Ahhh, the conveniences of the modern age

Papaclaude

Papaclaude

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yesterday, when I was tearing down my ice fishing tent, I couldn't help but think how lucky we are to live in the age we do.

Flashlights How many of you remember packing the good ol' Maglite that used about 12 D cells and gave you a whole hour or so of light, or the trusty Eveready flashlight with its battery the size of an ATV battery that maybe gave you 2 hours. Now, you can run a CREE light on 2 or 3 AAA batteries for a whole season.

Footwear Remember having a choice between rubber boots and wet feet before GoreTex came along?

Outerwear Yep, that same GoreTex will keep you warm and dry in the worst weather, and fleece will dry almost instantly? Compare that to wool, as nostalgic as that may be. Then, of course, we have scent blocking technology.

Heat Mr. Buddy is your friend

Pop-up blinds Light, all the protection we need, and some models actually mask your scent.

Portable tree stands You can carry a safe, comfortable aluminum tree stand in your back.

GPS Sure beats a compass, especially in areas with high iron ore content.

Cell/satellite phone These can actually save your life.

Rangefinders - Man, how handy are they for taking the guesswork our of a shot.

Modern bullets - Whoda thunk you could ethically use a 243 for moose? Modern bullets make it possible.

Optics - Remember the good ol' days when even higher-end scopes could fog up unexpectedly.

Yep, this boy is kinda glad the good ol' days are behind us.
 
What yo talkin'aboot??? Ya mean I have dragged that damn 6 volt lantern thing around forever and there is a new-fangled thing that is lighter and better? I thought the scope foggin deal was why they invented those new little flip over scope mounts, so could use the iron sights?? Jeez man, never heard of "killer cotton"? Of course wool is what you want to be wearing when the canoe tips over!!! These days, just try and find "Strike Anywhere" matches to dip in candle wax - damn near impossible to get a fire going without them! And yeah, I did read about all those folk ending up on a muddy dirt field cause their GPS told them to go that way - always was better to actually know where your going, than trust some voice that says "turn left here"....
 
Potashminer said:
What yo talkin'aboot??? Ya mean I have dragged that damn 6 volt lantern thing around forever and there is a new-fangled thing that is lighter and better? I thought the scope foggin deal was why they invented those new little flip over scope mounts, so could use the iron sights?? Jeez man, never heard of "killer cotton"? Of course wool is what you want to be wearing when the canoe tips over!!! These days, just try and find "Strike Anywhere" matches to dip in candle wax - damn near impossible to get a fire going without them! And yeah, I did read about all those folk ending up on a muddy dirt field cause their GPS told them to go that way - always was better to actually know where your going, than trust some voice that says "turn left here"....
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Didn't say it was perfect. And wool had 2 things going for it - it was quiet and stayed warm when wet, but it weighed a ton when wet. One great big plus, though, was that almost all army surplus was made of wool, and you could buy it dirt cheap. Ahh, the fond memories of wrapping man-sized pants around my 11 year-old frame, and rolling the cuffs almost half way. Then, who can forget those classy grey muleskin moccasins that you could never get waterproof? But they were great for practising stalking. As far as the matches go, you can still get the "red Bird", but not sure if they are strike anywhere. I carry a Bic or 2 all the time, one in a baggie in my pack. As far as the GPS goes, I'll still take it over a compass if I don't know the area. Man moons ago, we were chasing deer up near Nestor Falls in NW Ontario. I walked a few cuts, always keeping track of the sun. Then, it got cloudy, and I got turned around following some tracks. No problem,thinks I. I pull out my trusty compass, and watch the needle going around in circles. It all worked out in the end, because I had 3 roads flanking me and a river, so I used a high hill as a reference point to ensure I walked in a straight line and came out on 1 of the roads.
 
I tell everyone that we are in the golden age right now. Enjoy it.

Not trying to be doom and gloom, but change for the worse is right around the corner. Hug your toys and use them.
 
I'd add stainless rifles and synthetic stocks. You don't have to worry about rust (well yes but no), or scuffing that beautiful varnished black walnut.

My other favourite in Saskatchewan which had notches the hunter cut out to cancel for the animal. After trying to calm my nerves from the excitement and exertion and notching with my skinning knife on a hoof, I started carrying a tiny set of nail clippers. Snip snip, and the corners are tidy.

My other other favourite, regardless of where, insulated metal thermoses. Show of hands. Who had dropped a glass vacuum thermos? You can't drink shards of glass, but a metal thermos is damn near indestructible.
 
S1de8urnz said:
I tell everyone that we are in the golden age right now. Enjoy it.

Not trying to be doom and gloom, but change for the worse is right around the corner. Hug your toys and use them.
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I'm with you on that, we're fortunate in living at the high point of human achievement. The population bomb is going to overtake that before long. The guilt trip about using too many resources is only beginning. :(

Grizz
 
We have lots of great gear these days that make outdoor activities more comfortable, easier and safer. Some old stuff is still the best, like wall tents and cast iron cookware if you can drive to your hunting camp destination.

