Matt Janes's Blog

So everyone has been asking me "Hey Matt, what are you going to do about this ammo registry thing in California?"

The ammo logs that the State wants us to keep go into effect 2/1/2011 and will be held privately within our company. No information is automatically sent to law enforcement. Law enforcement will have the capability to review these logs however. Back in the 80's, if anyone remembers, we used to have these logs on a Federal level. Since law enforcement never used them to solve anything back then, they discontinued the program. Now we assume much will be the same. Without a central database for law enforcement to check, this system will not be very viable for them to use. Let alone, law enforcement agencies continually cry the blues that they don't have money to do this and that, so I doubt seriously that they would allocate any resources towards something they did not ask for in the beginning. This will merely be a pain in you and my butts, taking the time to fill out the log to buy a box of .22's! I am not condoning their actions by saying this, but Los Angeles has been doing this for some time with no problems to the buyers except more time spent at the checkout counter relating information.

Already in place just so people don't think it will be a new policy-You must be 18 to buy long gun ammo, and 21 to buy hand gun ammo.

So no panic buying! You will get to buy all you want, any time you want with no changes in pricing-we will absorb this labor cost. But PLEASE be patient. It will just take longer to buy ammo come next year. We will all grumble together I am sure, but please do not take it out on the kid at the counter. No one wants this but the gun haters. They know this is one more thing to piss us off like lead free ammo and drive us away from our passions and take up golf or gardening! Don't let them win! We got around their stupid assault weapon stuff, let's prove to them that they can't beat us down. And by golly, next time another anti bill comes up in assembly-let them have it!

So everyone has been asking me "Hey Matt, what are you going to do about this ammo registry thing in California?"

The ammo logs that the State wants us to keep go into effect 2/1/2011 and will be held privately within our company. No information is automatically sent to law enforcement. Law enforcement will have the capability to review these logs however. Back in the 80's, if anyone remembers, we used to have these logs on a Federal level. Since law enforcement never used them to solve anything back then, they discontinued the program. Now we assume much will be the same. Without a central database for law enforcement to check, this system will not be very viable for them to use. Let alone, law enforcement agencies continually cry the blues that they don't have money to do this and that, so I doubt seriously that they would allocate any resources towards something they did not ask for in the beginning. This will merely be a pain in you and my butts, taking the time to fill out the log to buy a box of .22's! I am not condoning their actions by saying this, but Los Angeles has been doing this for some time with no problems to the buyers except more time spent at the checkout counter relating information.

Already in place just so people don't think it will be a new policy-You must be 18 to buy long gun ammo, and 21 to buy hand gun ammo.

So no panic buying! You will get to buy all you want, any time you want with no changes in pricing-we will absorb this labor cost. But PLEASE be patient. It will just take longer to buy ammo come next year. We will all grumble together I am sure, but please do not take it out on the kid at the counter. No one wants this but the gun haters. They know this is one more thing to piss us off like lead free ammo and drive us away from our passions and take up golf or gardening! Don't let them win! We got around their stupid assault weapon stuff, let's prove to them that they can't beat us down. And by golly, next time another anti bill comes up in assembly-let them have it!

I say no more fishing? because I wonder how far the California Department of Fish and Game or any other state's departments of game and fish are going to continue to push this demand for indigenous species only? The Kern river has long been a sport fishing mecca, but with the no-stocking ban still in effect and possibly being extended for another two years, I can not believe what that will do to the fishery or the communities that are supported by that.

Fish & Game held a community meeting on Oct 13th at the Lake Isabella Senior Center and another last night Oct 28th at the Double Tree Hotel in Bakersfield seeking public comment. But as public comment goes....!

And I don't want to pick on other people's species of choices, but come on, why do we always have to be picking on the Rainbow Trout? And believe me, today it's trout, tomorrow it's some other specie!

The National Park Service is jumping in on the game by wanting to poison trout in some high country lakes and streams to save a native species of the yellow legged frog. They have already been doing this practice since 2001 in 11 lakes in two parks and like what they see. Now they want to broaden (up to 80 lakes!) the scope of their operations.

