Most everybody makes New Year’s Resolutions.
Typically, these resolutions aren’t much fun, such as lose weight, pay off a credit card bill, or clean up the “junk” in the attic, garage or the basement. Research has shown that few people accomplish these resolutions in the next 12 months, or ever, in some cases.
I’m all for changing the rules and proclaiming that this year and every year, from now on, my New Year’s Resolution will be to check off some activities on my Outdoors Bucket List.
By definition, a bucket list is “a list of things never done before, that a person hopes to do before they die.”
Let’s cut the drama and the finality out of the list, and give it a fun, outdoorsy twist.
I’ll update my Outdoors Bucket List whenever I feel like it, not just once a year. The list will change over time and never end until I leave for that Happy Hunting Ground in the sky.
My priorities are in-state, but that’s just my choice. Your Outdoors Bucket List can be whatever you want it to be.
Delete the phrase “a list of things never done before,” and replace it with “most favorite outdoor activities, past and present.” This includes hunting, fishing, nature study, hiking, going places, buying stuff, giving to others, and sharing the outdoors experience with family and friends.
It’s okay to put things on the list you’ve never done before, but be reasonable, listing what’s doable, money- and time-wise. Remember that adventure and discovery in the outdoors are closer than you think. Don’t get bogged down by unrealistic expectations.
I’ve had an Outdoors Bucket List for years, but never called it that. When I retired and found more time to reflect on my outdoor priorities, I realized my annual “To Do List” was actually an Outdoors Bucket List.
Here’s some thoughts on creating an Outdoors Bucket List:
* Make a road trip an annual priority. There’s nothing quite like driving country roads.
One option might be to take a series of trips down memory lane with your loved ones to places that evoke special hunting, fishing or other outdoors memories. This could be where you first hunted deer, wild turkey or waterfowl, a favorite lake, hiking trail, park or natural attraction, such as a waterfall, rock arch, or wetland.
Pack up the truck or SUV, take along a map (or GPS), a pair of binoculars, a camera, maybe some camping gear or a boat, cooler, a fishing rod or two, and hit the road during the summer, to visit the small towns, waterways and wildlife management areas frequented in your past.
Be sure to take along your favorite tunes from that era to listen to while driving the backroads. With the photographs brought back, and the oral history provided, your friends or family will make the connection with these places, too.
* Visit a lake or tailwaters in Kentucky you’ve never fished, or haven’t visited in years. If you have to, hire a fishing guide to make the trip memorable and successful.
Some suggestions for Kentucky fishing destinations include: trout fishing the Cumberland River below Wolf Creek Dam, walleye and striped bass fishing in Lake Cumberland, smallmouth bass fishing in Dale Hollow Lake, muskie fishing in Buckhorn Lake, Green River Lake and Cave Run Lake, bass fishing in Kentucky Lake, and bowfishing for Asian carp in the Tennessee River below Kentucky Dam.
* Re-connect with a favorite park or outdoors recreation area.
It’s hard to beat a guided tour of Mammoth Cave in the heat of summer or a trip to Pinnacle Overlook in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park in the fall. When the leaves turn and the fog shrouds the valleys, the view of the “Gateway to the West” is spectacular.
But my first choice, and a perennial favorite on my Outdoors Bucket List, is Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. The 175,000 acre area, flanked by Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, has fish and wildlife opportunities galore, miles of beautiful drives on backcountry roads, lakeshore camping, nature trails and backcountry fishing in lakes and ponds. You could easily spend a week there.
A surprising Central Kentucky getaway is Bernheim Forest, near Bardstown, Ky.
* Buy a piece of outdoors gear you’ve always wanted, or really need.
Treat yourself to that special fishing rod or reel, bow, or a new piece of outdoors clothing, such as camouflage fleece vest, waders, or insulated outerwear.
One item on my list this year is a pair of high quality hiking boots. They come in handy for all sorts of outdoors activities and daily activities outdoors such as gardening and farm chores. Today’s boots are light years better than the heavy, clunky, all-leather hiking boots of a generation ago.
Years of walking on uneven terrain takes its toll on ankles, knees and hips. Your lower body will appreciate some sturdy, well-made hiking boots, with good arch support and a cushioned insole.
* Pass down your unused fishing and hunting gear to a friend, family member or someone new to the outdoor sports.
Tackle boxes, fishing rods and reels, camouflage clothing and boots that the kids have outgrown, are prime giveaways. Contact local bass clubs or civic organizations that host fishing derbies for youth, to find someone to wants good, used fishing gear.
* Be a mentor.
Children are bombarded with pop culture and social media. A steady diet of cell phones, video games and virtual reality headsets, is pulling them farther away from the natural world.
For more outdoors news and information, see Art Lander’s Outdoors on KyForward.
Teach the young ones in your life about the importance of wild lands, and the proper management of renewable natural resources, including timber, fish, and wildlife.
Share your fishing and hunting trips with your son, daughter or grandchild. Teach them the ethics of fair chase, and how to prepare the fish and game they harvest for the dinner table.
* Set aside more time for shooting sports and casual target practice.
Exercise your 2nd Amendment rights at a local shooting range, or safe place in a rural area. Keep your shooting skills sharp for hunting season by shooting at paper targets, hanging metal disks, casual plinking at cans and plastic bottles filled with water, or shooting trap, skeet or sporting clays.
* Organize hunting and fishing gear.
This is obviously an ongoing process. A famous old guy once proclaimed, “get your life in order.” It’s not as daunting a task as it sounds. Actually, it’s fun to go through your outdoors gear. It will save you time in the long run to be organized. You’ll be able to grab what you need and go fishing or hunting, without searching through piles of stuff.
Organize by subject and put your gear in big plastic boxes.
Retire those favorite old fishing lures and hang them on racks mounted on the wall. Clear space for other activities in your garage, basement or Man Cave, such as reloading ammunition or tying flies.
Now’s the time to get started on that Outdoors Bucket List. Spring will be here before you know it. Get prioritized for outdoors fun.
Art Lander Jr. is outdoors editor for NKyTribune and KyForward. He is a native Kentuckian, a graduate of Western Kentucky University and a life-long hunter, angler, gardener and nature enthusiast. He has worked as a newspaper columnist, magazine journalist and author and is a former staff writer for Kentucky Afield Magazine, editor of the annual Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide and Kentucky Spring Hunting Guide, and co-writer of the Kentucky Afield Outdoors newspaper column.