches her fingernails to her lures.

Dogs in OTA training.

An easy way to keep your hunting dogs in shape during the summer months is to take them swimming, tossing a dummy, tennis ball, or even a stick will keep them exercised and not run the risk of the pups’ overheating. Abby swims out with reckless abandon after anything I throw out there and I am glad I kept up with the OTAs.  She started dropping the retrieve about 10 feet from the shore, which is not what we want while afield. A way to circumvent this problem without overheating is to fetch in AC cooled rooms. Just a simple way to keep pups entertained and also reinforce the need to bring the bird or retrieve back and put it in your hand. Any small kibble is a reward for a job well done and the pups love it.

Tractor Supply Co. has these neat blaze orange Wrap It straps that also can sub for a little extra orange on your dog.  Wider than a dog collar, they add another layer of protection for your dog while in the fields.  Abby can be mistaken for a Coyote to an untrained eye.  This 3-inch-wide Wrap It strap will stand out and hopefully register to the hunter not to shoot her.  These straps do not interfere with her movements as well. Unlike full dog body covers these Wrap It straps will allow a dog to vent body heat as needed.  $6.99 at any Harbor Freight.  For the cost of a kibble, I was able to get Abby to model said Blaze Orange Wrap It Straps.

Birds and coyotes hunt, too

This topic will take some criticism – but must be stated.  It is time for hunters to start taking Starlings, Crows and Coyotes. Starlings and Crows are regularly feeding on the young and eggs of songbirds. After a FB friend posted a video of a Crow wiping out a nest of young Robins, a note was made to strive for the eradication of the three mentioned pests. This writer personally witnessed Crows and Starlings attacking Robins’ nests in Belgrade, Maine last month and need to pepper the pests with rocks to keep them at bay.  There is a video on YouTube of a crow attacking and possibly killing an osprey. Fortunately, the parent osprey lays waste to the crow before it could harm the sibling osprey.  We as hunters and the true conservationists need to do the same to Crows and Starlings as both are no more than rats with wings.  Crows are also taking baby rabbits as well.  Like Starlings, Crows are rapidly growing in number and need to be culled.  Be sure to double check the regulations on crow hunting as certain dates only allow crow hunting on Friday to Sunday time periods.  Consider this: by eliminating Starlings and Crows how many more Gold Finch, Chickadees, Tit mice, Rose Breasted Gross Beaks, Osprey, Wrens and Robins will we see next year? 

As for Coyotes, hunters, you need to start taking them on private land right now, especially land that borders state management areas. Currently, .229 caliber and smaller is allowed on private land, so feel free to take your AR-15 out there to hunt coyotes. Taking Coyotes now on private land and then within the first 2 weeks of small game season will ensure a healthier supply of Pheasants and other small game throughout the season.  The propaganda of living in harmony with the coyotes sounds like nothing more that born-again hippie language left over from the 1960s.  Wait until a child is attacked and killed by a coyote.  Will the animal extremists learn the errors in their ways?  Probably not.

Presidential election

For those of you that are number counters like myself, currently Trump is ahead in all the polls in all the battleground states, except for three. The polling shows a sea of red everywhere.  The first of the two outliers is Minnesota, where Trump is tied with Biden. Minnesota has always gone blue, so this poll is surprising. The other outlier is Colorado, where the polls being used are from Christmas and New Year’s. Nothing has changed since then, right? So, what is wrong with that methodology – no current poll information being released? What are the pollsters trying to hide?

As of this moment, Trump is now ahead in polls in Virginia and likely will take the lead in New Hampshire soon, as well.  The sign of good things to come?  In contrast, some of the MSM are still reporting that Trump’s lead is declining. Like Mark W. Smith, I will tell you the truth:  The good the bad and the ugly – un-sugar coated no matter who it upsets.  Word of caution to voters – tons of hoax text messages coming out claiming to be VIPs asking for money donations, or for you to take a poll.  The text messages are a phishing scam – do not open them.

Second Amendment and get out the vote

According to Jared at Guns and Gadgets, there are 16,000 unregistered voter gunowners and hunters in Rhode Island. That figure should be zero and anything above zero is unacceptable.  16K would have made the difference in the Fung vs Magaziner race, and likely we would have a Washington congressman that supports the 2A.  I ask all sportsmen and women to breach this subject of unregistered voters at their club, and do whatever you need to motivate the unregistered to register – and vote. Drag them by the ear if you need to.  Instead of wasting valuable time on silly MEMEs on Facebook, step up and drive club members to the voting locations.  As of this moment I know some of my club members did not vote in the 2022 election.  That will change this year, won’t it?

