There are no breaks for the busy...

Holy crap, isn't life just busy, busy, busy, busy...

As I close out my after school program and prepare for the finish of the high school academic year, my spare minutes are few and far between.  To add insult to injury, I opted to launch my lobster boat today to officially start my summertime self-employment three weeks early.  I'll plan on getting gear ready and setting out all my traps.  Hopefully, I'll be all in before the 4th of July and catching a few soft shells in the process.

From this...

To this shortly...

As for my other responsibilities, Tee Ball and Farm League has been wonderful.  I just remember that it was easier last year having my two girls on one team rather than fitting in six games a week now.  I can't complain because the investment given will certainly yield results down the road with all the kids in the community.  I have certainly worked hard to make their experience fun, meaningful, and an opportunity to learn more about a game I'm very passionate about.

Other than that, I'll try to work on my Baltimore Day 2 write up and fulfill my agreement with Smart Wool.  Take care and have a great day.

The Downeast Duck Hunter

Shooting the Super Redhawk and Springfield XDM 45

Recently my buddy, the Rabid Outdoorsman, and I got talking about the Ruger Super Redhawk as a good choice for a sidearm while bear hunting.  He seriously wants to shoot my hand cannon before he leaps into the stainless magnum revolver club.  Anyways, I told him I intended to do a post on shooting this handgun in terms of recoil and shooting enjoyment.  Well here's my poor attempt at best...

I had planned on a more expansive shooting session with a variety of angles, however an uncharged battery left us with limited footage.  This minor issue didn't ruin our shooting opportunity as we put 30 rounds through the Super Redhawk, 78 through the XDM 45, and an unlimited amount of .22 rounds through my Ruger 10/22. 

So without further ado, here's a short video of Ian and I shooting our newest handguns.  I'll promise next time to be better prepared.  I hope everyone had an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend.

The Downeast Duck Hunter

Pack Basket Crazy

The two little packs for my girls

After taking the pack basket seminar a few weeks ago, I'd be lying if I haven't been a little bit overly excited about this learned skill.  With two little baskets to my credit from the course, I've manage to restore my deceased father-in-law's ice fishing basket and embark on two other efforts of great magnitude.  The first is an all plastic ice fishing basket made entirely of recycled materials and the second is now complete.  Let's digress...

It's a rather large woven basket working off a 9"X16" plywood base and over two feet tall.  I browsed the internet for different styles and tried my best to make a bellied bottom for storage and have it chimney up top.  For my third official basket and first large one, I'm quite pleased.  My instructor told me once I did three baskets, I would be quite handy at this trade.  He's certainly right, you only get better with each one you make.

I'll be procuring more plastic strapping this weekend and should have the better part of the plastic basket done fairly soon, that in itself will make for another great addition to my hardwater arsenal.  You make ask, what does one do with all these packs.  Simple answer, rather than continually change my gear for the different types of ice fishing I will simply grab whatever pack holds the proper traps.  I will only exchange another bag that will hold my basic gear.  With more ice fishing traps than I know what to do with, I'll try this out plus it never hurts having a few extra ready packs when a buddy may want to try out ice fishing.

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend,
 The Downeast Duck Hunter

Rugged wooden runners

Just waiting for the straps

5/8 plywood base, 9"X16"

It's fairly big

Baltimore: Day One

Just a few minutes after midnight the alarm began to remind me of the trip, it made no sense to get a hotel room in Portland because a couple hours of sleep would result either way.  Jab and I chose to save the money, get to bed early, and drive the four hours to the airport for our fight to Baltimore at 6 a.m.

I remember this as a kid, 7/12 is also my wedding anniversary

Big bones at the Maryland Science Center

By 8 o'clock we were already on the light rail and on our way for Camden Yards, the home of the American League East leading Orioles.  Jab's wife and I had tried to schedule a trip around our Red Sox but a mid-week series offered no possibilities especially considering the constraints due to work, little league T-Ball & Farm League, and other things.  For that, we were going to see a weekend battle between two teams that were tied for the best record in the American League.  The Tampa Bay Rays were in town for a three game series and we had already locked in the mayor's seats behind home plate as a result of an auction Jab's father in law had won.  For the next game, we'd figure things out.

Once in the heart of Baltimore, we immediately started crossing off our things to see list that included the American Visionary Art Museum, Maryland Science Center, lunch at Camden Yards, and a strong two hour nap before the game.  With batting practice to watch, we crossed the street from the hotel and made way for left field to see if we could track a baseball down.

My favorite part of the Science Museum

 The seats nor the game did not disappoint.  Situated just a few rows back and just holding home plate to our right, we had a clear unimpeded view of the field.  I was however amazed by the crowd who would not fill the stadium to capacity until around the fifth inning.  Usually at Fenway, everybody is there early.  Maybe it's because of the price of tickets, who am I to investigate the reasoning behind the Orioles fans.  Nevertheless, the game proved excellent as Nick Johnson slammed a two-run home run in the seventh inning to complete a comeback over the Rays and assert the Orioles a first place spot in the American League East.  Nick Markakis and Adam Jones each cranked out home runs in the winning effort.  Aside of the variety of home runs, my favorite part of the game was the one two punch of Pedro Strop and Jim Johnson who shut the door on the Rays.  Strop even brought one in at 97 mph, throwing that hard is something that certainly is a god given gift.  We retired for the evening and looked forward to the decoy museum and another ball game when we awoke.

Great view, great ball game...

Here's a quick video highlighting one of the Rays sluggers during batting practice and the last at bat of the game when Jim Johnson earning his 10th save of the season.

Galco Dual Action Outdoorsman Holster for Ruger Super Redhawk

The Galco Dual Action Outdoorsman holster for my Ruger Super Redhawk

Last summer, I decided to pull the trigger on the purchase of a handgun that continually mocked my better conscience (Click HERE).  So often with this Super Redhawk made by Sturm, Ruger & Company, a conflict existed between the necessity of ownership and the forfeiture of money that could easily have been allocated elsewhere.  Nevertheless, in the midst of a profitable lobster fishing season I closed my eyes, said yes, and waited for the call from my dealer.  In due time, my stainless friend found me and we went home.

Not once have I regretted the purchase and often have I enjoyed handling this revolver.  However, the quality plastic case provided with the Redhawk does not easily accommodate the joys of carrying such a nice weapon.  Finally, I opted to embark on the almighty Google search and see what possibilities were out there.

I found exactly what I needed...

The Dual Action Outdoorsman holster by Galco specially crafted for the 7.5 inch .44 Magnum Super Redhawk became my choice.  Built out of saddle leather, this holster uses a nifty retention strap that utilizes a large plastic tab to help snap the handgun in place.  If needed, there are tension screws to tweak the holster to meet your desired fit.

When I first received the holster, I found the fit somewhat similar to O.J. Simpson trying to slide a glove on during a murder trial.  After doing what I do best and trying something out before reading the manual, I discovered that one must slowly break in the holster and allow the gun to settle in over time.  After an hour or so of repeated draws and deliberate adjusting, a measured fit resulted.

Now if I want to carry whenever or wherever, I'll just strap the Super Redhawk to my hip and be on my merry way.  The DAO holster by Galco certainly earns the Downeast Duck Hunter seal of approved.  Now I just need to buy a belt that matches the holster. 

I purchased the DAO holster specially produced for the Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 magnum from Amazon.com for $55.13 (marked down from $99) and in no way, shape, or form have any commercial ties to Galco other than being a satisfied customer.