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other hobbies

I play Irish traditional music on the fiddle. I've been lucky to be able to travel around Canada, the USA and Ireland to play music with some people who were my musical idols when I first started learning. Kinda like looking up to Eric Clapton as a kid and then one day finding yourself in his living room sharing a tune over a cup of tea. I've met many great people playing music, and because I learn by ear and carry a pretty extensive repertoire in my head, I like to think it keeps my memory sharp. It also leads to a lot of free beer!

My wife is really into gardening, so I spend a lot of time helping her with that over the summer. We have a huge vegetable garden that's about 50'x90', which provides us with food through most of the year, as well as a little cash income to offset the costs of such a big garden.

When I was around 30, I noticed the office job taking its toll on my health, so I started running a bit, and then later took up weight lifting. Now its a daily routine that I can't go without. I'm not super serious about it, but I definitely feel far healthier in my 30s than I did in my 20s. It took me a bit, but I can bench my bodyweight at 170lbs, which was my goal when I started.

I also have a wonderful bird dog, a Deutsch Drahthaar. She's 8 now, so the training isn't as intensive, but for the first few years it was definitely a time consuming hobby.

Somehow I manage to balance those hobbies and a few other interests like reloading, and of course hunting big game. It helps that my wife shares most of my interests, and we kinda just roll through the seasons - not much music in the fall, but plenty over the winter, spring and summer.
 
"noharleyyet, now I know what influences your music selections--guitars, motorcycles, whiskey (-; Did you like the last scene in the movie Harley Davis and the Marlboro Man LOL "

...yes m'am, like it's majority of viewers I couldn't wait for that stinker to end. :)
 
I enjoy fly fishing when time allows but over the last few years, cooking has been an indulgence I really like, specifically around wild game. I do all my own processing so going from field to table has been very enjoyable. I try to have a couple friends over once a month of so for a meal. It is quite satisfying to tell folks about the dish and about the hunt that made it possible.
 
My hobbies are reading about hunting, thinking about hunting, dreaming about hunting, shopping for hunting, preparing for hunting, camping, hiking, and trout fishing.
 
"noharleyyet, now I know what influences your music selections--guitars, motorcycles, whiskey (-; Did you like the last scene in the movie Harley Davis and the Marlboro Man LOL "

...yes m'am, like it's majority of viewers I couldn't wait for that stinker to end. :)


TOUCHE lol although this is not quite what I meant---you are correct LOL

It is really hard to get on the internet right now, but I was able to reach out to several of you yesterday via pm ( or whatever it is now called ) I will not be able to respond to all of you who have posted since then, at this time, but thank each and every one of you for contributing to the thread Thank you!

In my limited time right now, I did want to let Hunting Wife know that she will not be disappointed in th bird population when she visits Belize--and it is the only Central American country that speaks English Lol
But, it you ever have the opportunity to visit the Amazon River, please take it, as you will see more birds and different birds than you can ever imagine. Love your antique interest!

Pgidley----Your post brings back a flood of wonderful memories--thank you ! My husband loved "trying" to play a variety of musical instruments. He played several, but mastered none of them. But he joined in when the opportunity presented itself and the pubs, cabins, camp fires, as well as a variety of different venues ( mostly starting with conventions ) allowed him to enjoy playing with other amateurs . We got to meet a few folks and the one that I was thinking about when reading your post was him trying to play the fiddle with Charlie Daniel's "the devel went down to Georgia'------ he also tried dueling banjos with different people, and absolutely anything the the Eagles had recorded,--------Obviously this brought back memories as well as a smile to this old woman face (-:

I will respond to others when I have more internet time

Thank you All !!!!!!
 
Europe, you have such a skill in interacting with people. You make each individual feel special. It is genuine.

You have a great heart to go with that great mind.
 
As the screen name implies, I enjoy fishing. As my wife and family will attest to by my grumpiness, I rarely get to fish anymore. In my youth I enjoyed motocross. When my kids came along I enjoyed going to their motocross races. After a near fatal injury, one of my sons sold off his motorcycles and started competing in PRS shooting matches. My other two sons followed into shooting, while still riding motocross a little as well. I really enjoy shooting steel at the range and compete in a few matches with my sons. I also enjoy playing with the camera, especially wildlife and landscapes.
 
My biggest hobby as of late has been getting back into brewing beer. I started brewing about 12 years ago and got out of it once I moved back to CA. Lately, I have really been enjoying brewing up a batch. I converted a deep freezer to a keezer that can hold four kegs. I love having four beers on draft.
 
I have been into gardening and improving soil naturally for quite some time. Watching things I plant grow to their full potential, and eating them bring me great pleasure.

I have gotten into growing super hot peppers and dehydrating/smoking for powder or making hot pepper jelly. My wife and I love the heat and have many many options to spice our dishes.

Anything think i can do to improve my land for not only our use but for wildlife as well.

Started a small sheep farm this last year and have been enjoying that and very excited to see my kids grow up in a way I never had the chance to.

Woodworking/building is something I have always taken pride in, although my projects lately all seem to be for my animals.

I also enjoy cooking very much and try to step my game up with cuts I haven't used before. Hunting helps tremendously with this and I dont shy away from the hard preparations I seek them out hoping to make the best dish possible.

And also BBQ/smoking-this is an artform I have been working on for years and i am more in tune with my smoker than ever before. Looking forward to firing it up soon.

