CHOICES!!!
By Montana Grant

Posted: October 17, 2021

Sportsmen make choices. These decisions lead to success or not. Going up, down, left, right, or choosing gear and equipment all come back to haunt us.

That’s why we always here, you should have been here yesterday.

The only way to learn, is to take responsibility, for our choices. In this way we can learn to make better choices. We have all had close calls that could have turned out differently, had we made a different choice.

On one hunt, we were deciding whether to pheasant hunt the west field or east field. We chose to hunt west. Within 5 minutes, it was raining cockbirds. When I looked back at the east end, 3 groups of other hunters were converging on the cover where we started. That choice resulted in 3 limits of birds in just a few minutes.

Tree stand hunting can be a real advantage. Many hunters position 2-3 different stands. So, which stand do you choose? On one evening, I chose a stand that allowed me a great view of the property. Ad I sat, and scanned with my binoculars, I watched a massive white-tailed buck walk right under my other stand a few hundred yards away. Oh well.

When we fly fish, fly selection is important. Matching the hatch can be important. On a trip to Henry’s Fork, I chose to be different. Everyone else was using tiny flies and long leaders. I could barely see the #22 dry flies to tie one on. I did notice tons of grasshoppers as I hiked into the river. This led me to choose a Joe’s Hopper. 10 monster trout later taught me that I made the right choice.

One hunting camp identified a right and wrong choice. When we set up camp, we looked at the area to make sure we would be safe from falling trees. My buddy decided to position his trailer within a small grove of trees, where he always chose to camp. I set up further into the field. During a windy night, a lone dead tree, that was leaning in the opposite direction, fell toward the camper, in the middle of the night. It missed the camper but landed in the back of his pickup truck. Oh well!

Live and learn!

Montana Grant

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