Late November is a tough time for most hunters. After the deer hunt, for us, hunting season is just a memory.

Rifles and shotguns are stored away and forgotten. We’ll think about them only when the next hunting season rolls around. Out of sight, out of mind. But that’s a real mistake. Don’t lock up those firearms without doing some maintenance work, or you may regret it when the next season rolls around.

According to Mike, my friendly neighborhood gun plumber, there are a few very simple things we can all do to make sure that our firearms get through the off-season in tip-top shape.

Step one is to clean the firearm. How much cleaning you do depends upon how much you know about firearms. The experienced “gun crank” can tear down and rebuild a firearm in his sleep. The average, twice-a-year hunter should stick to basic maintenance and leave the serious cleaning to a gunsmith.

It will probably cost about $20 or $30