Being an avid outdoorsman, I don’t understand why it took so long for the Big Box outdoor stores to migrate into our area, but now they are finally here. In Hooksett, New Hampshire, Bass Pro Shops will open a new store with the ribbon cutting on Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. Among those in attendance will be Jimmy Houston, ex-Bruin Bob Sweeney, Trot Nixon (ex-Red Sox great), Bass Angler of the Year Tim Horton and Miss New Hampshire, Samantha Russo. Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris will also be on hand for the opening ceremony. Next year, Cabela’s will be opening a store in Hudson, MA.The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW) reports that the preliminary deer harvest for 2013 (excluding Quabbin and any data not yet received) is 11,413. Although preliminary, this figure is up 4 percent from last year’s total harvest. The preliminary archery season harvest of 4,474 is up 15 percent from last year, the preliminary shotgun season harvest of 4,625 is down 7 percent from last year, and the preliminary primitive season harvest of 2,314 is up 11 percent from last year. The 2013 preliminary harvest data for zones 1-5 shows a decrease in female harvest and a corresponding increase in adult male harvest, indicating that deer densities in these zones are increasing toward DFW’s goals. Deer densities in Zones 6-9 appear to be within DFW’s goals. Densities in Zones 10 (our zone) and 11 are still above goal, but more towns are increasing access to lands for hunting, which is one of the most important parts of managing deer in a suburban setting. Online reporting was available during deer season for the first time during the 2013 archery and primitive arms seasons (hunters must still report harvested deer at a check station during shotgun season to facilitate collection of biological data); over 70 percent of the deer taken during those seasons were reported by hunters through the MassFishHunt system. Not only is the online reporting system convenient for hunters, it allows DFW to provide preliminary harvest totals much earlier than in previous years. It also allows DFW to break down the preliminary harvest information by Wildlife Management Zone (WMZ). While total harvest by zone can be informative, it doesn’t provide the complete picture for monitoring trends in deer density because total harvest is influenced by antlerless deer permit allocations in each zone.Kevin Chen of Belmont once again defended his title and clinched the top spot in both men’s air pistol and men’s sport pistol at the Massachusetts Junior Olympics competition at MIT on Jan. 18. This accomplishment earned him a slot at the National Junior Olympics in Colorado Springs in April 2014. Vladlen Vronsky of Brighton earned a silver in men’s air pistol and a bronze in men’s sport pistol. Twelve-year-old Cian Ganly of Stoneham, at his first Junior Olympics, shot a personal best to capture the bronze in air pistol division. In men’s sport pistol, Kevin Bennett of Belmont also posted a personal best to win the silver and a qualifying score for the National Junior Olympics competition. Vronsky, Ganly and Bennett are coached by national development coach Russ Doucette at the Massachusetts Rifle Association’s (MRA) Junior Pistol program in Woburn.In a very close match, the women’s air pistol competition was decided by one point with the gold going to Amber Harbison of Medford with a score of 359 and the silver to Isabel Macaulay of Concord with a score of 358. With Caroline Harmon of Concord claiming bronze, the women’s air pistol division was swept by members of MRA Junior Pistol. In women’s sport pistol, both Isabel Macaulay from MRA and second place Rebekah Cha of MIT created a buzz when they posted the same score for the rapid fire portion of the competition. Macaulay defended her title from last year and claimed the gold medal again. Macaulay (air and sport) and Harbison (air) also earned qualifying scores and automatic invitations to the National Junior Olympics Competition.Also com