In truth, I wish I had handled the deal with Atkinson differently. Some of you got the impression I might have wanted money from him on the goat screw hunt he sent me on at Seymour. Thankfully money is not much of an issue with me anymore. God has been so gracious to me and my family. In all truth, the real reason the hunt did not go very well is because I refused to take the bait and shoot deer in the spotlight. I didn't understand at first why they would stick me in a stupid box blind all day, and not let me walk the pastures because that would "scare the deer." But as soon as it was dark it was fine to spend a few hours spotlighting deer. I guess it didn't occur to me that I was supposed to be shooting the little guys. My fault, I didn't know.
Second, I have always tried to like atkinson and when I have seen those knock down drag out fights over there on AR I figured it was just some princess city hunter pissed because the deer weren't tied to the tree on time and the Chardonnay was the wrong brand (if chardonnay has different brands).
So big deal at Seymour, I figure Atkinson doesn't know that they are spotlighting, saving deer for themselves, whatever. But now Atkinson's story is that I am too stupid to shoot the deer that are all over the place? Yah, I think not. I've killed truck loads of all kinds of game.
So now I am thinking a winter-time hunt until I go back to Africa in 2010. Once again I tell Atkinson I am interested in a hunt (NOT seymour) how about mule deer? Fine send atkinson $1800 or so and he'll have his man there contact me.
So I get a call from the guy in Marfa, good guy, bad guy, I dunno. And he tells me he has never met Atkinson, talked on the phone, heard from a friend, etc.
Then we have this little discussion thread going on where atkinson doesn't want to discuss the subject at hand politely and jokingly. He claims he doesn't know who I am after numerour contacts, cahsier's checks, etc. and suddenly I am "sonny" and talked down to like a young child. He does that slick little lying apology, "I am sorry, but you did....", or "I am sorry if something I accidentily said irritated you..."
So now I am thinking I am getting shafted AGAIN and treated like a child over a silly little conversation.
I have called this Wayne a couple of times now and from what he SAYS he seems to be a decent, honest feller interested in a legal hunt. Which oddly enough is all I wanted. As a side not he did everything he could to distance himself from atkinson.
I still find it hard to dislike atkinson, I have no doubt he has screwed over many more hunters than me, but still there is a thread that I want to like about him.
Obviously I am going to deal with someone more dependable in the future, I doubt atkinson will change his ways.
Maybe if things would have been different and we could have met face to face on a hunt, we might have gotten off on the right foot.
I dunno.
