Elizabeth Lanier
I can’t believe it’s July already! June was steamy hot on the East Coast and July looks to be as bad. The bright side of being smack in the middle of all this summer heat is that we are getting that much closer to the fall, my favorite time of year for several reasons.
Happy June everyone! I am not sure where the time goes, but it sure flies by. My May was so full of travel, weddings and celebrations that I am not 100 percent certain what day it is right now. My middle child graduated from high school, my daughter had her junior prom and one of my best friend’s daughters got married. There have been a birthday celebration (ugh), athletic banquets and baccalaureate services. This is a long way of saying there has been less shooting time than we would have liked around here. But alas, we must have our priorities.
As I stood yesterday looking at the big looming facade of Gold’s Gym, dreading the forthcoming workout, I thought “Damn all that meat and Malbec!” Yep, it happens every year! We go to Argentina and we become gluttons. We eat too much, drink great Malbecs and a few (or several) cervezas and shoot until we cannot hold the gun up anymore.
The last few years have seen a jump in the number of women getting involved in the shooting sports and the shotgun sports are seeing a surge in women participating. So much so that gun manufactures are even marketing guns specifically for women. For me, whatever gets them out there enjoying a morning or afternoon of shooting is fantastic.
Well for us here from the Mid-Atlantic up to Maine, the winter hopefully is having its last hurrah and Spring is coming! I guess ol’ Punxsutawney Phil was right when he said six more weeks of winter, and boy have we had it! Good grief, we are so ready for some good weather and with that comes shooting fun again.
February is upon us! Where does time go, truly? The older I get, the faster the days seem to fly by.
January has been full of action in the shooting world. There has been the Dallas Safari Club Show, The Shot Show in Las Vegas, and now the Safari Club International show in Las Vegas is just around the corner. From all I hear, the first two were a great success. I’ll be attending SCI in Las Vegas and hope to see many old friends and meet new ones there. I always look forward to seeing all the new offerings the shooting world is bringing forth gear, lodges and trips and these shows are a great place to seek them out.
For those of you who happen to look at Lanier Shooting Sports or GRITS on Facebook, you’ll see that I’ve recently become a self-professed “Quack Addict.” Now, as with all addictions, there were outside forces that played a part in this as well as apparent pre-disposed genetic traits that have lead me to love shooting in general.
With the holiday season upon us, I’m often asked about the gift of shooting products — questions about vests, pouches and certainly guns. Even though I kid about it all the time, it’s certainly true: “It’s all about the gear!”
Last month we mentioned how much we love the fall shooting season! It’s the season where we finally get to pull out the Dubarrys or other favorite boots, tweed vests, and scarves for some driven shooting, or our favorite upland field pants and jackets for a great day of walk-up hunting over dogs. I’m looking forward to some excellent duck hunting as well, so here comes the CAMO. Yes, I admit it I’ll be sporting the camo for some duck hunts this year ranging as far south as Louisiana and North to the Delmarva Peninsula as well.
With the surge in popularity of shotgunning among women, gun manufacturers are realizing there is definitely a need for better fitting guns for women right off the shelf. This is a tall order to fill. Why? Because I am not sure there is such a thing as a perfect fitting gun off the shelf, but we are getting much closer.
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“Really?” “Wow!” “Fantastic!” All of these words were going through my mind while I watched a recent news segment about the rise of women shooting shotguns recreationally. This was not just some local news segment, but actually on the CBS Good Morning America show. What an unexpected pleasure to see, not only a positive side of shooting presented, but featuring just a few of the many, many women who are recognizing the joy of shooting shotguns and embracing it as a new hobby.
In the last few months, I have had the pleasure of actually getting out and shooting some myself and in the process, have loved seeing so many more women out on the clay courses. I am also thrilled to see the growth of women interested in, and pursuing, wing shooting! Truly a passion of mine and there is nothing like being outdoors, with good friends or family, a shotgun and hopefully a great dog or two....Right?
We love seeing pictures like the first ones below because they exemplify how shooting shotguns parlays into your everyday life. When you are passionate about something it shows, right? Here at Lanier Shooting Sports we are all about being lighthearted, fun, (albeit safe) about your shooting passions. In fact, we like it so much we would like you to send us similar photos of how shotguns are a part of your life and if we use your photos, we will send you a Lanier Shooting Sports hat with our logo! Submit your stories and photos to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
This is a new column dedicated to recreational shotgun pursuits in both the clay target disciplines and the feathered kind. From the first moment I ever pulled the trigger of a shotgun, I loved it. I had to really work at it but I enjoyed it so much I was willing to do so. The more I shot, the more I wanted to learn. I took lessons from a variety of instructors and, over time, my skills evolved as did my passion for just about everything involving shotguns.
Irwin Greenstein
Publisher
Shotgun Life
PO Box 6423
Thomasville, GA 31758
Phone: 229-236-1632