Proposed Legislation to grant rights to Native American tribes in Michigan

A couple days ago I read an article in the press about an agreement that's being discussed here in Michigan to grant certain rights to American Indian tribes in the state. They would gain legal access to and a certain amount of regulatory authority over several million acres of land here in the Great Lakes State. Members of the tribes would apparently have special hunting and fishing rights, longer seasons, and higher bag limits under this agreement. A treaty signed in 1836, according to the article, was responsible for the Indians losing ownership rights over the land, and to Michigan becoming a state.

Obviously some people are going to have a problem with this. Opponents of programs such as affirmative action and other government programs based on ideas of so-called 'social justice' will see this as granting special privilege to groups of people based on their race or ethnic background. While I'm not here to get into an argument about affirmative action, I have one thing to say to people who will complain about Native Americans getting special land rights: Get over it. It's about time the native people of this country started getting compensation for the atrocities committed against them throughout our country's history.

Now, I realize there's probably some people out there who still believe in manifest destiny, and certainly I think it's clear that the USA wouldn't be the country it is today if not for the westward expansion. However, woven into the fabric of that story is the dark shameful past of the exploitation and cultural murder of so many groups of native peoples. We can't un-write history, most of us probably wouldn't want to anyway, but to ignore or deny the damage done is just irresponsible.

In fact, if you ask me, programs and legislation like this proposed agreement is just a case of too little too late. The damage has already been done, and in most places the native culture is falling apart, or barely eking out an existence. As with so many subcultures in our country, as our younger generations grow up with universalized media and pop culture, it gets harder and harder to preserve traditions and ideas from the past. This proposed legislation would be a good step, and a noble gesture, but in reality there's no way to completely repay the suffering that American Indians have had to go through.

Take care out there everybody,

-Dennis

Outdoors Retail Shopping in the Midwest

For any outdoors lovers in the United States, Cabela's is probably a familiar word, if not a household name. The outdoor sports retail giant, well-known throughout the states for their sprawling, gargantuan mega-stores sparsely scattered around the country, has also announced plans to expand their reach to our neighbor to the north, with a location in southern Montreal expected to open sometime in 2008.

In October of 2007, a new location will be opening in Hammond, Indiana (part of the greater Chicago area.) Earlier this summer an article ran in the Grand Rapids Press discussing early plans for a Cabela's in West Michigan (Walker) - a store which wouldn't open until fall 2009, however.

One memorable quote from that article is: "There are 18 Cabela's in the country. There are 18,000 communities that want them" spoken by developer Jim Bossenbroek. Some people have a problem with this. There are some who say that communities are often required to pay (with tax payer money) large 'incentives' to big companies like Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops. This may run to the $15 million range or higher. Other outdoors retail locations don't get paid incentives by the state government but still open their locations around the country so the argument goes.

There are probably many tax payers who want stores like Cabela's in their communities and would be willing to see their tax dollars go to paying the incentives. Thing is, not everybody is an outdoors enthusiast. That seems to be where people's problem lies. My feeling is that at least here in Michigan, we can use all the business we can get. Adding a nice Cabela's location in West Michigan would be a great boost for the economy, locally and statewide, and a lot better use of our state's money than whatever-the-heck else the government of our state is doing with it now - either padding their pockets or pandering to organized crime and corrupt auto unions in Detroit, who knows. One thing's for certain though - there's no shortage of fine outdoors retail sites in the Midwest - or in the United States in general. And that includes Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops. Of course, the Internet and e-Commerce are breaking down all those location-bound barriers and offering more opportunities for success than ever before!

Take care out there, everybody.

-Dennis

The Autumn Leaves

Hello everybody.

Well, the fall is fast approaching again. Here in Michigan we're still seeing some hot summery days, but the shadows are getting longer and the evenings are getting shorter, and the breeze is just a little bit nippier than before. Fall is a great season for outdoors recreation. Spring and summer are always popular seasons for hiking, camping, and other pastimes, but, in my humble opinion, autumn too often gets underrated by most folks. Sure, the weather's not as warm, the days aren't as long, but when it comes to natural beauty and splendor you just can't beat the fall.

The outdoors has a strange attraction during fall months - the colors, the sounds, the atmosphere, the juxtaposition of cold air and hot sunshine - all of which contribute to making fall an ideal season for some of the most popular outdoor sports. I hardly need to mention hunting and fishing, but these are certainly important, but there's also hiking, rock climbing, bird watching, and others, which are certainly popular during the hot season, but gain a special uniqueness when done during the cool autumn months. Of course there's winter sports and activities that some of the more diehard among us can enjoy, but come on! Let's get some outdoors action in before the winter weather sets in!

Take care out there everybody,

-Dennis

Duckbill Outdoors remembers Sept. 11th

It's already been 6 years since that unforgettable day when the United States was shaken to the core by the attacks against New York City and the Pentagon. So much has changed since then, despite the fact that it seems so recent and fresh in our memories.

The world seems like a much smaller place today than it did in 2001. This may perhaps be the result of trends that were happening before the attacks, but part of me thinks that the events of 9/11 must have had some effect on the way the world has seemed to shrink in the past six years.

