I just don't see what you're concerned about on opening day. What you describe in (2) is what has happened to 12 year olds on the Pa. opener for years. They all survived. If you can take a doe anytime, then when the New Guy gets a deer on opening day, why can't you leave your stand, go help him and then go back to your stand? That's what the old timers that I started to hunt with did. And so what if he has to sleep on the couch? Who sleeps the night before the opener anyhow? And the next night, you're so tired you can sleep standing up!
I really think you are overthinking this whole thing, that's all. But if New Guy's weekend time is screwy anyhow, well maybe your plan is good but not for the reasons you give. At least not in my opinion.
Dale
Dale, you make really good points. That's precisely what we do (more precisely what I do) on the Opener. I really have not been able to enjoy an Opener to myself, by myself since. . . yikes! 2008(?) It's always something. As soon as I hear a shot from a particular direction, I know the walkie-talkie is going to go off. The truck will be by to pick me up, and that's it until the afternoon. I'd just as soon not have NewGuy feel obligated to drop what he's doing to help one of us pull a deer out. Me? That's kind of my job in life anymore. I'm not complaining; this is how being a patriarch rolls. This year is going to all the more so. SuperCore's looking at 80. Moose is still partially paralyzed on his left side. Angus is working 6 days a week and needs to fill his tags quick and skeedaddle back to town. Hopefully we'll get some tags filled Saturday and Sunday and the rest of week 1 is wide open.
We have a self-recovery system set up. I think 2008 was also the last year I schlepped a large buck into the truck bed unaided. We've had several iterations. The latest is the rig SuperCore bought after his bypass surgery. It's a deer L-E-Vator. It makes it so one guy can get a carcass into the back of the Silverado without much sweat. We also have a winch for pulling them out of the ravines. When I tag a deer, regardless of size, I can walk back to the house, grab the truck, bring it out, and pull right up to the carcass and have it back at the meatpole without any assistance. Me? I'm 62. SuperCore needs help not matter what. Moose will need help. Angus can carry them on his back, but his time at camp is limited. Again, if things go to plan, NewGuy will get all that help and won't feel like he has to pitch in.
I'm sure that any PA 12 year old knows his place, and there's a bit of apprenticeship understood. But this is not a 12 yr old. Here we are faced with the ultimate Buckless Youper. 28 and ain't been kissed. He just needs to get his cherry popped. He doesn't need to spend a weekend dealing with our dead animals and our gut buckets and all that. He'll get 90% of The Opener spirit if he can last through to weekend two, and by then he's hopefully fully blooded. The party starts, and now he's a fully fledged Cervid Serial Killer.
