(SitNews) Klawock, Alaska - The world is grey.

Yeah, it’s raining, but that’s not what I’m talking about. The more you spend time on the ocean or in the woods with people, the more you notice how many different ways there are to do everything.

Part of the adjustment to a new way of life is learning new skills. We’ve had to do this all our lives, but rarely has living in the grey world without absolutes been so beautiful. When attempting something new, there is a learning curve and the seeking of information.

If the goal is to catch a salmon in the river some will say ‘the best way’ is to use a jig under an indictor. Others will say using a marabou jig will exile you to HumpyTown, if you want silvers, you best buy out the store’s supply of chartreuse spinners. No, red spinners.

Honestly though, if you want the best experience catching fish on the river, use an 7-weight fly rod, then it won’t matter what you catch, it’s going to be far more exciting than with spinning gear. Right?

Nothing better than stalking a 4-point in velvet with a .243? What about calling a buck in front of your .270 during rut?

The truth is, what one angler, hunter or chef will tell you with regards to the best way is likely a subjective opinion based on varying levels of experimentation because no one can do everything at once. Since this is truer than it is obvious, there will always be things which fall through the cracks. Things we don’t always get around to doing, which is why when we finally decide to dive in, we are usually clueless.

I didn’t grow up hunting. Cross country season ran into basketball, so my friends and I fished, but didn’t really chase blacktail. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I was provided the opportunity to get on some alpine with a rifle and shoot my first deer. They say the best way to learn is to do so at some point you have to risk a level of disaster or embarrassment to achieve proficiency. Just days ago I ambled up a mountain myself, shot a deer, boned it out and hiked back to my truck - my first solo hunt success.

As a 33 year old guy who has written a weekly outdoor column for six years and spent most of his life in Alaska either as a resident or summer visitor, at times people expect me to know way more than I do, especially when it comes to hunting.
I have years of experience making a fool of myself on rivers with a fly or spinning rod but when it comes to hunting, I’m in observation mode - seeing the stalks, shots, cuts, others make, synthesizing the material and developing my own habits. I’m a student.

When I reached the deer that fell victim to my novice stalking skills, I took a breath, viewed my mental YouTube of what to do next and went to work. It was awesome. I know it’s not a big deal for a lot of people, but shedding my hunting training wheels was life-changing.

That’s one of the many great things about Alaska. There’s enough up here to satisfy all means and methods and plenty of people willing to share what they know.

There is no moral high ground unless you create it, no clear, specific, one way things must be done. What is certain is there are experts all round. People who have spent good portions of their lives figuring things out. The only wrong is to take all that expert grey and not add your own color through experience.

Jeff Lund ©2014

Jeff Lund is a Teacher, Freelance Writer, & River fishing guide (Tranquil Charters) living in Klawock, Alaska
Contact Jeff at Email – aklund21@gmail.com

http://www.jlundoutdoors.com

SitNews ©2014
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