[Alan Mater]

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to give you a heads up that I will be gone for a week. I'll be leaving tomorrow and won't be back till next Sunday for a hunting trip. If you PM me or want me to look at your site for proofreading or anything else, I will get back to you when I get back.

I will have no computer, cell phone or tv. Just the open outdoors and a time to get away and enjoy life... And... also hunt the elusive white-tailed deer . Haha. I will see you all when I get back.

Take care and have a great week,

Alan

[Gunther69]

Hey Alan, have a good trip and bring me back some venison jerky!!

[Alan Mater]

Originally Posted by Gunther69

Hey Alan, have a good trip and bring me back some venison jerky!!

Dude, that would be nice. It's been four years since I've gotten anything! I'm about due to get one. I'm staying positive for this year

[lianwei]

Wooo Alan.. Enjoy yourself and forget about civilization!

[GT]

Hey, Alan:

Enjoy your get-a-way! Nothing like nature to rejuvenate the soul.

Although, I have to tell you, I'm pulling for the white-tail. I shoot them, too, but with my camera ... 10 feet from our doorstep as they pass through the yard daily to steal sunflower seeds from the bird feeder.

Don't want to make you feel bad, but two days ago this beautiful buck with an awesome rack of antlers came sauntering through! Couldn't get my camera in time, unfortunately.

Have fun!

GT

[Jason Fulton]

Enjoy your week off, i think we all deserve a week away from the computer at some stage , although how would i check my emails

[Patrician]

Have fun Alan, but like GT I am pulling for BAMBI (and Thumper) LOL.

See ya when you get back!

Pat

[Graham Maddison]

Have a good time Alan, kinda envious but you deserve it.

Graham

[godisgood]

Hi Alan,

Have fun and enjoy your short vacation. You deserve a break!

[Alan Mater]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I'm back a couple days early due to certain circumstances. I did have fun, of course . Getting away and forgetting about everything is something I think everyone should do at least once a year. It's very refreshing.

Reality has hit me over the head now that I'm back. 440 emails, bills to pay and work to do. Wish I could just pause it all and get away again.

For anyone that's curious... I saw 11 doe on Monday (three on the way up to camp), one doe on Thursday and a buck and three doe on the way home in the dark last night. Walked for miles and miles and worked off all the great meals we had. There were three to four inches of snow already when we got there. Hardly melted at all. Made for very crunchy and slippy terrain.

Alan

[GT]

Hi, Alan:

Glad you have returned safely and that you enjoyed your time away.

Hey - 440 emails! Maybe there's a niche business there! I bet people would LOVE to be able to outsource their emails when they're away. (Don't know how it would be possible, though. Oh, well.)

GT

[Patrician]

tee hee.

this is the place to celebrate if you didn't kill anything.

we are way glad if you are lousy at hunting.

I HOPE YOU GET THE JOKE.

Welcome back to the salt mines.

[Alan Mater]

Ha ha... Pat, you're lucky I have a sense of humor . The snow made for bad hunting, although it's a lot easier to see when everything's white. The deer just don't move in the snow... not during the day anyway, unless you have people moving them. It's impossible to sneak up on anything with loud, crunchy snow. Oh... but I did get to see some bear tracks! Two guys I hunt with actually saw the 300 pound bear up close and personal. I was content on just seeing the tracks .

GT, I don't mind going through the emails. I would prefer to go through them myself and take care of any that needs attention. Most are just newsletters from other marketers anyway.

Thanks!

Alan

[Davesbiz]

Great to see you back Alan. I have just come back from a three day break myself. Like you I prefer to leave my computer at home when I go away and have a complete break from PIPS. I feel much more refreshed and ready to get back into work when I do that.

Dave

[GT]

Originally Posted by Alan Mater

Oh... but I did get to see some bear tracks! Two guys I hunt with actually saw the 300 pound bear up close and personal. I was content on just seeing the tracks .

Alan

Two summers ago we knew there were bears out in the woods on our acreage and in the area. I went hunting for bear twice with my camera over in on our neighbour's wooded land.

