Interesting reactions. I really had not thought about some of these angles. Let me explain in a bit more detail.
hey shaman,
That is an excellent thing for you to do.
I have been that "new guy" in a camp or a lease several times. It can be hard being the new guy coming into a established tight-knit group with history, and trying to learn the culture and fit in.
And great idea to ease him in after the opener, and on a new area that has deer but where he isn't taking someone else's favorite spot.
Tim
I think Tim has the right understanding, but let me go a bit deeper.
1) We have a rather small camp filled with some very large people. NewGuy is similarly sized. I'm sure if we set up for it, we could house 20 guys, but that would take considerable work. At this point, NewGuy will be sharing the attic with SuperCore. If we wait until after The Opener, Angus will undoubtedly be back to work, and it frees a bunk.
2) The Opener is a bit of a ritual. It's a practical ritual in that anything spiritual that comes of it is an afterthought. There is a 1-hour mad dash to get everyone in and settled with the final act being everyone adjourning to the Thoughtful Spot to catch their breath, wipe down the sweat, and drink a stiff scotch. We go from everything stashed in the vehicles to a fully action-ready camp. A new guy, unfamiliar with the drill would throw things into a cocked hat. He would also feel like he was caught in a whirlwind.
3) The Opener itself can be daunting. With 3 shot strings per minute for 4-hours straight, the noise alone can be unnerving to a newbie. It really starts hitting the fan about mid-morning for us, when calls start coming in for "Deer Down." I would rather see him be the only tag filled that day so we can give him full support, and not feel like the odd man out.
4) This fellow is the Buckless Youper. He has heart, he has experience, but his luck has been bad. I think this is his first gun hunt and he's walking into a target-rich environment. It's not like we're going to kill all the deer before he gets there. It is not like he's getting the leavings. I'm sure that if he walks out with a deer, he'll be happy. He'll have an un-hunted area that should be holding a sizeable number of deer chased off the adjoining properties by the Orange Army.
5) We have one member that will probably not be hunting too many more seasons. He's recently had a bunch of heartbreak as well. This is the situation where the old dog is seeing the new pup arrive. I don't want to make this Opener all about the new guy arriving.
6) This isn't a dues-paying camp. It's not like he's not getting his money's worth, and if he shows up mid-week, he's got time to settle in before the second Saturday which is almost as frenetic as The Opener. I'm planning to be down the whole two weeks this year, so I'm sure it might be just him and me for a few days. My guess is that NewGuy will be the cat in the corncrib. Normally, I deliberately space my tags throughout the season. I'll try to fill my tags as quickly as possible this year and then give him 1 on 1 support.
7) I gave y'all the story about the newbie getting the camp record, to show how things can go wrong. In our case, I'm sure this guy would be over the moon if he got The Big One, and none of us would be jealous. We've all had our big moments, and it is time to share them. On the other hand, a lot of other stuff can go wrong. If it does, I'd rather it happen mid-week when it can be handled better.
My expectation is that NewGuy is going to be with us for many seasons to come. My guess is that by next year, he'll be in the bucket brigade slinging gear in the door on Friday night and joining us at the Thoughtful Spot hoisting his dram to the moonlit woods and saluting those that are about to die.
