BC Outdoor Day

BC Outdoor Show was a huge success. I drove out to Chilliwack in the morning leaving poor Madigan to guard the house. As it turned out there were dogs at the event and he could have come along. Next year.

Kevin and Anna with their children Izek, Alex, Kendra Bobby and Billy were going to be there and had left before me.  It was in the Chilliwack’s Convention centre in Chilliwack’s Heritage Park.  When I entered I saw a wide range of sport boats, ATV’s and trailers. I pretty much have everything I could want for hunting, fishing and camping but love the trailers.  Great workmanship. My quad now sits in an open trailer covered by a tarp. The beauty of enclosed trailers is that they protect the equipment, are safer but also can be used as camping accommodation once the quad is out.  

I caught up with Kevin and Anna and the God kids at the archery display.  Willy was riding on Kevin’s shoulders and Anna was teaching Bobby to shoot a bow.  Together we walked around the exhibits. I most enjoyed seeing a video of Izek’s first bear on display at the Italian Sporting Store. I’d bought my first Browning Cross Bow in the 80’s from Italian and shortly after shot a deer. A friend of Kevin’s was videographer Ashley who does great out door films.  Kevin is writing delightfully entertaining stories of himself and family hunting fishing and camping. Originally from the Maritimes, Kevin is following in the footsteps of Farley Mowat.  While we were there he even had ‘fans’ coming up and expressing their enjoyment of his humor.  With the 5 little characters from his story all about it was hard for him to be camouflaged.  The kids had also enjoyed the Big horn Sheep hats and advertising stickers from each of the booths they collected and wore.

Anna who has taken up taxidermy enjoyed most the leather working folk while the kids met up with other kids.  A true family event. We stopped at the Heritage Hut inside for hotdogs and poutine.  I was interested in the Canadian made Kodiak rifle and some other 223 semi auto’s which had not been moved from non restricted to restricted rating when dictator Trudeau tried to outlaw any rifle not painted pink.. I understood the concern for the AR 15 since the communist chinese had developed working to alter the semi automatic rifles to automatic and naturally everyone was concerned about Communist China after the Wuhan Lab leak and spies being found with stockpiles of the AR 15 parts. I was upset because in the typical anti American Trudeau family nonsense they outlawed my Ruger Mini 14 semi auto ranch rifle the one I’d used for shooting so many rabbits and served so many farmers from varmint protection.  Now here were these equivalent Israeli and Canadian and other equivalent rifles not outlawed.  I was tempted to buy the Kodiak but resisted the impulse though was really glad to have the chance to handle one at the Chilliwack gun stores exhibit. 

Alex was fascinated by demonstrations of new moving fishing lures and told me about the fishing rod he’d bought himself.  The knife exhibit was something else and I don’t know how I resisted buying another knifes since all the very best were represented.  It’s not unusual for me to resist buying something at a trade show only to purchase it a year or two later. Certainly that was the case with my Harley Electroglide and Honda Pioneer ATV.  Trade shows are so much more exciteing and 3 dimentional than Amazon and the catalogues that are so much apart of the shopping geography today.

I really did enjoy the kids. Kendra is becoming a beautiful young lady fortunately following her mother Anna’s.  I imagine the boys will all have ZZ top beards one day like their grizzled father. I loved when Kevin bought Bobby and Willy toy keeps they just dropped to the floor oblivious of passers and turned the carpet there into some Indie 500 off road track of a child’s mind. 

It was a great Saturday and one of the best all round Outdoor show’s attended at a perfect venue.  Later this year I’m planning on hunting in the area of where Kevin hunts with his family if only to be able to radio for help if I shoot big game. I’ve had to admit that despite the help of my Quad and winch I still would anticipate having a really hard and likely unsafe time getting big game out of the woods.  I really want to eat more venison and maybe moose but I don’t need the hundred and thousands of pounds of meat so would gladly trade for some hauling muscle if I’m succesful as I fear slipping and falling breaking something at an age when healing takes long. I’m humbled by age remembering nostalgically when I carried quarters of moose out of the woods and ran down a mountain side carrying a black tail over my shoulders.  Kevin’s got some little men and women to help him along with Anna who insists on doin the skinning so she can get the best hides.

All round a great day.  All that was missing my my little guy, the great grouse retriever, Cockapoo Madigan.  Next year he’ll come along for sure.