Wasilla High hockey gun show closes with a bang

Last week’s Wasilla gun show was packed. This particular show has always had a good turnout over the years attributable to, among other factors, cabin fever. However, this year was something else.

When I arrived about noon on Saturday, the place was wall-to-wall people and often I couldn’t get any closer than about three people back from a vendor’s table. Prices were higher on everything, but sales seemed to be brisk. I wonder if this trend will continue through the next three shows over the next three months?

I met and chatted with several old friends, made a contact for some future writing work and lined up a possible participant for a project with the Frontiersman. Even though I didn’t spend much money, I enjoyed what I could see on various vendors’ tables. I met a couple that said they had driven down from Fairbanks just for the gun show because specific ammunition calibers they wanted to purchase were nonexistent in Fairbanks. This whole gun control thing is spurring sales like there is no tomorrow — and that’s exactly why folks are buying now.

If you have a hankering for your own personalized vehicle license plate, the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has recently started issuing National Rifle Association (NRA) logoed plates. Neil Moss was showing me his new plate: SCTP1. Since Neil is the president of the Scholastic Clay Target Program in Alaska, he chose their initials and the number “1” for one of his trucks. He has plate SCTP2 for his other vehicle as well. Visit DMV and ask about the new NRA personalized plates if you want to show your support.

Here’s another log item for your 2013 calendar if you travel in the winter backcountry. The North American Outdoor Institute (NAOI) is sponsoring avalanche field training at the Meadow Lakes Senior Complex on Sunday, Feb. 10, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Topics include identifying and assessing avalanche terrain, trip planning and route selection, introduction to use of avalanche transceivers, shovels and probes, and emergency response. The training is made possible thanks to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. If you attend, a $20 donation is requested. For more information, contact Dorothy Adler at 376-2898.

The NAOI is also sponsoring a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) class in Palmer the end of April into early May. This wilderness medicine course has a $600 fee and runs for 10 days. For further details, contact Dorothy Adler at a different phone number: 982-6945. A three-day wilderness first aid/WFR recertification class will also be held in Palmer May 10-12. Contact Adler at the same phone number for costs and other information.

Back when I worked for Fish and Game, we received basic first aid/CPR training since we lived and worked in a remote environment. This training has been useful to me over the years because, while I never had to use the more dramatic measures we were taught, I was confident I knew what to do if something did happen. That peace of mind feeling is comforting to you and to your companions on a backcountry trip.

I commented a few columns back about how you should enjoy your time in the Alaska outdoors while you can, because time waits for no man. You will eventually need to alter your approach about how you enjoy the outdoors and what activities you can do. I’m learning this first-hand this year. I was the proxy to Gnarly Dan’s beneficiary during his hot spot hunt a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully, I could still do the shooting, but I was under doctor’s orders to minimize my involvement in lifting (things like moose quarters, etc.). We didn’t get an opportunity to harvest a moose, so I ended up not doing much of anything except drive around, eat lunch (I like that part), look for moose and have two days of delightful conversations with Gnarly.

My time is coming, though. I’ve got a bad left ankle that may eventually need to be replaced, a right knee with no cartilage left and a neck with four bad discs that may need surgery in the future. My hunting trip plans no longer include extensive backpacking options. I’m looking at whether an ATV or a riverboat can be used to access the hunt area and the smartest way to approach normal hunting activities.

Maybe with a little more care earlier in my hunting career, I wouldn’t have quite so many broken pieces.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by emailing sports@frontiersman.com.