Frank Miniter

Sportsmen's Voter Guide 2004

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:34 -0400

Just how different is the election this time around? Well, for one thing, the presidential candidates are tramping around rural states thumping their chests and boasting they've gutted more deer and bagged more pheasants than their rival, and anti-gun congressmen have suddenly become gun-shy. Just four years ago, then-candidate Vice President Al Gore, in an interview in Outdoor Life, wouldn't even answer the questions "Do you hunt?
Do you fish?" On the eve of the last presidential election, anti-gunners in the Democratic Party would never have stood by and watched as the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban
expired. How times have changed...or have they?

Socrates knew of what he spoke when he said to the Athenian Senate, "I'm too honest to be a politician," just before it voted 360 to 141 to put him to death. Politicians have to be fluid with their positions because they have to appeal to a majority of their constituents. The candidates know that the "swing" states will determine the next president and which party will have the majority in Congress, and that those states-Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Arkansas among them-are loaded with sportsmen. Consequently, Senator John Kerry made sure a camera caught him when he went pheasant hunting last fall, and President Bush went on Fishing with Roland Martin on the Outdoor Life Network. It's also why some politicians have suddenly become shy when the question of gun control pops up.

Despite all of this posturing, we found ways to see through the rhetoric of every incumbent Congressman up for reelection on Tuesday, November 2. This voter guide will give you an idea of which congressmen would reduce pollutants so you can actually eat the fish you catch, and which would give oil companies the deed to your public lands. It will also give you an idea whether your representatives think auto-loading shotguns should be classified as "assault weapons" and banned, or whether they believe the Second Amendment guarantees the individual's right to keep and bear arms.

In 2000, anti-gunners grew bold within the Democratic Party. Moms marched under banners of Handgun Control in the capitol and a post-Columbine nation seemed poised to force gun owners to register all firearms in a national database. As a result, NRA membership hit a record high and sportsmen flooded to the polls-fear is a great motivator. This reaction to the anti-gun rhetoric is why guns don't seem to be an issue in this election. Eric Howard, spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said as much: "The modus operandi of the [BRACKET "anti"] gun lobby is to keep the discussion down." And Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, agreed. "The Democrats have
decided that the stove is still hot and they don't want to get burned again," he said. If Democrats can neutralize Republicans' advantage with gun owners, argued Mark Penn, a Democratic pollster who was a key architect of Bill
Clinton's winning message in two presidential elections, as many as 21 percent of swing voters could come their way.

Where They Stand

Key to the Charts

To help you know where your senators and representatives stand, we researched how they voted on key issues, whether or not they're members of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus and which organizations are giving them money. Here's a key to answers 1 through 7.

1. "Y" indicates that the congressman is a member of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus (see "An Army on the Hill," page 66).

2. Initials indicate organizations from which the candidates have received donations (based on FEC disclosures as of Aug. 2, 2004). Pro-hunting or pro-gun groups: GWC (Green Worlds Coalition Fund); NRA (National Rifle Association); SCI (Safari Club International). Anti-hunting or anti-gun groups: BC (Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, formerly Handgun ntrol Inc.); LCV (League of Conservation Voters); SC (Sierra Club). (See "Follow the Money," page 68.)

3. "Y" indicates that the congressman voted for the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (H.R. 1904), a bill designed to actively manage forests on public land to prevent uncontrollable fires (see "To Cut or Not to Cut," page 70).

4. HOUSE: "Y" indicates that the congressman voted for the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, a bill to prevent lawsuits from holding firearms manufacturers liable for the criminal misuse of legal products. senate: "Y" indicates a co-sponsor of the act (see "Biggest Loss to Gunmakers," page 68).

5. HOUSE: "Y" indicates that the congressman signed a letter in support of
increased funding for NAWCA (see "Ante Up for Conservation," page 70). senate: "Y" indicates a yes on a roll-call vote on the Feinstein Amendment ("Assault Weapons" Ban Extension). (See "Judging by Appearances," page 70.)

6. HOUSE: "Y" indicates that the congressman voted for "Don't Feed the Bears" (H.R. 1472) an anti-hunting bill designed to curb bear hunting. It was defeated on the House floor by a vote of 163-255 (see "Biggest Attack on Hunting Rights," page 70). senate: "Y" indicates that the senator voted for the McCain-Reed Amendment to close the so-called "gun show loophole" (No. 2636). The addition of this amendment to the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act helped kill the bill.

7. HOUSE: "Y" indicates that the congressman voted to stop the U.S. Park Service and the U.S Forest Service from controlling the bison herd in and around Yellowstone National Park. The amendment failed by 199-220.

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Presidential Candidates

SENATOR JOHN KERRY During a campaign stop in Iowa,
Kerry was photographed pheasant hunting, killing two birds. He clearly understands the importance of showing his interest in hunting, but what's his record on guns?

The National Rifle Association gives Kerry an "F" rating and noted that he voted 51 of 55 times against the interests of gun owners while serving in the U.S. Senate. Kerry and Senator John Edwards were absent for a lot of votes as they campaigned for the Democratic nomination this year, but they both returned to Washington to vote for two amendments-a renewal of the Assault Weapons Ban and the closing of the so-called "gun show loophole"-that killed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, a bill that would halt lawsuits attempting to hold firearms manufacturers accountable for illegal misuse of legal products.

Kerry is also a co-sponsor of S.1431 (titled the Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2003). This bill would vest power in the U.S. Attorney
General to ban semi-automatic rifles and shotguns "originally designed for military or law enforcement use"-arms that are presumed to be "not particularly suitable for sporting purposes." This could be interpreted to include some hunting guns; the bill lists the Ruger Mini-14 as a banned assault weapon.

Okay, so Kerry is hardly pro-gun. What about hunting?

