Bondo Boat in Washington State when the author was on one of his cross-country bowfishing trips.

Mark Land shooting fish from a photo used on the cover of my book.

  Land commonly participates in tournament bowfishing, which the author seldom does, and between the two of them they review the sport from the author’s taking fish strictly for his table to high-volume, high-excitement bowfishing at night in a Louisiana swamp. Included are discussions on the equipment, boats, fish, participants, locations, techniques with a strong emphasis on utilizing the take.

A carp salad is made the same as a tuna-fish salad, but does not have the oily or metallic aftertastes frequently derived from canned tuna.

  A blog about these shows “Hovey’s Outdoor Adventures Blog” is available from my website, www.hoveysmith.com, and a full-page view can be obtained by clicking on the live link at the very bottom of the welcome page.   

A live link to the new radio show appears below. To check past topics, activate the archive tab at the top of the page and that will bring up a list of shows.

To go directly to the show page  and hear the new show click on the following URL :  http://webtalkradio.net/shows/hoveys-outdoor-adventures/.

  

Could your backyard business start like this? Tony Knight's did.

Starting Your Backyard  Business: 21 Steps to Success 

This is the outline of 21 Business modules presented as part of my radio shows, “The Backyard Sportsman” and “Hovey’s Outdoor Adventures.” An expanded version of this outline will be written up as a White Paper in 2011 and made available from my website, www.hoveysmith.com. I will also produce 21 short videos expanding on these themes.  

I. Why start your outdoor business?

    Control own destiny

    Enjoy nature

    Income

      Financial security

    Productive use of time

    Social interaction

      Improve family life

      Meet interesting people

      Social mission

    Learning experience

      Yourself

      Family

    Psychological comfort

      Maintain mental acuity

    Hone skills

    Satisfy life goals

      Leave a legacy

 II. What is your passion?

      Can your hobby be your business?

         Creative work

            Writing

            Acting

            Fine Arts

            Crafts

         Agriculture

            Crops

            Livestock

            Pets

         Mechanical skill

            Mechanic

            Alterations

         Business facilitation

            Revitalization

         Trading and speculation

         On-line facilitation

         Marketing

            Re-packaging

              Knowledge

              Physical objects

            Own works and skills

III. What are your skills?

         Long-term project tolerance

         Mental

           Professional training

           Communications

             Language

               Written

               Verbal

         Mechanical

         People

           Family

 IV. Weighing your objectives

         Income game or loss

            Tax consequences

         Material accumulation

         Stop-gap employment

           Resume enhancement

           Income producing

         Supplemental income

         Learning enhancement

         Advancing towards life goals

V. Market Reach

         Local

         Regional

         National

         International

 VI. Prototyping your business model

         Time required

         Financial return

           Risks

           Loss tolerance

         Physical facilities

           Communication

           Storage

           Accessibility

         Transportation

         Supporting activities

         Inventory costs

         Advertising and promotion

         Equipment needs

         Break-even point

         Return on Investment

 VII. Judging the competition

         Local

           Who

           What

           Where

         Regional

            Who

            What

            Where

         National

            Who

            What

            Where

         International

            Who

            What

            Where

 VIII. Fire in the belly

       Time commitment

         Enthusiasm quotient

         Stamina

         Overcoming nay-sayers

         Association with a culture of winners    

 IX. Partnering

        Gathering people with complementary skill sets

         Recognition of excellence in a field of knowledge

         Barter skills

X. Gathering Resources

       Physical plant

       Equipment

       Electronics

       Personal comfort

XI. Training

       Independent study

       Community colleges

       On-line

       Spouse and family

       Colleges and Universities

         Special courses

         Continuing education

       Seminars, teleconferences

 XII. Naming your business

       Personal

       Product

       Generic

       Poor names

         Alphabet soup

         Cute, but meaningless

 XIII. Legal issues

      Registering your brand

       Registering your business

       Deciding legal framework

 XII. Financing

       Self financed

        Bank loan

        Credit cards

        Small business loans

XIV. Launch

        Local

         Paid advertising

        Public Relations

           Local newspapers radio and TV      

       WWW

            National

            Press Releases

            E-blasts

            Radio talk shows

            TV        

            Own Radio Show

            Private video-TV productions

              YouTube

 XV. Evaluation

          Bottom line

           Sales vs. expectations

         Analysis

            In house

            Outside

            Tweaking

XVI. Launch II, Expanding your reach

       Expanding market to next level

          Regional

          National

 XVII. Going global

        International opportunities

 XVIII. Liquidation

         Selling your successful business

         Liquidation of assets

 XX. Restarts

      Starting a second business

        Related

        Noncompetitive

 XXI. Legacy

       Passing on your business

          Partners

          Spouses

          Family

          Non-profit groups  

Tony Knight started a successful business from a tin workshop and store after he lost his railroad job. This business became a world-famous maker of muzzleloading sporting rifles.

