I was trying to brainstorm about some blog post ideas. Ideas were coming very slowly over the last couple of days, except for a moment late this evening. I wrote down on a piece of paper some of the lessons I have learned while spending time in our hunting camp (some from the fishing camp as well). The list is not complete and probably falls short, but because it is a good start (I think) I thought I would post it. Perhaps, you could add to it?
About Initiative…
- if nobody appears to be making a break for the dish towel, it might as well be you
- when the wood box is empty there is a pile of wood outside with your name on it
- you won’t see game or catch fish from the warmth of your bunk
About Hard Work…
- the best hunting and fishing spots are rarely found where you park your truck or ATV
- if hunting and fishing were easy there would be no meat departments in supermarkets
About Integrity…
- the sudden realization of your forgotten buck tag on the hunt camp table, dictates you’ll pass up the shot of the ghost buck until you have returned to get it.
About Respect…
- the best stories around the camp stove are usually the ones that happened before you were born
- understanding why the first shot matters
- different people CAN live together in small places when united with the same goals
About Patience…
- letting your 10 year old kid bring their pellet gun with them to YOUR favourite deer stand on opening day (Thanks dad!)
- Snoring is the catalyst to patience if you are the last person to fall asleep
About Chilli (the good stuff mom sends to camp with you)…
- eat at own risk
This is a truly great post. It contains a lot of old truths presented with just the right amount of humor. The part about the pellet gun in “Patience” reminds me very much of my father. Whenever I would go with him as a very young boy he would say, “a real hunter carries a gun”. Since I did not have a real gun until the age of 10 years I took my pellet gun with me.
-ov-
Great post and honestly made me laugh at some of the things. I really liked the patience ones.
Really thoughtful and reflecting post! In response to Kristine’s comment – I would like to add that those of us who have the BEST time are scruffy when we get there (which, of course, only adds to the scruffiness on our way home!)…
I like those. I think the funniest one I ever learned (thanks Dad) was the enjoyment of deer camp was inversely proportional to how scruffy you were when you got back. The more scruffy you looked, the better time you had.
I’m not sure where that fits, but I have found it to be true.
On knowing things – No matter how convincing the arguments around the breakfast table – nobody really knows where all the deer are holed-up today. If we could know that the deer would have disappeared 200 years ago. Just eat your breakfast and get out there!
good blog keep it up Billy