Kerry is one of the 40 U.S. Senators who is not a member of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus. In 1994, Kerry led the opposition to a provision in the Marine Mammal Protection Act that allowed for the importation of legally killed polar bears. In 1999, Kerry voted to ban trapping on National Wildlife Refugees. For his record in the 108th Congress, Kerry was given a 100 percent score from the Humane Society of the United States, the largest anti-hunting group in the country. (The group does not rate Presidents, and had yet to make an endorsement as of press time.)

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH The Bush administration has officially stated that the Second Amendment upholds an individual's right to keep and bear arms. Bush, however, said earlier this year that he would sign an extension of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban. As of press time, Congress was seemingly going to let the bill sunset in September.

Despite his stated willingness to sign it, Bush isn't likely to push for any anti-gun legislation. But what about hunting?

Last spring, President Bush took leaders of the conservation community on a tour of his ranch to show them his bass pond and his managed quail habitat. Bush was planning on weakening the Clean Water Act, but that same group of conservation leaders successfully lobbied and convinced him to commit to "no net loss of wetlands." Under Bush's watch the National Wildlife Refuge System has opened more than 10 refuges to sportsmen. And the most recent Farm Bill and Highway Bill, both of which Bush signed, vastly expand conservation programs.

Bush is a resource developer, having increased logging and oil and gas exploration on public lands. He pushed for oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but that proposal was defeated by Congress. Bush's Healthy Forests Restoration Act, however, can benefit wildlife through smart forest management, with measures such as selective cutting. Further defining their stances on this issue, Kerry and Bush take opposite sides on President Clinton's moratorium on new logging roads in National Forests. Kerry says he would reinstate all roadless areas, while the Bush administration has made it easier to log some areas.

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An Army on the Hill

The most astounding thing about the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus (CSC), which is administered by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, is that it's only 15 years old. In just the past year, the CSC's 324 members in Congress have rallied to defeat an amendment designed to limit bear hunting on federal lands, fought to pass The Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HR 1904), and expanded the Conservation Reserve Program.

That said, membership is not all we need to know about an incumbent. Membership in a caucus does not require members to vote any particular way and the CSC doesn't take a position on the Second Amendment. As a result, there are a few in its ranks who use membership to gain your
favor. A look at how they voted will help you decide whether they're just playing politics or deserve your support. (The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance has been tracking the names of members of the CSC who vote against sportsmen's interests. Check out www.ussportsmen.org for more.)

Follow the Money

This is a category that will really tell you something. Special-interest groups put their money where their mouths are. Thanks to www.opensecrets.org, we can easily determine what group is giving money to which candidate. See the charts to find out who in your congressional district is
taking money from which group.

Here's the basis of what each groign an extension of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban. As of press time, Congress was seemingly going to let the bill sunset in September.

Despite his stated willingness to sign it, Bush isn't likely to push for any anti-gun legislation. But what about hunting?

Last spring, President Bush took leaders of the conservation community on a tour of his ranch to show them his bass pond and his managed quail habitat. Bush was planning on weakening the Clean Water Act, but that same group of conservation leaders successfully lobbied and convinced him to commit to "no net loss of wetlands." Under Bush's watch the National Wildlife Refuge System has opened more than 10 refuges to sportsmen. And the most recent Farm Bill and Highway Bill, both of which Bush signed, vastly expand conservation programs.

Bush is a resource developer, having increased logging and oil and gas exploration on public lands. He pushed for oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but that proposal was defeated by Congress. Bush's Healthy Forests Restoration Act, however, can benefit wildlife through smart forest management, with measures such as selective cutting. Further defining their stances on this issue, Kerry and Bush take opposite sides on President Clinton's moratorium on new logging roads in National Forests. Kerry says he would reinstate all roadless areas, while the Bush administration has made it easier to log some areas.

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An Army on the Hill

Cougars Coast to Coast

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:32 -0400

A cougar turned up in downtown Omaha. How it got there is anybody's guess. A cougar was killed by a car in Indiana. Must have been an escaped pet, authorities said. A train hit a cougar in Illinois. It had a stomach full of deer meat. An Iowa farmer shot a cougar prowling around his soybeans. Unlike most pets, it had all its claws and teeth. A deer hunter in Arkansas found a picture of a cougar on his trail camera. Just 10 miles from Minneapolis, another trail camera photographed a cougar eating a deer. A DNA analysis of scat samples found in Michigan determined they were from cougar.

Reports like these led to the formation of the Eastern Cougar Network (ECN) in 2002. The ECN maintains a database of cougars that turn up where cougars-otherwise known as pumas, mountain lions and catamounts-are not thought to be. ECN members have been compared to UFO believers. But they have some reputable people on their scientific advisory panel and conclusive evidence to back up claims.

Sergeant Tangel is not alone. There have been cougar sightings in every Eastern state. "The cougar is the Bigfoot of the East," says Mark Dowling, cofounder of the ECN. "We don't trust sightings. We've had calls from Canada, Europe and every state in the U.S. from people reporting that they've seen a cougar. Some have even sent us photos of large house cats and golden retrievers. As a result, we only take hard evidence seriously-road kills, DNA evidence...."

The thing is, there's a lot of hard evidence (see map, next page). From East Texas north and east through Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana and Minnesota, hard evidence has been found where cougars were shot out more than a century ago.
Let's start in Kansas, where until last year cougars hadn't been officially documented since 1904. The Kansas Biological Survey tested scat samples found on the Kansas University campus. The DNA analysis was conclusive. "There's no doubt the scat samples are cougar," says Mark Jakubauskas, research assistant professor with the Kansas Biological Survey.

Just north in Nebraska, John Hobbs, state director of Wildlife Services (the segment of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that responds to wildlife problems) says, "Six years ago there was a debate over whether we even had cougars in the state. The debate is finished. Cougars have moved through the river valleys right across the state."

