G. Sam Piatt
PDT Outdoors Columnist
Just as the “Dear Abby” columnist gives advice to the lovelorn and the forlorn, I try in my humble way to advise lovers of the outdoors on ways to endure experiencing life as waterlogged tent campers, frustrated anglers, misfiring wing shooters, missed-again deer hunters, and lost-in-the-woods hikers.
But probably my most useful instruction would be to “do as I say; not as I do.”
In the past I’ve advised boat owners to properly care for their investment by covering them when not in use, thus protecting against the elements that subsequently can result in rotting and mildewing deck carpet.
But I came home last Thursday from a fairly successful fishing trip just plain worn out and frazzled – so much so that I not only left my boat uncovered but left the cover lying in the grass to get soaked on both sides from the steady drizzle that fell during the night.
And not only neglected to cover it, but left my fishing gear to get waterlogged in the boat as well.
SEN. WEBB AND WILDLIFE
It’s understandable that state Sen. Robin Webb of Grayson should put outdoor sportsmen’s interest at the top of her agenda, as recent actions on her part illustrate.
Her father, the late Dr. Robert C. Webb, renowned quail hunter and Commissioner of Kentucky’s 8th Wildlife District for more than two decades, sent her off to Frankfort with a stern reminder to always protect the future of the state’s outdoor heritage.
Webb recently presided over the 12th annual National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses at a summit consisting of legislators from 29 other states and hunters and fishermen held
in Manchester, Vermont.
Webb, elected president of the 2016 NASC Executive Council,
said the gathering of like-minded individuals presented the opportunity to reflect on current issues relating to hunting and fishing and the conservation of wildlife.
“It was very beneficial as a lawmaker to hear ideas and concerns from other sportsmen and women across the country. It gives us a broader perspective on the challenges we all face,” she said.
She said hunters, fishermen, trappers, recreational shooters, a new focus on anti-hunters, right to hunt and fish constitutional amendments, white-tailed deer diseases, and recruitment and retention were all topics of concern at the NASC meeting.
She said sportsmen are the ones who keep our natural resources healthy and thriving as well as conserving it.
“As president, I will continue to work at the local, state and national level on all these issues facing hunters and fishermen” she said.
She said she will share what she learned from the summit with her colleagues in the Senate and the House “in an effort to better address the needs of Kentucky’s sportsmen.”
Webb represents the 18th district that includes Boyd, Carter and Greenup counties.
GOOD POETRY
I love to read good poetry, poems that awaken my mind and sometimes startle me like the spider webs that grab my attention when they strike me in the face while hiking a woodland trail early in the morning.
(I always wave my hiking stick out in front to knock them down before a spider gets in my hair. I’m afraid of spiders.)
Plato, the Greek philosopher who lived and wrote more than 400 years before Christ was born, said the noble words which poets speak concerning the actions of men are divinely inspired.
“God takes away the minds of poets and uses them as his ministers, as he also uses diviners and holy prophets,” he said, “in order that we who hear them may know them to be speaking not of themselves who utter these priceless words in a state of unconsciousness, but that God himself is the speaker, and that through them He is conversing with us.”
G. SAM PIATT can be reached at (606) 932-3619 or [email protected].
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