the {unloaded} shotgun saves the day

What a tale to tell on this rainy Tuesday morning. Perusing Field & Stream this morning while enjoying my coffee, I came across this story and found it quite entertaining. A 71 year-old woman clubbed a bear- with an unloaded shotgun- that was attacking her husband in their yard, saving his life. Why was this 74 year old man in a throw-down with a 200 lb. black bear? As it turns out, the couple’s dog was in the yard barking as the bear approached, and the man ran outside to protect his dog, yelling and waving his arms to scare the bear away. Dogs are [wo]mans best friend, after all, and I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same for my Marmaduke! Successfully deterring the bear’s attention from the dog, the man himself was then chased, tackled, and bitten/clawed by the bear. Yikes.

That’s when the wife stepped in. She ran outside, shotgun in hand, to save her husband. Unfortunately, she did not know how to load the gun, so her plan of attack was to club the bear over the head, stunning it long enough for the couple and their dog to run back inside. Talk about a close call, am I right? Even though I clearly know how to load and use a shotgun, I admire this woman’s fearlessness to make do with the skills she has! I would more than likely blast away from the safety of the porch, if given a choice. I can only hope I am spry enough to club a bear at age 74 if the situation were to ever arise!

“I was so afraid the bear was going to get the dog,” he told WBAY.  ”I didn’t take time to go inside and get a gun so there I am unarmed and facing an insane bear.”
“If it hadn’t been for my wife coming out and clubbing the bear on the head, I probably wouldn’t be talking to you today.”

To read the full article or watch the news report, click here.

new site address!

Hellooo all! I just wanted to give a quick update that some changes have been made to the bright side of the road, from a slightly new look to a new site address! You can now find the blog at www.brightsideoutdoors.com. Don’t worry, the .blogspot URL will still direct you here, but I just love the new address. Also, there are now buttons to the right that allow you to follow me on Instagram and Twitter. I am always adding new photos and previews for upcoming posts.

Thanks for keeping up. Some great #tbt posts and plenty of new recipes are on their way!

cast & blast

I ran across this article from Field & Stream while I was pretending to fold laundry, and I was instantly hooked. No pun intended- You’ll see what I mean. Given the amount of fun and successful hunting my dad and I had while in Argentina, both in 2010 and 2013, it is safe to say that we will definitely be going back. Hopefully several more times (hint hint, Dad..!). Both previous trips were spent only dove hunting, and we know there is a lot more that Argentina has to offer. Between dove hunting, duck hunting, big game hunting, and fishing, the country is a world-class playground for the outdoorsmen/women. Dad and I have primarily talked about adding a few days of duck hunting to our adventure, despite my constant efforts at begging him to let me go after a monster red stag or axis deer. Those who have met me know that I have an itchy trigger finger. And let’s be honest- I would have to have that thing mounted. Immediately. But, back to the topic at hand… This article sparked a new interested that I previously hadn’t really thought about- adding a few days of fishing on the great Rio Grande to the mix- a Cast & Blast. Ummm WHERE DO I SIGN UP? In this particular instance, the anglers were after the sea run brown trout, but one can also catch rainbow and brown trout, freshwater dorado, pirá pita, and pacu, depending on the region you visit.

With 10 tips and tricks for fishing, along with 5 more for the hunting portion of your trip, the authors provide really good insight as to what you can expect when you are fishing and wingshooting in Argentina.

Click HERE to read the entire article. Enjoy today’s in the news!

poor timing in the news…

Just when I was getting excited for warm weather, and was considering trying out a little kayak fishing this summer…

Courtesy of Field and Stream

I mean, I know it’s Hawaii. A long way from here. But come on man! You. Must. Be. Joking. Even the War Eagle is looking a little small for deeper water…

Its like I already knew something like this would happen… My expressions clearly already says “Now let’s just wait a minute….”