Which could explain how a farmer in Ireton, Iowa, happened to shoot and kill a cougar last year. And farther north, how a Grand Forks County deputy sheriff happened to videotape a cougar near the Iowa-Minnesota border. And how Rich Staffon, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wildlife manager for the Duluth-Cloquet area, came to say, "We're fairly confident there is a wild population [BRACKET "of cougars"] out there."

But it's farther east, in Michigan, where the debate over whether the cats are residents has gotten really contentious. In February 1997, just south of Mesick, Christi Hillaker caught a cougar on videotape as it walked through her yard. Since then, the number of sightings has soared and two people say they have snapped photos of cougars in the state. Meanwhile, Mike Zuidema, a retired state forester, earned the nickname "Crazy Mike" from his coworkers after he claimed to have seen a cougar. Zuidema has since interviewed 700 people who say they've spotted cougars in Michigan. He's even convinced the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy (MWC) that he's on to something.

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The MWC now says it has seven scat samples that DNA analysis has proven to be from cougars living in both the Upper Peninsula and in lower Michigan; the conservancy thinks it's a population that staved off extirpation thanks to efforts by sportsmen's clubs to preserve land and to restore deer populations. Others, including the Michigan DNR and the ECN, are skeptical. However, Brad Swanson,
assistant professor obiology at Central Michigan University (where the scat was analyzed), says, "The DNA tests were conclusive. Seven of the scat samples are from cougars."

Two Michigan newspapers-The Traverse City Record Eagle and The Bay City Times-have asked the state to acknowledge that the alleged cougar population exists. Brad Wurfel, the press secretary for the Michigan DNR, says the agency will continue investigating but doesn't have any hard evidence yet. The DNR has not reviewed the DNA test results. Dennis Fijalkowski, executive director of the MWC, says, "The state's not investigating
anything. They want this to go away."

A similar, though so far less entrenched, debate is beginning in New York. Peter V. O'Shea Jr., a former New York City police sergeant, has become a one-man clearinghouse for cougar sightings in New York's Adirondacks. Some police officers even refer excited callers to O'Shea rather than to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. O'Shea believes the state of New York won't admit there are cougars in the Adirondacks because cougars are listed as an endangered species in the East. If their presence becomes official, by law the state has to begin studies and do environmental-impact statements, which will pit environmentalists against land owners. In other words, O'Shea believes, it's all about money-an argument that O'Shea's fellow mavericks in Ohio, New Jersey and elsewhere use to explain skepticism from state game departments.

Before we become entangled in this debate, let's step out of the wacky world of cougar confirmations and into the misguided world of cougar control in California. If cougars are moving east, the West's increase of problems near urban areas could foretell what might happen in the rest of the country.

Welcome to the land that banished houndsmen. That banished common sense. That sent science and responsible game management packing. Welcome to California.

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Take a look around. Proposition 117, a voter initiative passed in 1990, ended lions' classification as "game mammals," banning all cougar hunting. (The state had halted the season in 1972.) Since then, complaints about cougars have skyrocketed. While only 10 cougar attacks were reported from 1890 to 1990 in all of North America, that number has been exceeded in just the past 14 years. Since 1890, the state of California has verified a total of 14 attacks on humans by mountain lions; nine of those attacks have taken place since the ban on cougar hunting.

But you can't believe those numbers. Just a cursory review of databases and publications-Cougar, by Harold P. Danz (Swallow Press, 1999); Cougar Attacks, by Kathy Etling (The Lyons Press, 2001); and "Mountain Lion
Attacks on People in the U.S. and Canada," located at www.tchester.

org/sgm/lists/lion_attacks.html-shows discrepancies, attacks listed in one source but not another. There are many reasons for this. States often don't share reports, and some are better about keeping records than others. Incidents that don't lead to attacks are often not registered. Organizations that maintain databases often have political agendas. Wildlife Services keeps records of livestock loss, but not attacks on humans. According to Doug Updike, the California Department of Fish and Game's senior wildlife biologist, "An attack doesn't become official until it meets certain criteria."
Perhaps someone should tell that to Allyn Atadero, whose child was taken.

In all fairness, though, cougars have always been hard to figure. President Theodore Roosevelt called the cougar "the lord of stealthy murder" for a reason. Cougars hunt by night and hide by day, which makes them awfully hard to count. As a result, even though the California Fish and Game Department says there are between 4,000 and 6,000 cougars in the state, it can't back up those numbers-nor can any other state with cougar populations. Game managers in much of the West make estimates based on harvest reports. In California, there's no such indicator.

Though it's unclear what the population numbers might be, it's clear that California is saturated with cougars, says Lieutenant Bob Turner, a warden for 30 years with the California Game and Fish Department. The result, agree scientists, is that when kittens reach
18 months and their mothers evict them from their protection, the young females look for nearby territories, but the young males have to run for their lives because the dominant male will kill them on sight. So they move far-often right into suburbia. In California, these young (unhunted) cats have no real fear of people, so pets disappear and finally a cougar attacks a human.

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Despite these conflicts, in California game managers have to wait for a cougar to threaten a human before a tag can be issued. Still, an average of 100 "problem" cougars are now killed each year in California, which is about twice the number that were killed annually by hunters before cougar hunting ended in 1972.

Some groups, such as the Defenders of Wildlife, argue hunters can't control cougar populations. This is hard to accept when you realize that over-hunting nearly wiped out cougars in the last century. In fact, Utah, Wyoming and other Western states already use hunting to balance cougar populations against human safety. Hunting works because hunters target the big toms-the same animals that make the immature cougars head for suburbia. Most Western game departments have broken up their states into management units. A quota is established annually for each unit. When the number of kills is reached in a unit, its season ends.

