I overheard a conversation the other day that ticked me off. How lucky I was to be invited into the discussion as Joe Bob and Bucksaw had no idea what they were in for.
The topic of this column, is the Youth Firearms Hunt, and the hunt took place on Columbus Day weekend, from Oct. 11-13. Being that the hunt took place smack-dab in the middle of bow season, there are different opinions on the subject. Those that choose to participate as a mentor need to do a few things to be legal. There is much opportunity for a child to harvest his or her first deer on this special weekend. For this reason, I recommend going the extra yard to help a kid become a successful deer hunter.
I was in a rush and entered the store with intentions to get in and out immediately. As life goes, sometimes things don't go as planned. All I wanted was some deer number one, but ended up getting some human number two. As I approached the counter, with several cans of deer stink, two guys were talking to the cashier. I wasn't paying attention at first, then I heard old Bucksaw say kids don't deserve an early hunt. He ranted and raved with his buddy and the cashier, about how this hunt ruins his chances of getting a deer. I was laughing under my breath, and a little miffed at the same time. Not wanting to butt in, I chose to sit back and let cadiddlehopper give me some insight into the mind of a confused bow hunter. Little did I know how the next few minutes would progress.
The cashier saw that I was standing behind the two disgruntled fellers and motioned that he had a customer. As he was ringing me up, Joe Bob sees what I'm buying and asked what I thought about this garbage. I acted as I hadn't overheard the conversation and asked him, “What garbage?” He said, “This stupid state letting kids hunt with a gun in the middle of bow season.”
Call it a hunch, but I felt this dude wasn't the best of bow hunters. I'm not sure if it was the overwhelming stench of body odor, or the even stronger smell of tobacco on him that led me to this conclusion. Either way, it caused me to ask a few important questions. The first was, “How many deer have you harvested with a bow?” To which he replied, “Probably more than you.” He was still chuckling at his funny, when I asked the second question. I said, “Seriously how many deer have you harvested and how many years have you been at it?” His answer sidestepped my question again. All he said was “enough,” and laughed again.
This is the true sign of a hunter’s tall tale. Those that actually harvest deer love telling how many they have got and tell stories of bucks past. I finished with, “Well, than what was your biggest buck?” His answer annoyed the heck out of me. He said “bigger than yours,” and started laughing.
Having had enough of his malarkey, I pulled out my phone and started scrolling through pictures. I asked,“Was it bigger than this one, or how about this one, how about this guy and I bet not bigger than this hog.”
I asked to see the pictures on his phone. He said “I don't take pictures of mine.” I laughed and said, “That's what they all say.” Everyone but him started laughing, full well knowing that nearly every hunter with a phone takes and shares pictures. I was smelling a little more than tobacco and BO at this point. A bit annoyed, I went in for the kill. I said the only hunters that have a problem with the youth hunt are ones that can't get the job done in the first place. Again laughter ensued. He replied with, “So what makes you so good?” I then said, “Playing the wind right and cover scent,” which we all laughed to, but I think went over his head.
The last thing I said to him was “I'm the outdoor writer for The Evening Sun. Would he like to give me his name for an opinion -based column on the upcoming youth hunt?” He said “Hey I know you!”
I never got his name, go figure.
Please get involved and help a child become an experienced hunter. We don't need any more Joe Bobs and Bucksaws out there. Good wishes and don't be a selfish hunter.