Bluffgruff
Well-known member
Not hating on your tape job, but is it already blown?
My General Tag
- Thread starter TOGIE
- Start date
LuketheDog
Well-known member
Wait, are you left-handed? That explains so much...
Things like my aggressively dominating intellect and good looks… right?
Right there with you.
Nick87
Well-known member
did you shoot the gun!? Your killing us.
BackofBeyond
Well-known member
BAKPAKR
Well-known member
I think BoB cyberstalks lefties.
Perhaps... perhaps I am a quitter. Maybe even on two counts. There will be more on that later.
For now, let's get back to the pizza.
It finally came time, time to get myself back to Wyoming for the start of the General Rifle Season. Anxiety always creeps up as a hunt approaches. But this anxiety, especially this time, is more the type that is eager to go get the job done; the build up of a certain amount of agency that you hope you will be able to execute.
That doesn't mean I'm not still in this state of early fatherhood that is making me not wanna be gone. Something that I did not touch on in great detail during my archery recap is this state of worry that has been plaguing me. From comments on here and discussion with other fathers/mothers I know it sounds like this is something that comes with the job and will essentially never go away. My being gone doesn't change the odds that something happens while I'm away, necessarily. But my brain thinks it does. I have no fear that my wife will do something poorly in the care of our child, or her mother, or my mother, while I am gone. But while I am gone it seems to be all that I can think about. What if he chokes? What if something heavy gets dropped off the counter while he's crawling around and crushes him in the head? What if the baby gate didn't latch right and tumbles down the stairs? Pre kids, these worries still existed, but they were usually about me. What if someone drifts into my lane head on while driving up here? What if fall asleep on the road cause I'm driving so late? What if I innocuously slip and knock myself out and come to with hypothermia on the mountain? Countless things. It became apparent that the often irrational worries that I can't get out of my head have just transferred to having a kid now. It seems, now, that because your new little kid is among the greatest of gifts you've ever been given and have you have a unique crushing responsibility for, the worries have gotten even worse.
Nonetheless, I seemed to be dealing with the idea of leaving better than last time. I get home from work, eat dinner with my little family, then get my pizza and gear packed and hit the road. I would have one full day prior to opening day. I would check my zero in the morning, do some food prep during the day, and have an evening scout where I last put the bull to bed.
Oh yeah, just the day before I left it had snowed, and a decent amount at that.
For now, let's get back to the pizza.
It finally came time, time to get myself back to Wyoming for the start of the General Rifle Season. Anxiety always creeps up as a hunt approaches. But this anxiety, especially this time, is more the type that is eager to go get the job done; the build up of a certain amount of agency that you hope you will be able to execute.
That doesn't mean I'm not still in this state of early fatherhood that is making me not wanna be gone. Something that I did not touch on in great detail during my archery recap is this state of worry that has been plaguing me. From comments on here and discussion with other fathers/mothers I know it sounds like this is something that comes with the job and will essentially never go away. My being gone doesn't change the odds that something happens while I'm away, necessarily. But my brain thinks it does. I have no fear that my wife will do something poorly in the care of our child, or her mother, or my mother, while I am gone. But while I am gone it seems to be all that I can think about. What if he chokes? What if something heavy gets dropped off the counter while he's crawling around and crushes him in the head? What if the baby gate didn't latch right and tumbles down the stairs? Pre kids, these worries still existed, but they were usually about me. What if someone drifts into my lane head on while driving up here? What if fall asleep on the road cause I'm driving so late? What if I innocuously slip and knock myself out and come to with hypothermia on the mountain? Countless things. It became apparent that the often irrational worries that I can't get out of my head have just transferred to having a kid now. It seems, now, that because your new little kid is among the greatest of gifts you've ever been given and have you have a unique crushing responsibility for, the worries have gotten even worse.
Nonetheless, I seemed to be dealing with the idea of leaving better than last time. I get home from work, eat dinner with my little family, then get my pizza and gear packed and hit the road. I would have one full day prior to opening day. I would check my zero in the morning, do some food prep during the day, and have an evening scout where I last put the bull to bed.
Oh yeah, just the day before I left it had snowed, and a decent amount at that.
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cgasner1
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2016
- Messages
- 3,119
Anyone else left handed but right eye dominant?
Coincidentally you just named the entirety of the group chat
D
Deleted member 52098
Guest
And myself; and during a text thread come to find out the Corgi King is too.
But also it means we’re really really good looking
BackofBeyond
Well-known member
Have you seen pictures of @BAKPAKR in a skirt? Do you want to?
