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FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS!<br />
Written by: Coby Mahan<br />
Many of us take to the field each spring and fall to hunt. Have you ever asked yourself, why?<br />
I know the reason I do. It’s not for a quest to shoot the huge buck; the score of a deer quite<br />
frankly doesn’t mean anything to me. It’s for the chance to be outdoors with my friends having<br />
fun! It’s wired into me, I can’t change it. Now that being said I have hunted now for over 25<br />
years. I have been with friends hunting Caribou in the Territories, Antelope in Colorado and<br />
bear in our back yard. Looking back it was never about shooting the “Big One”. It was always<br />
about having a great time and laughs with the people (friends and family) I was with.<br />
Being a Taxidermist I have a<br />
lot of hunters coming through<br />
the door. A common thing I<br />
have noticed is that “What If”<br />
scenario". What If” my whitetail<br />
didn’t break off that brow tine…<br />
”What If” I had given him one<br />
more year to grow… ”What<br />
If” he had been just a little<br />
wider! It seems that we are<br />
all so busy running through life<br />
that we cannot slow down to<br />
enjoy what is given to us, or the<br />
opportunity in front of us.<br />
Here is what I would like you<br />
to think about next time you’re<br />
out pursuing your passion.<br />
“What If” I had no great friends to share a hunt with… “What If” I had no physical ability or legal<br />
opportunity to hunt…“What If” the score of my last deer was more important than the company<br />
of my good friends on that hunt.<br />
As a hunter being in the woods with my family and friends sharing that experience is the best<br />
part of the hunt. The harvesting of an animal or bird is just icing on the cake. As I get ready for<br />
this spring bear hunt, gopher shoot, and fishing trip I have planned I am not worried about the<br />
trophy size of my bear or my lake trout for that matter. But…”What If” I didn’t have great friends<br />
or the opportunity to fill that need that has been hard wired into me to enjoy the outdoors and<br />
share it with great people along the way. So to my family and friends I say the same thing I hope<br />
you all can….”What If” we hit the field and do it all over again this year!<br />
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