The precious moments that we have to spend in our outdoor pursuits could be more productive, if we would devote a little more time to thinking about what we are trying to accomplish. Son House, the legendary singer of the Delta blues, said in an interview,” the world would be a better place if we would all think twice; before speaking once.” This statement could be applied to many other aspects of life. Take a little time and think about what you are doing, instead of using the exact same methods time after time.
The popular bridge hole is always a high priority fishing destination. Try this: find the nearest aquarium, scrape your fingernail very gently down the glass, watch the fish move to the other side. Now, think about what is happening underwater, each time a vehicle passes overhead. Those bridge fish spend all of their time spooking or preparing to spook. A more productive use of your time would be fishing downstream or upstream of the bridge; where every passer-by stops for a few casts.
We all know how our vision is enhanced, when hunting from an elevated deer stand. Think about it the next time you drive down the road and park for your next deer hunt. Imagine the deer bedded down ¾ of the way up the brushy hillside. They are bedded there for a reason. The experienced ones have already scooted off the backside of the hill, before you ever got your truck door shut. You sit on the fields’ edge until dark and see only a button buck and his sister. There is a lot of deer sign in and around the field, so you return to the area several times during the season. You always approach the area the same way and have the same results on every trip. I wonder why?
One thing that I am positive of is that old gobbler that you’ve been “scouting” for six weeks before the season opener, had you figured out long before you thought you had old long beard figured out. It continues to amaze me that turkey hunters do not believe that headlights, four-wheelers and slamming doors do not spook anything. My main rule of successful turkey hunting is to never drive anywhere that you can walk. You will hear and see more walking the gas well and log roads, than you will riding around, drinking coffee and listening to the radio. Never call to turkeys in the pre-season, doing so just diminishes your or someone else’s chances of harvesting that particular bird, when season opens.
We are now nearing the time of the wonderful Allium tricoccum. I really do not like to gather ramps in places where they are not extremely abundant. I prefer to walk away from the road for twenty minutes and stop at a couple of places and dig all that I need. I find this a lot more enjoyable than trying to find enough for my needs, within sight of the road. They are getting pretty scarce in easy to reach locations.
All that we need to do, to be more successful and enjoy life a little more, is Think.
This Article Appeared First In Two-Lane Livin.
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Very thought provoking article. I like your writing style.
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