Closed to equestrians that is!
Every Saturday or Sunday I take my golden retriever Samba and walk the 6-mile horse trail (for my 59th birthday I did two loops. Why? because I could). While walking the trail I’ve see possems, rabbits, pheasants, deer, and turkeys (but very few equestrians), in fact what got me started walking the trail is that from October through the first week of January the area is used for put and take pheasant hunting. Long after the pheasant season is over Samba gets to flush the pheasants that made it through the season. I shoot at them with a blank pistol and she glowers at me for missing, we’re a team.
Samba's on a pheasant
I like taking long walks with Samba, it helps clear out the cob webs in my brain. However,the last couple of times I’ve been on the trail for some reason I’ve wondered how many of my friends both on and off-line are not going to make it through the hunting season. I’m not talking about shooting accidents; I’m talking about heart attacks. I guess it’s because I have so many hunting buddys who are very heavy, smoke like chimneys, and still brag about over drinking. I’m very lucky; through no real dedicated effort of my own I’ve made it through 59 years and am still in good health. How I’ve been so lucky is that I like being active and I never took up smoking (or drinking much for that matter). My Dad was an alcoholic who smoked 2-3 packs a day and died of a massive heart attack at 69; the doctors say there’s a correlation, I’m not a doctor. Quite a few of my friends smoke, I wish they didn't but I'm okay with it. When I tried smoking, the first time I burped up an old ash tray taste that was the end of that!
Enough about me, are you guys preparing yourself physically for the hunting season? Be honest with yourselves, are you in good enough shape to climb a tree into a deer stand, climb back down and handle a deer after you’ve shot it? Can you carry your shotgun, shells, and a bag of decoys slung over your shoulder while wading through a marsh in the dark? Can you walk for miles over rough ground chasing the wily pheasant, quail or chukar? Those high country elk mean steep slopes and high altitudes, are you physically up to the task? Maybe a pre-season physical exam is in order, it could save your life.
I probably should have asked these questions back in April or May, but still they’re not too late to ponder and if you found yourself huffing and puffing after climbing a flight of stairs, maybe you should look at spending this hunting season in the gym, riding a bicycle, or walking the fields, starting with short rides or walks of course (I’m not a big proponent of running, I look upon running as future joint problems). Maybe you should make this sacrifice in trade for being able to spend many more future years in the field.
I hope I haven’t pi$$ed anyone off, it certainly isn’t my intent, I just don’t want to lose any friends this hunting season.
Steve
