Given the year is almost over and my mail is filled with all kinds of advice about what to buy/hold/sell and what is Blue Chip, Solid, or Junk, I thought I would do the same analogy for the hunting world in which I operate. Some tongue-in-cheek here, so hang with me.
Open to any ideas people have for repositioning the portfolio for the upcoming year. And, if you have any positions to add to the list, feel free to do so.
Blue Chip Stocks
Solid Investments
Junk Bonds
Buy/Sell/Hold: These are positons that are, or have been, in my hunting portfolio over the last few years. Here is my outlook on buying, selling, or holding these positions.
Open to any ideas people have for repositioning the portfolio for the upcoming year. And, if you have any positions to add to the list, feel free to do so.
Blue Chip Stocks
Archery elk hunting in Montana – I saw pics of many really big public land bulls come from general areas in Montana this year; pics that never made it to Al Gore’s world wide web. More than any year I can recall, by a large margin. Not sure why, but it was a banner year for elk archers in MT. If this trend continues, Montana will not have many left over elk tags in the future. I doubt I will be applying for limited entry archery tags in MT in the next few years, rather hunting elk on the general archery tag.
Colorado mule deer – I was not able to acquire any of this Blue Chip position in 2014, but I am on the list for 2015. Really miss going there and seeing at least one buck that takes my breath away, whether I have a tag, or not. Some will disagree, but the best hunts that require double digit points in many states are two-three point hunts in CO. For 2015, this will be a “blue chip value hunt,” if there is such a thing. In 2015, the 3rd deer season will creep forward another date before jumping almost a week later in 2016. Look for a lot of people to sit on their deer points in 2015, waiting for the later dates of 2016. Might be your year to get a blue chip mule deer bargain for less points than you expected.
Colorado mule deer – I was not able to acquire any of this Blue Chip position in 2014, but I am on the list for 2015. Really miss going there and seeing at least one buck that takes my breath away, whether I have a tag, or not. Some will disagree, but the best hunts that require double digit points in many states are two-three point hunts in CO. For 2015, this will be a “blue chip value hunt,” if there is such a thing. In 2015, the 3rd deer season will creep forward another date before jumping almost a week later in 2016. Look for a lot of people to sit on their deer points in 2015, waiting for the later dates of 2016. Might be your year to get a blue chip mule deer bargain for less points than you expected.
Solid Investments
Montana mountain mule deer (at least in some areas) - If we can escape a few tough winters and guys can hold off shooting all the 1.5 and 2.5 year old bucks, Montana could possibly see some uptick in their mountain mule deer. Still worried about the prairie deer, with disease and winters hammering them the last few years. What I’ve seen the last few years seems to make for a good hunt. Not the Blue Chip of Colorado or Nevada, but still a fun hunt.
Late elk hunts in Arizona – For the few points needed to be in the running for one of these late season tags, I don’t know of a better value in the SW elk hunting game. Yeah, lots more hunters and elk in the ugly places. But, they are the same herds guys are hunting in the early rut season, just a lot harder to get on them. In the three years I’ve done these late hunts, I’ve always seen at least one 320+ bull, and sometimes more/bigger. If Mrs. Fin allows, I will be continuing to build that part of my portfolio. Dang Thanksgiving dates being the only problem.
Late elk hunts in Arizona – For the few points needed to be in the running for one of these late season tags, I don’t know of a better value in the SW elk hunting game. Yeah, lots more hunters and elk in the ugly places. But, they are the same herds guys are hunting in the early rut season, just a lot harder to get on them. In the three years I’ve done these late hunts, I’ve always seen at least one 320+ bull, and sometimes more/bigger. If Mrs. Fin allows, I will be continuing to build that part of my portfolio. Dang Thanksgiving dates being the only problem.
Junk Bonds
Utah archery elk season dates - having the Utah archery elk season from August 20 to September 10 is junk. It was still fun to go to Utah and only burn four points to do so, but this type of season setting, all so the few rifle guys can be there with fire power during the rut, seems to be bassackwards. Elk hunting in Utah is a Solid Investment, but the season dates fall in the Junk Bond category.
Left-over tags black bear tags in SE Alaska. This year I hunted on a left over tag. One for the remnant islands. Not a good idea. Won’t do that again. If I can’t draw one of the main islands, now that self-guided non-residents are required to apply in the drawings, I think I will pass. There is a reason these tags are left-over, just like the reasons junk bonds can be picked up for such attractive prices.
Left-over tags black bear tags in SE Alaska. This year I hunted on a left over tag. One for the remnant islands. Not a good idea. Won’t do that again. If I can’t draw one of the main islands, now that self-guided non-residents are required to apply in the drawings, I think I will pass. There is a reason these tags are left-over, just like the reasons junk bonds can be picked up for such attractive prices.
