As 2022 draws to a close and 2023 closes in, we all have our lists of resolutions that we intend to make good on in the coming year. Many times, despite our best efforts, we fall short of our goals. That’s okay, we can always try again, and it is that drive and desire to succeed in them that keeps us trying – whether we make it there or not. With this in mind, here is a list of my resolutions for the coming year as far as the outdoors is concerned.
One resolution: Do more ice fishing!
Photos Provided
I did not venture onto the ice enough last year. Although I cannot say that the fault was entirely mine 0n this one. I made it out a few times last year, but not nearly as much as the year before, and, hopefully, not as much as this coming season.
We did manage to make it out a few times last year, but this year we plan on getting in even more rabbit hunts. Our beagles deserve it. They wait all year for it and they should not be denied what they were bred to do. Plus, I am tired of hearing Nicholas remind me of this very fact almost every day! Also, fried rabbit or rabbit cacciatore is just too good not to venture out a little more.
If you deer hunt, then no explanation is needed here. Also, it’s just plain fun to get out and search for bushytails in the trees. It’s hard to find the time to go after them with everything else going on and other outdoor things to do, but I will try to find the time – at least once.
I vowed a few years ago that I would teach my son how to trap. He had been asking and up to that point, but I had been negligent in doing so. A couple of years ago, we did manage to set a few traps, thanks to the help of a couple of friends. I needed a refresher on trapping myself, and they were glad to help out. I am not at all interested in running major trap lines like I did when I was younger, I have no desire to take on that much work and time commitment, but I do like the thought of simply setting a handful of them close to the house just for fun. Our success was marginal, make that minimal, but we enjoyed it and learned a few things along the way and Nicholas learned the basics of trapping and has taken to it quite well.
Nick Martino hunts coyotes with his dad, Joe. Joe Martino hopes to hunt more coyotes in 2023.
This one should need no explanation either. Coyotes are plentiful and need hunted. Our small game populations deserve that. Plus, they make for an extremely wary quarry and take skill to hunt – a skill I definitely need to brush up on.
For the several years, I had let fishing almost go by the wayside. Not by choice, but rather by life. As life gets hectic, some things have to give, and our hobbies and outdoor pursuits are some of them. Nicholas and Tracy love to fish, and when Nicholas was younger, Tracy came up with “Fishing Fridays,” where we would all go fishing on Fridays. That was great, and a tradition I am glad she started, but as Nicholas got older, it slowly drifted away.
Joe Martino holds a large mouth bass. He resolves to spend more time fishing in 2023.
As for the tournament scene, we began going a lot more again, but last year was busy for all of us, so we fished less last year than we did the couple of years prior. Hopefully that changes this year.
Each year I vow to do this and each year I fail. But I promise not to be in a shambles prior to the 2023 deer season (or turkey season or open water fishing season, take your pick.) Each year I always say, “This won’t happen next year. I will have all my treestands in place and trimmed prior to October.” Ha, yeah right! Pick your poison; it could be stands in place, guns sighted in, bow and broadheads dialed in, fishing equipment cleaned, boat in tip-top shape, etc. Each year I make promises, and each year I fail to some degree. It seems like I am never quite as ready as I should be, but I am making this same resolution again this year and we will see how I do!
So, whatever your outdoor resolutions are for the New Year, I wish you the best of luck, health and fun while pursuing them. Happy New Year!
