What Happened To You Guys?
I’m still shivering. A week of 30 degree temps and a constant mixture of rain and snow appears to have lowered my core body temperature. Despite being home for two days I still can’t seem to warm up.
“What happened to you guys?” read a note in my inbox when I returned to town. It’s a fair question. While most folks barely noticed, we stopped publishing on STS this summer. A few have asked what happened to us. We should have said something sooner. In short we no longer have the drive to keep regularly creating content here on STS. At the same time we aren’t fully ready to give it up.
Starting 2013 we produced original content three days a week without missing a post. Last winter we reduced the content to a post every other week. Having a deadline suited us and we were accountable to each other. We were proud of our consistency. But honestly, it’s a miracle we didn’t drop the ball somewhere along the line…until now.
This site was created out of passion and fueled by the positive relationships built with those of you who were kind enough to read our work. We have never considered ourselves experts in anything but rather wanted to communicate how we see the world as sportsmen, father’s, and a couple of regular working guys. Thank you all for joining us along the way.
Matt is now the chief executive and editor of WyoFile, one of the West’s best sources of in-depth reporting on people, places, and policy. His young lab has turned into one heck of a bird dog and they manage to sneak out in the evenings, when he’s not coaching his son’s soccer team. He’ll probably knock down an elk to fill the freezer at some point this fall, but longer hunting trips are off the table for the moment as he settles into his new job.
As my body temp slowly increases, aided by the nutrients from fresh elk tenderloin, I’m glowing knowing that the toughest part of my hunting season is over. With meat for the year, my son and I are hatching plans to chase pronghorn and whitetail. The dogs are eager to get out and I will likely make a few more casts just because I can.
The future of STS is uncertain, but Matt and I are doing well.
Well, wherever your endeavors may take you, it was still great getting a slice of it. In a world full of how-tos, grip n’ grins, hero shots, and top gear lists, you gentlemen managed to capture the beauty of what it really means to be outdoors. In short, its some damn good reading. Thanks
Eric, thanks for the very kind words, I consider them the highest praise. Comments and support like yours have motivated us for a long time. We will continue enjoying being outdoors and we’ll see if we have the energy to share that experience here via writing and images. I hope you keep getting after it as well.
Steven and Matt, I just discovered STS a week ago and have been binge reading to get caught up. I’m super bummed your taking a break but I wish you well.
David
Faith, Family and Fish
Glad to read this, to know that all is well with you gents, and completely sympathize with your plight. Always considered STS to be top drawer and, while I miss its regular appearance in my feeds, I know that keeping it up isn’t easy.
Good hearing from you. Take care.
Mike, thanks so much! Your support has always meant a lot. In fact, I forget your phrasing but you once said to me that the only reason to do this was because we love it. When it started to feel more like a job it seemed like a break was necessary.
You know, I appreciate you reminding me of that. I suppose I should practice what I preach and stop feeling quite so badly about my own recent “break.” Thanks. I needed that.
Lives evolve, circumstances shift, things change. Just the way it works. Kudos to both of you for sharing so much of your lives with the rest of us, and for doing it with such class, integrity and grace.
Todd, thanks for the perspective and kind words. They mean a lot coming from you.
You write beautifully and your photography is stunning; I have really enjoyed this glimpse into your lives “out there.” Thank you both!
Thanks so much Emily, hope all is well w you and your family!
I’ve struggled with this same thing for a few years for the same reasons (you handled it/addressed it better than I), so you’ve given me some consolation in knowing that I’m not alone. Apparently, even the best hunting/fishing blogs eventually fizzle a little :). I look forward to any future posts that you guys can muster!
Glad to hear we are in good company. Best of luck as you decide what to do going forward. Best advice I’ve received is that you have to do it because you love it, if that changes you are missing the mark.
This is sad. This is the only fishing (and hunting, but I read for fishing) blog that is still worth following. Take care and know I’ll keep checking back in case you do post again.
Kyle it kills us to disappoint, but we are grateful for your support and appreciate the kind words.
You guys kept me sane through a few long winters at my desk and brought out some of the best in what it is to explore the outdoors through the eyes of your children. Thanks for all that and good luck and tight lines!
Martin, so good to hear, thank you!
I’ve appreciated the content over the years, especially on being fathers who love taking your families along with you hunting and fishing. As I’ve been in my own transition of fatherhood over the past 6 months, I know that some things just need to be left for a season. It’s completely understandable that things change. I want to bring my daughter along with me on similar hunting and fishing adventures, and appreciated the tips and stories you’ve shared on here. What you both shared has been greatly appreciated by me and others. Thank you!