Mike Bodenchuk, head of Utah's division of Wildlife Services, and his team of trappers respond to human-cougar conflicts in the state. "Hunted lions are well-behaved lions," he says. "There always will be problems. But these
conflicts can be minimized with sound management practices."

However, some people feel that it's our fault for taking the cougars' habitat. For example, according to the Associated Press, just after a cougar killed a person in California this year, local resident Karin Malinowski said, "I hate to see people die like that...but I feel really bad for the mountain lion that was killed. We're encroaching on their territory. What are they supposed to do?"

One has to wonder how much land is enough to ease those kinds of guilty consciences. According to the National Wilderness Institute, 39.8 percent of the United States (and 52.1 percent of California) has already been cordoned off for the wild. Also, the same voter initiative that banned cougar hunting
in California set up a trust fund of
$30 million a year for 30 years for state purchases of "cougar habitat." After all, cougar populationons. Game managers in much of the West make estimates based on harvest reports. In California, there's no such indicator.

Though it's unclear what the population numbers might be, it's clear that California is saturated with cougars, says Lieutenant Bob Turner, a warden for 30 years with the California Game and Fish Department. The result, agree scientists, is that when kittens reach
18 months and their mothers evict them from their protection, the young females look for nearby territories, but the young males have to run for their lives because the dominant male will kill them on sight. So they move far-often right into suburbia. In California, these young (unhunted) cats have no real fear of people, so pets disappear and finally a cougar attacks a human.

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Paradise Found

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:32 -0400

Woody Allen called and asked if I'd like to fish with him on the Amazon's Xingu River, perhaps the wildest water on earth. A preview of the movie to come flashed before my eyes: I saw the frail, cagey New York star being pulled overboard by a 100-pound pirarara as he said, with that dry, glib voice of his, "I've been caught." Who could say no to that production?

First I had to go to the Brazilian Consulate. It charges Americans $100 per Visa for "reciprocity," a retaliation for the fee our government charges them. I supposed that the world's ninth largest economy had earned its nationalism, took my number and waited my turn with a throng of would-be tourists and estranged relatives. This is when I noticed that I'd drawn "666"-the mark of the beast, according to the Bible's Revelation 13 (another very unlucky number). Despite the odd allusion to the Antichrist, I paid up, and walked out wondering if I was being cast as the expendable sidekick.

My next stop was at the New York Medical Center. The doctor, a Brazilian by birth, advised me not to wade in the water. Actually, he simmered with his most serious doctor tone: "Whatever you do, don't wade deeper than your knees. There's a certain microscopic monster found in the Amazon that's attracted to urine. It swims up your urethra (yes, that part of your anatomy), lodges there and grows to pride-killing proportions. The only way to get it out is surgically."

I crossed my legs.

"Also, if dysentery is in your future," he counseled, "You can try Imodium. Take seven chewable tablets all at once. If that doesn't do the trick within 12 hours take an antibiotic. I'll write you a prescription. To avoid malaria, you'll have to take Malarone. I'll also write you a prescription. You'll also need shots-yellow fever, typhoid and hepatitis should do it."

I felt flush.

Then, when he finished his dour speech, his demeanor lightened and he gasped, "I'm really very jealous of you. I'd love to go back to Brazil. What a country!"

What a country indeed!

Fully inoculated, visa in hand and tackle packed, I reached the airport, but instead of Woody, I found Mark Ulrich, his look-a-like from the Bronx (Woody being from Brooklyn). His voice was a dead ringer for Allen's, but his outlook was far less fatalistic. He was a charming, rancorous guide whose optimism didn't falter even when the plane left us stranded in Belem. Ulrich had traveled to Brazil 20 years before and had fallen in love-he now calls her his "long-haired dictionary." She may have broken his heart, he says, but she left him fluent in Portuguese.

We met the rest of our cast of characters in Miami. Dave Parker, managing director of Orvis Travel, Jason Schratwieser, Fishing and Science Director of the International Game Fish Association and Steve DeWitt, vice president with Outdoor Connection, a national hunting/fishing booking service. We all wore excited expressions, though "naÃƒÂ¯ve" seems a more appropriate word now.

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Touch Down

The flight time was masochistic-36 hours from New York to Belem-but TAM is more professional and up-to-date than any airline in America. Militaristic-looking women with hair pulled tightly back into buns worked with a precision Germans would be impressed with.

While in Belem we paid a visit to a trade show designed to draw tourism. Surprisingly, the event featured a 15-foot long diorama of the area we intended to fish. Pleased, we began to check the stream out. It was wider than we thought, almost like a lake. Big water means big fish, someone said. Then we saw the dams. They surprised us. The Xingu was supposed to be an unmolested river-the last of the river's "unfound" Indians were run down by civilization in the early 1960s. Then we saw what the smiling bureaucrats were up to. This diorama was showcasing a proposed hydroelectric project. Who invited them to e trade show for tourism we couldn't figure, even by third-world logic, but it was clear that they meant to flood the basin. "Those poor found natives better build houseboats or their link with civilization will drown them," I joked.

Ulrich informed us the project probably wouldn't happen anyway. The government needed to raise $4 billion to finance the project and only the World Monetary Fund is both idiotic and lucrative enough to make that kind of monumental mistake. And besides, Ulrich said, "If we can get fishermen onto this undiscovered paradise, we'll head the government off before they can sink it."

So we visited the Belem market in search of souvenirs. Dollars go three times the distance in Brazil, but we were forced to keep a tight grip on our wallets. We soon found that in the market we were prey. Eddie, our guide for the day, literally elbowed, pushed and threatened pickpockets stalking us from every direction. Despite this heightening of the senses, the market was well worth seeing. Malls are staid places teenagers go when they're not working a remote control; the Belem market had everything from "eye of toad" (to work a little witchery) to toothy, prehistoric looking fish species for sale. Jason, the fisheries biologist, had to be dragged out; he was determined to discover a new species before someone ate it.

