Being a guide means that you change activities with the seasons. October first marks one of those shifts in activity. I change from a fishing and canoe guide to an upland bird hunting guide. I have been working with the dogs for an hour or so each evening for the last six weeks and everyone seems to be ready except the boss. Changing mental gears is the problem, I don’t want to put away my fly rods and striper gear. The season has been great and I don’t want it to end; but someone is expecting me to arrive in the North Maine Woods Sunday afternoon with my orange hat and hunting boots on so I have no choice.
I spent most of today unpacking the fishing gear from the Yukon and loading the kennel boxes and hunting gear into it. I purchased the Yukon over the summer and it is much newer (9 years) than the old Tahoe of course the body style changed in the interim. Things fit but to get it all in requires that I pack more carefully than I had to in the past. Adding to the fun is the fact that I will spend at least a few days guiding folks fishing for brook trout so I need to get out and fit in even more stuff. It all fits but there was a time today when I did not think that it would.
Speaking of adapting to change Mae my English Pointer would have nothing to do with the collar that beeps when she is on point last season. After a little coaxing and coaching she will wear it and my life just got much easier. You would not think that a white dog would be hard to find standing on point in the woods but she can be. With the beeper that gets a whole lot easier, so I won’t have to spend as much time looking for a dog on point this year.
So I guess that I will adapt to the change in the day to day plan after all. The hardest part is getting over the change. Of course I will have to change again at the end of the month and then again in January to adapt to the different facets of my business.
Add new comment