The man on the other end of the phone line seemed unable to believe his ears. Here he was, ready to wrap my ink-stained fingers around the most remarkable device created for the capture of game fish, save the gill net and, perhaps, dynamite. And I didn’t leap to take the bait.
What he had to offer, the man gushed, was an electronic attracting device for fish. Just put it in the water, flip a switch, and the residents of your favorite lake come running, and quickly. All that might be required of me, the angler, was to place an acceptable food item — a bait or lure — in the target area and get ready for the bite. The wait, I was assured, never would be long. I would, however, be required to provide the impetus for setting the hook. Bummer.
It was when I declined a meeting to examine the gadget that murmurs of shock and dismay began to filter through the line. Incredulity dissolved into disbelief and, well, the conversation sort of went downhill from there.
I failed to get the man’s name and number, just in case I should see the error of my ways and repent. Alas, I shall never know the piscatorial riches that could have been mine.
So it also ever shall be with the HunterAlert, advertised as a real- time scout digital game camera.
Should I be among those unfortunates who habitually fall asleep in my hunting blind or suffer from otherwise failing to see the deer or elk of my choice, this gizmo will alert me, either with a LED light or warning sound. At an effective distance up to 500 feet, the contraption can see farther than my tired, old eyes, even when I’m awake. Unless the animal is running flat-out — as if alerted by some electronic signal — this should provide ample time to swipe the sleep from my eyes and pull the trigger. I have been duly warned; should I fail to avail myself of the HunterAlert, I might miss the shot of a lifetime. Oh, well.
All of which brings us to the gnarly little matter of recent developments in muzzleloading rifles. While not nearly as dramatic as the aforementioned advances, they nonetheless seem to follow a similar vein of removing the human element from an activity once touted as the ultimate return to hunting basics.
Drowning in this gadgeteering tide, most states now allow the use of telescopic or red-dot sights on muzzleloaders. Colorado is among 14 that do not. In a series of ballistic progressions, effective killing range of muzzleloading rifles has increased considerably, out toward 200 yards.
Traditionalists believe that such distance, coupled with scopes, makes mockery of the primitive elements of stealth and proficiency that caused game managers to allow these hunts in the first place.
Chad Shearer, a regular performer at the Denver International Sportsmen’s Expo and editor of Black Powder Guns & Hunting magazine, disagrees. Shearer argues for scopes to deliver better bullet placement, but concedes: “If you’re trying to limit the distance of the shot, then removing the scope is the way to do it.”
Brett Ackermann, Colorado Division of Wildlife regulations coordinator, purports that the black-powder season was originated as a method-based hunt with a specific harvest objective. Going modern with scopes would subvert both purposes, Ackermann said.
Colorado also breaks with other states in forbidding pelletized, smokeless powder and sabot bullets that fire more like rifle cartridges, again for greater distance. Colorado rules also forbid any electronic or batter-powered ignition — again, all in the interest of retaining the primitive aspects of the hunt.
Sort of makes me proud to live in Colorado all over again. Now if I could just find someway to keep those darn deer and elk from sneaking up on me . . .
Charlie Meyers: 303-954-1509 or cmeyers@denverpost.com
