The great outdoors seems to be muddling along with the economy in its own sort of Great Recession. Here’s why and did you remember some of the major outdoor events of 2009?

Just like the economy however, we hold high hope that things are about to turn for the better.

But first let’s take a gander at the notable events of 2009. We say gander as in the year getting off with an outdoor splash, literally.

The goose induced Hudson River emergency landing of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 wowed us in January. Captain Sully Sullenberger and crew’s miraculous fatal free landing put extra emphasis on the potential for jet engines ingesting birds around airports and the renewed need for controlling nuisance geese, in particular.

Closer to home, our ever important Mountain State deer and turkey populations and associated harvests continue “middling” at just above half their fairly recent highs.

There just hasn’t been much to grunt or gobble about in their direction.

Black bears have stolen some of their thunder but they’re topping out hopefully without back-sliding the same route as our deer and turkeys.

Acorn and hickory mast failure with squirrel demise and sensational highway deer kills were some of the major lows of autumn, 2009.

Deer hit the roadside grasses instead of acorn fare paying a terrible toll in the process. Rosy squirrel hunting forecasts were doused with many of the bushytails starved out or taken by predators prior to the season. Huntable populations of West Virginia grouse barely exist at present.

We can only hope that grouse don’t follow the same path of the beloved Bobwhite quail to oblivion. Special September “early” deer hunts for archery and muzzleloading were implemented for the very first time but poorly received. Unseasonable summer temperatures, bugs and greenery with still suckling fawns relegate this experiment to a merciful ending. Or at least move them into October.

With yet another sub-par gun buck kill, how can additional deer harvests be justified with the present potential for winter kill? The number of hunters continues to decline both nationally and in-state. DNR had routinely portrayed the number of gun deer hunters at 350,000. This year’s news release called it 280,000. Nationally the number of hunters has dwindled from around 17 to 14 million in a generation.

The readership area lost two of its favorite outdoor and sporting sons in Corky Clay of Man and Shorty Farley of Chapmanville.

On a high note, a new public shooting range for the Chief Logan State Park vicinity was announced for construction in 2010.

The Logan Area Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation maintains its youth fishing days, turkeys for the needy, golf outing and continually contributes to other statewide projects.

The Buffalo Creek Watershed Association continues its vigilance over litter and provides youth oriented fishing days and programs with great pride and resilience.

It may have been a bit of an off year overall but if we keep plodding forward, the best is yet to come …