ZUMBO UPDATE — Those who are active in Second Amendment issues will recall the great Jim Zumbo flap in February. In case you have slept since then, the problem arose when the famed outdoor writer used his Outdoor Life blog to say that the M-16/AR-15 families of rifles are terrorist guns that have no valid place as hunting weapons and should be outlawed.

To say he stirred up a hornets nest would be a slight understatement.

Most of his sponsors dropped him, his television show was put on hiatus and he was essentially fired from Outdoor Life magazine within a few days. Furthermore, he managed to bump Benedict Arnold and Adolph Hitler down several notches on the America’s most hated list.

Zumbo has since apologized profusely and tried to make amends. Some have forgiven and forgot, while others continue to vilify the hapless scribe. We take a moderate view, considering his viewpoint ill considered but after having also made a few self-inflicted literary wounds, we know that writers sometimes hit the ‘send’ key too quickly before wholly considering their words.

We dredge up this unpleasant incident because of an article that appears in the August issue of S.W.A.T. magazine (swatmagazine.com). In the issue, Mr. Zumbo writes of his reeducation concerning the black guns in a tactical rifle class held at the Boone County Sheriff’s Department shooting range. I thought the story was worth a few comments because I was often standing next to Zumbo during those three days. (In the interest of full disclosure, I also write for the magazine)

Personally, I found Mr. Zumbo engaging and contrite about his comments. He realizes that he screwed up royally and probably wishes his modem hadn’t connected on the fateful evening after a daylong hunt.

Without being critical of Zumbo’s writing skills that easily dwarf the meager word mangling talent of Yours Truly, I was a little disappointed in the article. It seems as if he wanted to explain the whole mess rather than to focus on how his attitude changed concerning “military” weapons. Natural, I suppose, under the circumstances.

However, I think it shortchanged the transformation of Mr. Zumbo. During the opening hours of day one, Jim was as nervous as the proverbial prostitute in church until he finally ‘got it.’ After that point, he was as eager and enthusiastic as any shooter on the line.

OK, it wasn’t a typical class. Between the post-shoot steak dinner catered by a professional chef to the (legal) cannon and automatic weapon firing demonstrations, there was a concerted effort to help Zumbo understand that AR-15 shooters and hunters aren’t crazed right-wing militants waiting for an apocalyptic one-world government takeover.

They are just folks who enjoy shooting. Just like me, and you and Jim Zumbo.

I think the class was a big success, measured by the grin on Zumbo’s face as he stood ankle-deep in smoking shell casings after shooting a machinegun. I honestly believe he walked away with a better understanding that no one in the shooting world should be thrown off the bus when it comes to gun control issues.

I believe in Jim’s conversion. Hopefully now, instead of wasting time kicking a dead horse on internet chat boards, some of the critics can spend a few minutes flexing their political muscle in support of the Second Amendment.

IT’S OFFICIAL — Aug. 8, 2007 was a momentous occasion for wildlife enthusiasts across this country. It was the day that our national symbol, the bald eagle, was taken off the endangered species list.

In the early 1960s the numbers of bald eagles had plummeted to less than 400 nesting pairs in the lower 48 states. Now, it is estimated that there are over 10,000 pairs nesting in every state of the continental U.S.

The first time this writer ever saw a bald eagle in the wild was nearly 20 years ago along the Minnesota-Canada border. Against a beautiful china blue sky, I saw one of the majestic birds make a lazy turn over our isolated camp on Moon Lake. The effect was awe-inspiring and those seconds are still one of my most breathtaking and cherished outdoor moments.

Now, within the last two years, I have personally seen eagles soaring in downtown Lafayette and watched their huge nests in several Northern and Southern Indiana locations. Moreover, with the ban on the pesticide DDT, better legal protections and changing public attitudes, most birds of prey are abundant and widespread. Witness Peregrine falcons soaring over the concrete canyons of downtown Indianapolis.

As I frequently mention, I believe the “good old days” are really right now. The prairies still aren’t black with buffalo and passenger pigeons don’t blot out the sun but in spite of all the doomsayers, wildlife is better off than it has been for generations.

Get outside and enjoy.

Brent Wheat’s outdoor column appears in Wednesday’s Journal Review. He can be e-mailed at btwheat@wildindiana.com.