WOODS, WATERS AND WILDLIFE

Bad to the Bone

Full tang stainless steel blade with natural bone handle —now ONLY $79!

The very best hunting knives possess a perfect balance of form and function. They’re carefully constructed from fine materials, but also have that little something extra to connect the owner with nature. If you’re on the hunt for a knife that combines impeccable craftsmanship with a sense of wonder, the $79 Huntsman Blade is the trophy you’re looking for. The blade is full tang, meaning it doesn’t stop at the handle but extends to the length of the grip for the ultimate in strength. The blade is made from 420 surgical steel, famed for its sharpness and its resistance to corrosion. The handle is made from genuine natural bone, and features decorative wood spacers and a hand-carved motif of two overlapping feathers— a reminder for you to respect and connect with the natural world. This fusion of substance and style can garner a high price tag out in the marketplace. In fact, we found full tang, stainless steel blades with bone handles in excess of $2,000. Well, that won’t cut it around here. We have mastered the hunt for the best deal, and in turn pass the spoils on to our customers. But we don’t stop there. While supplies last, we’ll include a pair of $99 8x21 power compact binoculars and a genuine leather sheath FREE when you purchase the Huntsman Blade.

Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed.

Feel the knife in your hands, wear it on your hip, inspect the impeccable craftsmanship. If you don’t feel like we cut you a fair deal, send it back within 30 days for a complete refund of the item price. Limited Reserves. A deal like this won’t last long. We have only 1120 Huntsman Blades for this ad only. Don’t let this beauty slip through your fingers. Call today!

BONUS! Call today and you’ll also receive this genuine leather sheath!

Huntsman Blade $249* Offer Code Price Only $79 + S&P Save $170

EXCLUSIVE FREE

Stauer® 8x21 Compact Binoculars -a $99 value-

with purchase of Huntsman Blade

What Stauer Clients Are Saying About Our Knives

êêêêê “This knife is beautiful!”

— J., La Crescent, MN êêêêê “The feel of this knife is unbelievable...this is an incredibly fine instrument.”

— H., Arvada, CO

1-800-333-2045

Your Insider Offer Code: HUK622-01

You must use the insider offer code to get our special price.

Rating of A+

Stauer ®

14101 Southcross Drive W., Ste 155, Dept. HUK622-01 Burnsville, Minnesota 55337 www.stauer.com

*Discount Not shown is only for customers who use the offer code versus the listed original Stauer.com price. actual size.

California residents please call 1-800-333-2045 regarding Proposition 65 regulations before purchasing this product.

•12" overall length; 6 ¹⁄2" stainless steel full tang blade • Genuine bone handle with brass hand guard & bolsters • Includes genuine leather sheath

Stauer… Afford the Extraordinary. ®

Weather … or not?

Veteran forecaster explains the myths — and truths — about Ohio weather.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY W.H. “CHIP” GROSS

Meteorologist Jym Ganahl has never lacked for moxie. Growing up in Iowa, he walked into the local TV station when he was 17 and told the manager he could forecast the weather better than their current weatherman. Surprisingly, the manager eventually agreed and hired Ganahl to work six nights a week during his college years — kick-starting a professional meteorology career that has spanned more than half a century.

After college, Ganahl relocated to Ohio, where he worked for WCMH-TV, the Columbus NBC affiliate, and eventually became their head meteorologist. “I actually retired on the day of my 50th anniversary of doing weather but became so bored and depressed the following year that I just knew I had to get back to work and do it again,” he says. Ganahl now forecasts for WSYX-TV in Columbus, the local ABC affiliate. A personal interest of his has always been weather folklore, which he occasionally uses to spice up his central Ohio prognostications.

“For instance,” says Ganahl, “the following folklore item has to do with this time of year, the holiday season: A green Thanksgiving means a white Christmas or A white Thanksgiving means a green Christmas. It has to do with the jetstream, which fluctuates north and south, usually taking about a month to do so. As a result, if it’s warm in late November, it likely won’t be in December, a month later, and vice versa.”

After the holidays, this next tidbit of weather folklore applies: As the days get longer, the cold gets stronger. “Beginning at the winter solstice, about Dec. 21 annually, the amount of daylight starts increasing again. But with it comes the coldest weather of the year, usually arriving about a month later, in January,” he says.

He noted another truism that also has to do with the jetstream: Thunder in February means frost in May on the same day. “In other words, if it’s warm enough to thunder

in February, then March is usually cold. April is then, in turn, warm, and May will be cold enough for frost.” The following saying for sailors is no doubt familiar to most, but you may not know the reasoning behind it: Red sky at morning, sailors take warning; red sky at night, sailors’ delight. “High clouds are the beginning of a storm that may still be 500 to 1,000 miles away,” Ganahl says. “Most of Ohio’s weather fronts move west to east, so when the clouds are in the eastern sky at morning, the storm is closer to you, and when they are in the west in the evening, it is farther away.” For anglers, Ganahl has the following weather advice about when to go fishing: Wind from the north, a fisherman should not go forth. Wind from the east, the fish bite least. Wind from the south, blows the bait in the fish’s mouth. Wind from the west, the fish bite best. That saying tends to hold true because north and east winds generally blow cold fronts, which turn fish off from feeding; south and west winds generally blow warm fronts, which turn them on to feeding. It’s not that you can’t catch fish when the wind is contrary — but given a choice, go fishing on a south or west wind. For years, I have kept a log of all my Lake Erie fishing trips — more than 20 per year — and time and again I’ve written after a less-than-successful trip: “Never trust an east wind!” Ganahl’s favorite weather folklore just may predict the amount of snow headed our way this winter: The number of foggy mornings in August is equal to the number of snowy days in winter. “In 2019, we had nine fogs in August and nine snows over half an inch during the winter of 2019–2020, for a total of 11 inches,” Ganahl says. “In 2020, we had 14 fogs in August and 18 inches of snow during the 2020–2021 winter. In August 2021, we had 18 fogs, so this winter could be pretty snowy. “I don’t know why the fogs and snows line up as they do,” Ganahl concludes. “All I know is that the number of August fogs and the number of winter snows somehow seem to correlate.”

Lastly, Ganahl warns against hoping for too mild a winter because here in Ohio, If we don’t get winter in winter, we get winter in spring.

A bright red morning sky (this page) is often a sign of impending harsh weather because it usually means storm clouds are rolling in from the east; because of the regular 30-day fluctuation of the jetstream, February thunderstorms (opposite) are a good predictor of frosty days to come three months later.

Ask chip!

Email Chip Gross with your outdoors questions at whchipgross@ gmail.com. Be sure to include “Ask Chip” in the subject of the email. Your question may be answered on www.ohiocoopliving.com! www.ohiocoopliving.com