The Writer's Life Many who think that outdoor writing is a potentially appealing profession or see themselves as stars in their own outdoor films, often fail to recognize the amount of work that goes into producing outdoor materials that are worth reading, hearing or viewing. Not only must there be a strong enough desire to carry through years of classroom work, training and receiving rejection letters, there must often also be a way to make a living while collecting pitifully small and often delayed paychecks. Some, through a combination of training and good fortune, manage to gain an early entry into this competitive field, while others take decades to establish their reputations. Often this approach leads to editorial positions which become more administrative than creative. These points are illustrated by interviews with POMA (Professional Outdoor Media Association) members Josh Wolfe, Bob Humphrey, Mark LaBarbera and Bill Miller at the Association's annual meeting in Tunica, Mississippi. These writers are at progressively more advanced stages in their careers. Bill Miller, who for 20-years was the best known figure in the North American Hunting Club, recently returned from a trip to visit U.S. troops in Afghanistan. He was accompanied by Jim Shockey and Brenda Valentine as they visited troops in five U.S. bases in Germany and Afghanistan. Miller tearfully describes this as a "life changing experience" where he "gained more that he gave." If one has a sufficiently large pot of money it is possible to purchase air time and run your own outdoor TV show. There are some 600 on the air now that range in quality from O.K. to terrible. Often their only legacy is a huge production bill that may run in the millions of dollars. Should you be tempted to do your own TV, YouTube videos provide a way to establish an audience and provide useful training on the art of shooting reasonable video. The watch-me-kill-big ------ types of shows have huge costs, limited appeal and often do not last very long. The best shows have a sound premise, are well produced, have some legs and often promote a product or brand. Blunderbusses are featured on this show. The star attraction is Traditions' .54-caliber blunderbuss that is sold as a kit gun by Sportsmans Guide. This gun was shot by myself and others at the Willows Sporting Club, and I made a YouTube video of the event. Although bringing up images of Elmer Fudd, the cartoon character, the gun demonstrated that it shoots well enough to take close-range game, and I intend to hunt with it this Fall and next Spring. The cooking segment describes my first experience in a cooking contest, where I produced a good-tasting dish, but without the presentation values that the judges demanded. They wanted more than the one-pot stir fry that I made from the catfish, tomato, bell pepper, onion, string beans, squash and peach that was supplied. The dish was very well cooked and tasty, but not attractive. Ads on the show are from Bill's Blunderbusses who can meet all of your blunderbuss needs from pistols to swivel guns. Many of the smaller guns also have spring-loaded bayonets. SIN, Inc's (Synthetic Industrial Non-Nutritives, Inc.) new product for this show is Camel Haunch made from the firm's Glop that provides the butter, salt and sugar taste that you crave in a synthetic dish suitable for serving during meetings with Afghans. Blunderbuss Chronicles Part 1, Initial Shooting http://http://youtu.be/qdjAEE4QJqA (http://http://youtu.be/qdjAEE4QJqA) Hoveys Outdoor Adventures Radio Show Blog http://www.hoveysoutdooradventures.wordpress.com (http://www.hoveysoutdooradventures.wordpress.com).