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Show rrrtflir BMa3 iffiii'jrir jjjr j. American Fork Citizen New American Walking down the hall in the Barnes Bullets office is an adventure in itself. Cape buffalo, big horn sheep and a ten:foot Kodiak bear standing on its hind legs, as well numerous other stuffed animals are displayed on either side. These are monuments mon-uments to a lifetime of good marksmanship by both Randy and Coni Brooks, the owners. Both were born and raised in American Fork by families that loved hunting, fishing and the out-of-doors. "My best memories growing up are of hunting trips with my dad " Coni says. "Oh, we went to Disneyland and places like, that but camping camp-ing and hunting were just more fun." Randy says he used to irrigate and cut hay on the land the business now occupies occu-pies that is just south of I-15 I-15 in Lindon. The main office has a picture window that will someday overlook a museum containing the many and varied trophies taken over the last 20 years. Among the trophies yet to be displayed are a warthog, geese in flight, a huge cougar sitting placidly on a rock, and a hyena. "The usual comment I get about the hyena is that it is a big-ger big-ger animal than most people peo-ple expect," notes Randy. The couple bought the business in 1974 after trying try-ing various other lines of work which included milking milk-ing 125 cows in Colorado, saddle making and running an Indian trading post in New Mexico. They had known that the oldest bullet maker in the U.S., Barnes bullets, was for sale in Montrose, Colo., and had once been a thriving business. busi-ness. They brought it to Utah and installed it ia the basement of a 580 sq. ft. house where they lived. The first year they only grossed $12,000. "I made more team roping that year," chuckles Randy. They kept on expanding until now they ' employ up to 50 people and sells bullets worldwide. The couple has always ' worked hard but as Randy ; explains, "Our business is our pleasure so we enjoy it immensely," Randy says he began big game hunting Elvin Downs begins cleaning wind storm that hit parts of in much of the community Or 30 il$0-r0m l Lehi's Saturday 71 At the Spec Shoppe you'll also receive Individualized attention and expert service form owneroperator Hardy Baum. He is a Certified Dispensing Optician with 30 years of experience and does all the work himself. He offers custom, professional fitting with free adjustments any time. Most single vision lenses can be ready in 24 hours. However, in an emergency, Hardy can have them as little as an hour. :;j - The Spec Shoppe has a lab right in the store where you can also receive such services as frame repair, color tinting and lens engraving. As in independent dealer, Hardy can order from the manufacturer that best fits your needs He carries over 1,000 frames in stock and offers big-store selection and small-store service. The Spec Shoppe is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 6 p.m. in the American fork (SMITH'S) Timp Plaza. For more information, call 756-6831. All Types of Frame Repair and Oakley Sunglasses. The Spec Shoppe 218 N.W. State 756-6830 Utah! - Wednesday, June 20, Fork natives share after trying to assure a prominent New York editor doing a feature on their new ammunition that it would work just fine. The editor said, "Listen Boy, have you ever shot a cape buffalo before?" "I had to admit I hadn't, but I never forgot thr t question ques-tion and decided I would to test our bullets in the field as often as I could from then on." Since 1980 Randy estimated esti-mated he spends about 100 days a year hunting all over the world. Coni averages about 60 to 65 days. Although he has been hunting from the Antarctic to South Africa, he says his favorite hunt was in Afghanistan. "When I was about seven I saw a show in school about Marco Polo traveling over high plateaus in Afghanistan. They showed these huge sheep with horns that curled out from their heads about three feet. I always dreamed of hunting one of those someday. And I finally got to live my dream. Before the breakup of the Soviet Union, travel was prohibited prohibit-ed in that region. Now you can go there but hunting is still very restricted. The area is run by the Russian mafia. We had to stop at over 20 checkpoints where our guide had to pay the guards to let us through. It is thoroughly corrupt. It was sad to see a nation once an emerging civilization reduced to abject poverty. They have no electricity and live in huts," Randy explained. "We took the big horn sheep at 17,000 feet. It was an amazing experience. When you get up that high it literally takes all you can muster to put one foot in front of the other. There just isn't enough oxygen. We had a camera man record the hunt and the way we talked and walked was hilarious." The most dangerous situation situ-ation Coni ever got into was in Zimbabwe. "It was 105 degrees and that's hot! We had walked for seven hours tracking this elephant. The guide and I were up front." she relates. "I was back with the cameraman," cam-eraman," interjects Randy. "All of a sudden the ele up large limb of tree that American Fork. Power loss was and nearby communities. pair for the price off Off Single Pair Buy one pair of eyeglasses and get another single vision pair FREE! Or, get 30 Off a single pair. Good only at the Spec Shoppe, 218 N. West State Rd. (Timp Plaza), American Fork, -Hurty! Offer ends soon. : Complete Pair Single ready In f - ... .inijib 2001 - Page 10 phant turns around and charges us." Coni goes on, "There was no where to get out of bis way. The place was flat and the only trees were about two inches thick. All I could do was shoot." "She stood her ground and shot him from nine yards and bought him down. If she had missed she would have been killed," Randy proudly relates. Randy has also been in danger while hunting but in much colder conditions. He was in the Antarctic hunting hunt-ing polar