That night we listened as the governor of the state of Para gave a speech at a nineteenth century achievement built during the rubber boom that rivals the most audacious playhouses in New York. Politicians are the same everywhere we found. He blew and blew and almost shook the house down, but then a jazz band came on and the building shook with happier notes.

Next day, when our flight impatiently left without us an hour ahead of schedule, Mark called the governor. He brought us reports of his progress hourly as we drank beers at the airport, established odds and lay down bets. A plane was found, he told us, they just have to install the seats. Then a pilot was pulled out of bed, said Ulrich. The pilot showed up rubbing his eyes, we checked his breath for traces of caipirinhas (a local favorite made with sugarcane alcohol) and off we went.

"Anything is possible in Brazil," beamed Ulrich from the cabin. "Miracles just take more time."

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Then there was the Fishing

The lodge sits at the end of 50 miles of dirt road from Altamira, a town of 85,000 very poor but very friendly people. The first 30 miles are on the Trans-Amazon Highway; locally referred to as the "Trans-Bitterness Highway" for good reason-it's not paved. It twists and ruts from one lane to two up and down steep grades for 3,000 miles from the Atlantic Coast to the Peruvian border. It's the main (or only) thoroughfare, and so is bustling with large trucks attempting to find out just how fast they can traverse the jungle. At the end of this jolting two-hour drive I expected to see a bug-infested shack, but what I found was a palace built on a hill in the jungle overlooking the Xingu River.

The lodge has a three-story central room with couches, satellite TV and tarantulas in the rafters. Off the main room are bedrooms as good as those in any fine hotel. Three cooks slave away at breakfast, lunch and dinner with buffets that still make my mouth water. In the jungle, while we slept in air-conditioned rooms, our guides and cooks slept in wooden shacks one might find today in Louisiana's bayou. Despite this hard way of life, these people have more humor than an Irishman after happy hour. Their first reaction is a smile. A dour attitude, it seems, has been weeded out of the gene pool through natural selection.

Then there's the river. The first thing you notice about the Xingu is that it has no sense of direction. It was common to see it boiling in from four opposing directions into a whirlpool normally thought reserved for Hollywood exaggerations. At one such pool I couldn't tell where the water was escaping. I asked Joao, my able interpreter, if it was dropping into some bottomless pit that swallows hapless adventurers whole. He laughed and said there was probably a violent undercurrent. It sounded like the same thing to me. (Incidentally, the next day Joao was ejected from the boat in a rapid. Luckily, he landed in an eddy and was soon retrieved.)

This stream actually has rapids and boulders-very strange things in the Amazon, a river that drops less than 500 feet from its source to the sea. The Xingu also has sandbars where mud would be on the Amazon River. When the wet season ends in June the river drops inches a day until by July or August sandbars appear between pools, teeming with all manner of fish. The lodge is the only outpost on 16 miles of otherwise unfished water.

A bass fisherman would be right at home here. Though Jason said Peacock Bass are simply an amazing example of convergent evolution (meaning they're not related to black bass at all), they resemble them in every way but their fight-largemouths are feeble by comparison.

But it's the plethora of game fish that make this turbulent water so intoxicating. We've all heard of piranhas. But maybe you don't know that black piranhas (common in the Xingu) commonly reach dinner-plate size. They mashed the treble hooks on my crankbaits and made my Rapalas look like chewed pencils. We started each day at first light, throwing crankbaits and topwater lures to the bank. A mixed bag of peacock bass, piranhas and bicudas viciously attacked our lures-it seems that survival of the meanest (not fittest) is the rule in the Amazon. Bicudas are shaped like barracudas-essentially steel rods with teeth. They jump and circle and fight with a will to live that rivals the wildest steelhead. They reach 15 pounds. A 4-pounder zinged out 35-pound test Fireline and bent my 20-30 weight G. Loomis like a palm in a hurricane.

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Then there were the payara (saber-toothed dogfish), which can reach 39 pounds. They like seams along raging currents-common things on the Xingu. When you see one you never forget its teeth-they stick a long way from its large mouth. One ran into my lure teeth-first and my rod doubled over. My guide, ManassÃ©s, smiled and said, "GrandÃ©!"

Then we tried a cove out of the current. We could hear peacock bass thrashing in the rocks, eating whatever fell in the water. I cast in and a peacock bass hit my lure at full throttle like he meant to pull me from the boat. In a head-jerking romp he dove into submerged brush and wrapped me up. I could still feel him in there but there was no way to untangle the line. Without even taking off his shirt, ManassÃ©s dove headfirst into the water. Exactly 45 seconds later (I timed it on my watch) he surfaced with my lure, apologizing profusely thad exaggerations. At one such pool I couldn't tell where the water was escaping. I asked Joao, my able interpreter, if it was dropping into some bottomless pit that swallows hapless adventurers whole. He laughed and said there was probably a violent undercurrent. It sounded like the same thing to me. (Incidentally, the next day Joao was ejected from the boat in a rapid. Luckily, he landed in an eddy and was soon retrieved.)

This stream actually has rapids and boulders-very strange things in the Amazon, a river that drops less than 500 feet from its source to the sea. The Xingu also has sandbars where mud would be on the Amazon River. When the wet season ends in June the river drops inches a day until by July or August sandbars appear between pools, teeming with all manner of fish. The lodge is the only outpost on 16 miles of otherwise unfished water.

A bass fisherman would be right at home here. Though Jason said Peacock Bass are simply an amazing example of convergent evolution (meaning they're not related to black bass at all), they resemble them in every way but their fight-largemouths are feeble by comparison.

