I saw a post on here about a year ago where a fellow HT member SGC B was looking for a place to hunt here in Indiana for him and a few friends. I never met or talked with him but he had responded to some of my posts and I on his. I knew he was a retired veteran, that he lives in Colorado, and lived in Indiana but other than that we knew 0 about each other. I talked to my wife and we gave him an invite to come and hunt on some land that I manage. He accepted my offer and asked if it would be alright if CPO and possibly a couple others I told him if he could vouch for them then that is all I need.
I told people about this and was excited about them coming but the reaction I got from some was "What are you thinking..you don't know these guys at all!" Many were surprised that my wife went along with it. I explained to them that this wasn't a decision we didn't just jump on nor did we insist on background checks. We took a chance based off of good old fashioned communication and faith....plus we have Brenna our German Shepherd and if she likes them then they are good folks!
So was I crazy? Did I put my self in a scenario that could have went South?
I believe that we have become "conditioned" over time to be unhospitable to strangers. Think about our ancestors that traveled to unknown areas. They didn't have phones, internet, background checks or the Holiday Inn. They would meet complete strangers and share a camp or stay in a house and share a meal. There were far more dangers they had to deal with. We see in the news or hear stories about the bad things people do to each other but do we really stop and think about the statistics of that really happening to us? These guys could have been complete morons, rude, or at worst unethical "hunters" and I would have had to ask them to leave. That is the risk we took. The risk they took was upsetting my wife which I warned them about before they arrived
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So how did it end up going? Well SFC is a great guy! We are friends for life and I would drop whatever I was doing and jump on a plane to CO if he needed anything. He hit it off with my wife and she thinks he is great...he is a music lover like she is if you can call some of that stuff music! CPO same thing great guy love his stories! I was so happy that he killed his first whitetail buck on this hunt and a good one at that. SFC's college friend Jon was a hoot and we are friends as well. We all killed deer, ate good food, played euchre, drank some beer, sipped some whiskey, cracked jokes and had some good humor pokes at each other (which the wife really got into).
I appreciate these guys and what they have been through and done fore our country. So opening up my house and hunting land to them was an honor and the least I could do for them. They are my friends for life!
So am I crazy? Heck yes! But not for opening up my home and entertaining strangers..
I told people about this and was excited about them coming but the reaction I got from some was "What are you thinking..you don't know these guys at all!" Many were surprised that my wife went along with it. I explained to them that this wasn't a decision we didn't just jump on nor did we insist on background checks. We took a chance based off of good old fashioned communication and faith....plus we have Brenna our German Shepherd and if she likes them then they are good folks!
So was I crazy? Did I put my self in a scenario that could have went South?
I believe that we have become "conditioned" over time to be unhospitable to strangers. Think about our ancestors that traveled to unknown areas. They didn't have phones, internet, background checks or the Holiday Inn. They would meet complete strangers and share a camp or stay in a house and share a meal. There were far more dangers they had to deal with. We see in the news or hear stories about the bad things people do to each other but do we really stop and think about the statistics of that really happening to us? These guys could have been complete morons, rude, or at worst unethical "hunters" and I would have had to ask them to leave. That is the risk we took. The risk they took was upsetting my wife which I warned them about before they arrived
.So how did it end up going? Well SFC is a great guy! We are friends for life and I would drop whatever I was doing and jump on a plane to CO if he needed anything. He hit it off with my wife and she thinks he is great...he is a music lover like she is if you can call some of that stuff music! CPO same thing great guy love his stories! I was so happy that he killed his first whitetail buck on this hunt and a good one at that. SFC's college friend Jon was a hoot and we are friends as well. We all killed deer, ate good food, played euchre, drank some beer, sipped some whiskey, cracked jokes and had some good humor pokes at each other (which the wife really got into).
I appreciate these guys and what they have been through and done fore our country. So opening up my house and hunting land to them was an honor and the least I could do for them. They are my friends for life!
So am I crazy? Heck yes! But not for opening up my home and entertaining strangers..
