What Would You Do?

by Bryan

Can you believe it’s Friday already? TGIF!!! By now, most of you know what that means here at deerPhD – It’s What Would You Do time? Today’s scenario is a real-life situation I experienced about a year and a half ago.

Here’s the backdrop: It’s the final day of the PA rifle season. I have only a buck tag, and my father has only a doe tag. Since I was away in OH most of the season, BigK and I decide to hunt together – each with our own rifle. If a shooter buck comes, it’s mine – if a big doe steps out – it’s his. At about 4:30 PM, we spot a beautiful and mature doe standing about 150 yards away. BigK aims his Remington Model 700 30-06 and delivers a perfect shot (I mean perfect!!!).

The deer ran down a hill about 80 yards from an access road, so we exit the woods and park his truck on this road. We then re-enter the woods from this road (BigK unarmed; I take my rifle in case we spot a buck) to gut and drag the doe.

Here’s the itchy scenario: While dragging the deer, we hear, “Freeze, Game Commission. Stop where you are and drop your gun. Step away from the deer.”

Dad and I were freaked. We put our hands up and turned around.

“I watched you shoot from the road. You’re going to be cited.” (Note: he was literally yelling at us, with his hand on his pistol ready to draw.)

Dad and I are astounded, but before I tell you how it went down…WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

A. Talk with the officer and get things straightened out.

B. Call for back-up (i.e., friends, maybe even the state police).

C. This officer was way out of line, and you can’t help but be frustrated an angered. A heated argument is inevitable.

D. Comply with the officer’s every request, even if that means being cited for something you didn’t do (he’s got a gun, and he’s in charge now).

Since this was a real-life event, I am really looking forward to your comments. I’ll be sure to finish the story early next week. Until then, have a wonderful weekend!

 ———UPDATED March 4, 2008———

Awesome comments everyone – thanks for chiming in. As many of you alluded to, this was a tight situation for Big K and myself…here’s how it went down.

My first thoughts were, “There’s no way out of this – he’s lying and he has already made-up his mind.”  I think it was my gut reaction to start walking toward him, wanting to shake his hand and start to talk things over. Wow was this a bad move. The officer yelled louder, “I said freeze – don’t walk to me, I’ll walk to you.” He then bee-lined for the deer and checked his ear tag (everything was legal by the way).  He then said, “Okay, I will write you up – I saw you shoot from the road.”

Being the one who made the shot, my dad said, “Now wait a minute, we shot from the other direction – go look at the blood trail.” The officer responded, “But I saw you shoot from the road.”

Big K’s response, “Now wait a minute, we have huts on the other side from which we shot. Let’s go look; I bet the casing is still there. Plus, you can follow the blood trail.”

The officer then said, “Okay, tell me your story” and Big K did just that.

No questions asked – he believed the story and congratulated him on a successful kill. He then said, “I’ll follow you to your truck; I want to check you stored your gun.”

Luckily (well, not luck, it’s good practice) BigK stored his rifle unloaded and bolt open. The officer waited until I put my gun away and then said, “Now let me see how you did it.”

Needless to say, this guy was on the prowl. I don’t know what his deal was, but it sure did give me a sour taste of PA Game Management. In my opinion, that’s the worst thing an officer can do – they should be there to encourage us to obey the law, not catch us in a trap (or worse, a made-up story). Fortunately, it all worked out in the end. I still think of that great shot BigK pulled off – it was absolutely perfect!!!

Do You Not Want to Join Skinny Moose Media But Still Want to Blog on Your Own Domain?

by Steve Remington

There are a lot of people out there who are very independent and want to blog on their own. Maybe they feel they can make more money on their own, or don’t want to be tied to a Network. Skinny Moose Media supports all hunting and fishing blogs even if they aren’t part of the Network. We feel that blogging for the heritage of hunting and preservation is very important. We understand not everyone want to be part of a Network so we wanted to remind people that Skinny Moose can still host and set you up with a blog for a small fee. You can check out our hosting costs here. Read more

How Can I Monetize My Blog If I am Going It Alone?

by Steve Remington

One of the key reasons people start blogs is to make some money doing it. If you aren’t joining a blog Network like Skinny Moose Media then you are going to have to learn how to monetize your blog and make the money yourself. This takes a lot of extra effort than simply writing.

But let’s not put the cart before the horse. What a person needs to do first is put content on their blog each day that carries some weight. Good keyword rich text with links to highly resourceful sites will help get your blog off the ground. Now it is time to start making money from it. Usually blogs don’t start making money until 6 months into it at bare minimum. Most take at least a year. And most don’t want to hear that. Read more

The Mental Edge: Perfect Practice

by Bryan

During these cold months of February, I can often be found in my den, next to the fireplace in an early 1900’s rocking chair smoking my pipe, staring at the monster hanging above the mantel. Well, okay, I don’t really have a den, or a fireplace; I don’t smoke, and I also don’t have a rocking chair. Come to think of it, I don’t have a wall-hanger yet (some could qualify, but never got them mounted!). But, this time of year I frequently recollect my successful hunts. Fortunately, I landed a nice Ohio 8-point on October 12, but I’ve chot him repeatedly in my mind since then.

Thinking like this gets me itching to get back out to the woods, but season is still far off. So what’s a hunter to do? Nothing like a visit to a local shooting range to alleviate some of the tension! Which brings me to today’s mental tip – practice hunting while at the range – not just shooting.

What’s the difference? Shooters (now I’m not talking well-trained competition shooters — just your average joe/jane) might take a few shots, then BS with their friends, then maybe take a few more, with no real intention behind each shot. Yes, this is fun, but in my opinion it won’t help you land the buck of your dreams.