Clever Ideas, Part III

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:32 -0400

Ergonomic Multi-Tool

The Nautilus is an
ergonomically shaped multi-tool that features not only a knife, screwdrivers, a bottle opener and scissors but also a flashlight. I found it to be more comfortable than any multi-tool I've ever used. Its flashlight snaps up like a switchblade and has two lights, one that points forward so you can find your way, and
a second that points
toward the Nautilus's tools so you can really see what you're up to when you field-dress
your next deer. ($59.99; 800-950-6161; www.
gerberblades.com)

Monocular/ Range Finder

Swarovski's Laser Guide 8x30 ranging optical instrument is perfect for deer-stand use. Slip it in your pocket and quickly glass incoming bucks and get the range at the same time. This 8x30 monocular is loaded with the kind of optics you'd
expect from Swarovski. The purported working range of
the range finder is 10 to 1,500 yards (we were unable to test that claim thoroughly because a working unit was not available at press time). It's waterproof and submersible to a depth
of 13 feet. If you hunt in cold climates, where hand warmth is a safety factor, you'll appreciate the Laser Guide's large and user-friendly button. Overall, we found the unit very easy to operate; the quality of the monocular's optics were a bonus. ($887.78; 800-426-3089; www.swarovskioptik.at)

Send and SOS

I wanted to actually test this personal locator beacon (PLB), but I didn't think search and rescue would
appreciate the false alarm.
In fact, once they found me waiting safely with no catastrophe in sight, I have the feeling they would have created one of their own. Even without testing, however, I can tell you that the TerraFix 406 GPS I/O PLB from ACR Electronics is the smallest PLB available in the world; it weighs just 12 ounces.

It was only a year ago that the FCC made PLB technology legal in the U.S. So now,
if you get lost deer hunting in a swamp in the Northeast Kingdom or fall and break a leg in the Rockies, you can press a button to broadcast your GPS coordinates to
orbiting satellites, and someone will come to save your butt. One can only imagine the kind of gross insanity
this type of safety net will
entice hunters into trying. ($640; 954-981-3333; www.acrelectronics.com)

Clever Ideas, Part 2

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:32 -0400

1. Buy One,
Get Two Free

Knives that change blades have been around awhile, but typically the blades
either have the quality of disposable razors or don't lock in firmly. Gerber's Freeman Exchange-A-Blade is different. Its guthook, saw and knife blade switch easily and lock in tightly. I handed the knife to several people without telling them its blades were interchangeable. Everyone was impressed with the knife's look and feel and then shocked when I swapped out the blade-they had been
certain it was a fixed-blade knife. ($99.99; 800-950-6161; www.gerber
blades.com)

2. Where's the Carbon?

Carbon-activated clothing used to be tin-man stiff, and after a day in the field, it leaked enough charcoal to make you look like a coal miner. Not anymore. When I put on Scent-Lok's Dakota Fleece clothing, the first thing I noticed was that there wasn't any difference between it and regular fleece. (This might be the only industry in which striving not to be different is the key.) Dakota Fleece comes with PolarTec Wind Pro technology, so you can wear it in rough weather.

Another new product from Scent-Lok is BaseSlayers, a line of polyester-knit undergarments loaded with carbon. They have built-in stretch and provide an extra layer of scent absorption. ($59.95 for BaseSlayers, $159.95 for the Dakota Fleece Jacket with
PolarTec Wind Pro; 800-315-5799; www.
scentlok.com)

3. Truly Intuitive

I gave Garmin's 60C GPS
a real sportsmen's field test:
I left the unit's manual at home and trudged off into
the wilderness before turning it on for the first time. Less than a minute later, it had conversed with six satellites and triangulated my position to within 10 feet. In five
minutes, I was navigating,
as it catalogued my progress on its 1.5-by-2.2-inch
256-color screen. Even my Uncle Earl (one of those
people forever baffled by their VCRs) could use this GPS. Then I saw it had each day's best hunting and fishing times in its 56MB of memory.
Optional software gives you turn-by-turn directions and audio alerts on city streets and trails, so you can navigate not only in the wild
but also right to your parking spot. ($482.13; 800-800-1020; www.garmin.com)

[pagebreak]
4. Portable
Water Heater

Roughing it might have been fashionable in Mark Twain's time, but today the phrase is barely in the American vernacular. So when I decided to go on an old-fashioned canoe-in Adirondack deer hunt-campfires, plaid Woolrich jackets and deer as scarce as they were during the Great Depression-I took along a new invention from Coleman, the Hot Water on Demand Portable Water Heater.

Camped out on an idyllic point overlooking a cold, clear lake in a forest in full fall color, I merely had to screw in a propane canister and turn on the self-lighting system and, voilÃƒÂ , I had boiling water. After a day of still-hunting for deer that I'm quite certain were invisible-lots of tracks but not one sighting-
I threw the 22-pound unit's intake hose into the lake
and hooked on the shower
attachment. In seconds, hot water poured out with enough pressure to please. ($179; 800-835-3278; www.coleman.com)

5. Everything in a Smaller Package

Product miniaturization is great, but only if size and weight reductions don't result in diminished optical performance or user-friendliness. With that in mind, we're pleased to
report that the Nikon Monarch Laser 800 Rangefinder, which measures 5 by 2.8 by 1..5 inches and weighs 7.4 ounces, includes all modes and operational features you'd expect in a high-quality 800-yard range finder.

Nikon's Tru-Target Ranging System offers two targeting modes: a First Target Priority mode for small objects, such as fence posts, and a Distant Target Priority mode. Its 6x21 monocular viewing system has a 3.5mm exit pupil, a 6-degree field of view (315 feet at 1,000 yards), a fully adjustable eyepiece and 18mm of eye relief. Its measuring capabilities range from 11 to 800 yards. Our preview unit, tested in clear Montana air, consistently gave quick and accurate readings on large targets, such as houses, to slightly beyond 800 yards. Even under adverse conditions, it reliably told us when game was beyond reasonable shooting distances. As for criticism, we wish the mode button were easier to find and press when you're wearing gloves. ($490.95 in black; 800-248-6846; www.nikonusa.com) -B.McR.

