A grand total of about 15 folks, associated with the Internet website "ModernSportsman.com," are gathering in Carson City, this upcoming weekend, for their big, second annual "Western Get Together."
About now, you're probably asking yourself, "What in the heck is a thing called ModernSportsman.com?
Well, to answer your question, ModernSportsman.com, which is more commonly known to its members as "MS," is a very special (and my personal favorite!) location on the Internet.
That location is dedicated to all of those people who like to hunt, fish, camp, own dogs, reload, cook wild game, photograph wildlife, etc.
The MS website is absolutely free and there are no strings attached to becoming a member.
All you have to do is go to www.ModernSportsman.com, select your own user name (mine is Don - Nevada) and provide your own password.
That's it. Quick, easy and you'll find that being a member can be a ton of fun. Geez, how can you beat that!
Once you're at MS, just seek out a specific forum that is of interest to you, click on it, select a topic that you would like to comment on, and then join in on the dialogue.
Here is a listing of some forums:
Tech Support (For technical questions and hopefully some correct answers).
You're The Pro.
Pro's Corner Archives (A place where all of the past pro's topics are stored for easy and quick reference).
Outdoor Photography (Where you can pick up tips and tricks on getting that "just right" outdoor wildlife photo).
Campfire (Where you can come on in, pull up a log, sit around the campfire, kick back and enjoy the company and conversation).
Note: This is everyone's favorite forum (including Don Q). I routinely visit this forum each and every day.
Wild Game Recipes (Where you can share your favorite recipe).
Politics and Current Events (A place to talk about politics in general).
Outdoors Woman Corner (A home for the ladies and "seasonal" wives to meet and converse with one another).
Outdoor Youth (A place for the younger generation to hang out).
4WD, ATV's NASCAR (Tips and tricks to "keep the greasy side down and the shiny side up").
Outdoor Gear (A place to talk about hunting, fishing and camping gear).
Handguns (This is all about handguns and all related accessories).
Muzzleloaders/Black Powder (Step into the world of the muzzleloader).
Reloading (Techniques, methods, tips and tricks on reloading your own ammunition).
Rifles and Shotguns (Rifles and shotguns and all other types of long guns, excluding muzzleloaders).
Deer/Big Game (Big game hunting).
Small Game and Varmints (small game hunting including varmints).
Archery (Long bows, compound bows, recurves, cross bows).
Waterfowl & Upland Bird Hunting.
Turkey Hunting (The place to "talk turkey").
Shooting Sports (Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays, Cowboy Action and all other shooting sports).
Fishing (Catfish, Walleye, Pan Fish or any other species not covered in the other fishing forums).
Bass Fishing (They talk "BASS" there).
Fly and Trout Fishing.
Saltwater Fishing.
Training/Breeding Dogs (Techniques and tips about working with dogs).
Gun Dogs (Recollections, tips and information regarding dogs who hunt for the gun).
Testing and Trialing Dogs (World of competitive sporting dog enthusiasts).
In addition, the MS forums also include specialized areas for outdoor persons from various parts of North America to get together and exchange information, by regions.
Those regions are: Canadian, Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southcentral, and our very own Western Region.
The Western Forum consists of the states of Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
By a "strange" coincidence, the Western Region is where yours truly has had the personal pleasure of serving as the Moderator for several years.
ModernSportsman.com began in late June 2001 and has over 1,100 members.
The top seven MS posters have each posted more than 6,000 posts!
Wow! More than 6,000 each! That is one heck of a lot of Cyber-Chatting!
Its current Administrators are: "Sierra" (AKA Tom Rose of Mariposa, Calif.) and "TxYankee" (AKA Jerry Schroeder of Mineral Wells, Texas).
MS is also affiliated with "The Outdoor Sports Radio Network."
That second annual Western Get-Together will include MS members: Bill/Nv, Boomer, CDHarris (with his wife and two children), Don - Nevada (with my wife Elaine), Dave-In-Oregon (with his wife Darcey and son Andrew), Neil - San Diego (with his wife Janet) and Nate Smith (with his wife Vicki).
Conspicuous this year by his absence will be Sierra (with his wife Craftee) who had to cancel their trip, at the last moment, due to some family problems back home in Mariposa, Calif.
Elaine and I will, once again, serve as the Co-Hosts for the Get Together.
Among the various activities we have planned are a "Welcome to Carson City" cocktail party hosted by "The Q's" on Friday evening in our backyard, Hosted Continental Breakfasts (courtesy of good friend Mike Millard at the Plaza Hotel (The Get Together Headquarters) and a sightseeing trip on Saturday along the west side of Lake Tahoe on Mickey Daniel's (another good friend) boat, "The Big Mack II."
Finally, ModernSportsman is a great way to spend an enjoyable morning, afternoon or evening (or any combination of the three!) visiting with and exchanging information with hunters and fishermen from all over the U.S. and other parts of the world.
And you can do it from the comfort of your very own home!
Remember that address: www.ModernSportsman.com (AKA as the friendliest outdoor site on the web).
You won't go wrong.
• Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't tell you who belongs to ModernSportsman from the State of Nevada.
If he grins and says, "Heck that's easy. Some of those folks are: Bill/Nv (Reno), Boomer (Fallon), Don - Nevada (Carson City) and Nate Smith (Reno)," he wins the bet and could belong to MS.