Outdoor Writers conference

Spent Friday at the Outdoor Writers Association of America annual conference in Rochester. The four-day event travels every year, and it last visited Minnesota in 1996. (Madison hosted the conference in 2005, but I missed that one thanks to the arrival of Jameson Thomas Drieslein that exact same weekend. I had my priorities straight.)

In my 13 years as an OWAA member, I've attended six conferences, and they usually offer some saving grace that justifies me attending. Yesterday I drove south through a torrential downpour from the Twin Cities for the second full day of the gathering, which coincided with "breakout day" at the Gamehaven Scout Camp – about 10 minutes south of Rochester. Miserable weather en route convinced me that organizers probably would cancel any outdoor activities, but the show went on. Overturned tents and lake-sized puddles greeted attendees early, but things cleared off as the morning progressed.

I headed for the rifle shooting area immediately upon arrival, and found myself surrounded by a grand total of nine other people. Wisconsin Outdoor News Editor Dean Bortz and myself had the run of the place, firing a nifty assortment of Smith & Wesson and Browning rifles and handguns. (Thank you very much to those two manufacturers for attending with some very competent, safe, and knowledgeable staff present.) Dan Hansen, a regular shooting writer from the Outdoor News Publications also was on hand helping out.

Had a great time shooting the AR-15s, which the gun industry would like me to begin referring to as "modern sporting rifles." Whatever you call them, they're fun to shoot. I would dare even the most ardent anti-gunner not to enjoy shooting the little AR-15 .22 from S&W. No kick and empowering rapid-firing a dozen rounds in mere seconds at a target. The centerfire .223s had significantly more kick, but I fully intend to buy one of each. Never thought I'd be the kind of guy who purchased a military-style firearm, but strictly speaking, they're no different than any other semi-auto. And dang they look cool.

This morning, Outdoor News sponsored a breakfast for participants, and clearly a good share of the writers were up late last night enjoying the hospitality suites. I counted roughly 100 people in the room, which means a solid share of the other attendees were sleeping in. Those who listened to my brief talk about Outdoor News and its history were very attentive and complimentary. Though I scooted out for a morning of kid baseball (and moving chores) back in the Cities, I'm glad I headed south for 24 hours in Rochester and the OWAA Conference. Next year's event will happen in June in Salt Lake City (Snowbird Resort) followed by an eagerly anticipated conference in Sept. 2012 in Fairbanks, Alaska. Haven't been to Alaska in more than a decade, so OWAA 2012 might offer an obvious excuse to visit again.