bear. "The only legal way to hunt polar there is to travel by dog sled in the winter. We were about 250 miles from the nearest settlement on about the 62nd parallel. We had tracked the bear for about a day and a half without sleep. He kept just out of range ahead of us. Then we could tell where he was heading. It was to a pressure pres-sure ridge where the ice flows had come together end then risen vertically. We couldn't navigate that so we sort of gave up and plopped down for a much needed rest, I was daydreaming day-dreaming about a new bullet bul-let I wanted to make when the guide a few feet away says in an ordinary voice, 'Randy, there's one.' He had to say it several times before I looked up and there 75 years away stood a huge polar bear. My gun was lashed to the sled and by the time I had retrieved it the bear was 150 yards away and I shot too far back. Then he went around in back of one of the pressure pres-sure ridges. I though maybe I could sneak around the other way and catch him on the other side. However, he came out closer than I anticipated and I almost ran into him. He was only about 40 yards from me and coming fast. Everything that moves is a meal to a polar bear and I was no exception. It was him or me. Both Randy and Coni are ardent supporters of wildlife groups. When Coni was made fundraising chairperson for the Safari Club they had 52 members and raised $40,000 annual- was broken off in the June 12 a part of the evening gusts I 1 I Vision Eye Classes S29.95 i.ivii vumvj A J -4 Hardy Baum i love of hunting and nature i A. fn, AMI X c , . d w-vi. ' -? - a- 'Si ,- 'kVH TiwiTfiiiWnif-Miiririiimr-- --J -" ' t'-twl 1 V-., .n,. Randy and Coni Brooks enjoy a trip on horseback. ly. She brought the membership member-ship up to 400 and raised $130,000 for conservation projects. Coni is currently one of seven members appointed by the governor to the Utah Wildlife board which establishes estab-lishes state hunting seasons and regulations. "Did you know that fishing and big game hunting pays over 90 percent of the wildlife protection pro-tection and preservation in the state?" she asked. "By bringing together sportsmen, ranchers and farmers we can all work toward to keep wildlife flourishing in Utah," Randy said. "It is our moral responsibility to develop wildlife resources for our kids to enjoy when we're gone" The couple have two children chil-dren and five grandchildren that they regularly involve in their passion for wildlife. "I told my girls that five grandkids is enough. I can't afford any more. One night we were going through Gallup, N.M., and I saw the G?Ti June 30, 2001 11am to 5 pm Wines Park 600 N. 100 E. Live Entertainment Schedule: u , 10:00 am - Lehi Miniature Parade . , - .:". 11:30-12:30 The Sali Lake Scots Band will perform some of their famous , m Scottish dance routines and songs. ' . ' 'w ; 12:40-1:40 - Showcase USA - an impressive group of young performers of ' . - song and dance. s ; 1:50-2:10 - Miss Lehi Royalty St Beard contest winners ' 2:15-2:45 - Young Attitiude - a Pleasant Grove based song and dance group, i; ; 2:55-3:25 - Funny Company - a musical group of young ladies 4:00-4:30 - Royal West Karate - come watch an amazing karate demonstration ,' 4:40-5:00 Days Dance Studio - a group of darling young dancers The city will be bringing in the new Snowmobile Stage for better viewing capabiltiy. A large canopy with chairs will be set up for you out of the sun. . Food Vendors: BBQ Beef Sandwiches, Teriyaki Grill, Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Drinks, German food, Shaved Ice and Cotton Candy, free watermelon at 1:30 Craft & Business Vendors: Booths: Fishing for prizes, frog pond, dunking booth, free face painting, paint-ing, free balloon tricks, pony rides;, miniature train rides, mechanical bull, karaoke stage, space ball ride, motorized go carts, Extreme Games (bungee run, speed throw cage, 26 ft slide, fun house, dragon house.) Giant inflatable balloons in the center of the park. The family fun day started about 12 years ago. It has changed a little bit every year to become what it is today most darling dress in a store window. I just had to have it for my little granddaughter grand-daughter so I made us stay the night so I could buy it in the morning." ' The company has developed devel-oped new types of ammunition ammuni-tion including one of solid copper called the X-bullet because it peals back into an X on contact. The bullets are made in an immaculate manufacturing manufactur-ing area that is filled with computerized machines that can each produce up to 64 bullets per minute. Eight bullets out of every 5000 are tested for speed and accuracy in the underground under-ground shooting range. Here they have to pass through both photo-electric devices to test for speed and acoustic triangles to test for accuracy. Randy was asked by the military to design a bullet for a 50 magnum machine gun that would be accurate at longer a range to be used in Desert Storm. "We got the distance up to 1000 yards with a 2.6-inch accuracy," accu-racy," he says. They also make bullets that are coated with a dry lubricant to keep gun barrels bar-rels cleaner. Most of the bul- : lets are highly specialized for reloading and big game hunting but last year they began mass production of . bullets for 'plinking,' which is target shooting and rabbit rab-bit hunting. Both Randy and Coni stay in good shape by playing play-ing as hard as they work and working as hard as they play. They water ski '. several times a week in the summer and have a house boat on Lake Powell. Their horses are pastured in back of their business and they go riding every chance they get. "We never just sit around. Whether it is work or play we go 150 percent." Randy grins. . ' -The company gives tours to scout groups and school classes. The manufacturing ; is fascinating but the ten-foot ten-foot bear is truly awesome. -i vwwvtwiMMwuwwyuwwvwwuu a Haft tift'JtaEKHfftynipi 4 .... |