Firsts and Dreams, Ambitions and Goals.

It is true that in most things in life the only way many of us get through life is to have dreams, ambitions and aspirations and something to look forward to.

We all talk about Bucket lists and have memories reminding us of the achievements we have made in our lives.

Within the hunting community not just in the UK but throughout the world we see a lot of firsts, dreams come true and bucket lists filled, in fact almost every day within our community someone is achieving something.

It is an amazing feeling to achieve a goal against all the odds especially if it was tough to get.

In the past I have been involved personally in helping those achieve their first, whether it was their first Sika, Red Stag, Buck, Fish, Salmon or even their first rabbit, and that feeling of being part of that is so amazing and makes me proud to be who I am.

I myself have to thank many people for giving me the opportunity to achieve my goal , whether it was my first  Deer  or my first Fish or even my first rifle, which in return created more goals to add to my bucket list after ones achieved were already gifted to me.

This year I get the chance  to shoot in the States, it has been a dream that I have had for many years and to be honest it has taken many people to make that dream come true.

When I think about it there is a lot of people I need to thank in this world, I am nothing special and I am not an expert in anything really. I have lots of qualifications and all I ever want to do is do right by my beautiful family and be part of the outdoors. I work very hard for what I have got but I never do it alone.

Dreams and Aspirations are what make most of us get through life, specially, when life throws you a lemon and asks you to suck it. The taste is sour until one for your dreams come true and then it tastes a little sweeter.

Hunting is not a proof of manhood, or the ability to kill an animal, to me, it is a chance to be outdoors and to do what I truly love and I believe this is the same for most hunters.

Every time I see a post on social media of a guy or girl shooting his/her first Buck, or shooting their first rifle I reminisce on the first time I shot a Buck or shot my first rifle and I remember who made that happen.

The hunting community is no stranger to giving, it is truly a community and a very close knit one. Lots of advice is always out there and there is a lot of passion that goes a long with it, but, with that passion comes of years and years of knowledge and experience that we can all learn from.

I often watch and talk about the division in the community that seems to be prevalent at this point in time, but then I remember the help I have had over the years and all the people I need to thank. Most of my knowledge is because I have soaked up information from those that have been doing it longer than myself and who are willing to pass that knowledge to me.

I recently was reminded that I should not need acknowledgement for the work I have done or the things I do no matter how proud of them I am when reading an article about hunters of the past, the unsung heroes of the industry and then I think about my own history. I think about the people who taught me and how they passed that information on to me without any verbal thanks.

That’s what we do, learn from each other.

I write this blog and I do the reviews because I care about the industry I am in and I like writing, it is my guilty pleasure. A lot of what I say is my own opinion but gathered from the knowledge that has been passed to me by others. All of it to me is a learning process.

I was going to leave this article until I came back from the States but decided while it was fresh in my mind to write it.

I have still many dreams to fulfill, I have dreams for my children and my family and I want to help fulfill the dreams of my children and there is still aspirations I have in regards to my hunting pursuits also.

These ambitions are good but sometimes ambition and bravado gets in the way of what you’re trying to achieve, again something I have fallen foul to in the past and so has others in the industry specially when put in front of confrontation. it is a difficult balance to make.

The future of Field Sports everywhere depends on all of us in the industry to carry on fulfilling those dreams and ambitions that we have been producing for young and old all these years and the community to be just that, a community. Without the excitement of your first shoot day, or the exhilaration and sense of achievement of climbing to the highest mountain you have ever been on to shoot your first stag or feeling the cold sensation your feel when stepping into a river in your waders for that very first cast, what we do will have no meaning.

It has never been what you kill or how many you kill or the longest shot or the biggest fish, it has always been about achievement, goals, dreams and ambitions. It’s a way of life and one that I am proud to be part of.