A Thanks to all you guys

[phil@thesidehill]

thanks Steve! I think that is a great offer! I'm gonna have to take you up on it.

 

[bat man]

Congratulations Steve!!! I will be purchasing one as well. I have to tell you there is one down side to a December release.... After reading the book, I will have to wait like 5 months to start applying your strategies. Winter sucks!

Winter is my favorite time of year for habitat. Sneak up on a big old tree and run the bar across it till it tips over. Chills.

 

[Satchmo]

I'm in for sure.............and my wife says I never read any good books. Huh ;)

 

[Steve Bartylla]

Thanks for all the "grats" guys. I'll tell you this much. I've never been sucked this deep into writing the previous books. It's hard to explain. I've back spaced over trying to a couple times now. the best I can come up with is that is was simultaneously rather exhilarating and totally draining at the same time.

 

[dipper]

If its for Dipper I have something I would like to smear inside it.

I bet u really enjoy your life.
Congrats Steve, u work real hard at what u do, and your a smart guy. Just because we haven't agreed on some things, doesn't mean we haven't grown wiser.
I reference Steve a lot to the couple guys I know who are somewhat into habitat improvements(almost everyone cares little). I know I sold at least one of Steves books for him.

 

[Native Hunter]

Steve, I appreciate this. I would have loved to have had that book this week. I've been away from home with a relative who had surgery and this would helped to pass the time. When I get back home my check will be in the mail.

 

[foggy]

Thanks Steve. I will get a check sent for my copy soon! Looking forward to a good read!

 

[MoLandOwner]

Anyone going to be man enough to give us an honest review when they get through the book?

 

[MN Slick]

Congrats Steve! Are you automatically sending them to guys that you wrote plans for? I would like to buy Big Buck Secrets though if you still have copies. Thanks

 

[Steve Bartylla]

Anyone going to be man enough to give us an honest review when they get through the book?

If anyone does comment on it, PLEASE be honest/don't sugar coat it. There is absolutely nothing of value to interactions when the other is blowing sunshine. I can't come up with a single long term good thing that comes of that. I'd always much prefer to deal with the MOs, Dippers and Brooks of the world that are going to tell you exactly what they think when they say something on things they/you view as important than some of the marketing or ad dept types that are the best friend of whoever they are talking to at the time and everything indication they give is that your body wastes are gold bars and cool, refreshing lemonade. Everyone is different, but I would ALWAYS rather deal with people that I never have to question if they believe/mean what they are saying, even when it's not overly pretty, than those you leave conversations wondering what they really think.

That's a long way of saying, I've got more than enough people to blow sunshine at me. I'd sure like to believe you guys don't. That's part of why I take your overall opinions a heck of a lot more serious than most.

 

[Steve Bartylla]

Congrats Steve! Are you automatically sending them to guys that you wrote plans for? I would like to buy Big Buck Secrets though if you still have copies. Thanks

Yes and yes. I got to have $25 (that includes shipping) on Big Buck Secret, though, and you can find that cheaper on Amazon. I do think that book is the best overall work I've ever done. Not saying anyone else will feel that way, but if I was asked to pick the 1 piece of work (including books and articles, as well as seminars and video stuff) that was the very best, I'd point to Big Buck Secrets, without hesitation. It was one of the very few things I've ever done that turned out better than I'd hoped (I have very high expectations for myself and am by far my own harshest critic).

Don't get me wrong. I'm every bit as proud of the habitat book and am actually pretty anxious to find what others think about it, as I want to know if it really stacks up where I think it does compared to others that are at least somewhat similar. To my knowledge, there isn't another book out there that is a true 100% comparison and I tried to get a lot deeper into specifics and really laying things out/how you make this stuff work together than the closest comparisons I'm aware of. Not blowing sunshine myself, but one of my goals was to not hold anything back at all, which I feel isn't the case with its closest comparison books I'm aware of. That goal I know I achieved, as I didn't purposefully "save" anything for future books on the subject or try to tease anyone with just enough info to get them to want to buy a service, but not enough to really understand what. I'm NOT saying that everyone will get exactly what I meant on every single topic in the book and have a light bulb moment on exactly how they should fit every single piece together on their ground. This book has so many moving parts and there are so many variables at play that I'm afraid achieving that completely is probably impossible, but that was my goal. Just keep in mind, I don't offer in depth step by step instructions on how to plant screens or anything else, as that info is already out there. Instead, I tried to focus on where you want them, why and how it helps tie everything together. That's the type of stuff I believe is missing in the stuff I've read and what I've had to struggle over the years to learn on my own. I can find sources to tell me how to plant spruce, native grasses and miscanthus (thanks Bill ;) ). It's the wheres, whys and how everything fits together that I had to learn the hard way over the years.

Extremely long way of saying, I "think/believe" I've done a good job on the habitat book and, at the risk of sounding like an arrogant jerk, I believe it may just be the best book on this specific collection of topics (which is GREATLY helped by there being next to nothing available on the specific subject matter I cover). That said, the combo of info and FLOW in Big Buck Secrets I believe is the best I've ever done. The habitat book doesn't "flow" as smoothly by comparison...too many moving parts. It's a LOT harder to write about habitat than it is how-too deer hunting, for me at least.

 

[Steve Bartylla]

Just because we haven't agreed on some things, doesn't mean we haven't grown wiser.