6. At Your Fingertips

Tired of fumbling with a grunt call when a buck is approaching? Don't like drawing attention to your location? Mojo has a solution. The Mojo BuckStopper electronic grunt call has two parts: a speaker unit that can be strapped to a tree up to 100 yards from your location and a remote control that can be attached to your bow so you can actually make the call grunt while you're at full draw. ($69.99; 866-216-6656; www.mojodecoys.net)

7. Bionic Ears

Radians' Hunter's Ears have dual external microphones with independent controls to allow you to pinpoint sounds.
I tried them out in the office
and was able to muffle a
particularly loud coworker. ($129.99; 877-723-4267; www.radiansinc.com)

Clever Ideas, Part 1

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:32 -0400

With a surprise introduction that undoubtedly has
engineers at other optics companies scrambling,
Leica invented a binocular/range finder that looks, well, like a binocular. Not that engineers at other optics companies have been idle. This year Swarovski leaped into the range finder business with a high-quality 8x30 monocular/
range finder. And Nikon developed a range finder packed with electronic brains that weighs only 7.4 ounces. In other news, Coleman introduced a portable water heater that warms water to 160 degrees in seconds; Suunto somehow managed to stuff a GPS, compass and altimeter into a wristwatch; Orvis debuted a line of clothing that repels insects; Buck came out with a solid deer knife that weighs 4 ounces; and Gerber has so many smart new gadgets we wonder if its R&D people are on commission. We could go on, but instead we'll let you.

Wristwatch GPS

Unfortunately, I didn't have a working unit of this new wrist-top computer to toy with, but I still had to tell you about it. The Suunto X9 is a GPS, an electronic compass, a barometer, a thermometer and an altimeter-all in a wristwatch. At press time, the GPS software wasn't available, but the rest of the features were, and each performed as advertised. Though the owner's manual begins with
a disclaimer-"Do not use the Suunto X9 as [BRACKET "your"] only navigational aid"-the item's potential is enormous. Routes and place names can be stored in the X9, which not only shows the distance to your destination but also estimates your time of arrival based on your speed. The X9 has a weather alarm that sounds when there is a change in barometric pressure, and the unit comes with a charger and a "docking station," so it can be connected to a PC. ($725; 800-543-9124; www.
suuntosports.com)

Comfortable Climber

As I carried Ameristep's all-aluminum Non-Typical Climber into the woods, I discovered it has its own acoustics system-it plays a full range of metallic bangs, clangs and twangs. When I reached the tree, I didn't like that its climbing cables lock down with bolts, washers and nuts-too many small parts to worry about. My impression changed, however, when I started climbing. The stand hugged the tree like it knew my life depended on it. Once I was seated, I realized I'd never been in a climber this comfortable before. The stand, which weighs about 19 pounds, can be adjusted into various positions to fit different styles of hunting. When stealth is needed, leave this stand at home, but when all-day comfort is called for, this stand is a good choice. ($319; 810-686-4035; www.ameristep.com)

Binoculars That Know Yardages

Leica's 8x42 BRF and 10x42 BRF Geovids look and feel like binoculars and weigh about the same, but they are also easy-to-use range finders. When you look through the Geovid's crystal-clear optics, you can press its measuring button to activate the unit's otherwise-invisible LED display to take range readings of anywhere from 10 yards to approximately 1,300 yards. An
important characteristic of the Geovid's display is that, besides vanishing completely when not needed, it automatically adjusts for brightness to compensate for changing light levels.
Unlike the original Geovid 7x42 DBA introduced in 1994-which amazed users with its optical quality and range-finding capabilities but
repelled them with its 53-ounce weight-the new Geovids measure 6.9 by 4.7 by 2.6 inches and weigh only 32 ounces, making them virtually indistinguishable from standard 42mm binoculars. Its remarkably conventional size and appearance was achieved
by incorporating
the laser-emitting system as an
integral part of the binocular's central-hinge assembly. (From $1,800; 800-631-1584; www.leica-camera.com)

Bill McRae

[pagebreak]
Four-Ounce Deer Knife

Buck Knives' CrossLock has evolved into the Alpha CrossLock PBS, a knife with a pair of
3-inch blades: a spear-point knife blade and
a guthook/saw. An aluminum frame keeps its weight down to 4 ounces. It opens smoothly with one hand and locks solidly. ($90 in camo; 800-326-2825; www.buckknives.com)

No More Tent Poles

Sometimes an
innovation is simply the combining of two common items. That's the case with Kamp-Rite's new Tent Cot, a combination tent and cot that's a full 7 feet long when open but folds down to 30 by 35 by 6 inches. In our field test it set up easily and was as comfortable as a folding lounge chair. At 18 pounds, it might be a bit heavy to pack in long distance, but sleeping in one would sure beat lying alongside a few sportsmen I know. Winchester Tents offers a camouflage version (shown above) through a licensing arrangement, so you can camp covertly. (Kamp-Rite, Inc.: $119.95; 800-709-9905; www.tentcot.com. Winchester Tents: $159; 888-700-8368; www.winchestertents.com)

Insect-
Repelling Fabric

Buzz Off fishing clothing from Orvis has insect repellent embedded in its fabric. I wore the shirt shown above while bass fishing in Florida to see if it would help keep mosquitoes at bay. I left with nary a bite...from the insects, that is. ($69; 888-235-9763; www.orvis.com)

When Cougars Come First

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:32 -0400

The police have been flooded with outraged calls and e-mails from people inflamed by TV news videotape of the lion lolling peacefully in a tree just before an officer shot it to death with a high-powered rifle. -The San Francisco Chronicle

When a cougar was treed on May 18 in Palo Alto, Calif., a residential area near Stanford University, a police officer weighed his options before shooting the animal. A nearby school was ready to let its students out and it would have taken the California Department of Fish and Game some time to respond with a tranquilizer gun, so he decided not to take any chances.

