Some free advice

[bjrogg]

Usually the one giving it has already paid for it
Bjrogg

[Hawkdancer]

The wood shaving, brain cooking, bullet making, etc. all occur in the garage!  Only spot with enough room for the harp is in the bedroom, not enough finger dexterity to play the penny whistle.  Little Fiddle Woman has her teaching/practice/recording studio, and art room in the lower level/basement.  I get a gun/reloading/Exercycle room!  Luckily, I don't hunt bears, though; I follow the Apache line of thought.  Like Pat said, make sure your insurance is paid up!  As a Hunter Ed Instructor, we teach never hunt alone,  and leave map grid locations of the hunt area.  Good luck!
Hawkdancer

[WhistlingBadger]

I don't hunt bears either, but that wouldn't stop them from hunting me.  The vast majority are way too smart to mess with people, but once in a while you get that one in a thousand.  I know hunting alone isn't the safest way to do it, but IMO it's the best.  Sometimes there are bigger factors than safety.  I do carry a SPOT that let's me send "I'm OK" messages, so that has cut down on the marital strife a bit.  It also tracks my location, which should make finding me a little less inconvenient when I do cash in my chips..

[Mesophilic]

I do alot of solo hunting as well.

For bears I CCW a 10mm pistol with full power loads.  If 17 rounds of Buffalo Bore don't stop him then I'm  not sure what will.  I also installed a ported barrel, you definately feel the recoil but the muzzle flip is nill alowing for faster follow up shots.  I know, not very primative,  but neither is the cell phone I use to send peridoc smoke signal updates to the wife.

Now if the bear jumps me from behind unawares,  well, it's a much better way to go than drowning, burning, skidding off a cliff, or cancer.  All of which top my list of ways I don't want to go to the next life.

[WhistlingBadger]

Yeah, I'm with you there, Meso.  I used to have a t-shirt that said, "You could fall off a cliff and die.  You could get mauled by a bear and die.
 You could run out of food and die.  Or you could stay home and have a heart attack on the couch and die."  Words to live by.  I tend to believe that, while God does allow nature to take its course and reward uncommon stupidity, panic, or carelessness with the logical consequences thereof, most of the time people die when their time comes.  Might as well live your life at peace with that.

Still, ordinary caution is always a good idea.  I always tell a couple people where I am and when I'll be returning.  I always carry my SPOT, a first-aid kit, multiple fire-starters, an emergency bivy, and a few GUs for a burst of energy if I get cold, hurt, or otherwise in trouble.  All that stuff only adds up to about a pound and a half, and any one of them could be a life-saver, so it's all worth carrying.

I also carry two bear sprays, both on my belt and easy to get at.  They say sometimes the initial charge knocks one out of your hand, so a spare is good insurance.  We don't have a lot of griz down here in the Southern Winds yet, but up around Dubois they're a real problem, so it's just a matter of time.

[Hawkdancer]

Yep!  Life is far too serious to be taken that way, but it helps to keep the odds in your favor as much as possible!   And know how to use all your gear!   Old age is a privilege that a lot of people don't get! 
Hawkdancer

[WhistlingBadger]

Back when I was in high school, before dirt was invented, I had a teacher who smoked a lot and wasn't apologetic about it (the quit-smoking movements were just becoming a big thing back then).  Whenever someone would give him a hard time about it, he's say, "I want to be sick when I die."

[Hawkdancer]

That's why those things were called "cancer sticks" or "coffin nails"! 
Hawkdancer

[EdwardS]

WhistlingBadger, got a pic of that kit you carry hunting with you?  I'm hoping to get back in the woods this year, but all my kit is gone.  Like to see what I need to start working toward.

[bjrogg]

Always double check the date for your colonoscopy. Make sure you start your prep one day before, not two.lol yah I already paid for that advice
Bjrogg

[WhistlingBadger]

Bob, you ever read Dave Barry's article on a colonoscopy?  No?  Here you go.   You're welcome.   
ttps://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/article1928847.html
(put an h on the beginning)

[lebhuntfish]

Don't burn feathers in the house with your Young feather burner.

Or in the garage with a homemade feather burner!

Patrick

[Mesophilic]

I just had yet another situation to add to this growing list.

When you live at high elevation,  never trust sealed containers.  Just opened a can of shellac in the kitchen.  When I pried the lid it popped off explosively and flew across the kitchen...even my face got splattered.  Hope I got all the shellac dropplets cleaned off the floor tiles and counter tops...wife will in fact find every droplet I missed even if they're the size of a pin head.

[WhistlingBadger]

Yeah, Meso, I've had that happen with water bottles.  Open them slooooowly!

[WhistlingBadger]

OK, here's a good one: When you have just saved the life of your wife's annoying cat, that is a GREAT time to mention that you are planning on building a bow.  Come to think of it, it's probably a great time to mention a few other things as well.   Hmmmm, I wonder how much I can milk this...