report 7-2

[brownieman]

To me fishing is meant to be enjoyable...catching was always just a bonus.

Don't think many of us are going catching this week-end...just fishin

[Randall]

thats more or less what i meant. fishing to me is about the chase more than anything else.

[Terry Beeson]

Fishing and hunting both have an abundance, however certainly not the majority, of participants who have the sole goal in mind of filling a freezer and/or decorating their wall. While I find nothing wrong with trophies and certainly abhor wasting game/meat, it should not be the main concern. I find fishing and hunting to be therapy for me and, as Randall said, it is all about the chase.

When I have a deer pass my stand, a turkey come close enough to see or hear them gobble, ducks pass over my spread/blind, or a fish nab at my fly, I feel a sense of accomplishment no matter if the result is a fish in the net or a bird or deer on the ground. Certainly that 26 inch trout, 9 inch turkey beard, 12 point rack, or beautiful green head is a great bonus. And there is nothing better than a dinner of venison with biscuits and gravy, duck breast and dressing, smoked turkey, or crappie fillets with fries, green tomato relish, and hush puppies (gawd... now I'm HON-GRY!)

But to side track regulations in order to attain game and/or fish is not only unethical, but in many cases criminal. The mind-set is that they are getting their "taxes and license/permit fees" worth. But they never stop to think they are taking away from other hunters and fishermen and their heirs, not to mention adding fuel to the PETA flame.

More enforcement may be the answer, but the costs of said enforcement might just be a shock to the budget. We talk about it, but do we want to pay more for permits and taxes to get this? You might say the fines and penalties will pay for it, but I venture a guess that it would not cover all the costs. It would mean more wages, bennies, vehicles, fuel, court costs, etc. Not that I am against more enforcement, just looking at the practicality.

Just my opinion, for what it's worth... and that ain't much.

Soap box clear.... next?

[brownieman]

To me it's the total outdoor experience...standing motionless in the river with the fog rising waiting for a deer you see upstream swimming downstream towards you...dressed in camo you will be undetected if you don't move.

When he (In this instant was an 8 point buck) is right in front of you, rod tips length, when he turns to look the other way just quietly say hi...don't move a muscle and just observe.

While this is happening directly behind you there are hundreds of turkey vultures in huge sycamore trees spreading their wings to let the dew dry from their wings so they can take flight...really an awesome thing to behold...the bonus would be catching a fish but all else takes presedence at that moment in time.

These encounters with mother nature...well...it don't get much better in my book.

Here's a good one concerning the chase/take.

Got to the river a little before daylight, geared up, when I shut my truck door a turkey gobbled on the ridge right above me...season was open and as I do not turkey hunt I went ahead and fished. Couple of miles upstream I caught about a 6 lb. brown and saw another that was bigger, both active.

Catching the little one spooked the bigger one so I moved on.

Had a couple of friends, both of them being hunters and fishheads, with which we shared sightings of big fish, deer, whatever. We had our pet names for every hole on the river so we could key each other in on the exact spot we had saw something.

I told my buddy about the turkey and the fish that evening.

Heard a knock on my door the following morning about 9:00 am...I opened the door and he was standing there grinning with a 24 lb. gob in one hand and an 8 lb. female brownie in the other...his first big trout and mount.

I cussed him a little in jest and likewise.

Fishing trip, $100.00...Hunting trip, $200.00...mornings like these, priceless.