Wednesday, september 2, 2009
Industry affected by economy
WU offering two hunters’ education courses
Eric Smith WASHBURN REVIEW
In the past several months, hard economic times have hit everything including the outdoors world. And in Topeka, while some are feeling the pain, others are surviving just fine. Bob Barnes of the Dam Store in Perry, which includes a bait store, restaurant and convenience store, has been in business since 1996 and said this year has been rough. “It’s slowed a lot,” said Barnes. “It hasn’t been the best year. We’ve been here since ’96 and it’s probably been one of the worst so far.” He said while he believes people are still fishing, they aren’t spending as much money on it. “Of course school just started too, and that has a big effect,” said Barnes. “And so that’s a negative also. The two combined together, [business] is way down, probably 40 percent. It’s a lot.” R.R. Shumway, also known as Cat Daddy and one of Topeka’s better known anglers, has also experienced the troubling economy through his catfish adventure business. “Two years ago I’ve seen just a little decrease, but this year, this year hit me hard,” said Cat Daddy. “Yeah, I think everybody is just grabbing a five-gallon bucket and going fishing on the bank. On the other side of things, several Topeka outdoors businesses said they have not been affected financially. Mike Calvin is the owner of The Dock, a business that has been in his family since 1986, and he said he believes outdoors activity is doing just fine. “I think it’s on the rise compared to paying $50 to take my family to the movies,” said Calvin. “I haven’t compared the numbers from last year, but I feel like my business is up. It sure isn’t down. Fishing is just a cheaper form of entertainment.” Don Hutley is in the same boat. He owns the Bait Hut and Waterscape Concepts with his wife Sharon and they, in their third year of business, are up about 25 percent in both stores from last year. “There are also a lot of people getting laid off,” said Hutley. “Goodyear, for example, lays a certain part of their people off one week per month. You’d think that, well, that’s tough on those folks. But those folks decide to go fishing and so they come to my store. That brought our profits up when comparing it to the year before. I’d say economy-wise, we’re ahead of the game, not behind the game.” Dennis Brown of B Squared Outdoor Sports, an archery pro shop, doesn’t see his business or others like it going under any time fast, saying that they’ve avoided the crunch and actually are up from last year. “It’s their passion,” said Brown. “People are obsessed with it. And when you’re passionate about something, you’ll eat Ramen noodles, but you’ll still scratch the itch of your passion, whatever that is.” Eric Smith is a senior mass media major. Reach him at eric.smith1@ washburn.edu.
Josh Rouse WASHBURN REVIEW
Photos by Eric Smith, Washburn Review
Guiding light: Local catfish guide R.R. “Cat Daddy” Shumway, who picked up his nickname from his two sons, is known for operating his catfishing guide and tour service business from his home in North Topeka. Cat Daddy has been a fishing guide since 1982.
Paternal instincts Eric Smith WASHBURN REVIEW
Catfishing is just one of the many activities that an avid outdoors person can take part in. And, if you live in Topeka and are looking to catch some, Cat Daddy can help you out. Angling catfish since 1982, R.R. Shumway, also known as Cat Daddy, runs Cat Daddy’s Catfishin’Adventures out of his home in North Topeka. This business that spawned out of a passion of fishing entails Cat Daddy taking outdoors lovers on trips down rivers in Kansas, where they will camp, fish and learn about the area through an experienced guide. And while one might think he’s just another fisherman, he has several accolades and peers to testify to his talent, including his nephews
Billy Shumway and Neil Womack, who came to Check out videos of fishing with Cat visit and went fishing with Daddy online. him last week. “I’ve gone fishing with my uncle a bunch,” said Billy. “And we never come back emptyhanded.” Womack, who lives Angler Awards. He said while the big in Arkansas, said his uncle ones are fun to catch, he always throws really knows his stuff. “Cat Daddy comes down to fish them back. “The biggest one I ever hooked in Arkansas every once in a while, and he’ll catch one or two every time into I couldn’t get in,” said Cat Daddy. where sometimes I will only catch “It was well over 100 [pounds]. We got two in 10 months,” said Womack. a 96 [pound fish]. That’s my biggest “You don’t get a name like Cat Daddy one to date.” And Cat Daddy, who is a father without knowing something.” Cat Daddy has won several of three with sons nicknamed Big Fish fishing awards in his career, according and Cat Daddy Jr., is very particular to his brochure, including nine Master about the fish he catches. “That’s the only thing that gets across my gunnel rails is catfish,” said Cat Daddy. “[Gunnel rails] are the rails on the edge of this boat. Nothing gets over that.” While most of Cat Daddy’s customers are looking to catch some catfish, some are looking for other things, such as fossils, and the 53-yearold fisherman is happy to oblige. “I take bone hunters out here on the river,” said Cat Daddy. “They’re looking for mastodon bones and arrowheads. They find a whole lot. I usually just drop them off on the sand bar and I sit there and go to sleep.” Cat Daddy does adventure trips until the rivers ice over. If interested, contact him by phone at 3570934, e-mail him at catdaddy_1@ msn.com or visit his Web site at catdaddyguideservices.com.