It’s enough to make you poke your mind’s eye out with a spoon.
D
Deleted member 52098
Guest
You have to love how this forum can get super weird in such a short period of time
seeth07
Well-known member
Man, that is something truly scary to admit. Anxiety is scary. I don't mean this in a bad way at all but I don't think that is normal and the fact that you can openly talk about it and admit I think is a really good thing. Hunting and getting outdoors and spending time with friends and family I would think should be an escape from worry and anxiety. I myself sure have been walking through deadfall and thought "man what if I slipped and got stabbed in here". However, its not something I worry about but instead my mind goes to "ok, I just got stabbed, what do I do. I got the first aid kit, its on my back, what are the steps I need to do? Where is my inreach? It's right here on my chest, I'm good, I'm prepared". It sounds like your thought process in that scenario is a little bit different.
I wrestle with this too. But what if your kids turn into milquetoast, boring adults because their dad was afraid to ever do anything cool because it involved risk? Isn’t that even scarier as a dad?
I’m not saying you are living your life that way, but maybe a helpful thing to consider when those thoughts come creeping in.
Zero check went well. Groups were tight, but just a hair high. I felt comfortable with that as is, but stretched it to 200 yards and they were even a hair higher, still great group. I knocked it down a half inch and called it good. I've learned over the years how quickly you can start chasing your tail around a target and I've gotten good at not overthinking it.
Time to start organizing gear for hunting and the evening scout.
I had grown increasingly concerned about there area I last found elk. The road to get up to my starting point up there is a road I've been up a 6-7 times before this fall's elk tag. Primarily looking for mule deer bucks. It has some very steep sections and is in various spots quite rough. There are long stretches where the running water has carved out thin 3+ foot deep canyons that are also just wide enough to swallow a truck wheel where I imagine there would be little hope of getting out, or maybe no hope of getting out without damage.
If this road ever got wet or snowed on it was a firm line I drew that I would not be attempting to take the truck up this road, chains or not. At its level of steepness along with the runoff canyons that criss cross the edges of the road that can be safely navigated on firm dry ground, it was one of my absolute red lines - wet or snowy road I would be adding a couple miles and hiking from the bottom.
As I made my drive to the area to inspect the bottom of my road I was met with the the ATV and SxS Army amassing its troops at the base of the hill. The wall tents were being assembled, the generators were being fired up, the trailers being carefully parked and lined up.
This area was essentially empty during archery. The OHVs would have no problem on this road. I was starting to question whether or not I wanted to focus on hunting up here.
I nonetheless found a place to park and started making my way up the steep road. Following the trails of one ATV that had ventured up thus far. Those tracks eventually came to an end and it's rider continued on foot.
After gaining the steepest sections and continuing to trudge, the snow kept getting deeper.
After some time, I eventually made it to my glassing spot. Time to look for the bulls.
Time to start organizing gear for hunting and the evening scout.
I had grown increasingly concerned about there area I last found elk. The road to get up to my starting point up there is a road I've been up a 6-7 times before this fall's elk tag. Primarily looking for mule deer bucks. It has some very steep sections and is in various spots quite rough. There are long stretches where the running water has carved out thin 3+ foot deep canyons that are also just wide enough to swallow a truck wheel where I imagine there would be little hope of getting out, or maybe no hope of getting out without damage.
If this road ever got wet or snowed on it was a firm line I drew that I would not be attempting to take the truck up this road, chains or not. At its level of steepness along with the runoff canyons that criss cross the edges of the road that can be safely navigated on firm dry ground, it was one of my absolute red lines - wet or snowy road I would be adding a couple miles and hiking from the bottom.
As I made my drive to the area to inspect the bottom of my road I was met with the the ATV and SxS Army amassing its troops at the base of the hill. The wall tents were being assembled, the generators were being fired up, the trailers being carefully parked and lined up.
This area was essentially empty during archery. The OHVs would have no problem on this road. I was starting to question whether or not I wanted to focus on hunting up here.
I nonetheless found a place to park and started making my way up the steep road. Following the trails of one ATV that had ventured up thus far. Those tracks eventually came to an end and it's rider continued on foot.
After gaining the steepest sections and continuing to trudge, the snow kept getting deeper.
After some time, I eventually made it to my glassing spot. Time to look for the bulls.
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Mountain Man
Well-known member
In the deadfall scenario all my mind would think is “be careful and don’t get hurt because that would be bad”. I am conscious and careful, but I don’t go any further than that in my mind. Maybe that means I’ll be unprepared if something actually happens, but I am focused on preventing it from happening and enjoying the hunt.