Fish planting started decades ago in otherwise fishless lakes in the Sequoia and Sierra's to increase fishing opportunities. Planting in these areas were stopped by the 80's. And now we want to reverse the hard work for fishing opportunities during a time when communities are trying to boost their economies? I think our State and Federal agencies need to wake up and smell the coffee! They work for us. They need to change their management practices to include what we want, not what their college professor or the loudmouth liberal preservation societies want. Now instead of spending good money on growing opportunities to enjoy our states resources in fish & game, we blow it on studies of this and that and perpetuate the existence of these idiot biologists that have never worked a day in their lives in a real job. We spent our money to build these resources in excise taxes on the product we purchased for years. We spent our money to build hatcheries and grow our resources. Now we just want to poison everything or not replenish what we have and throw that all away?

Do you ever have a time when things seem to be swirling all over the place, you have more than enough to do, but you don't seem to be getting anywhere fast? That's me right now!

There have been so many things going on right now I will just start throwing them out randomly since that is how my life is.

The California Department of Fish and game is seeking comment on hatchery and stocking programs and plans to have a public meeting in Bakersfield, Wednesday October 28th, 5:30 to 7:30pm at the Doubletree Hotel, California Grill Room, 3100 Camino Del Rio Court. Let's hope for good things!

But hey, it's National Hunt & Fish day on Saturday 9/26/09, so get out there and spend some time with your kids and friends for free. Pass that heritage along so we don't loose it!

AB 962 Has made the Governer's desk, so if you do not want to register your ammunition purchases in California, contact him and ask for a veto. Arnold is our last hope on this one.

I don't get the NRA's support of California anti gun legislation SB41? When the NRA sides with the Brady Campaign on gun issues, it's a sad day! Can someone out their tell me what is going on?

And to try to end things on a positive note, things are supposed to be starting to cool down so hopefully we can have a decent deer season. Dove season was not as exciting as I had hoped. I limited day one, moved locations day two and got one bird. Returned to original location on day three and limited. Went back a week later to original location and got one bird! It just did not seem like the birds were flying. The white wings were non-existent. I assume since it seems drier than normal in the field, that the birds had already went south for easier living. How did your hunts go? Send pics. I hear of some bomber early archery bucks getting whacked. Good luck!

Congratulations to Idaho and Montana! They won their court case and get to hunt wolves under season. Thanks to Safari Club International for their work defending the delisting of the wolf from endangered species status there.

Hey everyone,
California's legislature decided to push AB962 (De Leon) ammunition registration bill out of the "suspense file yesterday. This bill will be eligible to be heard later next week once it is amended. Stay diligent in reminding your representitive that you want no part of ammo registries. They have been doing it for years in LA and it has done nothing to slow/stop crime. It is merely a "nuisance" law to impede our normal activities just like lead free ammo for the condors!

Oh no, that ugly thing again! So you remember how "Project Gut Pile" was a voluntary project to dig your bullet out of your deer carcass? And then it became a no lead bullet use at all? So Arizona went to the same voluntary "Project Gut Pile" up on the rim in Northern Arizona. This year, if you don't use lead free ammo, you have to PACK OUT YOUR GUT PILE! It makes me sick that with no science to back up their claims, Game & Fish just shoved that junk down our throats in Arizona now too! And with the ban on lead rimfire ammo in California with no replacement available, it ruins our opportunities with small game shooting. Get rowdy Arizona! They are after you now too! The camel's nose is under the tent!

On the lighter side, Dove season opener is just 4 days away! Archery deer is in full swing. I haven't heard of any archery elk success yet. Anything out there?

Hey everyone!,
It's a new Fall hunting season and with it brings all the excitement and hope for the best. I also have taken a break from my blogging activities in the past, but with a fresh new home page, I look forward to commenting again just like the new hunting season is coming around.

I have been out on the early archery deer season, and although not yet successful, the land looks good. We have also been pre-scouting for the dove opener and there seems to be plenty of birds where their primary concern of feed, water and roost are met.

