Isn't it odd how so many people always look for a bit of magic to gain success?
For a bass fisherman, it may be that so-called secret lure, the one that only hit the market a month ago, and he is the only fortunate soul to learn of its existence. So he bought one ... not two, but one.
For a hunter, it may be a new buck scent that is supposed to smell like perfume to the deer. But, of course, it was so putrid that it rotted the upholstery on his pickup truck seat like battery acid when he accidentally spilled the stuff on it in the wee hours of the morn. All done, too, while less fortunate hunters were still asleep and dreaming about outsmarting a deer using the old, conventional methods, such as using last year's scents.
It's good that all outdoorsmen are not smitten by the "magic syndrome." Most campers, for example, still buy tents that blow down during the night even though other models less prone to provide such awakening entertainment are introduced every year.
The hiker is protected from the magic syndrome because there isn't much anyone can do to entice him to reach into his pocketbook to purchase something new unless someone comes up with a boot that automatically massages his feet once he sits down.
Frog giggers, likewise, have no reason to search outdoor stores for anything exciting and new. After all, gigging a frog is gigging a frog.
Archers are constantly watching the improvements in compound bows to find one that allows them to shoot their arrows faster. But, unfortunately, no one yet has found a secret that will enable them to hit the bull's eyes every time they let the arrow fly. This is especially true when the bull's eye is an imaginary spot behind the shoulder of a deer that has just gotten a sniff of this year's newest buck scent.
When it comes time to lay down all the cards, the hunters and fishermen most often reach for the ace-in-a-hole. No other outdoorsman can touch their fondness for gaining that one edge over another hunter or fisherman.
If you question that, then ask yourself why a fisherman who has just discovered a "secret lure" buys only one and then proudly shows it to his fishing buddy as soon as they are on the water and far away from any store that has one. It is because if he bought two, he might have to share one with his fishing buddy, which would take all the shine off owning a secret lure.
Why do fishermen and hunters monopolize the magic syndrome? I can tell you in one word - television.
I have never been a big fan of television shows that do not deal with the real things. After all, for example, if Batman and Robin are so smart, why do they wear their underwear outside their pants?
I do like excellent hunting and fishing shows, but the recent surge in their numbers seems to have made the outstanding shows scarce as magic fishing lures that work wonders.
Not a weekend goes by without a television hunting or fishing show unveiling a miracle lure or some deer or turkey hunting gadget. It is not that the new types of lures or gear don't work because they do. After all, anything with a hook on it can catch a fish. But I've seen some that border on the truth when they are proclaimed to be "the best."
Many outdoor television shows these days appear to go after unsuspecting hunters and fishermen, and that's one thing I've always liked about Lunkerville. What you see is exactly what is taking place. No staged fish, no switching of lures to satisfy a sponsor. You see it just as it is, and that's something a lot of other shows can not claim truthfully.
On the other hand, many TV shows today are entertaining, whether touting a magic lure or buck scent, and that's what many hunters and fishermen want. So they all have their rightful place in the world of outdoor recreation.
But please, spare me the magic. The only magic I have ever seen in any hunting or fishing trip I've ever made was that I could crawl out of bed at 3:00 a.m., walk out into a blinding rain, sub-freezing temperatures, or 30 m.p.h. winds. And, of course, I could convince anyone that I was sane and having a wonderful time.