You can practice hunting by simulating a hunting environment at the target range? I know its indoors and the target is a bullseye – but you can visualize a deer behind that bull with each shot. I also like to draw my bow as if I’m hunting – not just shooting. By this, I mean I raise my arm and draw slowly – trying to stay quiet. I also might try to hold my draw for extended periods of time to simulate a situation in which the buck just won’t take that last step.

My Point: Your mind is very creative – use this creativity to get more out of your winter shooting outings!

Using Text Link Ads As a Revenue Generator

by Steve Remington

I get lots of people who ask me how the Skinny Moose Media Network makes its money. The trick I have learned over time is not to put all your eggs in one basket. Also don’t settle. In other words, just because one revenue stream is bringing you a little cash, don’t assume that is the only thing for you. You should be constantly pushing the boundaries and finding out which methods are right for you.

At some point I will breakdown for everyone what income streams we choose, which ones bring us the most money, and actually some new income streams we are looking into now.

Right now I would like to talk about one of the ways we generate income and that is through Text-Link-Ads. Read more

The Up North Journal Podcast

by Steve Remington

One of our newest bloggers, Mike Adams of Hooks and Bullets, also does a weekly podcast with his son called Up North Journal. It is a weekly talk show about hunting and fishing in Northern Michigan. So take an adventure through the woods and waters of Michigan through the eyes of a father and son team…

If you get some time have a listen to their February 24th 2008 show.

Kansas City: Here We Come!!!

by Bryan

Some of your regular deerPhD readers may recall that I applied for clinical internship this year (my final year of graduate training). Well, I am very pleased to report that I landed my top choice of internships! That’s right – on August 1st I will begin a 1 year placement at Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO.

What does this have to do with hunting? Well, just ask our blogging buddy over at Alpha Trilogy! In addition to furthering my training as a psychologist, I’m super-stoked to check-out the hunting seasons in Kansas and/or Missouri. To my knowledge, Missouri boasts some of the best turkey hunting in the nation, and their deer hunting holds its own as well. If I’m lucky, I might get to tray my hand at some quail hunting.

So, here’s to a new state and new hunting opportunities!

Sportsday: Kent State Knows B-Ball

by Bryan

Let’s play the free association game – what do you think of when I say Kent State? Unfortunately, most people think of the infamous May 4th shootings. But, did you know that the Golden Flash men’s basketball team just landed a national ranking in both the AP and coaches’ polls? That’s right – KSU B-ball just won its 20th game of the season for the 10th year in a row! They’re currently leading the MAC conference – if all goes well they’ll find themselves in the NCAA tournament and in the heat of March madness!!!

GO FLASHES!!! 

An Interesting Fella

by Bryan

Though he’s not much in the way of hunting, I recommend you check-out a recent story in the NY Times about a friend of mine. Jon is walking south. He started in Oregon, and he’s currently in Venezuela. His lone companion is a donkey (named Whothey), though I understand he’s met some interesting people who have become great friends along the way.

Jon and I met at Denison University. He was a senior when I was a freshman, and we played opposite each other on the football field (he played strongside corner while I was our weak cornerback). This guy had quite an impressive tenure at Dension. He was honored as the Presidential Medalist (highest honor at the school), and he earned honors on the football field (Academic All-American, several records that still stand) and classroom (including Phi Beta Kappa). After graduating, Jon spent some time in the Sudan, and then he started his walking quest.

We spent quite a bit of time together at Denison before he graduated, and to this day he remains one of the most influential people in my life. So go read a bit about him at the NY Times – I mean, how many people are featured in that magazine!!!

He also just started a blog about his journeys, though it’s still under construction: http://www.estatravesia.blogspot.com/

Here’s a photo he recently sent my way:

What Would You Do?

by Bryan

It’s Friday…and here at deerPhD.com we like to celebrate the weekend with a weekly feature: What Would You Do? I want to remind everyone that if you have any ideas for a WWYD scenario, drop me an e-mail at deerPhD@gmail.com. This week’s scenario is broken down into two parts – feel free to respond to both:

You are invited to go on an all expenses paid hunting trip with a friend. You’ve never hunted with this friend before, but you’ve seen the trophies on this hunter’s wall (enough to make your salivate!).  In planning for the excursion, you’ve already requested time off work and made arrangements with your family.

PART 1:  Let’s say it’s a week before the hunt, and your friend let’s you know that the hunt is on a high fence preserve. “In fact”, he says, “all those trophies were taken in those walls…it’s a great way to hunt!” Your friend tells you that he wants to get his money’s worth for going on a trip. WHAT DO YOU DO?

A. Those a nice trophies and a free hunt – who could pass that up? Fences or no fences – it’s all the same.

B.  Express concern to your friend, but still go out on the hunt.

C. Refuse to attend because you’re 100% fair chase.

PART 2: Now pretend that your friend never said anything about fences, and you ‘discover’ them as you approach the hunting lodge. When you ask your friend what’s going on, he replies, “Oh yeah…that’s just how we do things here. It will be a blast!”

D. Those a nice trophies and a free hunt – who could pass that up? Fences or no fences – it’s all the same.

E.  Express concern to your friend, but still go out on the hunt.

F.  Tell your friend that you’re in for a fun weekend and that you’ll go out with him on the hunts, but no actuall hunting for you.

G. Turn around and head back to the airport – you want nothing to do with this style of hunting.

I’m looking forward to your responses, and have a great weekend!

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