How Many Gun Owners Are Not Registered To Vote?!? (youtube.com)

The good, bad and ugly in the 2A world

The Good:

Another 2A success is in the 8th Circuit, as the 8th struck down the under-21 ban in Minnesota, and also stated that 18-20 year olds have the right to carry a concealed weapon. In contrast, no challenge has occurred in Rhode Island as our inept RI 2A crowd feels the under-21 ban here is “not a priority”.  If someone in RI did the smart thing and challenged the RI under-21 ban in Federal Court, the case would end up in the 1st Circuit. The SAF told me they do not like litigating the 1st circuit. However, if the 1st circuit rules against the prospective gun owners, now we have a circuit split which in all likelihood would force SCOTUS to intervene. SCOTUS would decide the case and under Bruen put the issue to rest forever. Now if any wealthy conservative were to take up this RI under-21 ban, keep in mind do not go after a preliminary injunction. The only granted injunctions go to Merrick Garland.  Prospective gun owners need to go right to summary judgement as the RI under-21 ban is a slam dunk, no-brainer case.  It is now obvious that preliminary injunctions are a waste of time and badly needed money.  Litigants need to go for a quick final ruling.

The Bad:

The 9th Circus court of appeals again pulled what they are good for: The court en banc’d a 922 g 1 prohibited person”s nonviolent felon case.  This en banc is a clear violation of the Bruen and Rahimi decisions, however a judge by the name of Lawrence Van Dyke wrote a scathing dissent of the 9th’s en banc decision. I agree with Judge Van Dyke and the harsh terminology he used against the 9th Circus Court of Appeals. I am impressed that the Judge “has a pair” and actually called out the 9th. Judge Van Dyke also called out SCOTUS for not finishing the job regarding the 922 g 1 cases and that SCOTUS needs to wrap many 2A related cases and finally put the 2A court case mess to rest.  Judge Van Dyke appears to be an outspoken Justice Thomas.  I hope Judge Van Dyke ends up on the US Supreme Court.  See Mark Smith’s video on the matter:

MAJOR BREAKING 2A NEWS: FEDERAL COURT CHEATS 2A AGAIN… (youtube.com)

The Ugly:

Currently our neighbors to the north in Massachusetts are now vying for what those true conservatives expected. The MA legislature, via H2361, will ban the possession of ALL (yes, ALL) semi-automatic firearms.  SAF, FPC, GOA, NAGR, are you listening?  Enough with the 922 g cases, the rights of the millions outweigh the rights of a few.  Leave it to MA where freedom originated to now be the home of tyranny.  If this law trickles down into RI or ME (do not say it can’t, as both states are blue as well), we as gun owners will end up forfeiting 95% of the firearms that we love.  These firearms will also include shotguns that we Duck hunt and Pheasant hunt with.  Do not delude yourself into thinking it can’t happen here – it already has started – as the Republicans took the 2A off their party platform.  Politicians are now our enemy. As you can see in the header picture – it is time to circle the wagons in a different direction.  Atta Boy to Liberty Doll for this critical information.

Total Semi-Auto Ban in Massachusetts (youtube.com)

Some better weather ahead – talk next week! – Jeff

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Jeffrey “Jeff” Gross spent 21 years as an Analytical Chemist at the USCG R&D Center in Groton, Connecticut, Woods Hole Laboratories, and Helix Technologies. Changing careers is a “great learning experience for everyone”, Jeff says, and I’m an avid outdoorsman and conservationist, a student of the sciences, and the world. The US holds too many wonders not to take a chance and explore them”.

Jeff is the Model Train and Railroad entrepreneur. Proud Golden Retriever owner. Ultra strong Second Amendment Advocate and Constitutionalist. “Determined seeker of the truth”.  Jeff is a RIFGPA Legislative and Legal Officer, Freshwater Chairman, NRA Liaison.

His subjects include Outdoors, Second Amendment, Model Railroading, Commentary, and Whimsical. He can be reached at: [email protected].