Buy/Sell/Hold: These are positons that are, or have been, in my hunting portfolio over the last few years. Here is my outlook on buying, selling, or holding these positions.
Buy – Cell phone booster. The places I go usually mean marginal cell service, if any at all. I bought this one, Wilson Booster, for my truck. Being out on the road for months, when your wife is recovering from a major surgery makes this a great investment for those who travel to the remote locales I find myself hanging out it.
Buy – Wyoming antelope, anytime, anywhere, any year. My freezer is full of my favorite meat and I have another whopper buck that will soon be joining the herd in the Randy Room, thanks to Wyoming. An average hunt in WY is better than the really good hunts in the neighboring states. I hope to accumulate some more of that position in the coming years.
Buy – Streaming of our episodes on the web. Not making any money from it, but the views it creates and value to sponsors tells me I need to acquire more of this position to properly structure the OYOA, LLC portfolio for a long-term strategy. Hope you all go to www.CarbonTV.com and view our shows. So far, the results have exceed expectations.
Buy – Wyoming antelope, anytime, anywhere, any year. My freezer is full of my favorite meat and I have another whopper buck that will soon be joining the herd in the Randy Room, thanks to Wyoming. An average hunt in WY is better than the really good hunts in the neighboring states. I hope to accumulate some more of that position in the coming years.
Buy – Streaming of our episodes on the web. Not making any money from it, but the views it creates and value to sponsors tells me I need to acquire more of this position to properly structure the OYOA, LLC portfolio for a long-term strategy. Hope you all go to www.CarbonTV.com and view our shows. So far, the results have exceed expectations.
Sell – Transfer of the public lands. The notion that transferring public lands to the states is going to result in any improvement to land management or retain/improve existing hunting access is junk; hell, not even rated high enough to be junk. The promoters of this position are the Bernie Madoffs of the political world. Sell and sell fast.
Sell – Trying to film Nevada archery deer hunts (at least for me). After having filled every deer tag I ever had in NV, I am now three years in a row without even launching an arrow. Time to move on to different hunts in that wonderful mule deer state. But, a winter of licking my wounds will probably result in me reassessing my level of bullishness/buckishness on this position.
Sell – Mule deer hunting when it is -18F. OK, so I turned the big Five-O this year and maybe I'm getting soft. I admit to having some of those candyass thoughts when I get out of the truck and I am hit with a 20mph wind with negative double digits. Yeah, we shot two really nice MT mule deer in that frigid two week stretch, but it was only when I got to AZ a couple weeks later that the frostbite on my cheeks finally got coloration again.
Sell - May weather in Southeast Alaska. Spent seven days fighting torrents of rain and squalls of wind this year. Rain almost impossible to glass through and surely difficult to film in. All of it such a mess that no episode could be produced. Given I drew a tag for one of the bigger islands this spring, I will probably have to hold this position until re-assessing the market in June.
Sell – Trying to film Nevada archery deer hunts (at least for me). After having filled every deer tag I ever had in NV, I am now three years in a row without even launching an arrow. Time to move on to different hunts in that wonderful mule deer state. But, a winter of licking my wounds will probably result in me reassessing my level of bullishness/buckishness on this position.
Sell – Mule deer hunting when it is -18F. OK, so I turned the big Five-O this year and maybe I'm getting soft. I admit to having some of those candyass thoughts when I get out of the truck and I am hit with a 20mph wind with negative double digits. Yeah, we shot two really nice MT mule deer in that frigid two week stretch, but it was only when I got to AZ a couple weeks later that the frostbite on my cheeks finally got coloration again.
Sell - May weather in Southeast Alaska. Spent seven days fighting torrents of rain and squalls of wind this year. Rain almost impossible to glass through and surely difficult to film in. All of it such a mess that no episode could be produced. Given I drew a tag for one of the bigger islands this spring, I will probably have to hold this position until re-assessing the market in June.
Hold - Elk hunting in the Big Horns of Wyoming. I didn’t see any whoppers, but I could have killed a branch antlered bull every day of the five day hunt. And, the rifle season tag in some of the units is not too hard to draw. Might be going back when schedules allow.
Hold – My traps. The economic problems of Russia are destroying the wild fur market. $12 muskrats last winter are now $4. Coons and wild mink do not even sell. Yet, as always happens when prices drop, lots of guys get out of the pastime, disillusioned at the work-to-reward ratio. Not me. Too much fun, regardless of price. And, it gives me a break from tax returns in February and March. Expect another long Hunt Talk post this winter of my trapping exploits.
Hold – My traps. The economic problems of Russia are destroying the wild fur market. $12 muskrats last winter are now $4. Coons and wild mink do not even sell. Yet, as always happens when prices drop, lots of guys get out of the pastime, disillusioned at the work-to-reward ratio. Not me. Too much fun, regardless of price. And, it gives me a break from tax returns in February and March. Expect another long Hunt Talk post this winter of my trapping exploits.
