Mark
WKR
Do you carry a spare key in your vehicle when you hunt? I always have two sets of keys or electronic key fobs on every hunt. One is always left where it's accessible at the vehicle, the other is in my pack or on my person. I also have a rule to never take my vehicle key on the water, whether I'm on a boat or in a float tube. Friday I broke both of those rules.
My son killed his antelope Thursday and we had a few days to burn so we decided to go fishing in our float tubes on Friday. We drove a bit over an hour to a very secluded lake. We were alone for the most part from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Two people came to the lake that day, fished from the shore for an hour or so then left by 2:30 PM.
At about 4:45 PM we drained the air out of the float tubes and loaded everything up. I went to get my key from "the spot" and it wasn't where it should be. Looked in the other spot - no key. Panic sets in as I realize what happened. When we arrived at the lake it was 55 degrees. I had a sweatshirt on. Actually a hoodie, with a pocket in front. I took it off around 11:30 that morning and placed it between my legs and my stripping basket to keep it dry (my tube chair is above waterline). At some point a sleeve must have dipped into the water, soaked into the hoodie and pulled it into the lake without me noticing. I never thought about the key being in the front pocket. I was just a bit disappointed because I really liked that hoodie!
My mind is reeling now because I realize I didn't have my spare key. It was locked in the trailer at camp inside my back pack which is 20 miles away. We unloaded our packs before we left to go fishing and that spare key never crossed my mind. We're 8 miles from the last camp we passed and a good 10 miles from the closest ranch. It's looking like it's going to be a long night but not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.
About 10 minutes from the moment I realized what had happened, a truck pulls up. I flag him down and explain my situation. He told me he was here to fish for the weekend. I told him I would pay him for the 3 hour drive out and back to get my key. He declined the payment and agreed to drive me out. He was a hunter as well, and we traded stories that ranged from hunting to having both moved our elderly parents from CA to NV last year so we could keep an eye on them. We talked about our kids, and we talked a lot about that spare key. Turns out he lost his somewhere when he checked on it last year and had yet to replace it. He made it a point to tell me that he would be getting a replacement.
I can't believe my luck that day. I hope I have the opportunity to help someone out of the back country or whatever predicament they may be in if or when we cross paths. My only inconvenience that evening was getting back to camp and having dinner at 10:00 instead of 7:00. The kindness of the gentleman that drove me out will never be forgotten. The man proved that good people still exist that are willing to help another out of a situation. While it wasn't life or death, it was certainly not going to be a fun couple of days.
I'll be picking up a couple more key fobs next week. I'm told they're costly. To me, they're priceless...
My son killed his antelope Thursday and we had a few days to burn so we decided to go fishing in our float tubes on Friday. We drove a bit over an hour to a very secluded lake. We were alone for the most part from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Two people came to the lake that day, fished from the shore for an hour or so then left by 2:30 PM.
At about 4:45 PM we drained the air out of the float tubes and loaded everything up. I went to get my key from "the spot" and it wasn't where it should be. Looked in the other spot - no key. Panic sets in as I realize what happened. When we arrived at the lake it was 55 degrees. I had a sweatshirt on. Actually a hoodie, with a pocket in front. I took it off around 11:30 that morning and placed it between my legs and my stripping basket to keep it dry (my tube chair is above waterline). At some point a sleeve must have dipped into the water, soaked into the hoodie and pulled it into the lake without me noticing. I never thought about the key being in the front pocket. I was just a bit disappointed because I really liked that hoodie!
My mind is reeling now because I realize I didn't have my spare key. It was locked in the trailer at camp inside my back pack which is 20 miles away. We unloaded our packs before we left to go fishing and that spare key never crossed my mind. We're 8 miles from the last camp we passed and a good 10 miles from the closest ranch. It's looking like it's going to be a long night but not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.
About 10 minutes from the moment I realized what had happened, a truck pulls up. I flag him down and explain my situation. He told me he was here to fish for the weekend. I told him I would pay him for the 3 hour drive out and back to get my key. He declined the payment and agreed to drive me out. He was a hunter as well, and we traded stories that ranged from hunting to having both moved our elderly parents from CA to NV last year so we could keep an eye on them. We talked about our kids, and we talked a lot about that spare key. Turns out he lost his somewhere when he checked on it last year and had yet to replace it. He made it a point to tell me that he would be getting a replacement.
I can't believe my luck that day. I hope I have the opportunity to help someone out of the back country or whatever predicament they may be in if or when we cross paths. My only inconvenience that evening was getting back to camp and having dinner at 10:00 instead of 7:00. The kindness of the gentleman that drove me out will never be forgotten. The man proved that good people still exist that are willing to help another out of a situation. While it wasn't life or death, it was certainly not going to be a fun couple of days.
I'll be picking up a couple more key fobs next week. I'm told they're costly. To me, they're priceless...
