High Anticipation

January 30, 2009 by admin

Our Outdoors
Nick Simonson

There’s one thing I’m really good at: enjoying the outdoors. While my columns might come off as offering sage advice based on decades of experience, they are usually little more than personal observations about the natural world and what I do right (most of the time), and what I do incorrectly (some of the time) and moments of complete disaster (hardly ever). But what I always do whether I’m fishing, hunting or preparing for a season is enjoy the moment.

The air is cooling now and I can see the excitement in my lab’s eyes as he watches the woodland creatures moving about in the backyard each morning. He knows it is fall and the animals do too. The calendar tells me that the hunting seasons are just a page turn away. Guns are being cleaned, clays are being shot at (in some instances hit) and the blaze orange vests and brush pants are being washed and hung in the front closet. As we move toward fall, each day is like December 20 to the permanent 10-year-old in my head and the living room floor is littered with shiny wrapped boxes under a grand Christmas tree. The excitement for the big event is building, building, building; but it is not quite time.

The sneak peak at the upcoming presents is a drive down a gravel road. Gunnar is in the passenger seat, front legs on the dash, twitching with anticipation as a brood of young pheasants skitter across the road. In a few weeks, they’ll trade in their buff colors to be decked in red, gold and green. They won’t be as easy to find either.

There are so many things to explore in this outdoorsman’s world. Watching trap shooters work their magic with over-under shotguns the other night, I began to wonder if I would be a more competent shooter if I abandoned the pump in favor of these sleeker models. Maybe this winter, I could make my own muskie lures or start reloading shotgun shells to help prepare for those seasons and waylay the symptoms of cabin fever. Perhaps a trip to Alaska for monster halibut or king salmon would be something to look forward to down the road, and I should start planning now. Each thought brings a vision of a perfect outing to mind where everything goes right. Who knows, maybe one day I will try each and they will go well, thanks to times such as this.

Then there are other things which I probably never will try. I doubt I’d make a good bow hunter. I’m so impatient and have a body odor issue that requires three sticks of Right Guard Extreme per month. I click my tongue and clap my hands more than anyone I know. To top it all off, I am afraid of heights. Add these qualities up and it seems an unlikely pursuit for this author, but it sure does look fun; through the stories in magazines and on TV, I live those moments of anticipation.

It seems inherent in people, particularly sportsmen, that we are always looking forward and anticipating the next day to come and it becomes difficult to live in the moment – especially those of high anticipation. My sage advice this week – seize that anticipation and use it as motivation. Focus your efforts on preparation.. Throw dummies for your bird dog. Shoot a few rounds of clays. Clean your gun. Shoot a 3-D archery tournament. Or dare I say it, give your ice shanty a once-over.

Live in the moment by using it as a time of preparation for opening day or the instance where your target is in sight. While these times can be the ones that try sportsmen’s souls, they are the ones that pave the way for the most memorable moments…in our outdoors.