Men of the Outdoors

Men of the Outdoors 8th Annual Sportsmen Breakfast Date March 7, 2026 Location – Emanuel Lutheran Commons 200 E Quincy St. New London Ticket Price - $10.00 in advance and $15.00 at the door.  Children 12 and under are Free Ticket Locations – Johnny’s Little Shop of Bait and Emanuel Lutheran Church Office. You may also purchase tickets Online at www.emanuelnl.org/moto   Our 8 th Annual Sportsmen Breakfast begins at 7:30 AM. The Breakfast program includes:  a hardy breakfast, keynote speaker, workshops, vendors, kids’ activities and door prizes. New this year will be a resale table with used hunting and fishing equipment. A donation of any amount will be asked for most of the items on the table. All proceeds will be donated to charities. Breakfast includes: Pancakes with real maple syrup, sausage links, hard boiled eggs, fruit salad, muffins, coffee, milk and bottled water. Fun games and activities for kids will be available during the entire program To expan...

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission  Bible Study Verse: Luke 5:4-6    “And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.” Thoughts: When you’re out fishing, it’s no secret that sometimes you’re going to have a bad day and catch nothing. As much as we wish we could, we can’t control the fish. Sometimes this may make you want to give it up altogether, other times, this may make you want to push for a new spot, new methods or use new baits. Being successful at fishing isn’t always about how many fish you catch, it can be about how many times you don’t give up. And that’s not just fishing, that’s anything you do. Real success will never come without some, if not a whole...

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Mark 4: 26-28   He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain-first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. (NIV) Thoughts: I have never been much of a farmer, but nevertheless, I really relate to this scripture. When I stock fingerling fish, such as trout or bass, in a small stock dam or mountain pond, and return to that water sometime later, I am always amazed when I cast in a spinner and pull out a 12-to-14in fish. I know it's supposed to work that way, but I'm amazed every time just the same. Action Point: Whether you're scattering seeds or scattering fish, when the conditions are right, they are going to grow. It is the same for God's Word. I think of the seeds of ...

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Corinthians 16:13   Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. (NIV) Thoughts:  To be a proficient shooter there are 7 fundamentals you need to know and use.  The first one is position/stance. You need to have a solid and stable stance to shoot from.  Sometimes situations don't allow for you to get into the same type of stance you use at the range, but you should always try to get into as stable of a stance as possible when shooting. You can become more proficient at getting into a solid stance through training. Action Point: Just like with shooting, there are fundamentals we as Christians need to be proficient with. The first is where do you stand with our Heavenly Father? How solid is your faith?  You need to stand on the solid ground of truth. The truth found in the scriptures. Your faith should be in Jesus Christ and His promises re...

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Genesis 1:26   Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." (NKJV) Thoughts: Ruling over the fish of the sea and the birds in the air is an awesome responsibility that God has given us. With new technology, it is easier to overharvest our fish and game. It is crucial to maintain proper predator/prey ratios. Harvesting game should depend on the populations. Once an animal is harvested, we must utilize it as a food source and thank God for His provision. Action Point: Take the responsibility to promote rules within your party for hunting and fishing that emphasize good ethics and stewardship. Sportsmen's Tip of the Day: Try going barbless, release your fish carefully, and only ke...

  This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Psalm 119:89  Your Word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. (NIV) Thoughts : So, I have a decent library in my world that encompasses a lot of books about outdoor experiences. Some practical, some spiritual, and even some great fiction. I find myself going back to practical books more than the others. These are cookbooks, tactical books, but one I have is really valuable. I got it a few Christmases ago and it shows you how to butcher just about any kind of critter you can think of and recipes too. Now I’m not going to go roast a racoon anytime soon, but there is guidance in there on how to do it. There is only one small section covering the Opossum, which we have a lot of in the Midwest. It’s about two paragraphs and the author says not to eat them unless absolutely necessary because they are pretty nasty. Not sure I haven’t tried it, but a great book just the same....