My first leg of lamb from our first lamb off the farm
 

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Palau is my favorite, but I have heard wonderful things about the Maldives. From what I hear both would make anyone’s top 5 list.
If you would like to check out an awesome dive spot but not have a long plane ride, check out the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Several good dive boats run out of Galveston and Freeport, TX.

 
Bowhunting, rifle hunting, reloading, shooting... handgun and rifle, hiking, kayaking, camping, guitar, fly fishing, spending time with my wife and puppies.
Also like to make a knife every once in a while.20180329_144707.jpg20180329_144724.jpgDawn's knife pics 005 (800x600)-2.jpg
 
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I do sketching whenever I feel kind of bored at home.
Also, I love roaming around the neighborhood with my Labrador Retriever. He loves playing fetch and hiding his dog toys. Most of the time it will get lost and I don't have a choice to purchase a new one.

94778
 
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Wow, there's definitely some interesting people with some interesting hobbies on here.

I used to be more like Snowy, though not nearly as intense, less ice and fewer ropes. I still like to bag some of the small peaks here in central WA, but nothing like I used to. I've tried to get into backcountry skiing, but I've never been a good skier in general and the ramifications of being a bad skier in the places I'd like to go usually keep me at home. Generally, I try to take the kids outside every weekend pursuing something "in season". Clams on the coast, trout, bluegill, morels, huckleberries, serviceberries, small game, then big game, sledding in the winter. Sometime's we'll throw in the occasional lava tube caving or rafting trip. I try to do a short solo backpack trip every summer. Honestly, there's really nothing I do outside of hunting that I would call a true hobby, just a bunch of stuff I half-ass attempt with just enough success to make it enjoyable.

My biggest non-work time suck anymore is volunteer work for our local Sportsman's Association. I listened to some guy named Newberg once on a podcast that encouraged everyone to join their local Sportsman's club, as they're likely to be the most involved with local fish and wildlife issues. I found that to be true, but I also found that they were dying along with most of our former clubs and associations. They voted me onto the board without asking, it's been 5 years since and I put in at least an hour or so a day doing something. It's rewarding but honestly not all that much fun and I would much prefer to be doing something, almost anything, else with my time. But the idea that I owe the resource (wildlife and wild places) something in return for all the "taking" (enjoyment and fulfillment) I've done is too strong for me to abandon.
 
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Like most here, hunting is my main hobby and I spend way too much time planning the next adventure.

The wife and I are "empty-nesters" now and that has really changed things. Before my hobby was raising two daughters.

Now, we have more time to fill for ourselves. I've always enjoyed walleye fishing and have been doing a lot more the past couple years. We bought a 2nd home on a local lake that allows me to do much more of that and also has opened another can of worms as it doubled the house projects. But I have really enjoyed it and the wife absolutely loves everything about the lake.

I am really trying to step up my game in the cooking department as I enjoy making wild game recipes for family and friends and have assembled quite the inventory of processing equipment, smokers, grinders, sausage stuffers and pellet grills over the past year or so to aid in that and have really pushed my limits on my cooking ability by trying new and difficult dishes. Some turn out great, some don't.

Absolutely love to travel, internationally especially. It always amazes me to see how other people live and I love seeing other parts of the world. Incredible how there are very nice places and people pretty much everywhere globally.

And although both girls live in big cities now and are out of the house (one goes to grad school in LA and the other is attending undergrad in NYC) they are a huge part of our lives still and keep us on our toes as we advise them on "adulting". :)

Also, been trying to step up to the plate on conservation issues. Recently became a Life Member in the Sheep Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Goat Alliance and have always heavily supported RMEF. Need to do better on a lot of these types of things though and hope to find some volunteering opportunities in some of these organizations.

A lot of very interesting, varied interests on Hunttalk and really enjoyed reading everyone else's hobbies and passions. Pretty cool stuff!
 
Man, This is one of the better threads I have seen in a long time. Pretty Refreshing to say the least! Some very interesting and diverse hobbies on here which is awesome to see.

Ill follow everyone else with hunting being my main hobby, now that my wife has joined the hunting community we have been spending a lot of time going these past 4 seasons which I truly enjoy. We also get to bring our kids along about every trip they're not quite at the age of hanging at the cabin by themselves yet, they're 7 and 4.

Cooking, gardening, yard work and landscaping are probably my hobbies I guess. They were all traits instilled in me when I was a kid and I have just continued with them through my years.

A close second for me right now in my life is being dad. It consumes a lot of what little free time I have and it will only become busier as they grow and get into more activities.

I would say some hobbies I would love to get into but just don't have the time to is dog training and more walleye fishing. I have always had a love for running hounds after the first time I heard one bay up a tree. Some day I hope to be able to do that and give it the effort it takes to have great dogs. Right now is just not the time. Right now I am just trying to focus on raising two well minded kids (which I am quickly learning is a challenge) to say the least. Everyday I thank the man up stairs for the opportunity though!

Looking forward to seeing other people's activities as well!
 
I drive back roads.

Most weekends outside of hunting season (and many weeknights during the summer), I plan routes that get me from point A to point B on FS and county roads. I bought an FJ Cruiser specifically for this, and have put 22k miles on it the last six months, almost all recreational miles. Going for a long drive on backroads with a good audio book seems to get my head straight more than anything else.
 
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