RUSSELL THORNBERRY OUTDOORS

Western Canadian Sportsman's Rendezvous a Big Hit

Dudley Hall, Richard Culpepper and yours truly hosted the first western Canadian Sportsman’s Rendezvous June 5-7th west of Caroline, Alberta, on the beautiful campus of Living Faith Bible College located on the banks of the Clearwater River.

The sporting events were a blast even though Mother Nature did her best to add variety to our primarily outdoor weekend. We had our Bow and Arrow Golf Tournament while it snowed, trap shooting while it rained and hailed, hog tossing, pickle spitting, and knife throwing in the sunshine – all in one day.  However, the weather couldn’t dampen the spirits of our group of men who braved the elements for bragging rights and a ton of laughs at each other’s expense.

Aside from the outdoor events that entertained us, this group of men were inspiring because of their hunger for God and their desire to make a difference in this life.  Campfire conversations were honest and challenging and it was clear that these men wanted to be “real,” serving God honestly without the trappings of religiosity, dead traditions and the feminization of the North American culture.  My special thanks to Dudley Hall and Richard Culpepper for their contributions to our event.

Plans are in the making for another Rendezvous next June, 2010.  Dates will be posted on this site.  This event is not reserved for Canadians only.  You guys from south of the border who want to experience the beauty of the foothills of the Canadian Rockies are welcome to join us. There is talk about dove-tailing the Rendezvous with a wilderness fishing trip. Will keep you posted.

All Things Outdoors

Bo Finley is no stranger to the outdoor world.  He is known as a seasoned, premier outdoorsman in his home state of Texas where he has devoted a big chunk of his life to guiding deer and turkey hunters and doing hunting seminars for those who are eager to glean from his expertise.  But most recently, Bo has found a new calling in the outdoor world: to assist those who would not otherwise be able to experience the outdoors.

All Things Outdoors is dedicated to sharing an outdoor experience with children and adults who need a time of refreshing, away from tough or challenging times in their lives. Some might be battling a life threatening illness, some trying to adapt to a life altering situation, others needing time in the outdoors after a heartbreaking tragedy. Bo realizes that we can’t avoid the challenges of life, but for a few days while hunting or fishing, hearts and minds can be encouraged.  ATO is dedicated to utilizing the majesty of God’s creation as a wonderful tool of encouragement and rest.

Bo is stepping out into his calling by faith and he wishes to network with like-minded people who have a heart for assisting the disadvantaged through his outdoor ministry.To fully understand the power of Bo’s vision, you have to witness the joy of a terminally ill child who gets to see his or her dream fulfilled, or a soldier disabled by war who gets to return to the sport he loved and lost because of the compassion of God exemplified by the mission of Bo Finley.  I encourage those of you who are touched by this ministry to contact Bo Finley and get involved.

ATO Mission Statement
To bless and honor handicapped, disadvantaged or hurting children and adults by providing first class hunting or outdoor adventures in a Christian ranch environment.

www.allthingsoutdoors.org
Bo@allthingsoutdoors.org
(817) 597-5112

'Possum Creek Homecoming

I met Mac (short for MacTavish) under the ‘Possum Creek Bridge just as I was heading downstream for an evening of fly-fishing. For the first three hours I didn’t even know his name. He appeared to be a mixture of Border Collie and Lab but I couldn’t be sure.  The only thing I was sure of was the fact that the he really liked me and was not about to leave my side.

Dogs and fly-fishing don’t exactly go together but it was kind of neat to have an instant pal on my first trip back to ‘Possum Creek after being gone from Alberta for 19 years. Okay, ‘Possum Creek is not on any map.  It’s my code name for the creek. If I told you its real name I’d have to kill you.

I walked the creek for about a half mile downstream before turning to face the current and fish my way back to the bridge.  It was at this juncture that I realized that my K-9 pal was going to be a problem.  He went absolutely crazy when I put the fly line in the air and would jump off the bank trying to grab it as it sailed by him.  He sounded like a cannon ball hitting the water behind me and it scared me out of my wits the first time it happened.  For the next two hours I concentrated on my forecast and screamed at the top of my lungs on my back casts, threatening the dog if he jumped for the line.  All in all it was a disconcerting experience and anything but productive as far as the secretive brown trout were concerned.  The dog and I must have sounded like a small war coming up the creek.  In spite of the problem I did manage to catch a couple of unsuspecting Rocky Mountain Whitefish. Obviously, they aren’t wound as tightly as brown trout.

