The April 2008 issue of Outdoor Life magazine has a cover story entitled " Best Places To Live! Top 200 towns for hunters and anglers."
When I received my copy, I eagerly turned to page 30, fully expecting to see Carson City listed very high in that top 200 and perhaps even in the Top 10 by writer Andrew McKean.
Horrors! Nada, Nil, Zip, Nothing!
Not only wasn't my beloved Carson City in the Top 10, it wasn't even in his top 200!
Completely baffling to me were some of the cities on his list and where they were listed:
Mountain Home, Arkansas was rated as No. 1 in the United States.
Others listed that caught my eye were; Lewiston, ID at No. 2; Susanville, CA at No. 29; Beaufort, SC No. 52; Panama City, FL No. 65; Ely, NV No. 71; Grand Island, NE No. 72; Fallon, NV No. 85; Hilo, HI No. 86; Lake Charles, LA No. 91; Huntsville, TX No. 97; Yreka, CA No. 99; Scottsbluff, NE No. 103; Truckee, CA No. 106; Paducah, KY No. 110; Vicksburg, MS No. 112; Elko, NV No. 115; Knoxville, TN No. 119; Paso Robles, CA No. 124 (tie); Sacramento, CA No. 124 (tie); Springfield, MO No. 129; Tuscaloosa, AL No. 132; Eureka, CA No. 139; Brunswick, GA No. 145; Walla Walla WA No. 148; Athens, OH No. 154; Dover DE No. 162; Red Bluff, CA No. 169; Ithaca, NY No. 175; Mt. Carmel, IL No. 187; Scranton, PA No. 193; Shreveport, LA No. 198 and Yazoo City, MS No. 200.
First of all, a great big high-five and congrats to Ely, Fallon and Elko for making his list.
However, because I am highly prejudice, I think that all three are ranked way, way too low.
Plus where in the heck are Carson City, Reno and Winnemucca? Geez, what are they: Chopped liver?
None of them made the list and they should have.
Further, if someone tries to tell me why cities such as Beaufort, Panama City, Grand Island, Lake Charles, Vicksburg, Sacramento and Brunswick should be listed ahead of Carson City in the top 200 towns for hunters and fishermen, I think that same someone will probably never ever be seen on the TV show "Jeopardy."
According to Outdoor Life, the 200 cities were ranked on the fishing and hunting opportunities each one offers, the trophy quality of their sporting opportunities, proximity to public lands, the restrictiveness of gun laws and whether the fishing and hunting is good year-round. This was rated on a 60-40 percent split, together with each city's growth rate of the local economy, unemployment rate, crime rate, housing prices, median household income and even the variety of cultural opportunities within easy driving distance.
OK, writer Andrew McKean:
If one were to draw a line out from the center of Carson City for a distance of only 50 miles, and then draw a circle around Carson City with that line, here's a sampling of what you might be shocked to find contained within that circle:
Our Area Fish:
Trout: Brown, Cutthroat, Eastern Brook, Golden, Kamloop, Mackinaw (lake) and Rainbow, plus Bluegill, Carp, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Bass: Largemouth, Smallmouth, Striper, White and Wiper, in addition to Kokanee Salmon, Sacramento Perch, Walleye and Mountain Whitefish.
Our Area Animals:
Badger, Black Bear, Bobcat, Chipmunk, Cottontail Rabbit, Coyote, Fox, Jack Rabbit, Mountain Lions, Mule Deer, Raccoon, Skunk and Squirrel.
Our Area Birds:
Blue Grouse, Canada Geese, Chukar, all kinds of Ducks, Quail, Swans and Wild Turkey.
Our Area Geography:
The second deepest lake (Lake Tahoe) in the United States.
Spectacular mountains that tower more than 10,000 feet.
Crystal-clear and ice-cold streams, creeks, rivers and lakes.
The largest concentration of ski resorts in the United States, plus the site (Squaw Valley) of the 1960 Winter Olympics.
Carson City has:
Some 270 days a year of beautiful, bright sunshine.
Year-round, low humidity and smog-free atmosphere.
Four distinct seasons of the year.
The towering Sierra Nevada Mountains on one side and the arid desert on the other.
World-famous Lake Tahoe as a portion of Carson City.
Deer and bears routinely wandering around neighborhoods.
The greatest folks (the residents of Carson City) in the entire world.
A portion of the Tahoe Rim Trail.
The fabulous Nevada Day Parade that attracts some 50,000 visitors each year.
Attractive landscaping right down the center of Carson Street, and on the grounds of the State Capital Complex.
The State Capital, State Museum and the State Railroad Museum.
Hunting and fishing within the Carson City boundaries.
That's just a small sampling!
Finally:
If Carson City is not included in the Top 200 Cities for hunters and fishermen, then what goes around, comes around: You, Andrew McKean, are not included in my list of Top 200 Outdoor Writers.
Nanner, nanner, nanner.
And, your mother wears combat boots.
So there!
• Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't tell you what I like best about Carson City.
If he grins and says, "Carson City's proximity to the Sierra Nevada Mountains plus all of the things listed above," he could be one of my hunting and fishing partners.
Don Quilici is the Outdoors editor for the Nevada Appeal