Hey Eric!! Howdy!
Well here I am getting called out by one of the rookies....
My great Banana Ridge stand is way around the other side of the ridge, and there is a gate to get in which is locked when w aren't there. One year at the bginning of the hunt Ron gave me the keys and told me to go unlock it, so that I could hang my treestand.
Ron had just put new high quality locks on everything so he gave me a ring with 5 or 6 keys on it. For the life of me, I couldn't get the lock to open with the keys in hand.
I hopped back in the truck, and sped to camp looking for Ron. He told me that these were the only keys he had....either someone had changed the locks, or he had left them at home. "Dammit, just bust the lock off" he said.
I grabbed a sledge hammer and rode back to the gate. Because the gate and hasp were installed properly, I couldn't get a very good angle on the lock, and banged up the gate and post pretty good. I went back to camp for more stuff....
This raised a red flag with Ron, so he came back with me. "Hang on", he said as I was preparing the hacksaw, and wishing out loud for some C4.
He slipped the key into his newly bought, high quality lock, turned it and the lock fell open....well, 1/2 way open. I had pummled it so badly he had to persuade it with a Shrew Hawk.
Somehow, I hadn't tried the right key.
He stared at me for at minute, then at his newly purchased, high quality lock and gate. "Way to go Sledge" was all he said. It was a quiet ride back to the camp.
So now, whenever I do something blunderous or stupid, I get the stare, and Ron will say "go easy there Sledge"...