“Why am I out here?” Its a question I have found myself asking a lot lately. Wind blowing 40mph, 27 degree temperatures and cold water coming off the tailrace. Yep that was last Wednesday. Wind blowing 25mph (I know calm right!?), 32 degrees and some snow coming down while bottom bouncing a sandbar. Yep that was yesterday.
The fact of the matter is I’ll be asking myself that question a lot these coming months. Feels like -15 and winds so strong that a 4ft drift forms on the ice shack. Waubay last January. Probably a couple brutal cold days in the deer stand coming up here soon-or it will be 85 degrees and a full moon that’s not ideal either. Same question will be asked.
The answer to that question is simple though. It’s what I love to do. It’s what many of us love to do. Frozen waders, ice shacks frozen to the ground, launching the boat in a snowstorm, 12 mile hike chasing an animal whatever crazy thing you chose to do it’s because you love to do it. We aren’t paid to do it. In fact, we pay to do it. Many of us pay a lot.
The other fact is: there are perfectly “normal” people that don’t do whatever crazy things some of us do. Yet these people enjoy that hobby the same as you and me. They buy the same license we do. They buy the same gear we do. They might not buy as much or they might not buy the same brands, but that’s what is great about the outdoors. A hunter in all Sitka gear and a hunter in jeans and a sweatshirt are still hunting the same critters and have the same licenses/tags.
The great thing about hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, any outdoor activity is that you can spend as much or as little money on it as you want. You can spend as much or as little time doing it as you want. Whatever you chose to do that’s the right choice for you! The right choice is whatever is fun for you!
I think it’s very important that we welcome everyone into the outdoor industry. Whether you’re a die hard who launches their boat in a blizzard or someone that enjoys fishing off the dock and enjoying a beautiful day everyone deserves to enjoy the outdoors. That’s why they are so great. The very top tier football players are playing on TV every Sunday. In those games there are winners and there are losers. If you lose and keep losing you aren’t going to being play on Sundays much longer.
The great thing about the outdoor is everyone can win. You don’t need to shoot a 180 inch buck. You don’t need to fill a limit. You don’t need to catch a state record every time you go out. Everyone can participate and everyone can win. If you had fun, you won. The fact of the matter is we aren’t competing against ourselves, we’re competing against mother nature and her critters. They live in an entirely different world than we do. That is what makes it a challenge. That is what makes it fun. We get a glimpse into their world and for a brief moment in time our worlds collide. Many people just enjoy getting that glimpse. My deer hunting is sitting in a stand and watching all the birds and other critters I’m not going to shoot then being surprised there’s a deer in front of me.
The most important thing that each and everyone of us in the outdoor industry needs to do is evaluate how we have fun. Then what we need to do is think about how we can help others have fun. We are in competition with animals that live in an entirely different world than us. The walleye don’t consciously decide “well there’s two baits here I better hit this one because he’s a better fisherman”. It is absolutely critical that we don’t judge our fellow outdoorsmen/women. We don’t want to belittle them. We don’t want to criticize them. If they are following the laws and they’re doing whatever lets them have fun LET THEM.
When I post pictures of fishing or hunting I’m not trying to say I’m better than everyone. My goal is to show how much fun I’m having. There are days I look and feel absolutely clueless. We all have those days. You aren’t alone. My one goal is to show how much fun I’m having and hope that it motivates someone to say “wow he’s having a blast I want to do that too”.
The goal of my videos/articles/blogs etc isn’t to say “well you should listen to me because I’m an expert”. I ain’t no expert. I’m a guy that’s had things work and had things not work and I want to share those experiences with others so that they can go out and have fun themselves. If I give anyone just the slightest idea and it helps them have a good time then I feel I did my job.
I was lucky enough that I came from a hunting and fishing family. I had people to learn from and people that took me. Many people don’t have that. As outdoorsmen/women it is awesome when we can take those people that don’t have that background and give them some advice to go on. Even take them out for a day. What might be a “slow” day for you could be their best day ever. Then your “slow” day has suddenly become a fantastic and rewarding time.
With fall fishing in full swing, hunting season approaching and/or present and ice fishing feeling closer with every cold finger (there’s been a lot of that lately) the best gift we can give someone is the gift of the outdoors. Offer people a tip. Take someone new. You don’t have to be a “guide” to show someone a great time. You don’t have to be an expert. You can be just starting out yourself and want to spend time with friends or family and enjoy nature. Whatever it is for you when you go home just remember if you had fun you won. Even if your livewell or pick up bed is empty. I hope everyone wins this season. Good fishing!
Nick
