Aug 14, 2020 4 min read

Summer is zooming by and very soon will be nothing more than a plastic bag full of memories.

Some of us will remember the year with a smile while others will have nothing but sadness as they reminisce on the weird summer of 2020. It will be remembered as the year when a virus held us all hostage and interfered with vacations, work, school, hunting and, sadly, lives.

The thought of spending eight hours in the confines of a commercial jet is scary enough without thinking about what that air might contain. But our family had some major health issues going on over on our end of the country, so the eldest son of my daughter returned from the west with his family to help.

Doug Byrd spent more than a week with his family here in Washington. Doug is a professor of political science at Oregon Community College. He lives in a rural area with very little COVID-19 cases. Still, every precaution was taken as he brought his family here to Pennsylvania.

With Doug were his wife, Hiromi, and his two boys, Aidan and Conner. Now, of course, we decided to go fishing. I had fished with the boys before, so I was not surprised at the interest and enthusiasm that they showed at this activity, but their mother has not been here in 10 years and I was very surprised by her enthusiasm. The pond we fished held the usual bass and bluegill but also some very large catfish, so I was not surprised when Hiromi hooked a monster.

At least it was a monster to her.

I just sat back and laughed as that little lady reeled and the drag slipped, the fish he just went wherever he pleased. There she was moving around the dock doing a good job with a boy hanging off her and everyone yelling advice at her. We said things like “keep the pole up,” “get the net,” “hang on tight,” and silly things like “it’s a big one.” Nobody really knew.

After about 15 minutes of this, the fish came flying at her and zipped around the dock. The hook and fish went around the dock, the line and pole stayed with the user. Goodbye, Mr. Catfish!You could have heard a pin drop, then we all started laughing. The cat that got away was the highlight of that day.

• I find it interesting that the board of commissioners for the Pennsylvania Game Commission voted not to implement cartridge restrictions for the hunting of big game. Even more interesting was the high interest shown in the AR-type of rifle and how it will draw potential hunters into the ranks of license-buying hunters. These are underpowered center-fire rifles and I have heard every inaccuracy about the cartridge, the 5.56, and the attempts to make it more lethal yet it remains nothing more than a varmint round.

I thought we were supposed to take a deer as humanely as possible and try for a one-shot kill? Legalizing the AR and that 5.56 hardly seems a move in that direction to me. It would seem they want to wound the deer repeatedly.

Sometimes I wonder what these people running the game commission really know about firearms or, for that matter, the animal hunted? What people do not realize is that a military round does its job. It cripples enemy soldiers quickly, taking down multiple combatants. On the other side of the coin, the hunting rifle is made to drop the animal as quickly as possible. After shooting many deer and groundhogs over the years, I have concluded that there is no place in hunting big game that the .223 or 5.56 should be used. Where has ethics and responsibility gone?

To get itself out of the situation, the game commission could at least make it illegal to have more than four rounds in the magazine of any rifle while hunting. And that would be the very least. But, here again, it is all about the money.

• Has anyone noticed the increase in activity around the benches at the local clubs? While it might be a while before the Pennsylvania deer or bear season begins, it is now that those who still hope to head west in a few weeks or months start to prepare.