Passions beyond Deer & Family?

This is fun... I think it's good to hear what makes everyone tick besides the one thing that we all have in common.
Between kids and work my time is limited (severely) right now, but in my "younger days" I had a ton of hobbies. I was always trying different things. I think it's good to be well rounded, so to speak...
Baseball---I love baseball...since I was a little kid. Die hard Orioles fan. I grew up during the Cal Ripken era and just idolized his play, his work ethic and his dedication to the game. Went to Cooperstown for his induction and I actually got a little emotional. I don't think we will ever see another player quite like him, especially in todays overpaid egotistical baseball era.
SoftbalI--- played competitive fast pitch softball for about 14 years after I was done with baseball. We traveled all over, made a lot of great friends. Played teams from all over the world. This game is soooo much faster than baseball and I just loved it and got hooked. At the height of our success we were playing about 130 games per year, every weekend from April through Septemer and 3 nights per week. Really miss playing competitively. Now I just play a couple nights a week in a local "beer league".
Golf.---- I love the challenge. It's a solo sport and you are the only one that controls whether you are good or bad. Before kids I was a single digit handicap. Now I play about 5 times per year and I am happy to break 90!
Dirt Bikes.--- Raced MX as a teen/ twenty something. Now it's just recreational dual sport stuff with friends. Slow paced and relaxed riding. I have work Monday!!
Carpentry--- I just built a "garage" (wood shop) and that is how I really occupy my (little) free time now. Keeps me close to home. Get's my mind off my job stresses and I enjoy the fact that my oldest son learns to make stuff with his hands. I love to build stuff for the house, especially from salvaged lumber.
Guitar.--- TRYING to learn to play acoustic. I just want to be able to sit on the porch at camp and play some Waylon or Hank.... I can sing but my playing sucks LOL...
Small engine repair--- if I don't feel like butchering wood, I fix stuff for people. Trying to teach the boy's that you don't just throw it away and buy a new one. It can almost always be fixed....
Ton of other things I dabble in too like hunting for arrow heads, fishing, metal detecting.
 
I know it's supposed to be "other than" deer but my biggest passion that isn't habitat or hunting is shedding. It's become quite the obsession. I walk at least 3 hrs a day from mid Jan right up to corn planting. I Love the things I've learned about the mature bucks by all that time walking every inch of ground I can get on private and public.
Aside from that my world revolves around my savior, Jesus, my wife and two boys(7yr and 21mo). I'm also blessed to love my job as a grain farmer. Throw in a little Indian artifact hunting and that's my life.
 
Wow, some of you guys have lived a lot in your life time. It seems hard a lot of time to find the energy to have hobbies. Between two jobs, my wife and son, it's such a fresh breath of air for us to get away to the cabin. I'd have to say most hobbies are on standby. With my 13 year old either in baseball, football or other extra school activies, my hobbies now would just include hooking something up to the kubota and getting out in the fields for a little. Next would have to be smoking meats. That's pretty addicting also. Duck hunting. Can't forget duck hunting. Watching the sunrises in the morning are something I'm looking forward to with my son. Hopefully this year, he gets to bag some school and smoke some locked up ducks.
Now, if I go back years ago. I played a lot of baseball. Was into powerlifting for a couple years. Played football for awhile till I tore both my ACLs. Shot a lot of indoor archery. As it goes, life changes and as of now, wouldn't make any changes to. I just enjoy watching my son grow into a young man and watching the fields grow from the seeds I sow. I like it simple.
 
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Smokin it looks to me that you are living right. 4 years ago that was my life as well. Coached football, basketball and baseball until my kids were out of high school. That was my life at the time. I would get a few hunts in a year but other than that I was watching my boys grow into me and trying to guide them in the right direction to the best of my ability. There ain't nothing better than some smoked meat, we used to smoke quite a bit ourselves. Enjoy the time with that boy, it won't be long he will be dragging you thru the woods instead of you dragging him.
 
I don't fault anyone being involved with their kids.....even if it means putting hunting and habitat stuff on the back burner. You only get to raise your kids once and you better do a good job of it or you get to raise them all your life because they never grow up! My oldest 2 are in college now and the youngest 2 are in high school and jr. high. Other than the typical social life of girls they are not into sports and the like so my running is far more limited now. Life of a parent of an active child is a job all itself....it's a lot like our habitat work. Put the time in and do it right and it will pay off in the long run. I expose all my kids to the outdoors. Some like to hunt, some like to fish, some just like to shoot or take walks with a camera.....and that's fine with me. As long as they have some appreciation of the natural world and respect and understand our need to take care of it I have done my job.
 
1. Aviation-currently a flight instructor working on heading to the airlines
2. Fly Fishing
3. Land Management (obviously)
4. Hunting other than deer-pheasant, waterfowl, elk, antelope, predator
 
During this time of the year I'm one of these....

I'm the one on the far left...