Since then some residents have erected a shrine on the spot where the mountain lion was killed, and flowers and photographs have been placed around it. And, as the quote above testifies, not a few residents have accused the police of putting public safety above a cougar's-maybe they think he should have called the fire department, who, reportedly, know how to deal with treed cats.

In response, Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith told The San Francisco Chronicle that her agency would create a computer database to better track and respond to reports of mountain lion sightings. And Smith hired a retired game warden to help police and animal control agencies when a mountain lion strays into a populated area.

During a meeting at Palo Alto City Hall held to hear public comments on the shooting, several animal-rights activists voiced their disdain. Palo Alto resident Lile Elam, reportedly said, "We take over everyone else's space and we think that we own the planet. I am so, so sorry that this young animal, this wonderful being, had to lose his life because of us not being aware."

It isn't clear whether Elam was aware that the cougar in question was in suburbia.

Just a few days later, on May 26, another cougar was killed, this one by a warden in Copco Lake with the California Department of Fish and Game. A local resident spotted the cougar on the 23rd and again on the 24th. The resident reportedly shot at the mountain lion on each occasion but missed both times. Maggie Bauder, a Copco resident, is sorry that the resident is such a poor shot. She said that the mountain lion returned to her house every morning for four days before it killed her cat. "I looked out the sliding glass door and there was this huge lion with my little cat in its mouth," said Bauder.

Game officials trapped and killed the cougar because it was a "very bold lion," said John Dawson, the warden investigating the incident. In other words, its next kill might have been human.

As of this writing, there has yet to be a shrine erected on the spot where this cougar was dispatched. Maybe local environmentalists will put one where the pet cat was killed instead, though we doubt it.

It's worth noting that an average of about 100 cougars are killed per year in California in defense of life and limb (and to protect our favorite household critters). That is more than was killed per year by hunters in the state before the season was closed in 1972. The cougar population in California has been compared to an unhunted deer herd that grows out of control. It's a good comparison, because deer lose fear of people too. They just don't eat anybody.

Election News

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:32 -0400

This time around the "swing" states are loaded with sportsmen-Minnesota, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Arkansas...to name a few. This is why Senator John Kerry made sure a camera was on him when he went pheasant hunting just before the Democratic Iowa Caucus. And why President George W. Bush went on Fishing with Roland Martin on the Outdoor Life Network. Which takes us to the Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Foundation's brilliant idea: to help voters see through candidates' facades they've launched the website www.voteyoursport.com. It gives sportsmen easy access to voter registration information and will establish a central-message board for updates on political issues affecting their sports.

And according to a survey by Roper Starch-commissioned by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation after the 2000 election-"VoteYourSport" is what sportsmen already do. Despite political party affiliations, hunters voted their sport before they voted their party-only 19 percent said a candidate's party affiliation is essential when deciding for which candidate to vote, as opposed to 57 percent who listed second amendment issues as essential.

Alligator Chomps Boy

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:32 -0400

May 19, 2004-In Deltona, Florida, 12-year-old Malcolm Locke was swimming in Lake Diana, according to the Associated Press, when he saw 7-foot alligator swimming toward him. He tried to swim quickly for shore but the alligator clamped down on his head and dragged him underwater.

According the Florida Fish and Game Commission more than 200 unprovoked alligator attacks on humans have been documented since 1948, with 12 resulting in fatalities. Locke was going to be the unlucky 13th, so he fought and punched as the alligator started to roll.

A century of unrestricted and unregulated hunting had depleted most accessible alligator populations in Florida. Even after the passage of state regulations governing the harvest of alligators during the 1940s and 1950s, alligator populations continued to decline due to extensive poaching. It was not until 1970, when federal laws prohibited the interstate shipment of alligators, that these reptiles made a comeback.

In 1988, Florida started its first heavily regulated alligator season, due to complaints about 1,000-pound gators pulling people into the depths of swamps and canals. Sportsmen currently harvest about 2,500 alligators per year in Florida.

But still this light hunting pressure isn't enough to halt a growing population. Aalligators can appear in any golf course pond or residential lake via miles of canals, streams and swamps.

The alligator that grabbed Locke was such an animal. Locke didn't expect it to be in the lake and foolishly took a risk. Locke, however, proved tougher than the gator, and fought it off by punching it. He made it to shore with only minor injuries.

"I thought I was going to get swallowed up," Locke told WKMG-TV in Orlando.

Minn. Game Birds Again

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:32 -0400

The mourning dove, that paltry, sporting little bird that whistles when it flushes and turns at sharper angles than a duck ever could when it spots a hunter in a field of sunflowers or corn, has lost its "songbird" designation in Minnesota. Governor Tim Pawlenty signed a bill making it a game bird into law. Hunters in the Upper Midwest will partake in the most social of a hunts this fall, a communal style of hunting that used to be practiced in Minnesota. The state's last season was in 1946. Not that this happened quietly: Reinstating the dove-hunting season was, and still is, controversial.

Opponents of the bill say a dove has scarcely more meat than a robin. Hunters who've eaten dove know it's a delicacy. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) fought the bill the whole way, saying a dove season would serve no wildlife management purpose. No surprise there, HSUS is arguably the biggest anti-hunting group in the United States. The Sportsmen's Alliance (www.ussportsmen.org) spent years fighting for this bill. The Sportsmen's Alliance, National Rifle Association (www.NRA.org) and other groups have successfully worked to establish dove hunting seasons in Ohio and Wisconsin and defended seasons in Rhode Island and California. In the Twin Cities, hunters had quietly marched wearing orange caps; their governor got the message.