Pet peeves......
1. So one morning I get picked up by a friend and a friend of his to go quail hunting. I've only hunted with my friend once and never with his friend. While on the way there, the friend of the friend starts telling all his quail hunting stories. You know that time that I limited out and you didn't........and then there was that other time when I limited out and you didn't......and oh how about you know that time over there when I limited out...... I think you get the picture.:bored2:
2. While out quail hunting with a couple of guys on some rolling rocky cactus covered hills here in Arizona, one of the other hunters downs a quail. Like a good dog, I had it marked, a useful thing as this area can hide a quail really well. Well the hunter that shot the bird doesn't know where it's at, I let him know and am trying to guide him to the spot. He gets close but just won't listen to me thoroughly enough to spot the bird, so I move over to where he was and the guy starts acting nervous. So I try again to tell him to move down hill and look under this particular prickly pear cactus. He doesn't listen to me, so I do what I was trying to get him to do. I get eye level with the under side of the prickly pear and sure enough there's the still slightly alive quail. So I start to reach in and grab it for the guy when he figures I guess that I'm going to steal his beloved world record trophy quail. So he swats at my hand to prevent this thievery. Did I mention this quail is tucked in under a cactus with lots of thorns?
3. So we and a couple of guys are standing around the truck having a drink of water and a snack after a morning of bird hunting when one of the guys starts telling the other guy how he was going to play a trick on him. He goes on to say when he wasn't looking he was going to put the safety on on his shotgun and chuckled at that thought...........now think about this for just a moment........just like I did.
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So after pondering this I could not think of anyway shape or form how putting the safety ON (or off) would be funny. So I asked did you say you were going to put his safety ON? He says yes and chuckles again. So I asked then do you mean to tell me we are walking around this fairly difficult footing area and up and down hills and you guys are carrying your shotguns with your safeties OFF? He replies, do you mean to tell me you're walking around with your safety ON? I said hell yes! He goes on to tell me how I'll never be able to shoot a flushing bird because I won't have enough time to get the safety off and shoot!:rant:
4. So we're out quail hunting once again, three of us walking in a line about 20 yards between each hunter. I'm in the center, my friend's friend to my left. Suddenly the distinctive sound of a quail flushing to my left but out of my vision. So I whirl left and catch sight of the bird. The bird's now to my right as well as the friend's friend who is way too much in the line of fire. So I wait a moment and then raise my shotgun when I won't be pointing at the other guy. Just as I'm about to pull the trigger, bam! The quail drops no more than 10 feet in front of me. Yup the guy 20 yards over to my right shot and dropped the bird 10 feet in front of me. Okay, so now do the geometry to determine the angle between the shooter and me.....note that I heard the shot pattern pass by!
All of this happened on the same hunt and all of these things by the same guy. So in short my pet peeves are:
1. While I love to hear hunting stories, I don't like bragging.
2. I don't like hunting with people who are not only not safe around guns but are flat out dangerous.
3. When it comes to bird hunting or any other hunting, I'm happy to see others succeed and will help in the recovery. No need to get possessive of your animal around me.
4. I really really really hate having someone shoot when I'm ever so close to being in the line of fire!