The first time, I spotted the bear about a quarter mile away, but it spotted me, too, and by the time I got closer, it was gone. Since I didn't know WHERE it was gone to, I skeedaddled OUT of there!

The second time, I spotted the bear cubs first - 1, 2, 3, 4 of them! Oh, oh, I thought. Where the heck is Momma Bear!? I decided to forget the photo and leave the area, but before I could, I spotted her.

So, I quietly turned around and slowly, cautiously started moving away, hoping she wouldn't spot ME so close to her cubs.

It was just like in the cartoons: one step, two steps, three steps ... then CRACK as I stepped on a fallen branch. I looked at her as she looked at me, then I just put my head down in a submissive position, turned and walked very swiftly in the direction opposite to the cubs.

I didn't dare turn to look and I didn't dare run. Just kept my head down and hoped Momma recognized that I was leaving the area.

I made it home with no incident ... and haven't gone bear hunting since!

(And now, the developers have stripped most of the land around us, so I'm sure the bears have moved further away.)

GT

[Alan Mater]

Originally Posted by GT

Two summers ago we knew there were bears out in the woods on our acreage and in the area. I went hunting for bear twice with my camera over in on our neighbour's wooded land.

The first time, I spotted the bear about a quarter mile away, but it spotted me, too, and by the time I got closer, it was gone. Since I didn't know WHERE it was gone to, I skeedaddled OUT of there!

The second time, I spotted the bear cubs first - 1, 2, 3, 4 of them! Oh, oh, I thought. Where the heck is Momma Bear!? I decided to forget the photo and leave the area, but before I could, I spotted her.

So, I quietly turned around and slowly, cautiously started moving away, hoping she wouldn't spot ME so close to her cubs.

It was just like in the cartoons: one step, two steps, three steps ... then CRACK as I stepped on a fallen branch. I looked at her as she looked at me, then I just put my head down in a submissive position, turned and walked very swiftly in the direction opposite to the cubs.

I didn't dare turn to look and I didn't dare run. Just kept my head down and hoped Momma recognized that I was leaving the area.

I made it home with no incident ... and haven't gone bear hunting since!

(And now, the developers have stripped most of the land around us, so I'm sure the bears have moved further away.)

GT

Very interesting, yet startling story, GT. We are glad you made it out of there okay, as I'm sure you are as well. I've heard some very vicious bear stories from local hunters. Some almost life-threatening .

The one guy from camp that saw the bear said it was running down the mountain towards him but finally turned directions. The bear never knew he was there but was only 25 yards away. The guy was ready just in case Mr. Bear got TOO close.

Any scenario involving a bear... I'm glad not to be a part of.

[GT]

Originally Posted by Alan Mater

Any scenario involving a bear... I'm glad not to be a part of.

THAT'S what my WIFE says! ... On my growly days.

(I was a bit frightened in the bear experience I mentioned, but I suppose my problem is I'm not frightened enough ... I enjoy nature and trust it too much sometimes. I think of bears like big dumb dogs. Also, I think that most bears want to avoid you more than you want to avoid them. But I DO EXPLICITLY warn people to be cautious whenever bears may be present.)

By the way, bears (even big bears) can climb a tree as fast as you can blink your eyes! So don't count on climbing a tree to get away from a bear.

Hey! And did you know porcupines climb trees, too? We watched a big one do it this summer as he tried to gain a better vantage point to watch the curious humans hanging around his territory. I didn't know they could do it and wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it!

GT

[Alan Mater]

Originally Posted by GT

THAT'S what my WIFE says! ... On my growly days.

(I was a bit frightened in the bear experience I mentioned, but I suppose my problem is I'm not frightened enough ... I enjoy nature and trust it too much sometimes. I think of bears like big dumb dogs. Also, I think that most bears want to avoid you more than you want to avoid them. But I DO EXPLICITLY warn people to be cautious whenever bears may be present.)

By the way, bears (even big bears) can climb a tree as fast as you can blink your eyes! So don't count on climbing a tree to get away from a bear.

Hey! And did you know porcupines climb trees, too? We watched a big one do it this summer as he tried to gain a better vantage point to watch the curious humans hanging around his territory. I didn't know they could do it and wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it!

