So it Begins......Again

 It's been a few years since I did any hunting of relevance.  I don't think I've purchased a hunting license in three years.  Time, opportunity, and motivation have been wanting, but now....

A couple of months ago I went into the hospital.... Twice!  Double pneumonia!  This happened while I was building a barn, and just after I had finished fencing off about 4 acres for my goats.  All in the summer heat.  

I've got a bit of a road to recovery because I have a comorbidity, and it has caused some reflection on my part.  I wouldn't say that I almost died, but it was a possibility, and spending all of your time working (either at your regular job or your ranch job) doesn't seem like the best way to spend your life.  It's especially poignant since I have a 10 year old who I hope to take hunting in the next couple of years.  So I have done some reassessing, and I've come to some conclusions about some things I need to do/change.

1.  I've got to exercise to get my lungs up to snuff, so I should do it with a shotgun in my hands while hunting for small game (including birds).

2.  I've got to start finding good places to hunt for the various species I want to pursue with my son.  When we're young, just being out in the field is no substitute for success.  I want him to have success and learn how to do it.

3.  I want to hunt more with family, especially my brother.

4. And finally, I want to cook/eat more wild game.  If we're not exposed to it when we're young, we may never get the taste for it.  My son will eat lamb, so I suspect he'll eat wild game as well.  Plus it's healthier in my opinion.  Not just the meat, but mentally making the connection between your food and where it comes from. 

So, mostly with my shotguns, I embark upon a lifestyle change that hopefully helps me get my hunting chops back, and creates better health and great memories for my family.

Adieu!