Gastro Gnome - Eat Better Wherever

Fall Hunt related: Covid-19 On The Rise <See Post #9 before posting>

An issue my family is facing, is any out of state travel requires a 7 day quarantine before a return to work. This really stretches the length of a vacation. I think uncertainty will continue to grow leading to less out state travel.
 
An issue my family is facing, is any out of state travel requires a 7 day quarantine before a return to work. This really stretches the length of a vacation. I think uncertainty will continue to grow leading to less out state travel.
I have the same concern it’s not just gonna be whether the state your going to is locked down it’s also what does your state or even your work require after traveling. I can’t afford to take an additional 2 weeks vacation to quarantine after I just took a week for a trip
 
we hope the audience likes grouse hunting, waterfowl, trapping, snaring, whitetail does, and any other activity we can nose our way into
I for one will gladly pay for and watch whatever you produce. Hell I’m running out of Netflix shows to watch anyways and at least I’ll be learning something useful from the master of hunting wisdom.
 
Chicago mayor just announced anyone flying in from 15 states (more likely to come) will have to quarantine 14 days. So flying here to hunt or returning from one would suck. My Alaska trip next month is slipping away as more and more cases are found up there.
 
I’m watching my fall and winter recreation plans eclipse due to people freely participating in their own forms of summer recreation such as bars, indoor restaurants, and group venues.

I’ve tracked the worker fatalities in my industry since 2014. For the month of May deaths were up 1500% This is an example to show that COVID effects are very assymetrical. Me taking 2 IA to WY road trips this year, no group contact, and being isolated has almost 0 harm potential. But because some other Americans’ type of activity has a high harm potential, oftentimes the sweeping measures to stem the tide end up affecting us hunters severely.
 
There were rolled back openings in NM and it seems that the mandatory mask order is starting to be enforced. Apparently people were turned away from the small town Walmart here today for not wearing masks. I believe there have been quarantine orders for people traveling from hotspots in and out of state. I'm not sure how enforcement is going to go. With the day by day situation and states imposing thier own quarantine and fines I'd say it's too early to tell. If it is still ike this in September I'll likely not be crossing state lines unless absolutely necessary.
 
Hunters coming to Montana this Fall would hardly seem an issue. Right now our state is getting swarmed by tourists. I drive the interstate and arteries that connect to Big Sky....its crazy, especially the amount of folks from really bad Covid states.
Meanwhile my wife just drove through Seattle and across Washington and saw very few out of state plates.
I believe things will continue going down the drain..hesitant public leaders( read election), businesses desperate for tourist dollars , and the amazing amount of people who act as though the whole pandemic no longer exists or applies to them.
The only clear path is to protect yourself.
The second go around is here and it isn't going to be pretty.
 
I hunt only New Mexico. I drew the only tag within my family and friends. Probably hunt alone or with my brother in tow. Should have no effect on my hunting. Only annoyance is getting into the BLM to update my BLM maps. Still have time.
 
An issue my family is facing, is any out of state travel requires a 7 day quarantine before a return to work. This really stretches the length of a vacation. I think uncertainty will continue to grow leading to less out state travel.
Hadn't considered that. Buddy from Texas plans to head up to pull sleds into the Bob... Haha! How I convinced him this was easy peasy w/o the no bueno! response is beyond me. He's a roughneck so he'll deal w/ it... However, the was Texas is booming, I'm not too sure if it will turn, no bueno. Hence the inspiration for this thread.
 
There were rolled back openings in NM and it seems that the mandatory mask order is starting to be enforced. Apparently people were turned away from the small town Walmart here today for not wearing masks. I believe there have been quarantine orders for people traveling from hotspots in and out of state. I'm not sure how enforcement is going to go. With the day by day situation and states imposing thier own quarantine and fines I'd say it's too early to tell. If it is still ike this in September I'll likely not be crossing state lines unless absolutely necessary.

I wish they would implement a mandatory mask order here.
 
Death rate seems to be on a decline
Here; https://public.tableau.com/profile/peter.james.walker#!/vizhome/COVID-19SeeYourState/YourStateKeys
you can view any state you’d like and see test numbers, positive numbers, hospitalization numbers, death numbers.

