A preview of a chapter from an upcoming book of mine may find interest with readers here. It previously appeared in my weekly outdoor column here in Fremont, NE...
TEMPTED BY ANOTHER
The look of longing I was getting from across the room from my ex could not be mistaken. It was being telegraphed so obviously that I began to feel self-conscious. Especially since we were both in the same room as my current love.
Of course it’s true that I’d been getting these strong vibes ever since I’d moved on, but what could I do? Yes, I still had feelings for her, but you have to make a choice.
Don’t get me wrong, I am extremely loyal. Still, it was tempting to stray, to hold her in my arms and once again feel her familiar curves, and breathe in her scent.
But the bottom line is simply that you can only hunt with one bow at a time.
A bow? Sure. What did you think I was talking about?
I don’t know if the compound guys have the same issue, but I know for a fact that many traditional bowhunters struggle with this. Do you settle on one bow and learn her secrets and develop your skills to the utmost? After all, the old adage warns you to beware the man with just one bow (or gun) for they are likely to be quite good with it.
Or should the hunter take turns, giving them all some action? In other words, play the field. That would seem to be a great strategy to the romanticist, but in jumping from bow to bow does one hurt the consistency of their accuracy? I mean doing this with one’s shotguns and then missing a pheasant is one thing; missing a shot at a big deer is another thing entirely.
Speaking of shotguns, I have the same dilemma. I am just as enamored with the fine lines and quality workmanship of a good gun as I am those of a custom recurve or longbow.
Not only are they all functional pieces of sporting equipment, but also works of art. They’re almost too pretty to take hunting. Almost.
I cannot summon the same love or admiration for modern compound bows nor today’s composite-stocked, camouflage clad guns in their various cutting-edge configurations. Don’t get me wrong, I readily admit they perform their sporting tasks with precision.
And there may be a “cool” factor with the space-age designs, and even increased function or wear. Indeed, the new age guns can buck brush and come back no worse for wear, while the old walnut-stocked guns of yesteryear will show scratches and gouges when treated roughly.
But the modern models are missing out on “mojo.” For it is those very character marks that speak volumes to me. The worn bluing similarly tugs at my heart strings. Such handmade, wood-handled weapons wear their mileage proudly. They tell stories of circling ducks and thunderous flushes of pheasants, and smell of Hoppe’s No. 9 solvent and the burnt gunpowder from paper-hulled Peters, Remington, Winchester and Western shells. They carry the sweat of their makers as well as the hunter.
So bear with me as I struggle with my devotion to my old Pronghorn take-down longbow. For the new one that just arrived in the mail is virtually the same weight and length, but a lighter curly ash instead of green laminate.
A younger woman indeed, and blonde to boot.
Topic: Tempted by Another (Read 277 times)
