Hi Darryl,

join the club!

I think I' ve been kicked off every board at one point or another for what I did not consider flaming.

IF you can stand and idiot (me) giving hard learned advice keep reading.

It' s generally better to just ignore foolishness. I know it' s easy to say and not practice.

The technique I use now is to email directly, don' t involve the board at all in a possible confrontation.

For every poster there is probably 10 that are just reading, the yahoo that sets you off is most defintely the minority. Near as we can tell in three generations of guiding folks we find that less than 1% of people are jerks, mean, or un-trustworthy, that' s a pretty good percentage that are good decent folks like we try to be!

I also make it a point now to never write a reply the same day to something that cranks me up.

I thought I learned that a number of years ago by tearing into Gerry Stewart from the then Stewart game calls co. I ended a hunt and had a problem with all my stewart stuff that day making me look like an amateur in front of my clients---there' s that ugly pride thing---- and as luck would have it I ran into mr. stewart online.

I went up one side of him and down the other. he said nothing but sent me a private written letter full of apologies and the sentiment that he never answers email or letters that make him mad until a few days go by just because he is likely to fly off the handle.

A nice gentle way of saying, hey, Bob you were out of line.

Well, he was right, and I looked every bit the idiot I was. Nothing makes you look worse than acting like the person you are not, and never want to be, while the guy taking the verbal beating stands there and acts hurt.

Computers are a huge PITA, mainly because you can' t tell tone in writing well, unless the writer is a gifted wordsmith, which most of us are not.

unfortunately from what I see boards are a faceless version of the local watering hole or gun shop. And where most people will not continue a peeing contest face to face they will make it a ' look at me' discussion on the internet.

myself included. remeber that lesson I thought I learned?

As soon as I am man enough to call a fellow bowhunter near me I need to apologize for tearing him up on another bow board.

I still disagree with what I consider to be foolish advice that may get the other guy landed in jail or shot, but it served no purpose to tell him that and not simply email the hunter being advised.

gotta watch that pridefulness thing and be able to walk away with two slaps to the face. I' m pulling for ya, we are all a work in progress.