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Haul it in: Neil Womack, Cat Daddy’s nephew, holds a flathead catfish the crew caught Aug. 28. Womack came up from his home in Arkansas to fish with his uncle.
Eric Smith is a senior mass media major. Reach him at eric.smith1 @washburn.edu.
Washburn will host two hunters’ education courses this fall, according to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. The first course begins Sept. 16 and will run through Sept. 20. The second course begins Oct. 7 and runs through Oct. 11. These are both night courses and will include field time at Shawnee County Lake. Pre-registration is required by calling Mark Gauntt at 785-582-2834. The Capital City Gun Club will also be offering an internet-assisted h u n t e r s ’ education HUNTERS’ course Oct. EDUCATION 17. Students are required to pre-register to gain additional information on how to complete the online portion of the certification, which must be completed prior to the course field day. Students will be tested over the Internet course material at the beginning of field day. Students must score a 22/25 or better to proceed with the rest of the course. Students who fail to do so will be dismissed. For alternate registration options, e-mail Brian Belleau with your name and date of birth at brian@capitalcitygunclub.com or George Petersen at georgepeterson@ sbcglobal.net or 785-272-4383. Josh Rouse is a junior mass media major. Reach him at joshua.rouse@ washburn.edu.
Current seasons: Elk—Muzzleloader: Sept. 1-Oct. 4 Dove—Sept. 1-Oct. 3, Nov. 7-15 Rail—Sept. 1-Nov. 9 Snipe—Sept. 1-Dec. 16 Squirrel—June 1-Feb. 28 Rabbits—All year Bullfrogs—July 1-Oct. 31
Upcoming seasons: Fall Turkey—Oct. 1-Dec. 1, Dec. 14-31, Jan. 11-31 Deer—Youth and disabled: Sept. 12-20; Muzzleloader: Sept. 21-Oct. 4; Archery: Sept. 21-Dec. 31 Antelope—Archery: Sept. 19-27, Oct. 10-31; Muzzleloader: Sept. 28Oct. 5; Firearm: Oct. 2-5 Elk—Archery: Sept. 21-Dec. 31; Firearm: Dec. 2-13, Jan. 1-March 15 Woodcock—Oct. 17-Nov. 30 Teal—Sept. 12-27 Ducks—Oct. 31-Jan. 3 Canada and Light Geese—Oct. 31-Nov. 8, Nov. 11-Feb. 14 White-fronted Geese—Oct. 31Nov. 8, Nov. 11-Jan. 3
Rudimentary tips for beginning archers Josh Rouse WASHBURN REVIEW I have to be real honest in this column—I’m not an expert when it comes to bow hunting. I received my first compound bow last Christmas after finding a great deal on Cabela’s Web site. But bow hunting has always been an area of interest for me, as it is for millions
of other outdoor enthusiasts. Perhaps weight of the bow itself. it all dates back to the days of ancient The draw length is basically the hunters and gatherers—when bow length you pull (or draw) back on hunting was more a skill required for the bow before it stops. People with survival than a hobby—but there is longer arms will, of course, have a definitely something about drawing longer draw length. An easy way to get back a bow that entices a different a rough estimate of your draw length sensation than pointing a is to take your height in gun and pulling a trigger. ARCHERY inches minus 15 and divide While I can’t offer that by two. COLUMN any amazing insight about The draw weight is the archery just yet, there are amount of resistance when some basic tips for beginners that can drawing back the bow. Generally, this come in handy. Some of these have will be anywhere from 40 pounds been learned the hard way, through up to 60 or even 70 pounds for deer wasted time and money, and some are hunters, but a beginning archer should acquired through more knowledgeable always start low and work their way sources than myself. up. Archery requires a different set of First of all, there are three main muscles than lifting, so just because things to look for when purchasing a you can bench press 300 pounds, that bow: draw length, draw weight and the doesn’t necessarily mean you can draw
back 65 pounds on a bow. There are several inexpensive pieces of exercise equipment at retail stores that can help you build up your strength in these muscles. The weight of the bow is a factor, because chances are you will not be simply pulling back and releasing in a matter of seconds. Bow hunters often have to hold their bow in firing position for a while before shooting, and you should try to draw back when the prey isn’t looking right at you. Other things to keep in mind are the accessories. You can’t simply buy a bow and go hunting. There are dozens of accessories that go with a bow to ensure your success in the woods, including arrows and broadheads, whisker biscuits, sights, releases, quivers and stabilizers. Chances are,
if you’re a beginner, you don’t know what half of those items are or what they do, so be sure to Google search them or have someone explain them to you. You can also usually buy bows with all these items already equipped, but the price will be higher. You will also need to make sure your bow is tuned and ready to go. Most stores that sell bows also offer these services, so it would be a good idea to get this taken care of before leaving the store. While these tips may seem rudimentary to the advanced archer, I hope they will help out the beginners and perhaps invoke interest in those who have never tried archery. Josh Rouse is a junior mass media major. Reach him at joshua.rouse@ washburn.edu.