Auntie Thresa Claus, Santa's Not so Nice Sister

An uninterupted reading of  the Premier Broadcast of an original Christmas story, “A Visit from Auntie Thresa Claus,”  by Wm. Hovey Smith will be featured in this Holiday Show. Thresa Claus visits six families on Christmas day, and should hospitality be refused to Santa’s sister, she has the power to take everything related to Christmas away. She has been inadvertently summoned to the Jay’s family home by Jennifer, the youngest daughter, who must find a way to prevent a disastrous outcome.  Through Jennifer’s action, a bad outcome is narrowly averted, and the family has an enjoyable Christmas.

  This story is available as a 30-min one-act stage play as well as a screenplay. Copies of the play and script may be obtained from www.hoveysmith.com and more information is available at the Auntie Thresa Claus Blog at the bottom of the WebSite’s welcome page.

————

Christmas at Copper River

  This is an adventure story of me as a young Second Lt. of Engineers blowing holes in an ice-clogged river to prevent damage to a vital bridge across the Copper River at  Copper Center, Alaska.  Engineer officers get to do some interesting things, and this included me crashing down on top of 1,000 pounds of lit explosives when our helicopter decided to quit, a civilian aircraft being nearly being knocked out of the sky by ice chunks and me having a very cold Christmas dinner thawing World War II C-rations out in a tin shed at 26 degrees below zero – all good training for a young Army officer.

—————–

Armadillo Safari

Tanegashima, or Tagie for short, is a Japanese matchlock that the author felt obligated to take hunting and try to kill something with.

Matchlock shooter readying his gun.

  Because matchlock guns have been in use longer than any other type of firearm, I felt that it was vital that I get one and learn to hunt with it. After all, these were considered perfected in Europe by the 1500s and were used on all classes of game, including waterfowling. I did not have access to any European replicas, but I could get a Tanegashima-style matchlock that was, at that time,  made in Japan.

  Getting the gun to shoot at all was the first challenge, but I ultimately did manage to hunt with it and kill game. My conclusion was, “A matchlock gun is ideal for someone who wants a maximum hunting experience, but does not want to be bothered to clean much game.

——————

  A sincerely rendered, but badly sung, song from an unexpected source concludes the program.

 

  Some hunters only consider the hunts that they were tought to do by their fathers and don’t think about taking on some of North America’s more unusual species like swan, alligators and the Western grouse. All of  these are regionally available and anyone may hunt them, although usually with prior application and after drawing a permit. Even closer to home, look and see what offered that you do not usually hunt. These hunts will introduce you to some of the most beautiful places on the Continent and broaden your knowledge of the country, people and game.  

    This discussion will center around some of the specialized equipment needed for taking swan, alligators hunting and shotgun and pistol options for Western grouse.     

HOME BUSINESS   

    Gene Jameson started his own company Jameson Woodworks in Belton, SC, after being laid off from his job designing and building prototypes for medical devices. A skilled woodworker with an industrial background, he founded a business to produce precision wooden knife kits which he markets to major retailers as well as through knife companies, such as Case Cutlery.  He now sells his JJ Knife kits in Hunter, Trapper and Tactical styles. These are boxed in metal tins and require wood finishing and assembly. These are excellent tools for kids to learn about folding knives and wood-finishing techniques.  

  HOME COOKING   

    Safely salvaging and consuming road-killed deer and other animals will be the focus of this cooking section. Road kills are available with all degrees of carcass damage from almost none to being a red smear on the pavement. With proper selection these can provide wholesome meat for around 10 cents per pound.

  Like any business venture, radio shows cost money to produce and this must be forthcoming from sponsorship, ads, sales of books, guifts and grants. My previous show on VoiceAmerica Sports, ”The Backyard Sportsman,” is a solid, high-information-content show; but failed in 10 weeks to produce sufficient sponsorships or product sales to continue broadcasting.

  I think that this is disappointing because I  believe that I was, and am through iTune on-demand re-broadcast, reaching a younger market that needs solid information on hunting and outdoor topics. This market will continue to expand and after only a month, I was reaching over 10,000 listeners.  If after hearing  a few shows you think likewise, consider sponsoring a revitalization of this show or purchase some of my books and other products.

  My new show “Hovey’s Outdoor Adventures,” faces exactly the same challenges and will have the same fate if sponsorships, ads or book sales are not forthcoming. The message is simple, “If you want my show, then buy my stuff and/or help me find sponsors for it.” Although the new show will be adventure and storytelling based which would appeal to a larger audience, it has exactly the same requirements to be a money-producing business.

  For those who were following my Outdoor Business Modules on The “Backyard Sportsman,”  these will be continued through the new show until all 21 are covered. For a review,  go to http://www.thebackyardsportsman.wordpress.com to see a list of the Modules that were covered in past shows. If there is interest, I will publish a whitepaper with an outline of the Modules. Watch for that on my website, www.hoveysmith.com.   

