Virtually all formal shooting ranges require shooters to wear eye and ear protection while shooting. These rules make excellent safety sense and should be obeyed. Further, recreational shooters on non-formal ranges should take heed and follow suit. Impact-resistant glass or plastic goggles protect the eyes from windblown dust and grit as well as particles of burned powder, wadding, clay targets and the uncommon but not impossible pierced primer. Hearing loss is permanent and irreversible. Sounds above 100 decibels damage the sound receptor cells of the inner ear. Virtually all firearms (including the .22 rimfire) produce muzzle blast at or above this threshold of potential damage. Ear-muff type protectors are the most effective, but even the cheap disposable foam ear plugs help a lot. New technology has brought us electronic muffs and plugs. These allow normal sounds, such as conversation, to be heard and even amplified, but slam an electronic "door" on loud peaking sounds like gunshots. Such devices are excellent for hunters who wish to protect their hearing.

In areas where it is legal, afternoon turkey hunting can be very productive. However, these tactics also work well in mid-morning after the peak of gobbling activity. In the early morning, it is "run and gun" with the emphasis on hearing a gobbler. You try to pinpoint his location, get to him fast, set up and start calling. Mid-morning and afternoon hunting are more laid-back. Being still and patient are the critical tactics. Concentrate on areas of known turkey activity. Set up a blind and set out decoys. Call and wait. If a gobbler happens to be nearby, you don't want to blast his ears with loud calls. Start with low and conservative calling, basic clucks, yelps and low purrs. After a decent interval, step up both volume and aggression with cutting, cackling and fighting pur These last calls reach out some distance. Many hunters err by giving out their last, loud calls and giving up before a gobbler has time to come from far away.

When a fish dies its body loses the ability to regulate its body's water absorption. This process actually begins even when the fish is under heavy stress just before death. This is why fish left in water (as in a live well with poor water circulation) too long become soft fleshed and mushy. Eating them won't hurt you but they sure don't taste as good. When fishing for fish that you are going to eat, keep them in a fish basket, a live well with good water circulation or put them on ice immediately. Since the ice will melt, put the fish into a waterproof plastic bag with the ice in the cooler. Fresh fish taste best - period. However, freezing the fish inside a block of ice helps preserve their flavor. Skin and bones impart much flavor. If you like the fish flavor, scale the fish and leave the bones in. For milder flavor, skin and filet off the bone.

Summer storms can blow up in a hurry and they often contain thunder and lightning. Thunder is noisy but no problem. Lightning can be dangerous and annually kills more people than tornadoes and hurricanes combined. Carrying more than 100 million volts, a lightning bolt is worth avoiding. Outdoors people should be very cautious of lightning storms. The basic rule is don't be or be near the tallest object in the area. Avoid hilltops and open meadows and never take cover under a lone tree. Also avoid utility poles, towers, windmills, pipelines, fences, rails and metal gates. Don't hold long or metallic objects such as golf clubs, guns or even fishing rods. On land seek shelter in a low area or in low brush. Cars, except convertibles, offer very good lightning protection. Boats are another matter. Avoid boating when storms are imminent and run to shore if caught in open water. Boaters should also beware of high winds that may accompany the storm.

Generally speaking, fish don't like light. Their individual tolerance varies by species from walleyes, which really hate it, to bass, which merely dislike it. Summertime has three factors that make fishing tough. Clear water allows sunlight to penetrate deeper. A high sun angle enhances light penetration. Warm temperatures and the increasing strength of the sun's radiation make surface waters too warm to be comfortable to most fish. Each gamefish species has its own preferred temperature range and will "suspend" where temperature and light are right for it. Learn the preferred temperatures and use an underwater thermometer to find the "comfort zone" of the species you are after. Fish in shaded areas such as under and around boat docks, bridge pilings and floating or rooted vegetation. Also, fish on cloudy days and after summer rain storms. Rainy day fishing is good because it's cloudy (low light penetration) and that, with the cooling rain, lowers water temperatures. In run-off areas, the rain also washes in food which may start sluggish fish feeding.