I find it hard to look at those without thinking there is just a touch of hysteria involved with what we are hearing about this ‘surge’ from our always honest friends in the media.
Living in the middle of the AZ surge, we see that 20-44 year olds have the most cases by greater than 3:1 and that positive antibody tests are being counted as new ‘daily’ cases, according to the AZ Department of Health.

That’s not to discount the higher levels of hospitalization or the rising % positive, it is just to look at the full, big picture before thinking that the world is ending.

I’m going to NM, CO and MT.
Maybe even AK, but they might not allow that.

I’m really surprised by the people that are worried about stopping for gas or getting a hotel on the way to a hunt. You’re getting gas, not going to a night club. If you don’t believe the CDC that transmission on sun exposed surfaces outdoors is incredibly low, get some hand sanitizer and go hunting and Don’t eat at the buffet if there is one.
 
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I am keeping a close eye as things unfold in these other states. Our situation is likely the exception to how this would impact most hunters.

We have 15 tags we planned to film this fall. I am trying like hell to get film permits for all of them, but with agencies working from home, it is a very slow process. We have shelled out thousands and thousands of dollars in applications and will shell out 2-3x that amount in non-refundable film permit fees. That is our Plan A.

Plan B, the fall back plan for us, is that we film strictly in Montana. I have submitted film permits for almost every corner of Montana, just in case these other western states close their borders to non-residents. That costs a big chunk of non-refundable money, but I'd be a fool to ignore the likelihood. If that is the case, we hope the audience likes grouse hunting, waterfowl, trapping, snaring, whitetail does, and any other activity we can nose our way into.

Add all of those logistics, schedules for eight employees, their hunts, sponsor requests, and not wanting to expose any of them to unnecessary risks, and I think the odds of me being forced to Plan B are getting closer to 50%. Suffice to say, knowing this was a possibility, I've been as observant as possible to every protocol that might mitigate risks to this spiking again.

I know this sounds like a First World problem, and to some degree it is for me. But, for eight employees it is a real problem if it keeps us from doing our work.
Not the way I wanted it to go down but maybe I'll finally get you to fo a couple waterfowl hunts.
 
Also, if anybody doesn’t think that the ability to pack out an elk is a good enough reason to stay in shape...

My sister in law has been working in what is now the epicenter of the pandemic in the ICU for 3.5 months.

The number of non elderly people that are not overweight that she has intubated and placed on a ventilator is exactly 0 as of yesterday.
She says even an extra 20 pounds seems to make the difference between breathing on your own or not.
 
From an outsider looking in. Everyone is thinking "WTF! is going on over there?" Can't you just build a wall around the sunshine belt? lol. Would anyone really miss Florida or Alabama? lol. In all honesty though I hope someone steps up and show some nonpartisan leadership on a national level. I've lost out on being a pack mule for a buddies Arizona elk hunt and a BASS and FLW tournaments this Summer.

Wait, with the border closed. That means the snowbirds will be stuck here NOOOOOO!!!!!!!! lol
 
From an outsider looking in. Everyone is thinking "WTF! is going on over there?" Can't you just build a wall around the sunshine belt? lol. Would anyone really miss Florida or Alabama? lol. In all honesty though I hope someone steps up and show some nonpartisan leadership on a national level. I've lost out on being a pack mule for a buddies Arizona elk hunt and a BASS and FLW tournaments this Summer.

Wait, with the border closed. That means the snowbirds will be stuck here NOOOOOO!!!!!!!! lol
Is it closed both directions?
 
I have a scouting trip to MT scheduled in the latter part of August. Ill be getting there via plane, not really sure if it’s going to happen at this point, but I’ll wait and see. Good thing is that the ticket can be changed even the day before.
As far as the actual hunt goes, I’ll be getting there with my truck. As long as I am healthy and MT doesn’t block NR’s from hunting, then I will be there. Fingers crossed that things get better.
 
The border is only open for essential traffic. You use to be able to cross if you were driving straight to Alaska buttttt, theirs multiple cases of people lying at the border to go on vacation.
 
I dunno, but I am pretty concerned. My 2 weeks in CO every fall are what gets me through our horrible summers. That really would be icing on the turd cake if I couldn't go.

Still, "1st world white people problems", so I may be disappointed but I'm not gonna get too worked up about it either.
 

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