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»THE NOT-SO-GREAT OUTDOORSMAN | STEVE GALEA
Veteran hunters know weight should be put on gradually
Yesterday, a friend
of mine called to
tell me that he had
just arrowed a
280-pound swamp
buck.
I responded in the
accepted manner.
“My back is out.”
“It’s OK,” he replied.
“I’ve already got it out of the
woods.”
Those few simple words led to a miraculous
recovery.
He then went on to tell me that he
only had to drag the deer 200 yards in
the snow to get it out, which is further
proof that he’s young.
» From page 23
goalies and defencemen – it turns
into a shootout,” Haddaway said.
That said, the all-star game – like the
top prospects game later in the season
– attracts scouts from American
and Canadian schools and teams.
Brown said the scouts aren’t the
first thing he thinks of, but it is on
his mind.
“I know a lot of the guys in the
league now, especially the older guys
in the all-star game and it’ll be fun
first, but you also have to think that
these are the best guys in the league
and you’ll have to perform.”
Now bear in mind that my friend is
a man of the cloth, and I’m not just
talking Mossy Oak here. No sir, he’s a
real life minister.
Because of that, when he says that
the buck weighed 280 pounds, I believe
him – give or take 200 pounds.
OK, just take.
Even so, all this is forgivable since
he’s relatively new to hunting. Having
said that, there are major problems
with his story that any veteran
would have avoided.
The main problem here is that he
has already started out at an unreasonable
place.
You see, it is an unwritten law, perhaps
even an 11th commandment,
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Haddaway has coached the all-star
game in the past and said the players
might start out sticking close to their
own teammates, but it doesn’t take
long for them to mingle.
“The hockey community’s so small;
these guys skate with each other in
the summer or they played with or
against each other three years ago
in Bantam or some other time ...
That starts the conversation and by
the end of the night, they’re having
fun.”
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that deer gain both antlers and body
size with time. Here’s a simple question
which illustrates the point:
which deer weighs more, a 140-pound
animal shot last year or a 140-pound
animal shot just this morning?
Now most rank amateurs would invoke
some sort of weird science and
tell you that both animals weigh exactly
the same. Of course, this is pure
hogwash. The 140-pound deer shot
this morning has had very little time
to grow in weight, story, and antler
size. At best, it is 200 pounds.
On the other hand, the 140-pound
deer shot last season has had a full
year to increase in size and legend
status – with the right hunter and setting,
such a deer might top out at a
field-dressed weight of 300 pounds.
My minister friend has forgotten
this. And though it doesn’t seem like
such a big deal right now, mark my
words, it will be a problem a year
from now when he brags about the
500-pound monster buck he shot in
2008.
I suspect that ministers have been
defrocked for less.
I guess he got a little overeager in
his original story and that’s understandable.
Hopefully, the rest of us
will learn a thing or two from his ex-
THE OBSERVER | Saturday, December 06, 2008
PUBLIC MEETING ON 2009 REGIONAL BUDGET
Public meetings are scheduled to gather public input on the Year 2009 Regional Budget.
Several critical public policy issues are being addressed during this budget process. The final
public input meeting will be held on:
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2008
6:00 p.m.
REGIONAL COUNCIL CHAMBER
150 FREDERICK STREET, 2ND FLOOR, KITCHENER
If you are interested in Regional services you may wish to attend.
Final budget approval for user rates (water and wastewater) is scheduled for Wednesday,
December 10, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. and final budget approval for all other Regional services is
scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.
Notice of these meetings is being given in accordance with the Municipal Act as amended and
the Region’s notice policy.
Please visit our website (www.region.waterloo.on.ca) for more information on the Regional
Budget or pick up a budget package at the Council & Administrative Services Office, 150
Frederick Street, 2nd Floor, Kitchener. To speak to a Finance Department staff person on the
budget please call Peter Holling at (519) 575-4745.
You are welcome to attend any of the scheduled budget meetings or the Council meetings.
For a copy of the budget schedule please visit our website. You will only be allowed to register
as a delegation at the public input meeting on December 10, 2008. Please call the Council &
Administrative Services Office, (519) 575-4420 to register to speak. If you require accessible
services to participate in these meetings, please contact Council & Administrative Services by
Thursday, December 4th, 2008.
Kris Fletcher
Regional Clerk
ample.
The sad part is, as a minister, he
could have really put that deer to really
good use – in every sermon between
here and next hunting season.
Its gradual size gain could have easily
been explained or at least compared
to the miracle of the fish and loaves.
But not now. He’s already overstepped
the accepted boundaries.
Because of this, people are going to
be suspicious of the veracity of his
story. Talk about a waste of a good
deer.
In a sense, I feel responsible for the
whole thing. You see, I have helped
my friend get into hunting and was
with him on his first few real hunts.
If only I had spent more time congratulating
him on that 12-pound
woodcock. Then maybe things might
be different.
In any case, I guess my friend has a
very hard lesson to learn in the next
year or so. First, about the length of
time you need to marinade an old
bruiser of a swamp buck, and then
about how to develop a deer-hunting
story so that your conscience can live
with the final result.
Thank goodness that problem is
not mine. This year, I only took a
140-pound button buck.
All comments and information received from individuals, stakeholder groups and agencies regarding this project
are being collected to assist the Region of Waterloo in making a decision. Under the Municipal Act, personal
information such as name, address, telephone number, and property location that may be included in a submission
becomes part of the public record. Questions regarding the collection of this information should be referred to
Council & Administrative Services office.