   A YouTube video was recorded to make these points. To view it, click on the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pn-YrmGHfw&layer_token=4baa7fbe81943e3a.

 

  The author extracting a medium-sized Idaho black bear taken by stalking and shooting during a muzzleloading hunt.   This Fall bear had been feeding on fruit orchards and was one of the best eating bears that he has taken.

  Black bear numbers are increasing throughout North America. Because they breed more slowly than deer,  they have not rebounded as fast as deer to repopulate their historic ranges in the eastern U.S.  Nonetheless,  bear are coming into increasing contact with humans in areas that are undergoing development - even near cities. These included a bear visiting  my Central Georgia home town 4-years ago. This was the first bear seen in Sandersville since the early 1800s.

  Our guest on this program is Colleen Olfenbuttel, who is the North Carolina Black Bear and Furbearer Biologist. She received her bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from Ohio University in 1997 and her master’s degree in wildlife management from Virginia Tech in 2005. At Virginia Tech, she studied black bear reproduction, cub growth, and black bear movements. She has worked in the wildlife field since 1995 and has had the opportunity to work on brown bears, black bears, wolves, island foxes, raptors, furbearers and white-tailed deer. Since 2007, she has worked for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission as their statewide black bear and furbearer biologist. She participates in the scientific management of bear populations by hunting and other means.

    Because bear hunting and the preparation of bear hides is a specialized part of the hunt for most people, they will pay taxidermist who specialize in making bear mounts and rugs rather than using their usual taxidermist who may only see a few bear in his shop in a lifetime.   

HOME BUSINESS   

    Business Module 10 will discuss the physical equipment and structures needed for your new  business.

  HOME COOKING   

    A variety of recipes for black bear meat will be considered, including how to render bear fat to use in pastries and on other products.

Wild hogs like this 200 pounder taken less than a mile from the author's back door are increasingly available to American sportsmen.

   Wild hogs have been a part of  America’s landscape since colonial days when they were introduced by the early Spanish explorers. Because they have large litters and breed twice a year, they can quickly grow from a population of a few pair to hundreds within five years. Aggressive control by hunting and trapping is needed to keep these efficient feeders from rooting up nearly everything on the forest floor as well as causing agricultural damage.  These feral pigs may be hunting with a variety of bows, guns and edged tools. Our guest, Sharon Henson, takes on these animals with spears.

    The introduction, biology and distribution of wild hogs in the U. S. will be discussed along with the methods that are used to control them. Because they are prolific breeders, many states allow wild hogs to be taken any time of year. These hogs may often be hunted at night, over bait, with dogs and other ways that are usually not permitted when hunting deer and other game.

  Sharon Henson, who is originally from Maine where she is now visiting her family, has lived in the Southeast for decades and hunted hogs and other animals with spears in both Texas and Alabama. This spunky lady has killed more than 20 hogs with her spears.  

    Custom building muzzleloading rifles for yourself and others will consider both the economics of this enjoyable and practical craft, how to get started and where to find markets for what you produce.  These guns can range from kits assembled from pre-fitted components to completely building a gun from scratch. Most builders purchase their barrels, locks and stocks from suppliers and then assemble and decorate the guns in a variety of distinctive American styles.

HOME BUSINESS   

    Business Module 9 will discuss the various aspects of having a partner join you in your new business venture and the ramifications of this relationship.    

  HOME COOKING   

    The special methods needed to safely handle and cook wild hogs will be presented, along with comments on which hogs to select for best eating.

Urban deer, alive and dead, all too often wind up in resident's yards.

   Increasing populations of urban deer brings danger to the residents, damage to property and increases the danger of  insect-spread illness  like Lyme disease. Hovey Smith, The Backyard Sportsman, will discuss urban deer control with Georgia’s Assistant Chief of Game Management, John Bowers. This discussion will cover the size of the problem and explain why hunting is very nearly the only practical solution.  

    The urban deer discussion will focus first on the scope of the problem, its impact on residents and the results of animal-vehicle collisions and property damage. During the second segment of the show the discussion will progress to tools and techniques for safely hunting urban deer and other problem species. The discussion will conclude with suggestions on how to convert these problem animals into food resources for needy families.     

    Money saving ways to more easily retrieve your deer will be considered as building two types of homemade deer carriers and several potential variations are discussed. 

HOME BUSINESS   

    Business Module 8 will ask if you have the “fire in your belly” to persist during the early stages of business development when almost all of your available money is being spent on your business,  little income is forthcoming and people are telling you to cut abandon your dream and cut your losses.   

  HOME COOKING   

    Hovey will go through the steps of making low-fat stews and soups with readily available ingredients to provide tasty and healthy one-pot family meals.