The National Rifle and Pistol Championships are invading Camp Perry this weekend for a month of matches. More than 6,000 shooters will compete on the long, wide firing range at the Ohio National Guard camp on the shores of western Lake Erie.
The National Rifle and Pistol Championships are invading Camp Perry this weekend for a month of matches. More than 6,000 shooters will compete on the long, wide firing range at the Ohio National Guard camp on the shores of western Lake Erie.
The matches officially begin with the First Shot Ceremony on Monday at 10 a.m. Pulling the trigger to start the prestigious competition is Gen. William E. Ingram Jr., director of the Army National Guard.
The NRA Pistol Matches are first to shoot, with gunfire Tuesday through July 15. The smallbore rifle matches are July 18-26; and the high-power rifle competition is July 27-Aug. 15, with the last five days devoted to the NRA Long Range Matches.
There is no charge for admission or parking. Visitors can watch the matches, browse the shooting-sports vendors on Commercial Row and check out the various shooting museums. There is a great deal of shooting history at the National Matches, which began in 1903 to promote civilian marksmanship. The matches have been held at Camp Perry since 1907.
Camp Perry is on Ohio 2, five miles west of Port Clinton. For information, visit tinyurl.com/campperryshooting
Lake Erie news: Walleye from the fast-growing Lake Erie walleye class of 2010 are already chasing lures. Rated an average-year class, some of the walleye are already longer than the legal minimum of 15 inches. Many are 14½ inches and less, however, and must be released.
The perch and walleye hatched this year have shown up in summer trawl net surveys by the Ohio Division of Wildlife, said Lake Erie supervisor Jeff Tyson.
“This year’s walleye already have grown to 2-3½ inches, with the perch about 1-1½ inches. We won’t know how successful the hatches were until we crunch our survey numbers. We also do surveys in July and August, and in the fall.”
Tyson said fisheries biologists at the Sandusky Research Station are seeing an upswing in smallmouth bass and white bass populations.
Storms KO parks: Most Ohio parks are back in operation after last week’s storms, but Forked Run State Park’s campground is closed, and Wolf Run, Lake Hope, Burr Oak and Jackson Lake still have no electricity. Roadways are closed at Cantwell Cliff, Lake Katherine, Desinoir/Boch Hollow and Christmas Rocks state parks. Madison Lake State Park’s roads are impassable.
There is also some damage at Hocking, Shawnee and Zaleski state forests. For the latest report on horse and hiking trails, visit the state forest section at dnr.state.oh.us
Lake County deer hunt: The controlled deer hunts at Lake Metroparks’ 492-acre River Road property in Madison Township are being held for the second year. Lake County residents are allowed to apply starting Monday, either online at lakemetroparks.com or in person at the park’s offices at 11211 Spear Road, Concord Township.
Out and about: The eighth annual Waterfowlers Boot Camp and Outdoor Festival continues to grow, with this year’s event returning to the Cardinal Center Campground in Marengo, Ohio, on July 21-22.
Homer’s gone fishing: One of America’s most-beloved outdoor writers, Homer Circle, died June 23 at age 97. Just a couple of days before, Circle had enjoyed his weekly fishing trip with longtime pal and Ocala, Fla., neighbor, videographer Glen Lau.
Both are Ohio natives. Lau grew up in the Toledo area and was a Lake Erie fishing and hunting guide. Circle graduated from high school in Springfield, becoming a salesman in a local outdoor store.
Circle created a lure, the Walnut Crab, and tried to sell it to Heddon. The company didn’t buy the lure, but hired Circle to handle its advertising and public relations. For 34 years, Circle was fishing editor of Sports Afield. He wrote many fishing books — “Bass Wisdom” was a big seller — and starred in Lau’s two bass-fishing films, “Bigmouth” (1973) and “Bigmouth Forever” (1996).
I bumped into Circle while registering for a fishing tackle show about three decades ago. He insisted I call him “Uncle Homer,” and took me around the show to introduce me to his legion of friends. It was a busy day. Circle knew everyone in the fishing industry. All relished a visit with him — including Circle’s newest “nephew.”
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: degan@plaind.com, 216-999-5158