Well put, Dipper, and thanks.

 

[MoLandOwner]

Steve, in your book are you targeting the guys that have a reasonable knowledge of what they are doing, or the guy just starting to try some habitat work for the first time?

 

[Steve Bartylla]

Steve, I appreciate this. I would have loved to have had that book this week. I've been away from home with a relative who had surgery and this would helped to pass the time. When I get back home my check will be in the mail.

Sorry to hear about the relative. Hope all went well.

 

[Steve Bartylla]

Steve, in your book are you targeting the guys that have a reasonable knowledge of what they are doing, or the guy just starting to try some habitat work for the first time?

Both. I personally think it's a mistake to believe that one can't take the most advanced hunting, deer management &/or habitat management topic imaginable and put it in terms than someone that knows next to nothing on the subject can't understand. We're ultimately talking dumb animals (not meant in a disrespectful way to deer, but that's what they are. They aren't capable of analytical thought), dirt and plants. I've always felt that if one can't put anything they're trying to discuss on those topics in terms most anyone can understand, they failed in communicating, are trying to sucker you by making it sound more complex than it really is or they just don't know what they are talking about.

Now, if someone just starting out buys this thinking they're going to learn every detail of planting food plots they will be woefully disappointed. That said, there are already great books and a bunch of resources on that subject. That said, I failed if that beginner doesn't have a MUCH better idea on where they can put those plots to best help them achieve their goals, as well as what those goals probably should be and has a far better grasp of how it is just a very small part of what all you can do/how they can tie that food plot in with other improvements.

To the beginner, nearly everything written in the book will be a new way of looking at things, but that doesn't mean I didn't fail if they can't grasp it easily enough. For the MOs of the world, there may be some subjects that are new, though there most likely won't be many. Where I failed with the MOs is if they don't pick up a bunch of "hummmm, I never thought of it quite that way before. If I did "this" here and "that" there, it would further help me achieve my goals of _________."

I'm talking in circles, but almost everything I do is with myself in mind. What do I want to see, read, listen to? I'm good at figuring that out, but not so good at determining what someone else wants. I don't want to waste my time on beginner level stuff, as I better know all of that already or I don't belong doing what I do (don't think that statement is ridiculous, as there's all sorts of people in my niche that honestly don't fully grasp the entry level stuff...They parrot it, but that's different than understanding it). So, my goal is to cover the more advanced topics, lightly skimming the basics just enough for the beginner to keep up. I'd say in most all I do, the beginner benefits more than the MOs do, but it's really written for the MOs, if that makes any sense at all.

 

[MoLandOwner]

Both. I personally think it's a mistake to believe that one can't take the most advanced hunting, deer management &/or habitat management topic imaginable and put it in terms than someone that knows next to nothing on the subject can't understand. We're ultimately talking dumb animals (not meant in a disrespectful way to deer, but that's what they are. They aren't capable of analytical thought), dirt and plants. I've always felt that if one can't put anything they're trying to discuss on those topics in terms most anyone can understand, they failed in communicating, are trying to sucker you by making it sound more complex than it really is or they just don't know what they are talking about.

Now, if someone just starting out buys this thinking they're going to learn every detail of planting food plots they will be woefully disappointed. That said, there are already great books and a bunch of resources on that subject. That said, I failed if that beginner doesn't have a MUCH better idea on where they can put those plots to best help them achieve their goals, as well as what those goals probably should be and has a far better grasp of how it is just a very small part of what all you can do/how they can tie that food plot in with other improvements.

To the beginner, nearly everything written in the book will be a new way of looking at things, but that doesn't mean I didn't fail if they can't grasp it easily enough. For the MOs of the world, there may be some subjects that are new, though there most likely won't be many. Where I failed with the MOs is if they don't pick up a bunch of "hummmm, I never thought of it quite that way before. If I did "this" here and "that" there, it would further help me achieve my goals of _________."

I'm talking in circles, but almost everything I do is with myself in mind. What do I want to see, read, listen to? I'm good at figuring that out, but not so good at determining what someone else wants. I don't want to waste my time on beginner level stuff, as I better know all of that already or I don't belong doing what I do (don't think that statement is ridiculous, as there's all sorts of people in my niche that honestly don't fully grasp the entry level stuff...They parrot it, but that's different than understanding it). So, my goal is to cover the more advanced topics, lightly skimming the basics just enough for the beginner to keep up. I'd say in most all I do, the beginner benefits more than the MOs do, but it's really written for the MOs, if that makes any sense at all.

With all of that I almost had a jeff sturgis flashback.:eek:

It covers both beginner and us MO's! Got it!

 

[Steve Bartylla]

With all of that I almost had a jeff sturgis flashback.:eek:

It covers both beginner and us MO's! Got it!

Yeah, I know I go overboard with details in a lot of replies. I just figure that when someone asks me a ? that they generally deserve a detailed response, and I am long winded to begin with.

 

[wildfire]

Check will be sent.

 

[wiscwhip]

Yeah, I know I go overboard with details in a lot of replies. I just figure that when someone asks me a ? that they generally deserve a detailed response, and I am long winded to begin with.

HEY now!!! I resemble that remark!:D

 

[foggy]

I'm glad I NEVER post long responses....or talk too much. o_O