The biggest concern I see with dove, is the continual march of development. Although it has slowed of late, the spread of housing or commercial developments into our traditional hunting areas has hurt our access to where we normally would hunt.

You may have to look outside your normal areas this year and hunt "fringe" areas. We have found a great spot we think for this year's opener that is far enough away from roads and structures, not posted, but is holding a good amount of birds. We think most people will overlook this little gem of an area because it is a small "fringe" area.

So do your homework, check your regulations, and look for areas that might be overlooked by the opening day hordes. Good luck, stay safe and send pictures!
Matt

I know that the holiday season is upon us but it is now that you need to start thinking about where you are going to apply for this coming year. The application process in many western states changes from year to year. Several states deadlines are as early as February. Arizona just closed their leftover tag applications for Spring '08. To stay involved with the many opportunities that are available in all the western states, it becomes an all year process. Brendan in the Bakersfield store and myself in the Tucson store apply for every species in every western state. Most states have point systems and may take you several years to draw. However, there are typically a certain amount of tags set aside for "luck of the draw". Some states like New Mexico or Idaho have no points systems. But regardless, by applying for multiple tags in a year we are always guaranteed a couple tags per year in premium zones. Don't fall in to the trap of hunting the same old ground or thinking you will never draw. Time becomes more and more valuable. Spend it in a zone that produces. Apply, Apply, Apply!

Well so now we have the added requirement for a handgun to be listed "safe" to sell in the state of California, it must have a microscopic array of the serial number of the firearm imprinted into the chamber of the pistol. This technology is so far only available from one provider. Depending on the units that any manufacturer may want to produce and sell in California, the cost to implement the technology could be cost prohibitive. The problem with all this is that you could take an abrasive wheel to the inside of the chamber with no adverse effects to the firearm and the array would be gone. And since barrels are not a controlled item, just change the barrel. Heck buy a revolver and don't leave brass at the crime scene. Better yet, frame someone by picking up their brass and planting them at your crime scene.

My thought process on this is that it also becomes kind of a moot point anyway because ever since it became a requirment that all manufacturers have both a magazine disconnect safety and a loaded chamber indicator, no manufacturer has added a new gun to California's list anyway. So don't believe Arnold when he says he wants another tool for law enforcement, he sold out! This was a way to guarantee no new pistol models for California. Over time manufacturers loose interest in models or update them for current demand. There will come a day when your choice of pistols for sale in California will be VERY slim.

The problem now to repeal these laws would have to prove they are unconstitutional or a danger to public safety or repealed by the legislature with a 2/3 vote. None of which I suspect will happen.

I guess it's time to start talking about East California again! Give the coast to the liberals from San Francisco to LA. We'll keep the rest!

Arnold the Governator has shown his true anti sportsman colors by signing into law the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act AB821. With no proof that lead bullets cause high blood lead levels in Condors, the state still banned lead centerfire rifle and handgun ammo usage while big game and coyote hunting in the "natural" range of the condor. It doesn't take effect until July 2008, but ammunition has to be "certified" before it is allowed to be used. So no one truly knows for sure if the list of "certified" ammo will be like handguns in California where manufacturers will have to have it submitted for approval to be on a list. So then once the list comes out, everyone will make a mad dash to buy ammo for their guns only to find out it isn't made in a "certified" type. Manufacturers will not be able to get up to speed on this near soon enough. Let alone load lead and non-lead ammo in marginal selling calibers. And forget bullet grain choices. Wow, I guess you might as well quit hunting with your 7mm-08, or 300 RSAUM, or 220 Swift, or 222 Remington. Basically if you don't want to pay for a new rifle in a common caliber, you're done. And what if you reload? The game warden comes up to you and says "let me see that ammo" and you don't have a box to show him that it is "certified" so you get popped for a $500 fine? This is ridiculous. The scenario of possibilities are endless. Effectively, the tree huggers won a huge victory in stopping more people from hunting again! How many more people will now be alienated with just one more reason why they don't want to hunt anymore in California? And don't think "great, more for me". This is a divide and concor thing. The less there are of you, the better for the anti's. Call or write the Game and Fish department now that it is a law. It is in their hands to enforce.