Anger Management...I need a wilderness break

First, I try very hard not to make religious or political statements on my blog.  I will leave that for the people who have more of a vested interest in religion and politics than I do.  But an article I read this morning has my blood boiling. My wife has a blog called "Trapped by the Mormons" and I often comment on there.  A friend and member of "The Team" has a blog "Dancing with Crazy" that touches on both religion and politics.  But today, I am mad enough to make a statement about religion...in particular, the Mormon (LDS) religion.  Freedom of speech and freedom of religion aside, to go against medical and scientific fact and say that you can change your entire being and become something different, is like saying one of my racing pigeons could change and become a falcon.

The harm done by that single speech is immeasurable!! Okay, enough said...if you don't understand why I am angry, slip over to one of the other blogs already mentioned and see if you don't develop some anger...or maybe you believe that religious leaders can say or do harmful things in the name of their church without regard for those whose lifes are destroyed by their words.

While we are speaking of blogs today, my good friend JA put out a great blog about eBooks yesterday!!

Today, I am packing up and getting things ready to take my 74-year-old father on a memorable elk/deer hunt on the northern edge of the Uinta Wilderness area.

My Uncle's recent Elk "harvest"

Not being in the prime of my youth myself, we will be taking his pop-up tent trailer to sleep in.  Should we manage to find and successfully harvest (just for you, honey) one of these magnificent animals, I will be using a block and tackle, electric winch and have friends that can bring in horses.  My father wants a fine bull elk head mounted on his wall...for me, I want to be out in the woods, high on mountain air and spend some quality time with him.

We have had some problems between us...people do that who have 50 years of history together. I still love him, and I need to let him know that in a way that he will understand...he is not a demonstrative man when it comes to emotions...except perhaps that Irish temper. We avoid discussions of religion and politics so he doesn't feel compelled to show that emotion.

This will be my duty!

So I feel certain that folks are wondering about such an adventure, how do we plan it, how will we execute it and eventually, I hope to share the outcome.  Thanks to an article last year, I'm not real worried about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

This will be my father!

Planning: We applied for the hunt back in January...a special combination hunt that will allow us to take a buck deer or a bull elk in Northern Utah. We won the lottery drawing and received our tags for the hunt.  I had forgotten the dates, and was planning a trip down to "Ed's Desert" this coming weekend...I was reminded that I had a prior committment.  So, now with four days until we roll out, I am putting things together.  Packing all that I will need to sustain myself and soon I will have to contact my father to see what he wants for groceries upon this five-day venture into the wilderness.  On top of that, I have to be ready for all the issues that could possibly arise: medically (he suffers from problems with a rotator cuff, high blood pressure, and diabetes); environmentally (we'll be at or above 10,000 feet in October); mechanically (need to ensure we have vehicles that are up to it) and the million other things that can happen in a remote setting with two crippled old men participating in a young man's "sport."

Execution: I plan to drive up and set up camp early on Friday morning, with the hunt starting on Saturday morning at first light.  After I get camp set up, I will do a quick recon of the hunting area, mainly traveling on Forest Service roads, searching for fresh signs of the intended prey.  Hopefully, I will gleen enough information to take my father to a spot where he will be able to see the animal he would like to "harvest" (just for you, honey) and then work my way through the woods, hoping to move said animal to the proper location for him to get his opportunity.

Outcome: I will let you know when I get back...and in a worse case scenario, I will have pictures of some rugged beautiful country, only slightly encroached upon by modern man.

Birds: Winter is coming, this is the time of  year to determine which birds will be used as breeders next year.  This is also the time of year when less scrupulous hobbiests are clearing out their unwanted birds...many of those birds will make it to the Internet sales sites to be sold.

A word of advice: don't buy the birds other people don't want because they didn't perform.  Go to a good flyer in your area (that's where your birds will compete), and see what he has...be willing to pay the price to get what you want, otherwise, you will just be flying, you won't be winning.
This year, I have suggested to my club that if  they need to reduce their numbers in the loft, they can donate their birds to science. The University of Utah Biology Department will be working on a genome sequencing project.  Pigeons are the perfect subject of such a project, because of the genetic work already done with pigeons. 

Honey: Time to harvest grapes in the backyard...I will be doing alot of juicing before I leave with my father, and I will save some late harvest grapes for my return.