"Gear"

When a person has a passion, the passion usually requires necessary gear in order to be an active participant.  For this reason, I have concluded that the World of Hunting needs some assistance with developing appropriate gear for vertically challenged people.  Here are a few items I have discovered to be inadequate when shared between people blessed with height and people envy of the lack of it.

Recently, my husband purchased me some gators also named by our oldest daughter as circulatory enhancers.   For an individual like my husband, who is over 6 feet tall, the gators actually fit like circulatory enhancers because they lay around his ankle covering his boots and end mid-calf.  However, for a vertically challenged individual like me, the gators fit like long pant legs, beginning at my thigh-hip area and extending to my boots covering them.  The gators in the Fashion World could be referred to as half- body gators!

I tend to be a half-glass filled observer as a glass over-flowing with opportunity.  Needless to say, while out hunting, I was wearing my body gators that Jimmy bought me, which was a complete blessing in disguise.  As my boots entered into a day old fallen snow the snow would freely become airborne and fly up into my face.  This would not have been so bad but add in the airborne snow that is also generated by my husband, who was walking in front of me; it develops into a blizzard effect.  By the time we got to an area we could sit and watch my buck chasing his doe, I literally was whipping my entire face off as if I had just washed my face.  I am positive I impersonated Audrey in Christmas Vacation with her eyes frozen shut…umm, open!  When I finally was able to see, I noticed not the buck chasing his doe but my Jimmy dry as can be…fricking vertical challenges!

All I need to say about the next “gear” is shooting sticks.  Hikers:  No need to purchase hiking sticks, shooting sticks can be used for both up-hill and down-hill usage.  These things are great for multipurpose use when suffering from vertical challenge.  Think of all the money I have saved you by pointing this out! 

Other usage for this “gear” is “accidental” hitting sticks.  “Accidental” hitting sticks can only be utilized while an individual is walking behind you and if you are taller than them.   Otherwise, the “accidental” sticks are really just “tickle” sticks.  In either case, B-E-W-A-R-E, for if the individual behind you is not in a pleasant mood due to various circumstances such as hit in the nose and the eye by the sticks the individual walking in front of you is carrying, the shooting sticks suddenly become Light-Sabers!  You can kiss all quiet stalking tactics good-bye.

Thankfully, the multipurpose “gear” can be modified for various leg-heights.  That is an added bonus.  Though, it becomes even more adventurous when sitting on the side of a hill for hours overlooking the intended target below while patiently waiting for an open shot, yet, continually changing angles and positions.    Then, it is highly recommended to re-adjust the shooting stick leg- heights.  Otherwise, if the individual adjusting them for you has a 3 foot advantage, instead of the current buck hunting season you are participating in changes in a split second to duck hunting season! 

Regardless of suffering from vertical challenges, there is one piece of hunting “gear” that I have, that no other person has.   It is the only piece of equipment that I have that fits me perfectly.   I can take it with me hunting in extremely cold weather and it will keep me warm.   No, I will not share for it’s my best kept hunting gear secret.  I only share bits and pieces of it with you all.  My “gear” you all know as Jimmy, my husband! 

November 2015 The Hunter’s Wife and My BEST piece of Hunting “Gear”

In November, my hunting “gear” and I sat alongside one another on the side of a hill, patiently waiting for a buck I wanted.  Most other hunting “gears” may consider leaving after the first hour, especially when the buck decides to bed down.  Once bedding occurs, who knows how long you will be sitting there.  For me as you are all quite aware of, sitting in one spot for any length of time over a half a second is excessively challenging due to my child-like attention span.  But when my best hunting “gear” and I are together sitting for any length of time, patiently waiting, it feels like seconds.

For one, it comes natural for me to poke fun at my best piece of hunting “gear.”  He sweetly attempts to document my hunt capturing the following picture to illustrate not only the distance but the scenery we are focusing on:

He is RIGHT there!

My best hunting “gear” remarks “He’s RIGHT there!”  In which my instant sarcasm surfaces “You just know he is down there taking the same exact snap-shot of us saying, “They’re sitting, sliding the side of that ridge RIGHT there!””  HAHAA…This is only a few of the quiet laughter we share. 

Thank you to my secret Hunting “Gear” for assisting me with my harvest!

No World of Hunting; there will be no sharing the only piece of PERFECT Hunting “Gear” that this vertically challenged individual possess.  Continue to develop your Hunting “Gear” and if you’d like a vertically challenged individual to test it for you, I can be contacted at the Hunter’s Wife’s Blogspot:  http://ahunterswifesblog.blogspot.com

I look forward to hearing from you...