Caleb, thank you! Enjoy the time outside with your daughter. Those early years with mine are some of my fondest memories to date. But watching my daughter stick a big brown slurping tiny dries as an eight year old is pretty cool too!
I’m grateful for all the awesome things you all have posted over the years. Thank you and good luck in your future endeavours
Thanks a bunch Chris!
Your uncanny skills in writing of outdoor ventures with great humor and heart will be (and have been) sorely missed. No blog has packaged fishing, family, friends, fine whiskey, and just plain outdoor fun as well as yours, IMHO. Good luck to you both – hope to bump into you one day on a stream.
Steve, thank you very much for the kind words! See you on the water!
Hey fellas thanks for the time and effort you have put into your content I have enjoyed it immensely ,so much so that now because of you I am slowely undergoing a career change. I am sure there are many more people like me who noticed your absence but never post anything.
So I just wanted to say Good luck and thank you
You are very welcome! It’s humbling to know we played a role in a potential career change, hopefully in a positive way! Best of luck in your future endeavors and feel free to reach out anytime if we can be of help.
Mate, thanks very much that is greatly appreciated and definitely in a positive way. If you ever find yourself heading down to Australia or New Zealand give me a bell, as I would be more than happy to show you around.
Take care and best of luck. always enjoyed your writing and photography.
Thanks a bunch!
You guys were daily 5am reading for me as I prepared mentally for each day for several years. Was sad when you cut it to sporadic posting, but I know how selfish that is… good luck moving forward
We hate to disappoint, but appreciate you understanding! Thanks for all the support.
Am reminded of the sage advice of Dr. Seuss, “Don’t be sad because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Thanks for everything. This was truly awesome stuff.
You are welcome, thank you for the kind words and support!
I just discovered this awesome site from a blog post by Gink & Gasoline. Maybe there is some other important reason to shut this down. BTW, full respect what you doing in your life. Thanks for the awesome ideas you share by this lovely site with us.
Jim,thanks so much! We just need a change of pace, but rest assured we are doing well!
Fell happy to hear that. Be safe and happy Steven.
Glad to hear you fellas are doing well. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with livin’. This site has been bookmarked on my computer for years, and it’s going to remain that way.
Thanks a bunch Tripp!
Guys – I’m gonna miss reading STS on the regular. I did, indeed, notice your absence this summer, but blamed it on the great adventures you must’ve been having. Tough to learn that it was work and jobs that were keeping you away – I know the feeling all too well. True to the STS manifesto – it’s all about finding the seam between conflicting or sometimes divergent currents in our lives. Soccer practices and deadlines will give way to rising trout eventually. I’m trying to get out more, listen to more trout streams, feel the seasons, get my kid a break from the concrete – it’s a battle – but as I’ve learned, you gotta keep stalking the seam.
Take care, and good luck. And, of course, thanks for the great writing the last few years. I owe you.
MG
MG, Thanks so much for the kind words and for reading over the past few years. Also, there is no need to feel bad for us! While work is real for both of us, I would say that eliminating the self imposed deadlines of STS makes it easier for us to continue getting outside with friends and family on a regular basis, which is what we should all be doing as much as we can! I just returned from a great bird hunting trip, am going to deer hunt with my son this weekend, and need to fix some leaky waders so I’m ready to take advantage of opportunities to fish that I know will be right around the corner. Hope you are able to keep getting out with your family as well.
Gentlemen,
As a father of two young boys and an addicted angler and hunter living in the RM West, your blog has served as poignant material for me since its inception. I religiously followed your weekly posts and looked forward to them. Especially reading about the ways you incorporate your children and wives into these sports. I’ve yet to find any publication that is as in-line with my own experience and struggle with the demands of work, family, and burn to be in the mountains or on the river. I’m finding that these recreational pursuits are constantly being over-machismoed and marketed. It’s nice to read about dudes getting in done in a real, down to earth way. All in all, this is GOOD SHIT! I hope you find it in you to rally and keep going. Maybe a quarterly magazine? If not, best of luck and thank you for the content.
-Adam Shaw
Adam, Thanks so much. I can’t imagine a better compliment. We’ve tried to share our experiences as we see them and it means a lot when that resonates with others. All the best to you and your family, I hope our paths cross on the water or in the field. We’ll see if we can muster some new content on occasion!