Honoured: The NRA's Scott Olmsted (left) accepts the first annual Ian McMurchy award from Glen and Darlene McMurchy
Well, thatâs yet another SHOT Show finished for me; I fly back to Toronto tomorrow. I put a lot of miles on my soles, met lots of people, did some networking, saw plenty of cool new gear and caught up with some old friendsâ"just what SHOT is all about from my perspective in the media.
The highlight today was the presentation of the first annual Ian McMurchy Award from Nikon. If you are an avid reader of Canadian outdoor magazines, including Outdoor Canada, youâve surely read at least one of Ianâs articles over the years. The widely published writer and photographer was also an accomplished marksman and expert on firearms, as well as a member of Nikonâs pro staff. Sadly, Ian passed away in late 2008. To honour Ian and his contributionsâ"and to award outdoor writers who exemplify his passion for the outdoorsâ"Nikon presented the inaugural award today to Scott Olmsted, editor of the National Rifle Associationâs American Hunter magazine. Congrats, Scott.
On hand for the ceremony was Ianâs widow, Darlene, as well as his children Glen, Joey and Katie. It was nice to finally meet Darlene, as she was extremely helpful late last year in digging up photos of Ian from his last African hunting safari (a piece Ian wrote for Outdoor Canada before he passed away was finally published in the recent Winter 2010 issue).
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One of the many issues of concern for the fishing and hunting community is recruitment, or, more specifically, the greying of our ranks. In short, we are continually striving to bring new anglers and hunters, particularly youth, into the fold. And more and more, the outdoors community has also been targeting woman as potential new outdoorsfolk of tomorrow. And that’s a good thing. In
Have you made plans for National Fishing Week yet? It’s coming up fast, kicking off this Saturday, July 2, and running through to Sunday, July 10. Even if you don’t participate in an official event, it’s a great time to take a kid fishing or introduce someone new to the sport. That is, after all, the main point of National Fishing Week: to get more Canadians outdoors and
Awesome. Sweet. Dude. Those are the three new words my Dad says he learned during our four days of fishing at northern Saskatchewan’s Milton Lake Lodge (we got back to Ontario on Tuesday). That’s hardly surprising, given we were hanging with Nick Pujic, the hip young principal of Fly Max Films and Fly Nation TV (think surfer culture meets fly fishing), and our guide Naoto Aoki.
Congrats to the winners of the first annual B.C. Loch-Style Fly Fishing Championship, held last Friday and Saturday on Trojan Pond near the town of Logan Lake, B.C. Eight teams of five anglers apiece vied for the top team and individual honours. Among the winners? Outdoor Canada field editor Mark Anderson, who placed third in individual results. As well, Mark’s team (Equipe
Subscribers should be receiving the March/April issue of Outdoor Canada magazine any day now, and among the great features, they’ll find a travel adventure story by yours truly. The subject? Trophy lake trout and northern pike fishing on Saskatchewan’s Lake Athabasca (at Lakers Unlimited’s Spring Bay Lodge). As promised in the article (”A sure thing,”
///// FOLLOW ON TWITTER: @OutdoorWalsh ///// Outdoor Canada Editor Patrick Walsh grew up fishing and hunting in Bracebridge, Ontario, where he began his magazine career in 1983 as assistant editor of Muskoka Life. Since then, he has worked for a variety of media, both in Canada and abroad, earning numerous writing and editing awards. In both 2011 and 2005, the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors named him Editor of the Year, while Outdoor Canada was honoured as Magazine of the Year. Learn more: www.outdoorcanada.ca.
