. They won't necessarily quit and go home when Mullah Whooziz says so. Just like the Viet Cong, it will be very hard to identify them unless they can be caught with weapons in hand, and it will be damn difficult to find every cache of weapons in those mountains. Our friends the Brits have had a similar experience with the IRA. A fresh batch of lunatics is apparently not difficult to find and you don't need a lot of suicide bombers to pose a problem. Nor will stopping one source of weapons stop guerrillas for long - gasoline and a match are weapons. We're a long way from declaring a quagmire, but Afghanistan could become one if we don't find a better exit strategy than "they're all dead, we can go." We could be a long time at that job.
Early morning is the best time to study turkey hunting lore. As one old guy said on a calling instruction tape, "Turkey hunting isn't a sport, it's not an addiction, it's a disease. It can't be cured. It can barely be controlled.
There is a lot of thought involved. First, where to go? I've got 1:100,000 scale maps showing the ownership of all of northeastern Wyoming. I'm eyeing an area of about 250 square miles of Forest Service and BLM land with various degrees of accessibility. One area has a paved road running though it. I think I can count on that area being pretty well hunted on the weekends because of its accessibility. Other areas are more difficult access and require greater navigation skill to find. If an area is well off the nearest road in terrain that's difficult to hunt, it's a good bet the turkeys will take refuge there if there's much hunting pressure. At least difficult terrain stops the folks who hunt from a quad-runner.
For the areas I select I'll also produce a set of 1:24,000 scale maps that show the topography clearly enough to navigate through the area and avoid trespassing or becoming lost. I suppose this would be a lot easier if I'd spring for a GPS receiver, but I've always wondered what happens when you rely on GPS to find your way home - and the batteries go out. I'll stick to the old map and compass, thanks. But a GPS would be handy nonetheless. I'm relatively familiar with the area, I've worked and played in the Black Hills all my life, but I like to see some new country, so I intentionally look for areas I haven't been, as well as scoping out all the areas I've known to hold turkeys.
All that's before I even start thinking about what gear to take. A wonderful way to beat the cabin fever.
Thursday, March 28, 2002- - -
Cabin fever is setting in bad. I must finish these damnable reports and get outside soon. Too many hours in front of the computer spent for work and not enough time left for play is making me a dull boy.
Bill Quick says the blog bubble will burst: "Tens of thousands of folks are getting a charge out of creating and maintaining blogs, with absolutely no financial rewards - except for a handful of bloggers so tiny their numbers are statistically meaningless noise. The charge is enough for now, but it won't last, and the blogosphere, currently in full expansion, will shrink like a popped balloon in another year or so, as hundreds of thousands of blogs go dark and dead.
"The problem is simple: it requires too much work and talent to maintain a good blog, work and talent that brings in nothing tangible for the creator. "
As neither work nor talent go into this blog I should be safe for now. Although perhaps I should bring in some porn just to liven things up..
It looks like Anton Sherwood may have found the job of his [bad] dreams, complete with evil HR director and pointy-haired boss no doubt.
For all the fellow winos, I've been enjoying Corbett Canyon's California Cabernet Sauvignon. A nice long finish is its best characteristic.
Wednesday, March 27, 2002- - -
Wake up, Moonshine; the sixties are over! Between Megan McArdle and Stephen Green, there's not a lot left to be said this evening. No particular post, just a double roll. Go read them.
Blue glowing moon crystals from the nether regions of the emailbag:
If you are a time traveler or alien disguis