Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

According to the statistics put out by the fish & game folks, my getting a deer this year was something of a statistical abnormality. Apparently the deer numbers are down, based on game check station statistics. The culprit? Who can say. I’m sure some will say its the result of increased wolf pressure but Im not sure I believe that…it would take alot of wolves to knock the deer population down that much. (Not that I have any love for wolves, I just dont think theyre the culprit here.) I suspect that the deer numbers are essentially unchanged and the numbers are skewed because of the number and ‘quality’ of hunters out there this season. Economy is tight…a guy who did a guided pack trip last year may only get out for one or two days this season because he’s trying to save money. As a result, he doesnt have the high-intensity hunting experience and maybe doesnt get a deer like he did last year. Now, I know theyre out there because I saw more than just the one Bambi that had the misfortune to walk into the muzzle of my PTR-91.
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Thanksgiving approaches and I would imagine that for those who actually do ‘count their blessings’ there’s much to be thankful for…expecially if you have a job and aren’t eyeball-deep in debt. Im looking forward to the post-Thanksgiving turkey sales to restock the deep freeze. Turkey is a darn fine beasty on the plate. Ben Franklin wanted the turkey to be our national bird and while his arguements were interesting I think it’s a little classier that our national bird isnt something we stuff into the oven with stuffing and yams every year.
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So Gerber has a new flashlight out, appropriately called ‘Omnivore’. In a market that is already flooded with tacticool LED lights what can Gerber do differently? For the Omnivore, theyve got a little 1-battery light that takes AA, AAA or CR123 batteries. Clever. This was tried about five years ago when Energizer brought out a flashlight that could take AA, C and D batts but it wasnt anything close to looking tacticool. It was more like a flashlight for keeping in the junk drawer in the ktichen. Of course, when its pitch dark and the wind is howling who really cares if your flashlight looks like a Special Forces toy or something out of Romper Room as long as it works?

Admittedly, having a flashlight that runs on these common batteries has a lot of appeal. Any remote control becomes a food source for the flashlight. In that regard, it could prove to be quite useful. However, as I opined earlier, pretty much any battery can be made to work in a flashlight if youre creative enough and have some wire and electrical tape.

It seems like a handy product but, sadly, like many of Gerbers products as of late it is made in China which is kind of a turn off for me. Also, it seems to be getting some negative reviews in the places that specialize in this sort of thing.

Its a good example, though, of why battery standardization is important. Around this neck of the woods, our battery needs revolve around three sizes: AA, D and CR123. And, really, the only thing the D-batts are used for are the big MagLites.

Perhaps some other manufacturer will come out with another product with the ‘takes on all comers’ battery optimization. That’d be nice. Something like a Surefire that can run on CR123 or AA batts interchangeably would be just the ticket.