December 2023

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Long over due update

As locals know, I closed the gun shop in August of 2019. It was obvious that a lot folks preferred to purchase online and have firearms transfered to my shop. While that was better than nothing, it just wasn't paying the bills. A shop full of guns, cleaning supplies, ammo and accessories didn't bring enough traffic either. So I boxed it all up and closed the doors.

I had no plans to close until I was too old to run the shop anymore. So now what? A few years from retirement and no clue what I wanted to do.

Went to work for Vista Outdoors in their phone center at the Bushnell facility in Overland Park, KS. It sucked, and then Covid hit. They sent us home to work from there. That would have been OK if they knew how to manage people but they did not.

Knowing they could call us back at any time, I started looking for something else. Landed a job at Rogers Sporting Goods in their phone center. Completely different customer base with a completely different attitude. They are a great bunch of people and great to work for. However as time had rolled on so had my age and I found myself struggling with computer system changes and changes in procedures. I decided to hang it up and leave with a smile. So I officially retired August of 2023.

So now I can continue to pursue my real passion, guns, shooting and hunting. Along with all the other things that need doing when you own a home. Now I can go shoot my rifles anytime I want. Reload and shoot some more. It's working out pretty well.

I got into coyote hunting at night a couple of years back and that has been expensive, exciting and challenging. But helping some cattle farmers with coyote issues has been an amazing experience.

Still taking the annual trip to Montana to work on the Prairie Dog population. I finished a 22 Hornet project in time for the 2023 trip.

Bill