Looking Ahead to the Christmas Bird Count
My grandmother got me interested in bird watching at a young age by taking me to monthly meetings of the Audubon Society. As much as I enjoyed the tales of guest speakers and the frequent potluck dinners, nothing compared to getting out in the field and spying a new bird for the first time. I came to look forward to winter because it meant the annual Christmas bird count.
I would wake up early Saturday morning, put on some warm clothes and pull my trusty pair of Konus binoculars out of a desk drawer. Then grandma and I would inspect the backyard feeders for signs of life. Moving beyond our own house, we ventured along the river and through some nearby parks. My greatest find was a bufflehead duck diving in the icy river with its distinctive markings on full display.
It doesn’t get any better than this for those of you working in the blue collar neighborhoods or that actually could get away with wearing one of these at work. The Eotac Style 409 Mechanic shirt is one of the most original concealment and tactical shirts we’ve seen this year. There are plenty of uniform tactical shirts out there from 5.11, Woolrich Elite, Proper ect. but this one takes concealment into a different niche.
I’ve gotten the questions numerous times about what kind of jacket is best for winter carry. I’m not one to suggest that carrying a firearm in an outwear jacket is a good idea. There are expensive jackets out there where you can carry a gun and retain it in the jacket, but weight distribution is almost always an issue. Sometimes people need to realize that winter carry isn’t going to be as easy as summer carry because cold environments are going to mean big jackets or multiple layers of clothing.
Modern combat optics are becoming more and more advanced. Back in the day people just used the European pole or standard crosshairs for rifle scopes, but not anymore. These days combat optics may be red dots, green dots, illuminated reticles, bullet drop compensators etched in glass or Mil-dots. Combat optics like IOR scopes may have a reticle that is almost a sizing guide for range estimation where you just simply hold the target into a range estimator and then make adjustements on your target knobs or just hold over.
If you are searching the web for a gun holster for a training class or you are looking for your first CCW Holster and your looking for a paddle holster or OWB holster, Fobus holsters are the staple for gun owners. There are always critics of various holster designs, but for those looking to carry a gun, the Fobus Paddle holster is a very comfortable and reliablie firearm retention device. Fobus holsters are excellent for carrying full size autos. From my own experience, most people prefer to train with full size autos for accuracy and capacity reasons and carrying a gun IWB is pretty much a problem for most operators.
Eotac pants have an elastic waistband that give some versatility to users especially for those carrying a firearm IWB. The pants sizes from Elite Operator Tactical are consistant with regular clothing sizes. The shirts and vests are all gun generously to give a little more room. Eotac lightweight pants have a gussetted crotch that give them superior durability. The Style 204 Concealed carry pants have side zipper pockets that can hold a small firearm, wallet, keys or something like a Kimber Guardian Angel. The most tactical of the are the Style 201 Lightweight Operator pants that are based on the Army Combat Uniform Pants. These pants can hold up to 6 30rd M16 or AR 15 magazines as well as other gear. The new Style 702 Womens pants is a big step forward for Eotac and we’re waiting to hear from our Female Operators on what they think about them. These pants should be available in March of 2010.
This style of vest was designed for security contractors that don’t want to wear the heavy chest rigs ect. that standing Army usually wear. The Eotac field vest style 103 is more of a tactical casual vest that is similiar in design to the Eotac Field Jacket. The Style 103 Field Vest is also an excellent hunting or outdoor outerwear to securely hold flashlights, magazines, knives, pepper spray, tools, hunting and fishing gear.
There area a lot of good upgrades one can do to a firearm, a fighting rifle should be customized to fit an operator. Advanced Technology makes some quick and easy upgrades for your shotgun or carbine that can give you better grip or balance. Shotgun shell holders on the buttstock or riding side saddle is a practical tactical upgrade you can do on your remington 870. The fiberforce stock for the MAK90 is a way to legally get around some firearm bans and are a big step up compared to the stupid thumbhole stocks. Attach a rifle sling that fits yoru purpose from Blue Force Gear, they come in 1 point, 2 point and 3 point attachements. Minor firearm modifications make need to be done to attache rifle slings, but do some research on various rifle sling configurations to see what works for you.