Should I Hunt Moose or Stay Home with New Child?

“So, I noticed a charge on the credit card to Vermont Fish and Wildlife for your Moose application. When is the season again?” my wife questioned me the other day.

“Oh, you know….early October,” I replied.

I tried to leave, but before I could she hit me with a dose of her reality. “You do remember that I’m due at the end of September, right?”

“And?”

“You would leave for a week of moose hunting when your child is less than a week old? That’s time you never get back.” She said with an air of disbelief in her voice.

“So is a moose hunt in Vermont. And hey, why do you think I need a whole week to fill a moose tag?!”

“Well, last fall you spent a lot of time in the woods and didn’t come home with mu…”

“Alright, alright!” I cut her off. There’s no need for that type of negativity in my life.

Since that little conversation, I’ve been thinking heavily about the timing of everything this fall. The truth is, I kind of thought about it when I sent in my $20 for the moose lottery last Friday morning, but not too much. What would I do if I actually won the lottery? I’m thinking my chances are pretty good this year since I have this little timing issue of the arrival of a new baby just before the season. If I’m ever going to draw a tag, it’ll be this year.

I have a quote above my computer at work that reads, “The clearer the vision, the fewer the options, the easier the decisions.” It’s a helpful little saying that adds clarity to any decision-making process small or large. At least in this case there are only two options. I can either stay home and bond with a newborn, or I can go hunting and bond with a moose. But I still need to make a decision…I want to be prepared for when I hear my name called out as a winner.

I thought a list might help me decide, so I asked myself some questions that might add clarity to the process.

Question: Which is more likely to never happen again?

Answer: Moose Hunt.

Questions: Which option provides nourishment to a family?

Answer: Moose hunt (newborns require nourishment).

Question: Which one is less expensive?

Answer: Moose Hunt. So far my only child has cost me much more than a moose hunt ever could.

Question: Which one is easier to clean?

Answer: Moose. Ever tried to change an explosive diaper?

Question: Which is easier to understand?

Answer: Moose. Newborns just scream.

Question: What is the perfect fall activity to do while my mother in law is here helping right after the baby is born?

Answer: Moose Hunt.

I know that some readers may consider these to be rhetorical questions, but this is not so since when you ponder this conundrum as objectively as possible, logic concludes that the most family-friendly activity for a hunter-gatherer like me is one that might fill the family freezer. So this apparent dilemma is no dilemma at all. A real dilemma might be: What should I do if I draw the license and the baby has not arrived by the date the season starts?

It’s been a busy summer Spring and Summer for me. I have too much going on between work, trying to finish my basement and other stuff. Don’t be alarmed…I’ll be back to more regular updates in the near future. 

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If you missed my last post, you can read it here: If I Had My Own TV Show…