Outdoors in Alaska

I really hate to admit this, but I’m getting old! And forgetful! A few weeks ago, I mentioned the Wasilla gun show held every January to help support the Wasilla High School hockey program and said I might see you there. Well, I managed to get mixed up on dates and thought the show was happening a week later than when it was actually held.

Obviously, I missed the show because of this mix-up on dates. I figured it out just before 5 pm on Sunday, just as the doors were closing. Strike one!

At a meeting this week, I mentioned that the retirement party for Sport Fish Division Area Manager, Sam Ivey, was being held this coming Friday. I was quickly corrected that the party had occurred last Friday – again I was a week off on my dates. I was looking forward to personally wishing Sam a happy retirement. Now I’ll just have to wish him well via the printed word. Happy Retirement, Sam!

Speaking about gun shows, we are headed into the gun show season. The Mat Valley Sportsmen’s Gun Show is scheduled for Feb. 17-18 at Raven Hall on the state fairgrounds south of Palmer. The McKinley Mountainmen Muzzle Loading Rifle Club (MMMLRC) has had a table at this show for years and plans to do so again this year. If possible, I try to help with set-up, staffing the tables during the show, and dismantling the set-up after the show is done.

The Alaska Gun Collector’s Association (AGCA) spring gun show will be held at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage on March 16-17. This is another show where the blackpowder club has had a table in years past. The next weekend, March 23-24, the Eagle River Lions’ Club hosts their gun show at the Eagle River Lions’ clubhouse.

The following weekend, March 30-31, the Palmer Lions gun show will be held at Raven Hall on the state fairgrounds. The weekend after, April 5-7, sees the Great Alaskan Sportsman Show at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage. This show isn’t strictly a gun show, but there will be many firearms displayed and for sale.

If you don’t mind a trip to Fairbanks, the Interior Alaska Gun Show will be held, as part of the Fairbanks Outdoor Show, at the Carlson Center on April 19-21.

I’m not sure of all the shows where the MMMLRC has display tables to get the word out about shooting blackpowder. In addition to shows I’ve mentioned specifically, the Palmer Lions show might also see the blackpowder guys. When you enter the show floor area, if you see a large white banner saying “McKinley Mountain Men” then you know we’re there and where our tables are located.

I enjoy helping staff the display tables and answering questions folks might have about the articles being displayed. In years past, the displays have consisted of flintlock rifles, percussion rifles, sidelock pistols, revolvers, smoothbore muskets, shooting bags and powder horns, knives and tomahawks, and other items used by the blackpowder hunters and military of the muzzleloading era.

Another thing I enjoy about helping with the blackpowder tables involves the sale tables available to club members. Over the years, I’ve sold old traps for use as cabin decorations, old style scopes, boots, both pistol and rifle detachable magazines for modern firearms, holsters, pellet pistols, and other stuff I don’t remember at the moment. The seller pays a small commission to the club to offset the cost of renting the table.

This is an excellent way to get no longer needed items out in front of the public who might be looking for just those type things. I’ve also sold a couple of modern firearms I no longer had a use for and will probably be displaying more guns in the future at these shows. I shouldn’t be because I know what guns cost, but I’m still amazed at how much money forks bring to these shows to potentially use for purchasing firearms, ammunition, and other related items.

Several years ago, one of the guys who was moving out of state sold a .338 Magnum rifle and a bunch of loaded ammo to a guy who just pulled a roll of bills out of his pocket and began peeling them off until he reached the sale amount of $1500 for the rifle and ammo. If you have specific items you’re shopping for, quite often you can score a deal at a gun show. I’ve found a few over time.