Most people welcome a headlamp that weighs a few ounces and lasts forever over the old flashlights, good lightweight gear, and even inexpensive modern optics that have decent glass.

Of course, try to introduce a new cartridge and the Luddites appear en masse. Laugh2
 
Papaclaude said:
yesterday, when I was tearing down my ice fishing tent, I couldn't help but think how lucky we are to live in the age we do.

Flashlights How many of you remember packing the good ol' Maglite that used about 12 D cells and gave you a whole hour or so of light, or the trusty Eveready flashlight with its battery the size of an ATV battery that maybe gave you 2 hours. Now, you can run a CREE light on 2 or 3 AAA batteries for a whole season.

Footwear Remember having a choice between rubber boots and wet feet before GoreTex came along?

Outerwear Yep, that same GoreTex will keep you warm and dry in the worst weather, and fleece will dry almost instantly? Compare that to wool, as nostalgic as that may be. Then, of course, we have scent blocking technology.

Heat Mr. Buddy is your friend

Pop-up blinds Light, all the protection we need, and some models actually mask your scent.

Portable tree stands You can carry a safe, comfortable aluminum tree stand in your back.

GPS Sure beats a compass, especially in areas with high iron ore content.

Cell/satellite phone These can actually save your life.

Rangefinders - Man, how handy are they for taking the guesswork our of a shot.

Modern bullets - Whoda thunk you could ethically use a 243 for moose? Modern bullets make it possible.

Optics - Remember the good ol' days when even higher-end scopes could fog up unexpectedly.

Yep, this boy is kinda glad the good ol' days are behind us.
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IMO we have just turned ourselves into a bunch of softies waiting for a heart attack
I will take the old days when I had none of the above or needed any of it to fill the freezer
Yep slab of muscle that could walk/ hunt all day for miles and use my brain to survive in the woods with just a compass, some wool clothes , pair of LL bean boots ,few cans of sardines,matches , knife and iron sites on an old 30/30:)

LOL all good today until the Atv won't run to get you out or the cell phone dies :)
Cheers
 
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3macs1 said:
IMO we have just turned ourselves into a bunch of softies waiting for a heart attack
I will take the old days when I had none of the above or needed any of it to fill the freezer
Yep slab of muscle that could walk/ hunt all day for miles and use my brain to survive in the woods with just a compass, some wool clothes , pair of LL bean boots ,few cans of sardines,matches , knife and iron sites on an old 30/30:)

LOL all good today until the Atv won't run to get you out or the cell phone dies :)
Cheers
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Ummmmm.... there is nothing stopping you from doing all you just wrote. Nobody says you have to use any modern conveniences. Feel free to tough it out and freeze your ass off. I don’t miss most of that
 
I'm OK with modern advances but I differentiate between accepting/using something and relying on something. As an old coot i'm always getting questions from my kids, their buddies, neighbours and co workers on .. so how do I ###xx, or do you know anything about yyyyy. (and of course since I don't know EVERYTHING .. I just make that ship up..)
 
Old guys always chirp me about having GPS tracker on my hounds. The usual comments "you got one on the coyote too?" " damn 2 AA batteries to run this? The old system just ran off the truck battery"

Shut up, If we went back to your old system we wouldn't know where the dogs are half the time and spend 3/4 of the hunt catching dogs. Haha
 
FishHog said:
Ummmmm.... there is nothing stopping you from doing all you just wrote. Nobody says you have to use any modern conveniences. Feel free to tough it out and freeze your ass off. I don’t miss most of that
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I try to which is why I don't own a cell phone, atv or gps etc./ I don't recall freezing my ass off years ago
Unfortunately the slab of muscle is gone :( as is most of the brain LOL
I am old school 100% with most things in my life and IMO the golden years was the 60's/70's when there was jobs for all and our kids didnot have to move out west to work :(
Cheers.
 
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Papaclaude said:
yesterday, when I was tearing down my ice fishing tent, I couldn't help but think how lucky we are to live in the age we do.

Flashlights How many of you remember packing the good ol' Maglite that used about 12 D cells and gave you a whole hour or so of light, or the trusty Eveready flashlight with its battery the size of an ATV battery that maybe gave you 2 hours. Now, you can run a CREE light on 2 or 3 AAA batteries for a whole season.

Footwear Remember having a choice between rubber boots and wet feet before GoreTex came along?

Outerwear Yep, that same GoreTex will keep you warm and dry in the worst weather, and fleece will dry almost instantly? Compare that to wool, as nostalgic as that may be. Then, of course, we have scent blocking technology.

Heat Mr. Buddy is your friend

Pop-up blinds Light, all the protection we need, and some models actually mask your scent.

Portable tree stands You can carry a safe, comfortable aluminum tree stand in your back.

