Celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Month

October has been declared National Hunting and Fishing Month by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke.  Zinke is a proponent of hunting and fishing and looks to expand these activities in our National Parks. He notes in an article on the Kansas Wildlife Federation Website, that hunters and anglers play a huge part in conservation by contributing billions of dollars to protect our wildlife. It’s his opinion that the more people out there fishing and hunting, the better.

So all you hunters and fishers, get out there and enjoy the outdoors but do it within the law and with safety in mind.  Rules and regulations around hunting and fishing can be complex.  The Kansas Outdoors Website is a great resource for the do-es and don’ts of both fishing and duck/bird hunting in Kansas.

To be sure your first duck hunting trip this year goes smoothly, we strongly suggest your outboard motor is running in top shape.  Tuning up your motor is the first order of business.  There are many steps involved in tuning up your motor  & the first is to decide if you are going to do it yourself or leave it to the professionals.  If you are leaving it to the professionals, get your boat into the shop asap to insure your motor is running smoothly. Trusted Kansas City boat repair shops will have a lot of winterizations to do at this time of year so don’t put this off until the last minute.

If you are doing an outboard motor tune up yourself, your first order of business is to pull out your boat owners manual.  If you can’t locate your owners manual, call our come down to our marine store in Kansas City to get one. Once you have your owners manual, check guidelines for recommended procedures, lubes, oils and replacement parts.  Failure to use manufacturer required brands can void your warranty and may cause you further headaches down the road.

Start with a visual inspection of your motor starting at the bottom.  Look for signs of leaking lubricant that may run down the propeller.   This could be a signal that seals have gone bad.  If this may be the case, bring your boat in for service. Next check the propeller for signs of damage.  Cracks in the blades by the hub, large chips or bent blades call for repair or replacement of your prop.

As you move up the motor, check and fix missing or loose screws, nuts or bolts on the lower unit.  Lubricate the grease fittings at the transom bracket, swivel bracket, and transom clamp screw as directed in your owner’s manual. The throttle control should be inspected and lubricated per your manual.

Next up is to replace the spark plugs and fuel filter. Then it’s on to the lower unit. Check your owner’s manual for the recommended frequency of lubricant changes for your outboard motor’s lower unit. Begin by removing the unit’s top and bottom fill plugs and allow the lube to drain into a container of your choice. Replace the lubricant with the manufacturer recommended product by filling lubricant into the bottom fill hole until lubricant reaches the top fill hole. Once filled, replace the top plug, remove the applicator nozzle and replace the bottom plug then wipe clean.

Last but not least, get all your hunting gear out.  Clean, inspect and replace as necessary then get out there and have fun.

Kansas Right to Fish & Hunt on Ballot In November

If you already completed advanced voting, you may have been surprised to find a proposed amendment regarding the right to hunt and fish in Kansas. This proprosal is taking people by surprise as there has been little talk of it since the main topic of conversation is the presidential election. So what's this proposal all about? What does a yes vote mean? What does a no vote mean? I'll try to sort it all out below.

The November 8th, 2016 ballot in Kansas contains a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would give Kansas residents the constitutional right to hunt and fish. As it stands now, it is not a constitutional right.  Currently there are 19 other states that declare the right to fish and hunt as a constitutional right. The NRA is the force behind the passage of this amendment and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism supports this amendment. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks is the governing body enforcing fishing, hunting and trapping regulations.

The intention is to look toward the future to protect fishing and hunting from extremists who may be looking to outlaw hunting and fishing entirely. If passed, current regulations will not change. Licenses will still need to be obtained, seasons observed and property boundaries and safety rules respected. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism will continue to regulate fishing, hunting and trapping in Kansas.

So bottom line, a "yes" vote will add the right to hunt, fish and trap to the Kansas Constitution thus further protecting the ability to do so. No regulations change.

A "no" vote will defeat the amendment. Nothing will change about hunting and fishing rights for now.

Here are some additional links should you want to read more:

Who would have management control under hunting-rights amendment?
Right to Hunt & Fish amendment explainedRight to fish, hunt, trap constitutional amendment on Nov. 8 ballot