In New England, sports have always been a big deal to many, many people. Summer evenings listening to Red Sox games, long-ago winter afternoons watching Bird & Co. rule the NBA, the Bruins sweeping NHL teams off the ice, and the Patriots, with all their difficulties, finally turning things around into a myriad of winning. I only wish some of our parents could have been around to see and enjoy it as well.
So, when Tom Brady said goodbye on March 17 — the saddest St. Patrick’s Day ever — he took with him an entire era of Boston sports history. After two decades of watching Brady, we became accustomed to his “Lazarus act” of willing his team back from the dead repeatedly. That was part of the joy of rooting for the Patriots, and Brady, for so many years. And like thousands of others, I admit to weeping openly when I heard the news he was gone.
But, through this odyssey of excellence, we learned something from Tom Brady and about the way he took care of himself, continuing to play football at a high level well past the age when most NFL quarterbacks are sitting in a commentary booth. He was given a gift, and he did everything possible to protect it. That’s something Tampa Bay will benefit from greatly.
Many of us have also been given a gift, of being able to hunt in New England for many years. Through these years we faced many challenges along the way: maneuvering up and down trees on a daily basis, long waits on stands in all types of conditions, working through rough and difficult terrain, long hikes or long hours of dragging deer, bears, moose or whatever, out of some god-forsaken location that most could never imagine. Venturing into these challenges can be torture on your lungs, heart, body and mind.
Don’t take me wrong, I’m not comparing myself or anyone else to Tom Brady. However, some think of football as simple, until they try it themselves. The same is true about hunting, until a back, leg, shoulder or knee gives out, and suddenly this so-called “simple task” becomes a major challenge. I can say that with first-hand knowledge, because I’ve been there.
A few years back, a knee injury took me off the ridge, and into the flat lands, looking for any sympathy I could get. A little twist at the wrong time during a stormy day of deer hunting was all it took. I knew something was up as I struggled just to get back to the truck. I remember trying to hide it from Linda for a while, but being the “absolute nurse,” it didn’t take long for her to catch on. A few days went by and it began to feel better. But as winter and the hunting season wore on, it became apparent something was wrong. A visit to Dr. Bob Miller brought the whole matter to a screeching halt with two words from Doctor Robert that were clearly stated: No hunting. Thus, the rest of the season was brought to a bitter end. The knee was injured, and I would be sitting in the cheap seats the rest of the way.
This brings us back to the point of being in shape while trying to avoid injuries during the season. Minor injuries that you just shrug off can happen any time, more so if you’re an active person. But staying in good physical condition can help avoid serious injuries that might set us back even further. Being in shape can also help when the lungs and legs are burning like a forest fire, and it can help us in other aspects of life as well.
Hunting is not unlike any other strenuous activity. At times, it takes strength and stamina to accomplish what you’re doing, and it becomes exceedingly difficult to realize the true joy of any activity if nagging injuries continually slow us down. A few days of this can eventually break one’s spirit to where you might think it’s just not worth the effort. That would be too bad.
Few of us will ever come close to Tom Brady’s approach to all of this. That’s what makes him the G.O.A.T. Athletes have off-season training programs and hunters can easily do the same with an easy exercise routine done regularly. It doesn’t have to be TB12-like training. On the contrary, just a simple, daily exercise routine will build your stamina and strength quicker than you can imagine. This will keep you actively “On the ridge” while helping you avoid injuries and physical problems that cause older ridge-runners, like myself, to cry to their wives complaining about knees, backs or whatever. Most importantly, it will add years to your life as a hunter while keeping you in a better frame of mind for everything else, including staying fit well into the future. Brady has it right, and with just a little bit of effort, we can get it right too, while staying in the game.
Joe Judd is a lifelong hunter and sportsman. He is an outdoor writer, seminar speaker, and a 2019 inductee into the N.E. Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame. Joe is also on the Quaker Boy Game Calls and Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Pro-Staff.