Feb.6, 2010

On a day when you’re pretty much resigned to the six weeks more winter groundhogs foreshadow, you admit you’re a fair weather fan and resolve to minimize your exposure.

To the Calgary Flames or Edmonton Oilers (the Hurricanes are local, so you support them no matter what.)

To anything cold, unless it comes in a beer mug.

To the outdoors until you can wear sandals – without socks.

Otherwise, you find things to do indoors that often involve reminiscing about past fishing trips or hunting adventures, prepping for the next ones, planning garden changes and golf trips, or just thinking warm.

The Southern Alberta Rifleman’s Association, determined 20 years ago winter was better than summer to hold its annual gun hobby and collectibles show and sale. So today and Sunday, you’ll find people from Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C. and Montana who want an outing, but indoors, at the Lethbridge Exhibition.

Says association president Allan Jones, “It’s a sale, swap meet and exhibition of things related to the outdoors; guns are only part of it. Winter’s dreary, and people like to just get out. So this is also a social deal, a chance to get caught up and participate in some quality BS.”

The association has been putting on shows since around 1960, to begin with in Taber and Brooks, but moved the event to Lethbridge in 1983. The show attracts about 60 exhibitors who fill 125 tables with everything from guns to knives, bows and arrows, leather goods, art and books on the outdoors. It’s become so popular, prospective exhibitors are put on a waiting list.

For the 21 association members, the show is a highlight of the year that includes three summer clay pigeon or stationary target shooting events.

“The members come from every walk of life and every age group,” says Allan. The group promotes shooting as a “good, clean family sport” and sponsors programs that show young people “guns aren’t the big, bad evil thing they are made out to be.”

Meanwhile, about 16 members of the Chinook Waters Fly Fishing club have been indoors making fly rods they’re eager to try at the soonest opportunity. This week, under the tutelage of Kelly Oikawa and Kyle Hanna, most were learning to wrap guides on to graphite blanks while reminiscing about guided trips on Montana’s Bighorn River, long hikes to pristine, trout-filled lakes in Glacier or planning the next salmon-fishing excursion with the new spey rod.

They’d also agree that, like tying flies, building rods can be an art form: molding the reel seat to the grip, finding the rod spine, choosing and wrapping the right thread colours, and applying a fine finish produces a real piece of work.

They’re also as optimistic as the guy who called from Calgary this week wondering if the Crowsnest will be open and fishable in March so he can bring his two buddies from Grand Prairie down.

For skiers, life is good. For the rest of us, outdoor time is really not far off.