It’s September! Almost Time for ‘Wasting Time…’
Are you ready to hunt?
Okay, technically it was September last week too, but with the holiday and all, and some kids not in school yet, it didn’t really feel like it. But it’s already bird season in some states, and if you just…can’t…take it, you and maybe your favorite mutt can get out there, fill yourself with brambles and/or ticks, and get some hunting in. Maybe some shooting too. You’re lucky!
The rest of us, who are “too busy” or too hot or not in season yet, have to content ourselves with prepping for the hunt, which means:
Shooting
We’d be real curious about clay pigeon sales during August and September vs. the rest of the year. If you’re an avid clays guy, don’t forget to get your bird guns out! And once in a while shoot with the pack or vest on that you’ll be wearing in the field.
Getting Your Dog in Shape
This is fun too. Tomorrow we’ll have a few tips on this from a buddy of ours.
Shopping
It’s been a lean couple of years for many folks, but hey – you need something, right? Shells at least. Maybe some new duds: Get the LL Bean Upland Technical Pants if you haven’t gotten them already, or wait until the Gore-Tex versions are on sale again next year. Bean’s articulated bird pants are the best, bar none – as we discuss in the Gear section of our book (shameless plug 1).
Messing With Gear
Cleaning barrels, greasing hinges, oiling stocks, packing packs/vests, washing Gore-Tex clothes (important! you need to recharge Gore-Tex, as covered in our book <– that was shameless plug 2), oiling boots, inventorying and generally messing with the rest of your gear. Fun!
Getting in Shape
We love this part of bird season because we have motivation to do what sports (and maybe girls!) used to motivate us to do: get in some Serious (sorta) shape! Hitting the gym at least 3x/week and running, walking or even hiking makes you feel good – because you’re in better shape, you’re doing “something” beyond just shooting and rearranging your gear to prep for the season, and you know that you’ve done everything you can to get ready for bird season. We’ll talk more about this in an upcoming post.
The ‘Logic’ of It All
Roger Phillips, outdoor writer for the Bellingham (WA) Herald and an upland bird hunter (though possibly not a Serious one, from his description of why he bird-hunts), had this to say in a recent column:
Measured by an effort-to-reward ratio, upland birds are a complete waste of time, money and energy. For what I spend in gas alone, I could fill my freezer with chickens and Butterball turkeys. But what fun would that be?
Egg-zaktly!
Category: Preseason
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