March 2008
Hey Everyone, March 10, 2008
I hope everything is fine in your neck of the woods. I have a week off before I head over to Spokane, WA to do my last sportsman show so I thought I would get a newsletter out. It seems lately that my letters have been rushed a bit with too much business and not enough life in it so let me get you caught up on what is going on in our life.
It was fun last year to have my 18-year old daughter help me out over in Wyoming. She did everything from cleaning rooms to guiding and gutting. She might make out to be a good kid anyway. She will be back out again this year to work with me again. She shot a goofy horned antelope last year and a nice little whitetail. It is so much fun watching your kids hunt and take an animal. I am not sure if that isn’t the most satisfying thing to watch. Our 15-year old daughter wants to come out this year and shoot an antelope. I can’t wait. My wife and I also took a couple of good antelope. It was my wife’s first big game kill and now she is planning her caribou trip, lion trip and I think she even mentioned a sheep trip. I told her to get another job. You can see last seasons photos at: www.kodakgallery.com/gimmeago
My youngest son is doing well in the army. We are very proud of him. He finished basic last summer then graduated from his medic school. After that he got into Air Borne and graduated from that now he is in Georgia getting ready to get into RIP then Rangers. He is one beat up kid. I talked to him the other day and for the first time I could hear a bit of anxiety in his voice. He said he was no way going to quit but he was hurting. I reassured him that this isn’t for the weak. That he is in an elite group and it is supposed to be hard. I am sure he will do well.
My little 3-year old grandson is growing like a weed. He runs the place. He keeps telling me that he wants to shoot an antelope then gets mad when I tell him we can’t do that right now. He goes and gets his gun and grabs me by the finger to head out hunting. That boy doesn’t have a chance.
Stacy and I have just been busy with shows. It has been going very well. I did, for the first time, the RMEF show in Reno. It was great. I am sure we will be doing that show from now on. What great people I met there. It seemed like all the egos were left out at the door and that everyone no matter what you were hunting was important. The down side is that those dirty rotten no good $&%&% slot machines. I NEVER win anything on those yet I keep trying. I went over to the show with an old buddy of mine. That Friday night we called our wives to fly over and spend the rest of the weekend with us. I am glad we did because my buddy’s wife won $1300 and my wife won $300. THANK YOU GIRLS!!! Although they did forget the sharing part of the money. Oh well we had fun.
We are still booking hunts for 2008. We are all full on our deer hunts for this year and we are starting to book for 2009. We do however have room for antelope hunts. October 12, 13 and 14 which is early season on the east side of the highway and we opening for the later hunt after the 15th for the west side of the highway. If you are not familiar with where we are, we are in the Buffalo/Sheridan area of Wyoming. Lots of animals and we have a lot of land to hunt them. We have about 200,000 acres of leases from ranchers all over that part of the country. The draw is easy to get however to make absolute sure you get the draw the dead line is coming up March 15th. I am sure we will have left-over tags but you never know.
I am still booking for fishing trips here on the Columbia River. I have 4 spots left for spring salmon. Those dates are April 8, 9, 14 and 16. We are supposed to get a huge salmon run this year and we are already hearing of fish going over Bonneville Dam so it looks like we will get them. I still have a couple keeper sturgeon dates left May 1, 9 and 10. The Trophy sturgeon season will start up on May 16th when the shad season opens. I do have trophy sturgeon dates left. I have May 20, 21, 27, 28 and 29. In June I have June 2, 3, 4, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 26-30. In July I have most of it open.
I have not announced the dates for fall fishing because I thought I was going to go on an elk hunt this year but we are going to wait and do it next year. Therefore, I have the second week of September open at this time. This will always book up so give us a call if you want to do some fall salmon fishing with us.
This would not be a newsletter without a bad joke so here we go.
A group of hunters got a pilot to fly them into the far north for elk hunting. They were quite successful in their venture and bagged six big bulls. The pilot came back, as arranged, to pick them up. They started loading their gear into the plane, including the six elk. But the pilot objected and he said, “The plane can only take four of your elk; you will have to leave two behind.” They argued with him; the year before they had shot six and the pilot had allowed them to put all aboard. The plane was the same model and capacity. Reluctantly, the pilot finally permitted them to put all six aboard. But when the attempted to take off and leave the valley, the little plane could not make it and they crashed into the wilderness.
Climbing out of the wreckage, one hunter said to the other, “Do you know where we are?”
“I think so,” replied the other hunter. I think this is about the same place where we landed last year!”
Okay I told you it was a bad one. Anyway, thanks for being great friends and customers to us. We always look forward to fishing and now hunting with you. If you haven’t yet been out with us I just want you to know that we are looking forward to the opportunity to do so. Thanks again and give us a call if you are thinking about a hunting or fishing trip.