Earlier this month the New York State Outdoor Writers Association held its annual conference in Webster, N.Y., just east of Rochester. Members were lodged at the Holiday Inn Express on Holt Road, just a short distance off NYS Route 104. While many of the seminars, meetings and meals were based at the Inn, there were numerous activities available for both writers and spouses within an hour or less drive from the hotel. Indeed, we found a whole new world just outside the city. Although we knew the area harbored great fishing, such unexpected activities as pheasant hunting, custom firearm restorations, and replicating were eye-openers.
VisitRochester had arranged for a meet-and-greet reception evening on Thursday, followed Friday with a variety of locations to visit and tour, and since western New York and the nearby Finger Lakes region are famous for producing fine wines, the tour and wine-tasting trip to Casa Larga gave our group the opportunity to learn how the various fruit types were chosen, and then a chance to sample the finished products.
Heading southeast, Many of us went to visit Whispering Pines Hideaway Preserve Friday where we hunted pheasants over excellent bird dogs and their owner/handlers, and enjoyed the challenging sporting clays field there. Then it was off to lunch at Doug Turnbull Manufacturing Co. in Bloomfield where we were also given tours of the facilities to witness how rare and valuable firearms are restored to their original condition. Once the restoration is done, you’d swear the guns were brand new, right down to their original serial number and engravings. Turnbull is internationally famous for their work in restoring rare firearms or producing similar replicas, such as Theodore Roosevelt’s Model 1876 Winchester rifle.
After a brief catch-our-breath break back at the hotel, it was off to Sodus Point for a belt-stretching dinner and hospitality at Capt. Jack’s restaurant sponsored by Patti Donoghue and her team from VisitRochester. Saturday morning consisted of seminars and programs on such topics as deer and bear management given by NYSDEC biologists, and one on reclassifying the mourning dove as a migratory game bird. That afternoon we headed to the Irondequoit Fish & Game Club for a barbeque sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and to sample and test supporting members’ products. We got to try out kayaks from Hobie Cat, blinds from Ducks & Bucks cart blinds (Kleins Designs, LLC) and learn expert reloading techniques from Redding Reloading’s VP Robin Sharpless.
That evening we held our annual banquet, scholarship fundraffles and awards presentations back at the Inn, sponsored by VisitRochester. More belt-stretching food, including steamed clams.