Finally I reached water too deep to wade so I headed for the right hand bank, which was extremely steep.  I laid my rod on the bank, grabbed a couple of handfuls of roots and started pulling myself out of the water on all fours.  I was about half way up the bank when I noticed that the dog was facing straight away 10 feet in front of me and standing on full point.  I thought that was curious since he had not taken his eyes off me since we met.  Stretching to the side I saw what had the dog’s attention – a very large – very irritated skunk, which was doing his tail-high dance that typically means somebody is about to get sprayed.

Several things raced through my mind at that point: 1) How could I have chosen such an ill-fated spot to crawl up the creek bank? 2) How was I going to convince the skunk that I was not the enemy? 3) Would in be better to fall over backwards into the creek and drown or try to wait out the skunk?

The answer came quickly when the skunk charged the dog, and the dog, being my best friend, ran back to me for moral support.  The skunk called off the charge at about five feet and returned to his burrow and disappeared into the bank. It was a very close call and since I was already on my knees I thanked God for not letting the skunk stink up my first trip back to my favorite creek.

Eventually I arrived back at the bridge where the adventure began. Upstream 100 yards or so there was the old bridge that crossed the creek before they put in the new road.  I decided to walk up to the old bridge and take a picture of the gorgeous sunset on the water.  As I stood in the middle of the bridge I noticed a man walking toward me.  He was the dog’s owner and had been wondering where his mutt had gone.  I explained that the dog (whose name turned out to be Mac) had joined me for an evening of fly-fishing.  The man’s name was Jerry and he owned the property on the east side of the creek. He was a cordial sort and asked me if I’d like to join him for a glass of Merlot by the little fire he had going a hundred yards further up the creek bank.  I spent an hour with Jerry and Mac, there by the fire in the glorious afterglow of a sunset on ‘Possum Creek.  As is so often the case, a simple endeavor had taken some curious turns, but that’s what life is all about.  Heck, a fly-fishing trip with no line-grabbing dog, no near miss with a skunk and no Merlot would hardly be worth mentioning.

Ultimate Liberty

We talk much about being liberated Christians, people under grace not law, and indeed a soul saved by grace is free indeed.  To most of us this means we are free to do the things that legalism would never have allowed, and since many of us have lived through some form of religious legalism, we recognize that there is no liberty there.  I still remember in my childhood the adage that was used to describe the denomination I grew up in: “We don’t smoke and we don’t chew and we don’t go with the girls that do!”  Yes, for much of my life Christianity seemed to be defined by what we (as Christians) didn’t do. We were considered by unbelievers to be prudes that weren’t allowed to have any fun.  To some degree that was true.  Legalism really isn’t any fun.  I was told that dancing with a girl or going to a movie was sinful. No wonder guilt was so prevalent in that religious context.

The power of grace awakens a soul to the reality that we are not saved by what we do or don’t do, but by the precious sacrifice of a sinless savior who was willing to die to reconcile sinful mankind to God.  Grace is liberating by nature. But what does it mean to be liberated?  Does it mean that it’s okay to drink or smoke (two religious taboos) without being punished by God or having to live under a burden of guilt?  The nature of this question reveals its underlying motive – gratifying self. I am certain that I am not doomed to hell because of drinking or smoking, therefore I am free to partake of either or both without guilt. It is interesting to note that immature liberty seems to be slanted toward what we can do legally.  But consider what the Apostle Paul said of the matter – offering a mature perspective of the believer’s freedom in 1 Corinthians 10:23 (NIV) Everything is permissible—but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible—but not everything is constructive.

This passage is further explained by Paul earlier in 1 Corinthians 8:9-12 (NIV):
 9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

I can only conclude that there is no inherent sin in the use of alcohol or tobacco, unless it is physically destructive to one’s self.  But maturity in Christ inevitably concerns itself with the well being of others more than with our personal freedom.  Perhaps then Christian liberty is not just about the freedom to do this or that, but about the greater freedom to deny our rights for the sake of another. That, I believe, is ultimate liberty.

What's Up With Deer Droppings

Many hunters mistakenly think they can distinguish buck droppings from doe droppings.  They incorrectly assume that bucks make the clump of compressed droppings while does leave the single pellet droppings. This theory is absolutely false. Both bucks and does leave both types of droppings.

The clumped droppings indicate that the deer has been bedded down and ruminating, which, in cattleman’s terms, means chewing its cud. Deer, like cattle, have four-compartment stomachs. They feed and then bed and regurgitate the coarse vegetation they have eaten and chew it up into finer bits and swallow it again. Then, when they emerge from their beds, their first droppings are compressed in clumps. After that, as they feed and move about, their droppings are formed as single pellets.

So when trying to determine buck sign from doe sign, don’t be fooled by the false theory about droppings. Deer droppings may vary in size in accordance with the animal’s body size, but not according to its sex.