I was curious, so I had a look just now to see how long I'd been on the SD.
One year and 20 days!
In that short time I've gone from curious newcomer with no experience at all, to a full blown addict, well on my way to having my life taken over (and still not much experience at all).
Aside from the kindness and generosity of several members to whom I owe a great deal, I'd like to congratulate the rest of you on your efforts, accidental or deliberate to convert me fully in that short time frame. With inspiration taken from here, I've even got the wife cracked, and although she has no interest in the actual shooting of deer, she has actually started to look (almost) interested when I talk about stalking. She even said it was a good idea for me to have my own rifle (after months of tactfully drip feeding her the idea). So capitalising on her mistake before she could change her mind, I bought a cabinet off a member and installed it today. My FAC forms are ready to send, just awaiting a letter to vouch for my good reason.
I've built a makeshift gambrel in the cellar (although it's yet to have a carcass on it) and have even sneakily acquired, for free, a second fridge which I am in the process of selling so that I can buy a taller one to hang deer in.
I've even bought a trainee deer dog, cunningly passed off as a pet where the wife was concerned And as a result, one drawer of our already small freezer is filled with roe feet, little tubs of blood and neat 6x6 squares of skin.
I may not get the most stalking done, but I think if there was a prize for fastest transition to a life-changing obsession I'd definitely be in with a shot (if you'll pardon the pun)
One year and 20 days!
In that short time I've gone from curious newcomer with no experience at all, to a full blown addict, well on my way to having my life taken over (and still not much experience at all).
Aside from the kindness and generosity of several members to whom I owe a great deal, I'd like to congratulate the rest of you on your efforts, accidental or deliberate to convert me fully in that short time frame. With inspiration taken from here, I've even got the wife cracked, and although she has no interest in the actual shooting of deer, she has actually started to look (almost) interested when I talk about stalking. She even said it was a good idea for me to have my own rifle (after months of tactfully drip feeding her the idea). So capitalising on her mistake before she could change her mind, I bought a cabinet off a member and installed it today. My FAC forms are ready to send, just awaiting a letter to vouch for my good reason.
I've built a makeshift gambrel in the cellar (although it's yet to have a carcass on it) and have even sneakily acquired, for free, a second fridge which I am in the process of selling so that I can buy a taller one to hang deer in.
I've even bought a trainee deer dog, cunningly passed off as a pet where the wife was concerned And as a result, one drawer of our already small freezer is filled with roe feet, little tubs of blood and neat 6x6 squares of skin.
I may not get the most stalking done, but I think if there was a prize for fastest transition to a life-changing obsession I'd definitely be in with a shot (if you'll pardon the pun)