Think of how often we use the Internet today, not just for research papers or news reports, which is all I remember using the Internet for back in the day, when I was still in junior high and high school, but all sorts of things - just look at the blogosphere itself - in the wake of 9/11, 24-hour news stations on TV and blogging sites that reported lesser-known news stories became very important to people - in a world that suddenly seemed so un-safe, we wanted to know what was happening in our world right now, to alleviate our fear. Networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn allow people to stay in contact around the world, at any time. Cell phone companies have seen incredible growth as well in the last six years.

Now maybe I'm making too broad of an assumption - maybe there's other more important factors that have contributed to all these things. I'll see what our readers have to say about all this. But I do think that we have become much more preoccupied with staying connected to people in the last six years than we were before.

All this leads back to talking about September 11th. It's important for us Americans to remember the freedoms we have in this country that other countries don't get to enjoy. In today's headlines we see places like Darfur and Afghanistan where people are suffering, and hopefully we realize that we take so much of our freedom for granted. We ought to remember the unity we felt on that day, and despite our political differences, remember that as a country, as citizens of these United States, we all share a certain common destiny, which is wrapped up intrinsically with our need to preserve liberty and justice for all. I think that is the most important lesson we can take away from that tragedy that happened 6 years ago today.

Take care out there everybody,

-Dennis

Black Bear season begins in Michigan

Today marks the opening of black bear hunting season in our home state of Michigan. I recently came across the website of the Michigan bear hunters association, and learned some interesting things. It seems that less than 25 years ago, the black bear was officially considered a "pest" or "vermin" species in Michigan, with no special status or protection, meaning there was no bag limit, no system in place to regulate the hunting or killing of these animals.

The Michigan bear hunters association apparently exerted their influence and let their voice be heard, and they got the status of this creature elevated in Michigan. The Black Bear is an amazing animal that has been native to the region throughout our history. Additionally, the black bear poses little threat to humans, certainly compared to some of its larger more aggressive cousins. (none of which are present in the wild in Michigan)

So I applaud what the Michigan Bear Hunters Association has done and is doing to protect and maintain the existence of this species. You can say whatever you want to about the ethics of hunting animals, but the truth is these people were fighting for the conservation of the Black Bear in Michigan long before any environmental or animal activist groups were.

The Black Bears are still facing a lot of problems here in Michigan, though, as urban sprawl continues to take its toll on both our inner cities and our wilderness. But the sport of bear hunting has a strong foothold in Michigan, and it's an intense and difficult sport indeed. Just a little something to think about, and maybe get you other game hunters thinking about the upcoming seasons, and what you can do to prepare for a great year in the world of hunting, in terms of wildlife scouting and the gear you'll need with you for the perfect hunt...

Take care out there, everybody,

- Dennis

A Time For Everything?

Happy Tuesday, everyone.

It’s back to the work week again after the break of labor day. I don’t know about all of you, but it seems to me that in our modernized world, we may be able to get more done in a shorter amount of time, but our work-a-holic attitude as a society leaves us less and less time for things that really matter. I can’t remember the last time I really got out there and just enjoyed the outdoors without having to worry about all the problems of "real" life.
I think we don’t afford ourselves enough breaks or vacations, opportunities to spend time enjoying the little things like family and friends as well as personal time off. Well, for all you hard workers out there, we salute you. Don’t forget to take some “me” time off during the week, too.

Take care out there, everybody.

-Dennis

Not Your Average Duck-themed Company

Hello again everybody,

Sorry in advance, but I'm going to do a little bit of blatant self-promotion here. As the title suggests, this post is about our unique company and the products we sell.
Now, to be honest I can't actually think of any other Duck-themed Companies I've ever heard of, but I can say with some certainty that if there are any duck-themed companies out there, we're not your average one.

Okay, so maybe that sounds a little conceited, but hear me out. I can think of several aspects of the Duckbill product that stand out from the competition just off the top of my head, but for starters let's talk about material: Duckbill makes carrying equipment from only the finest, most durable, high-quality leather and ballistic nylon.

That's not to say we're looking to make something fancy or frilly or visually beautiful. We're not interested in frills, we just want to increase your personal productivity - and your ability to enjoy what you do to the fullest.


Now, if what you love to do is ballroom dancing, we can't really help you there. (Nothing against ballroom dancers necessarily.) What this all means is that we look at the quality of materials as pertains to the kinds of demanding environments and situations that the product's going to be used in.
Every aspect of the construction and design of our toolbelts, utility belts, tool suspenders, and carrying modules, is carefully controlled down to the tiniest details - why do we put four rivets on a particular module instead of three? Why do we make our utility belts with two interlocking layers of military-grade Velcro? Why use one particular kind of leather over another on this or that module? You can bet there's a carefully studied and deliberated reason behind all of these minute aspects of product development.
That's because at Duckbill we have a single-minded, unstoppable determination and drive to perfect our product to be used by demanding outdoors enthusiasts, just as we know that you, the discerning outdoorsman, have a single-minded and unstoppable determination and drive to go out and improve yourself and perfect your skill.

I'll talk more in the future about some of the particulars that make the Duckbill product so special, but I am sure as time goes on that you'll see more and more of just how dedicated we are at Duckbill Outdoors to making your job easier - that's our promise, as not-just-your-average-duck-themed company.

Take care out there everybody.

-Dennis M.