Uncle Ted – I Love You

Love makes the world go round; So they say. And in many ways, I am sure that it does.

Within our core innercircle family lives, I am sure nothing is more-true, but as hunters, we are connected quite powerfully in many ways that is everything like family.

Not a day goes by that I fail to tell my family members that I love them. More and more lately, I have been telling my extended hunting family members that I also love them.

Having lost so many friends this past year to old age and health issues, I increasingly make it a point to let my friends know how much I do indeed love them.

The silly tradition of my father’s generation to not utter the words I love you should be a thing of the past, for if we truly wish to make the world go round and bring happiness into those lives we care about, we should never hesitate to express such powerful, supportive, strengthening, sincere human emotion to everyone in our lives.

Nearly all my friends who died of various health issues had one thing in common; they were all dangerously overweight.

The statistics prove and all medical professionals will unhesitatingly tell you that somewhere in the upper 90 percentile of early deaths are a direct result of foolish lifestyle choices and suicidal diet choices.

As hunters, we of all people should know this and make certain we act upon such knowledge.

A dear hunting buddy fell out of his treestand recently while trimming some branches, figuring a quick trimming job didn’t necessitate the wearing of his safety harness.

He is lucky to be alive and his hunting life, and life itself, is changed forever for the worst.

Well, my name is Ted Nugent, and to all my fellow hunting families out there, I say unto thee; I love you!

And I want you to take real good care of yourselves so you can continue to live the ultimate life as hunters, and that means putting your heart and soul into wise choices in life beginning with diet, exercise and always wearing a fall restraint system everytime you leave the ground!

The sheer number of deaths, serious injuries and hunters paralyzed for life as a result of falling out of treestands each year is staggering, and most horrifically, totally avoidable with but a modicum of thought and responsible choices.

And that that glaring reality, the same goes for overall basic health choices! Think man, THINK!

Even though I hunt exclusively from rock solid ladderstands at a mere 12-14 feet off the grounds, we make it a point to replace all straps each year, double check the condition of each ladder, and I for one have vowed to always wear my Hunter Safety System vest, and make certain I have strategically installed extra treesteps to stand on in the event I do need them.

Tragically, the inventor of the Hunter Safety System died wearing his invention because he hung there for an extended period of time with nothing to step on to hold his dangling weight.

Honestly examining the ways by which hunters die in the field each year should be a shocking eye-opener for all us. In pretty much 100% of the instances, the death and or injury was absolutely preventable by just thinking things through ahead of time.

I love my fellow hunters, each and every one of you, and if we all truly love each other, and truly love this hunting life we have chosen, we must make it the battlecry of our tribe to reach out to each other with guidance and love to eliminate the unacceptable scourge of unnecessary injury and death of our brethren.

Always bring up the subject of safety at the range, in camp, around the campfire, at work, school, church, here, there and everywhere in our dedication to save the lives of our fellow hunters.

We can do this! We must do this! Let us do this!

It is the person who celebrates the most Opening Days that wins! Live smart and open up many more!

I love you dammit!