Bud Fields frets over his hunting gear addiction
You know, I have never confessed to or tried to impress anyone with my mental capacity, and I have never said I was the sharpest tack in the box. But every once in a while, I get asked a really interesting question, and I try to answer as many of these questions as I can.
But I never said I had the correct answer. Oh sure, I have an answer to most questions, but my answer might not be what you consider agreeable. I noticed that with my wife several times.
This time of year, deer hunting season has ended, and many of my deer hunting associates like to get together over a cup of coffee and discuss the results of the past deer season: what they did right; what they did wrong; and what they plan to do differently. One of the most interesting questions I received was, "What are you going to add to your hunting gear for next season?”
Hmmm… this can be a tough question!
If you have ever visited me and entered my "man cave," you would wonder, if I added anything else, where in the heck would I put it? I have two crossbows, including a brand-new TenPoint crossbow, several boxes of crossbow arrows, several bundles of blank, unfletched arrow shafts, a wooden storage box of gun-cleaning solvents, ammunition, cleaning patches, primers and firearms cleaning tools, several arrow fletchers including a brand-new Bitzenburger Dial A Fletch, an arrow cut-off saw, an arrow spin tester, several bottles of various special fletching glues, a couple digital laser rangefinders. several cameras, a carrying bag of Browning trail cameras, SD cards, batteries and attaching straps, a closet full of insulated and uninsulated hunting clothes that could be considered the hunter’s answer to Victoria’s Secret, as well as a sleeping bag, several pair of assorted hunting boots including a new pair of LaCrosse insulated, scent-free, waterproof camo boots, several pair of insulated socks, a .50 caliber CVA muzzleloader, two 12-gauge Winchester shotguns, a 12-gauge Remington shotgun, two .22 caliber rifles, a .44 magnum Henry "Big Boy" lever action rifle, a .308 caliber rifle, and a .38 caliber handgun.
With a little bit of luck and a hefty shove, I can barely get the closet door shut.
Hunting can be addictive, and even when you have a full assortment of hunting goodies, you always want more! It seems like every year they manage to come up with something guaranteed to improve your hunting and make you successful. Even after 60 years of deer hunting, I have enjoyed great success harvesting deer before most of these new gadgets were invented.
I always said I would never use trail cameras. Guess what? I decided to experiment with a camera I borrowed and found it was great. Thirty-four trail cameras later, I will most likely extend that number to 35.
I always said I would never use a crossbow! I had nothing against crossbows or the people who used them, but I was the "Man of Steel" and would remain strong and young forever. Guess what? I was wrong again. Due to past injuries, corrective surgeries, and arthritis setting in, I had to transition to shooting a crossbow or quit archery hunting! I certainly did not want to do that.
To answer that question, "What are you going to add to your hunting gear for next season?,” I guess at this time, I am not sure, but I think I can probably answer it after I attend several of the upcoming deer hunting expos and cast an eyeball at some of the new gadgets that will be on display.
I can, and always do, promise my wife as I walk out the door to head for the expos that I am not buying anything, but when I arrive back home, I usually need to rent a Penske truck to haul everything back. I guess it is as close to an addiction as anything else. I just hope when I depart this Earth that my wife does not sell all my hunting and fishing gear for what I told her I paid for it!