The experiences I’ve had over the past few weekends serve as important reminders of one of the most unforgettable, best all time slogans from the Boy Scouts: “Be prepared.”

On the drive home from the Portland Gun Show Sunday night, November 17th, the van pulling our trailer started to overheat. After a little investigating under the hood, we discovered a 5/8″ heater hose had a small hole rubbed through where it was making contact with a sharp, metal edge. We were “prepared” with a knife, screwdriver, water and flashlight. We were able to cut about an inch off of the hose, fill the radiator and be on our way, almost. Using the emergency flashers on my Land Rover while working on the van apparently ran down the battery on the Land Rover. Of course, being “prepared” with a good set of jumper cables, we were both finally on our way.

72-hour Survival Kits

My first vehicle was a ’56 Chevrolet Bel Air. My second was a ’70 Chevrolet Nova, and my third was a ’57 Willy’s Jeep Panel Wagon. Although they all had their virtues and differences, they all had one thing in common: they all needed to be worked on from time to time. If you weren’t “prepared,” sooner or later you would be stranded somewhere. And of course never at a convenient time. However, if you kept a four-way wrench, small tool kit, Hi-Lift jack, some duct and electrical tape and a good tow strap handy you could get yourself out of the most dicey situations.

As the years went by, my vehicle emergency kit grew, and coincidentally, my need for it became less and less. Just remember like with most forms of insurance: if you’ve got it, you probably won’t need it, but if you don’t have it, you’ll almost certainly need it!

An Example

This last weekend brought about another example of the advantages of being prepared. Once again, the experience featured a vehicle. This time though, it wasn’t mine. I had just returned from the Eugene Gun Show. My wife and I were standing in our open garage talking after I had unpacked my rig. Suddenly, the lights in the garage went out. I instantly realized that it was not just our garage, but every light in the neighborhood. After following the sound of emergency sirens and flashing blue lights, we soon found out a car had gone off the road a block away. It had knocked down a power line, causing other power lines to fall in the road and the field.

It was now pitch black outside, the temperatures approaching freezing. From the looks of it, we weren’t going to have any light or heat for several hours, and likely all night.

Once again, being “prepared” with camping tools and supplies, we quickly took care of the situation. Since there was no electricity, my flashlight and headlamp helped me find the emergency flashlight and lanterns that we keep near the bed. I was able to access the propane tank, propane cylinders, “indoor safe” propane heater and lantern. Voila! We now had heat, light and comfort throughout the night. Or at least for the ten hours it took for the power to be restored.

What could have been a potentially uncomfortable situation was made comfortable simply by “being prepared”.

The Moral of the Story

Life is often like that. Hunting is like that. If I could put into two words the reason for ScopeShield’s existence it would be to “Be Prepared.” Whether you have the oldest, cheapest scope on your hunting rifle, or the finest scope on the market, if you can’t see through it you can’t see what you’re aiming for. If you can’t see it, you can’t hit it. When your rifle action is exposed and accumulating dirt, twigs, leaves, needles and other debris it won’t function smoothly. Your shot will definitely be compromised.

Don’t let it happen to you. Be prepared.

Until next time, may the good Lord bless you richly in all that you do.

Happy Hunting!

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