[at-l] Gun story

[daveh@psknet.com (Dave Hicks)]

>>
ROTFLOL>>>  I have a compound bow and I _have_ tried to master it but
believe me, we'd both starve if I had to provide with a bow and arrow. <VBG>
<<

Warning  *** The following is a rant against wheelies w/ a bit of thought
about the trail thrown in.

Far too many folk equate hunting with shooting and look to technology as the
ticket to success.  To make this post marginally trail related this is not
unlike folk who think that selecting the "right" gear will get them from
Georgia to Maine.  The manta is, "All I need to do is buy the right stuff
and go into the woods and I will be 'successful'."

In both hunting and hiking, it ain't so -- IMHO.  What is even sadder, is
that this "buying the right stuff and going into the woods to be successful"
attitude defines "success" as an end-state -- not a process to be enjoyed
for itself.  What a waste!  That "end-state" focus not only causes one to
miss the real pleasures/rewards of the process, that "end-state" focus puts
pressure on one to "succeed" in a narrow way that can eat away at the very
effectiveness of the process to achieve the narrow "end-state."

It's the journey in the woods that we should seek to enjoy, not the end of
the journey.

IMHO -- Toss the compound and get a real bow.  First the easy part -- learn
to use it (target practice).  In the meantime tackle the fun part (albeit
the more difficult part) of hunting -- learn and prepare to hunt (read
terrain, read signs, scout in advance, practice concealment and movement,
etc.)  Enjoy your success in mastering the process and the end-state will
come -- albeit it will become part of the whole, not just an end in itself.

Maybe the contrast of process vs. end-state would become clear with an
imaginary picture.  If in the year 2080, one could buy personal anti-gravity
hover shuttle, which could silently cruse the woods at up to five miles an
hour.  What would be the reward and value of the "success" of a trip from
Georgia to Maine following the white blazes in one, or shooting game from
one?

I know the original post had a "ROTFLOL" and a <VBG>.  So, I am not really
responding to it, as such, or flaming the author, and I apologize in advance
for any offence.   It is just that I have this unresolved internal conflict
with the place/impact of technology in outdoor endeavors, as well as a
concern with what society labels "success."

Chainsaw