Loving Where I'm At

Just popped into SAIL Ottawa to grab my turkey license.

Strolled through the entire store, actively looking for something to spend money on... and couldn't find a thing.

Every time i picked something up, read the label, looked over the quality, considered my options, judged my need... I thought "meh" and put it back on the rack.

I've definitely taken on a minimalist approach to my hunting preparation over the last two years and it's definitely made me a much more content, and confident hunter.

I'm almost certain I'll get another bird this year, even if i chose to leave all the 'crap' at home and go out with just what i can put in my jacket pockets, my gun slung over my shoulder and a canteen on my belt.

I don't have that problem here, as we don't have any stores that sell anything :) if someone blocked my computers from Canadian Waterfowl Supply, Gobble Stalker, etc, then I'd never get to spend money :)

Want me to Skype you from the stores? Take you on a virtual shopping trip. lol

man I envy you having too much money that you have to go find something to buy. im lucky if I have enough money to buy something when I really need it.

I find Sail a good store for ammo pricing and selection, plus the new store is right around the corner from my house. but overall they don't have the best selection of hunting specific stuff. I find they cater more to the general outdoorsmen (ie kayaker, camper, hiker) than hunting. however this means for my camping and general outdoors stuff they have what I need.

I find it kind of funny that all the stores have the hunting and fishing stuff upstairs, and even have a separate hunting boot section upstairs separate from the normal footwear section. my guess is this is so they don't mix the hippy tree hugger outdoorsmen with the hunter/fishermen.

I am also trying to minimize what I carry into the woods with me. I have a basic set of stuff that I need, and some more stuff for the longer hike days and special circumstances, but I am really trying to get away from having a backpack with me during every hunt. I have in the past brought too much stuff, but those are bad habits to get in especially since I would like to do some more rugged back country type stuff in the future, and efficient gear selection is key to this.

Meh, "too much money" is all relative. We've got a very ho-hum household income, barely above the Ontario average.

We don't buy anything new, if a nearly-new version is available for 30%-90% less. My minimalist choice isn't just limited to hunting, it's now a lifestyle. We've bowed out of the excessive consumerism cycle in a big way.

As a result, we can comfortably spend whatever we want on our main hobbies. But now i'm finding I just don't feel any need to.

As for the layout of the SAIL stores, the first Hunting & Fishing manager in the Ottawa store liked to claim that it was so the true outdoors men and woman could rise above, and look down upon, all the poser yuppies.

In reality, it's a cost control issue. It's 30%-40% cheaper to build (and maintain) UP, than it is to build OUT.

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Originally Posted by Oddmott

Want me to Skype you from the stores? Take you on a virtual shopping trip. lol

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And his bank account dosent take a hit either. LOL

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Originally Posted by Oddmott

Want me to Skype you from the stores? Take you on a virtual shopping trip. lol

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Obviously! :)

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Originally Posted by bowj

man I envy you having too much money that you have to go find something to buy. im lucky if I have enough money to buy something when I really need it.

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I don't think it's a matter of having too much money, it's just, there's only finite space in the house to store a woman's shoes, so if we don't burn up the extra cash, then we'll start finding stihletto's and pumps, in our gun lockers :)

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I find Sail a good store for ammo pricing and selection,

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I'll second that, Kent is at an a great price when they have their 15% off sale's, I grab a few flats.

Were on the minimalist hunt shopping too... Ive already broken the bank with 4 turkey tags for the Queen and I are a 112$ donation to MNR and a new box of Win supremes is 25$ and I replaced my fave mouth call for 7$.

We also built another 6 by 8ft wooden hunt blind with steel roof / insulation windows left over n recycled from past building project....cedar .lumber from trees I felled skidded and milled. Figure I got 40$ into it lol I'm done with ground blinds I put these out with tractor brush em in and leave em forever.

luckily I've got lots of pre used broadheads that just need a little hone and their be fresh bird for the Barbie.

I have pretty much the same experience in any big box hunting store.

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Originally Posted by Oddmott

We don't buy anything new, if a nearly-new version is available for 30%-90% less. My minimalist choice isn't just limited to hunting, it's now a lifestyle. We've bowed out of the excessive consumerism cycle in a big way.

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We've lived like that most of our lives because we choose to have my wife stay home and raise the kids....it became an art form, a way of life :)