Are you ready for some fun?
I know I am. The Feed is coming
up quickly—or slowly depending upon your point of view. If you have been there before, it can’t come
fast enough. Right? As for me, I started preparing as soon as I
got home from last year’s Feed.
If you have read my page on AWGF FAQs (Annual Wild Game Feed
Frequently Asked Questions), then you already understand the basic procedure is
1) buy a ticket, 2) don’t lose the ticket, 3) bring the ticket with you to the
feed, and 4) have more fun than you can stand.
But I’ve been thinking the most asked question after “How can I get a
ticket?” is the question “What do I bring?”
The answer to the question of what to bring is highly
subjective. As I’ve stated in the AWGF
FAQs the simple answer is to bring yourself and your ticket, but honestly, few
people stop with just those two essentials.
Also I hear every year at the Feed from guys who forgot to bring
something they really wanted to bring.
Oh, I completely understand this one.
The first year I was there they ran out of toilet paper. The next year I forgot to bring my own, and
they ran out again. Both times it cost
me a t-shirt. Enough said.
For the last ten or fifteen years, the afore-mentioned problem
has not been a problem, but T.P. is on my checklist anyway. In fact I started making my checklist before
I attended the third time, and each year I tweak my list a little bit as
needed. Best thing I ever did. I use this list to pack my car (half a dozen
times or more during the year) before leaving for the Feed, and I use it again
to make certain I’m bringing everything back home. Actually I didn’t start doing the exit checklist until about the
sixth or seventh year when I realized the following day I had forgotten my ice
chest. Fortunately the next year it was
returned to me (it pays to put some form of identification on your
possessions).
To this end I decided to share my checklist with you in
hopes it will inspire you to make your own—and use it. I’ve listed everything by groups in order of
the importance to me; your order will probably be much different, as will be the
items on your list.
David’s Annual Wild Game Feed Checklist
Group 1: Me, Ticket,
Chair(s), Cigars with Cutter and Lighter, Quail Eggs, Table(s), Shelter, Beer
Mug, Hat, Sunscreen, Sunglasses, Sharp Pocket Knife, Bottle Opener, Toothpicks,
Dental Floss, A Few Bandages, Light Jacket, Insulated Lunch Bag.
Group 2: Toilet
Paper, Paper Towels and/or Napkins, Heavy Duty Paper Plates, Disposable Table
Cloths, Metal Knife/Fork/Spoon, Ice Chest and Ice, Cider, Cloth Hand Towels.
Group 3: Waste
Basket, Trash Bags, Bottled Water, 1 Gallon Zip-Type Plastic Bags, Sharpie,
Inexpensive Plastic Containers with Lids, Small Plastic Cups or Bowls, Plastic
Spoons.
Group 4: Condiments,
Cutting Board, Camera, Knife Sharpener, Plastic Pitcher, Hand Truck, Real
Glasses for any Scotch (Bourbon, Rum, Rye, etc.) that comes my way (even though
my doctor tells me to abstain).
Okay, Group 1) has an insulated lunch bag. Why?
Because I walk with a cane, and the lunch bag becomes an extra hand for
carrying food back to my shelter. I started
doing this out of necessity, but I quickly discovered I could also carry a lot
more food than anyone else. Less time
in line, more time eating.
As you can see, my list is probably much different from your
list. Some of these things on my list
are for giving out samples of the quail eggs, and some are for bringing a few
things home with me. Some things are
just in the way unless I happen to need them, and then nothing else will do
(such as T.P.).
There are still a few days remaining before the Feed, so you
have plenty of time to make your list.
Take your time and think about each item you add to it. Nothing says you have to arrive with more
than yourself and your ticket, but a few extras can add to comfort. If you still forget something, just add it
to your list for next year. And remember,
it may be necessary to pack your vehicle a couple of times just to get the hang
of it. I’ve met more than one person
who managed to bring everything they wanted only to find out they couldn’t get
it all back into their car to go home.
Just remember what’s really important here, bring yourself,
your ticket, and have fun. All else is
optional.
See you at the Feed.