Mountain Gazette, January 10, 2013 Edition, page 7
New Year’s Resolutions
New Year’s resolutions are often focused on making things better, usually ourselves. These resolutions often fail because despite our best efforts to live healthier and rid ourselves of our bad habits,
resolutions are usually no fun and are difficult to keep.
resolutions are usually no fun and are difficult to keep.
What if resolutions were enjoyable, good for you, and good for those around you? I have been accused of offering advice when none was requested. In that spirit of helpfulness, if you are looking for assistance in coming up with a suitable
resolution, or two, or three, then read on for some suggestions.
resolution, or two, or three, then read on for some suggestions.
- Teach a young girl to shoot a bow just like Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games or teach a young boy to shoot a bow just like you or another legend.
- Make a resolution to explore new spaces for hunting and fishing. Keep your rod and reel in your car so you can cast a line someplace new if you have a few minutes to spare.
- Introduce a non-hunter to venison or other wild game (the venison from the old buck that
has been in the freezer for over a year might not be the place to start on this one). - Get involved…and enjoy it. Join one of the
many groups out there like the Ruffed Grouse Society, Trout Unlimited, or Ducks Unlimited. Attend their dinners. Meet new people and volunteer some time to help on a project. Attend a meeting or
two to learn from some knowledgeable local and national speakers about topics you enjoy. - Introduce a friend to nature. Take someone
snowshoeing and show them animal tracks.
Watch their surprise as a grouse flushes from its snow roost. Take a hike and show them deer rubs and scrapes. - Learn a new woodsman skill. You may have been
an outdoorsman your entire life, learn a new skill to better understand and appreciate our native woodlands. - Take someone hunting or fishing who is either too young or too old to go by themselves. Both you and they will remember the day for years.
- Take up a new and complimentary “hobby”; something to get you out in the woods during the off season. Take up photography, bird watching, hiking, canoeing – something to get you outside; something you can do with family or friends. And it is definitely alright to do some scouting when you are outside.
- Support your local fly shop and hunting shop.
While Cabela’s is great, check out your local outdoor shop first. It is great to have and to maintain local
resources.
If you are still looking for another resolution, then go ahead and lose 10 pounds and read some
of the classics.
of the classics.
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