GT

Bears normally avoid people, unless they have reasons not to. Protecting their cubs is top priority, so you did the right thing for sure.

Yes, bears are excellent climbers. I would sooner play dead, or just get out my .45 as a last resort .

Whoa, never heard of porcupines climbing trees! Scary stuff. I only ever had one encounter with a porcupine, and it was very determined in getting away from me. I was able to take some pictures of it, only to have my film ruined later . That was before the "digital age."

BTW, this is becoming an interesting thread for sharing outdoor and hunting stories. I invite others to come in here and share their stories. Take some time away from IM and your PIPS business. There is never anything wrong with that. It's always nice to discuss something other than business every once and a while .

[Alan Mater]

Now here's an interesting story for sure... with a valuable lesson to be learned.

My dad and I hunted locally Monday morning and early afternoon before heading up to our friend's camp, which is about 2 hours away if me or my dad is driving .

We decided to head home quick to grab some things we forgot and then be on our way. Well, as we were headed home my mom called me on my cell to ask if we were still hunting. I said we had just left and were on our way home.

"Oh, good! Our house was shot. I could hear the bullet go through the house. It came from the ridge somewhere."

I was like... What?!?! What do you mean our house was shot?

Long story short... my neighbor, who is my age, was hunting up on the ridge behind our houses. He attempted to shoot a buck, and instead, the bullet ricocheted off the ground, found its way through hundreds of tiny limbs and branches and made its way into our house.

I'll try to paint you a picture of the terrain. From our backyard on it is all uphill until about 150 yards up. Then there's a flat field for about 75 yards. Past the field it goes up for a little before dropping off into a ravine. After the ravine it goes up to the very top of the ridge.

His tree stand was on the top right before the ravine. I would estimate from where his tree stand is it is about 500-700 yards away.

We got home, and my mom called 9-1-1 and told them what happened. My dad and I waited till the police arrived to look at the holes and listen to us explain the terrain and where the tree stand is. We could see someone sitting up there from the road, but we didn't know who was up there. It could have been anyone as it's a permanent stand. I've hunted in it a time or two myself.

The police waited for the game warden to come so they could go up and investigate. My dad and I left since we weren't needed.

The shot was one in a million for sure. Glad my mom is okay as she was sitting about 8 feet from where the bullet had stopped.

There is a lesson here. Know your surroundings and be sure of your shot. And yes, one in million CAN happen!

[GT]

Hi, Alan:

Wow. You never know when a seemingly innocent action will have serious consequences. It's great your mom was unharmed!

Until recently, the area (still within town limits) where we live with just two other close acreages was relatively isolated, although there is a fair but of traffic that runs by our place - area residents going to and from town.

We have an over-abundance of squirrels and our neighbour, who's family used to farm her property when she was younger, will sometimes shoot the squirrels to keep their numbers down. We don't really have a problem with that because we know she is thoughtful and carefull ... but still, as you mentioned with your experience, unexpected accidents do happen. It makes one think.

Since we are in town limits and developers are preparing about 80 residential lots to our neighbour's south, and about 80 more lots directly to our north with a walkway behind our property and our neighbour's property connecting the two developments, I doubt our neighbour will be doing any more shooting.

(Me? A couple of summers ago, I had a squirrel regularly eating peanuts out of my hand and a momma deer just inches away from eating fruit from my hand.)

GT

[Alan Mater]

Originally Posted by GT

Hi, Alan:

Wow. You never know when a seemingly innocent action will have serious consequences.

GT

You're sure right about that!

I was able to pet a squirrel once when I was down in Myrtle Beach. It was obviously used to being around people as we were in a shopping area at the time. It sniffed my hand for a little as I was hoping it wouldn't bite me . I snapped some pictures of it eating corn before it decided to come close to us. Too bad I put my camera away when I decided to touch it. That would have been a cool pic for sure

I only ever had the opportunity to touch a deer when my neighbors, the same ones, took in a little fawn who's mother had been hit along the highway. She was adorable. She was like a little dog, playing and jumping around with us. Good times.

[gussie789]

Everyone need a little time away and the outdoors is a great place to be.

Enjoy!