I also have my Amateur Radio license. Callsign is W5LL. I operate mostly from my truck. Voice and Morse Code (CW)

I have also been known to play a little tenor saxophone every now and then.

Matt
 
boot said:
1. Aviation-currently a flight instructor working on heading to the airlines
2. Fly Fishing
3. Land Management (obviously)
4. Hunting other than deer-pheasant, waterfowl, elk, antelope, predator
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Tell me more about aviation. Lifelong passion for me . Multiple type ratings and about 6000+ hours. Currently flying an MU-2 Marquis.
 
Baker said:
Tell me more about aviation. Lifelong passion for me . Multiple type ratings and about 6000+ hours. Currently flying an MU-2 Marquis.
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Good to see a fellow pilot in the forum! Getting close to my CFI, going onto CFII and MEI after, I'm only at 300 hours so I'm hoping to get the 1,500 and get into a regional carrier in the next year to year and a half. Im just starting out with my flying career so one day hopefully I'll get to the hours and type ratings you have!
 
mattpatt said:
During this time of the year I'm one of these....

I'm the one on the far left...

I also have my Amateur Radio license. Callsign is W5LL. I operate mostly from my truck. Voice and Morse Code (CW)

I have also been known to play a little tenor saxophone every now and then.

Matt
Click to expand...
Matt you have to be a special person to referee. It's as thankless a job as there is anywhere. When I coached I always made it a point to let the refs know they called a good game even if I had problems with calls (which I did at times).
What level are you at ? H.S., Juco ? or Collegiate ?
 
Jeff H said:
Matt you have to be a special person to referee. It's as thankless a job as there is anywhere. When I coached I always made it a point to let the refs know they called a good game even if I had problems with calls (which I did at times).
What level are you at ? H.S., Juco ? or Collegiate ?
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19 years all high school. I run the Umpire position and also fill in Referee (white hat) when needed. Best seat in the house in my opinion. Hope to get into Collegiate when my kids get to be a little older. As it is right now, my wife would leave me if I were to tell her I'd be gone on Saturdays too. LOL It's hard to get into Collegiate ball. Not many positions become available from year to year and there are a lot of guys who think they have what it takes.

Matt
 
I agree with Jeff it does take a special person to be a referee. I coached for 16 years and have dealt with many referees through the years. Many are friends of mine. I have always had a great respect for you guys. My son was a football and basketball ref at the high school level for a few years while he was going to college. It is a very thankless job. I can't honestly say that I agreed with every call ever made but I always tried to be as respectful as possible during the heat of battle. I am sure you have developed some thick skin after 19 years of officiating.

I always put this similar to being a youth sports coach. It doesn't matter how hard you try everyone will not be happy. Whether it is a parent that thinks their kid is the next Walter Payton or a 40 year old man in the crowd living out his dreams through his kid and every time the ref scratches his butt he has something to say about how he is doing it wrong. Bless you for the job you do it is getting harder and harder in our state to keep good officials due to low pay and butts chewed weekly by poor coaches and fans. I am sure with you being from Texas where high school football games draw bigger crowds than most colleges you have heard and seen it all.
 
Blizzard Ridge said:
As sad as that is to say right now. Yes I am
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Me too and yes it is hard to be hopeful right now. But hey, I'm a Cubs fan also. Maybe they can pull me through my sports fan slump!
I did love Walter Payton. I was privileged to meet him a number of times after he retired. I know he had his troubles but he always went out of his way to be kind to me and he had no reason to. He was something special !
 
I also like to fish offshore, mostly out of Oregon Inlet, NC. I have found a new passion that I like even more than deer hunting and that is chasing elk in Colorado during archery season. It is absolutely incredible to hunt such majestic animals in such a beautiful setting as the Rockies. I also tried duck hunting for the first time last year and that was really fun as well. Add college football, baseball, working around the farm, coaching, traveling and doing all sorts of things with my wife and kids makes life good and plenty busy.
 
I'd have to say my main passions other than deer hunting and working on our land is fishing and music.
I've played blues harp ( harmonica) in a band for the past 6 years. I've been playing for a long time but being in a band has been fun.I love the blues, southern rock, and outlaw country, gospel too. Truth is I like all music from rock to folk and bluegrass.
I live 2 blocks from a lake here in OKC, I take off every friday and sunday afternoon and go fish for hybrids or catfish. We keep our freezer stocked. I fished in bass tournaments for 15 years and had quite a bit of success at it, but now I really enjoy not working quite so hard at it.
I also coach a softball team for special needs kids, my daughter is on the team. That has been very rewarding. Those kids brighten my day every time.
I also home brew. I'm just finishing an IPA called Conundrum and have a Cerveza ready to bottle. (Thats my OU / Texas game beer.)
I bottled some Cherry/apple wine last night. sure tastes good.
Other than that i just try to stay busy and provide for my family.
 
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