By Mike Roberts
Connecticut – -(Ammoland.com)- While so many of us enjoy hunting and the great outdoors, many sportsmen become complacent while enjoying these activities. Way too many sportsmen overlook the fact that hunting can be taken away from them in a the blink of an eye and that there are tons of very rich anti-hunting groups out there that want nothing more than to see you lose your hunting and firearms privileges.
Here in Connecticut we are very fortunate to have the Coalition Of Connecticut Sportsmen, headed by an avid outdoorsman, Bob Crook, up in Hartford fighting for all outdoor sportsmen on a daily basis to ensure that you and I will be able to keep on enjoying our chosen sport.
The hours — NO, make that days, weeks and even months — he spends in Hartford trying to protect the rights and privileges that we as sportsmen sometimes take for granted are endless, and many times thankless. But Crook is unwavering in his defense of hunters, fishermen, trappers, gun owners and boaters as he plies the floors the elected legislators on our behalf.
Such an undertaking does not come easy and it also requires funding. This is accomplished through CCS membership ($25 annual, $400 life) and the annual Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen Banquet held in October at the Aqua Turf Country Club in Southington.
I find it hard to believe that so many sportsmen in Connecticut that reap the benefits of the hard work put in by Crook and the CCS simply take it for granted that these things they enjoy would still be here without the lobbying on our behalf by Crook. If they really and truly believe that, then I have a bridge down in Brooklyn I will sell them cheap or maybe some oceanside property I could sell them in Arizona.
There are Rod & Gun clubs in Connecticut (the Meriden Rod & Gun Club is one of them) that include CCS in their annual budgets. And while this is a good thing, it is not enough! WE, you and I, as sportsmen should individually belong to CCS as well. You say $25 is too much? C’mon, they pay that for three packs of cigarettes nowadays.
Did you know that there are animal rights organizations out there with millions of dollars (yes, you read that right) that are chomping at the bit as they pour money into funding to stop all hunting regardless of the impact it might have on our society?
Some of their supporters mean well, but really don’t have a clue as to what will happen to some of the critters they claim they want to protect. One only has to look at Bluff Point and the plight of an overpopulation of deer right here in Connecticut to see the truth in this!
One of my favorite memories of Crook took place a number of years ago when an animal rights group came around trying to put an end to trapping. One of their favorite ploys used to show how “cruel” trapping was, they did by setting a leg hold trap and then setting it off by pushing down on the pan (trigger) of the trap with a lead pencil. The trap would spring shut, snapping the lead pencil in half and startling some of the onlookers who had never seen a trap work before.
After the startled gasps settled down, Crook asked that the trap be reset. He then used his finger to push the pan, making the trap snap shut on his bare finger. He never even flinched when the trap snapped shut. He then held up the trap with his finger still in it and smiled at the onlookers.
Trapping is still a part of wildlife management thanks to the efforts of Crook and the Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen.
If you would like to see what CCS has done for you as an outdoor sportsman, look them up on the Internet and check them out. I did, and it only increases my admiration for Crook and all that he does on our behalf.
But this freedom is not free! We all should support CCS and I can think of no finer way to protect the things we love in the outdoors than to both join CCS and to show our support by attending the annual CCS banquet.
You can join CCS on line for a yearly membership of $25 ($400 life) and the banquet will be held Sunday, Oct. 19, at the prestigious Aqua Turf Club in Southington starting at 4 p.m.
What’s that? You’ll miss your football game? Without your support for CCS and if the antis get their way, you will have plenty of time to watch the tube.
A group of fellow hunters and I take a table sponsor under the name of the CT Shooting Sportsmen for St. Jude along with our wives and have a great time at these banquets. You haven’t lived until you have tried the Aqua Turf prime rib, shrimp, chicken or vegetarian dinner served with all the fixings.
Individual tickets go for $55. Sponsor tickets are $200 and include one dinner ticket, $100 worth of bucket drawing tickets, events program listing and sponsor raffle. Table sponsor goes for $550 and includes 10 dinner tickets, events program listing and 10 sponsor raffle tickets.
Order your tickets before Oct. 12 and you will be in the early bird raffle that includes a muzzleloader and a framed print.
If you hunt, own a firearm, target shoot, fish, trap or participate in other such recreational sports, I cannot over-emphasize the importance of supporting The Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen both through membership and their annual banquet, especially by having a group of friends take a whole table. For more information and reservations, you can call (203) 245-8076.
Remember, freedom is not free!
Join TODAY! https://www.ctsportsmen.com
About Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen:
The Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen is the only state sportsmen’s organization singularly dedicated to the protection, promotion and preservation of hunting, fishing, trapping and the scientific wildlife management programs which support them; Right to Keep and Bear Arms Constitutional provisions; Boating; Land use; and other sportsmen associated issues through legislative lobbying, legal defense in the courts, and political action. No other state sportsmen organization has as its sole purpose these activities. The Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen takes pride in its unsurpassed achievement and service to all of the Connecticut sportsmen’s community. Visit: www.ctsportsmen.com