GPS Sure beats a compass, especially in areas with high iron ore content.

Cell/satellite phone These can actually save your life.

Rangefinders - Man, how handy are they for taking the guesswork our of a shot.

Modern bullets - Whoda thunk you could ethically use a 243 for moose? Modern bullets make it possible.

Optics - Remember the good ol' days when even higher-end scopes could fog up unexpectedly.

Yep, this boy is kinda glad the good ol' days are behind us.
Click to expand...

I'm with you on some of that stuff, but I still rely on my compass and it has yet to wear a battery out. Must be a lot of iron in Ontario. I've ever had a spinning compass but my buddies have complained of a GPS going "Out" or needing to be recalibrated way off in the bush somewhere.

I've seen too many guys ####ing around with their GPS units more than they hunt.

Never had Gore-Tex that didn't leak. HH works for me, either the heavy or light stuff.

Don't use artificial blinds for big game hunting.

I am also very sceptical of scent-blocking clothes and blinds.

Rangefinders? See the discussion about them elsewhere on these pages.
 
All the technological conveniences are doing is making hunting accessible to more people. Where when the Chadwick Ram was hunted, that area was a 1 month trip pack train proposition. Africa required a month long ship journey with crates of equipment and wealth that rhymes with Buffet and Bloomberg in today’s world. It was stuff heads of state did for recreation, not us.

Now, you can hop on a floatplane and be in sheep or goat country in an hour, and a plumber can afford a trip once or twice to the Zambezi. The flatlanders can take their quad, canoe, or car topper behind their pickup and go 500kms from home, for the weekend, all navigated by GPS and pinpointed by google earth.

It’s not that they’re conveniences so much as they’re time and accessibility machines. Some bemoan the loss of the old age but forget you pretty well had to have either obscene wealth or forego a normal and comfortable life with a family to accomplish those feats, basic backyard hunting of our fore-bearers aside. Today, more and more people can to some degree have it all. Sometimes for better or worse.
 
Ardent said:
All the technological conveniences are doing is making hunting accessible to more people. Where when the Chadwick Ram was hunted, that area was a 1 month trip pack train proposition. Africa required a month long ship journey with crates of equipment and wealth that rhymes with Buffet and Bloomberg in today’s world. It was stuff heads of state did for recreation, not us.

Now, you can hop on a floatplane and be in sheep or goat country in an hour, and a plumber can afford a trip once or twice to the Zambezi. The flatlanders can take their quad, canoe, or car topper behind their pickup and go 500kms from home, for the weekend, all navigated by GPS and pinpointed by google earth.

It’s not that they’re conveniences so much as they’re time and accessibility machines. Some bemoan the loss of the old age but forget you pretty well had to have either obscene wealth or forego a normal and comfortable life with a family to accomplish those feats, basic backyard hunting of our fore-bearers aside. Today, more and more people can to some degree have it all. Sometimes for better or worse.
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All true. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and memories, but personally, there isn't anything that would want to make me go back to the "good ol' days". We did have more freedom, but then, so did anyone with authority over you.
 
Yeeee-up, fireprewf matchizzs.
Newspaper that dunt bern.
Tabs that break before thar task izz dun.
Womean that nag.
Dawgs thet dun git derty.
New trucks thet gartzs mawr isshyews than the gals in thuh'ouse.
Gas thet dunt bern.
Taxiss tuh fix duh enviromint.
Laws thet dunt werk.
Drugs thet dun fruck yew'yup.
Fruck'in rewsterzs in the sittee.
Scammers.
Help line thet yew need tuh pewl yer'ears tuh figyur wtf they
is say'yin tuh yewse.
Fruck'in ice awgerzs runn'in awn battereezs.
Cawmmun cents gawn way awf the Dow Dow berd.

Kay, ware we at?...………………………………..:onCrack:
 
In the old days we could carry our handgun trapping and hunting and none of my guns were prohibited or forced safe queens
I could buy a gun with a smile nothing more and only the store owner knew I had it
Is it really better today not in every area if at all
 
In the 60s it would not have mattered if more conveniences were available, we had little money left over after necessities.
$10 dollar Lee Enfields were good enough, wool and canvas clothing, work boots were huntin' boots and darn little road hunting - gas was expensive, and my old man owned the gas station.
 
I totally forgot about the flashlights with a battery the size of a lunch box, lol those were pretty bad.

I’m in my mid 40’s so I remember using some of the gear my old man had for camping and fishing, it’s nice to be able to get good lightweight proper gear. It makes life easier that’s for sure, just being able to pop up a tent is a huge improvement from all the poles and ropes and pegs you had to haul around. Coolers that stay cold for days on end, golden age is right.

There’s still lots of old tech that works well, I will always wear wool and always hike my ass up the hill. It’s just nice to use the quad to get further away from others, park it and keep going on foot. Work smart and hard.
 
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