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They say that Louis XIV had the inscription Ultima Ratio Regum cast into all the cannon of the French Army. It means “The Ultimate Argument of Kings,” and that always struck me as one of the most honest and up-front things any ruler or would-be ruler ever said. “We can dress it up prettier than this, but when it comes down to the unvarnished truth this is what it’s about: You’ll do as I say or I’ll send my goons to kill you.”
I thought about that for a long time. If there’s an ultimate argument, it seems only logical that there must be an ultimate answer. For years I thought the ultimate answer must be the bullets in my rifle, but it never seemed quite right. I’ve got bullets – he’s got frigging Cannon Balls. I mean, if there were three hundred million rifles throwing bullets at him, then maybe. But we all know that’s not going to happen. So if there’s an ultimate answer to his ultimate argument, it sure as hell ain’t bullets.
It finally came to me – and that’s when I abandoned the city and most of my stuff, and gave all that was behind me a good stiff Randian Shrug.
The ultimate answer to kings is not a bullet, but a belly laugh.
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Previous OPSEC Violations
Good for him. Our department of natural resources here would just have shot both deer.
At least it was Only One gun violence, so nobody has to get their panties in a twist. 🙂
Wish we could have seen the shot. Be interesting to ask him off the record whether he felt it was lucky, or called.
I used to pull some seasonal income from collecting elk sheds. I’ve heard stories of people finding such skeletal layouts. Another story I heard was of a bachelor group of bulls that were trapped in a small valley in a large cauldera overwinter and starved. Supposedly – the guy that found them the next summer came back later with a couple pack animals and took out a couple dozen intact skulls – paired antler and eyeteeth intact. If it happened that would have been worth a few thousand back then. (yes – fresh intact antlers were worth about 8@# then and buyers came with trailers in early Summer to backwater towns all through the Rockies to buy them. Asian markets – I hear.)
Best I ever found was the top 40′ of a Ponderosa Pine about 150′ from the charred 60′ base. I was on a high ridge and noticed the bare but fresh trunk first and wondered what happened to the top half – which I came across a minute or two later. Must have been quite a lightning strike to see.
I once came across a bull not long after he’d just dropped both sides – which I’d picked up in two different places not 45 minutes before. We surprised ourselves about 60′ apart in a small clearing on a game trail. Thankfully he bolted back the way he came – not flat over me.
PNO, the only time I ever found an elk shed it was both together, lying right next to each other, in a canyon to the east of here. I hauled them out and still have them, but never really found a use for them.
Once one antler drops they decide they don’t like being lopsided and the other can usually be found within a hundred yards. If you decide you want to part with yours you might ask at the local feed store if any buyers come through. The shedding seems to take place once the bulls begin to move up to high grazing – so it’s the transition from mesa to mountain where most of the sheds are found – in the canyons leading up. Turns out some routes are more favored by bull elk – that’s where the numbers can be enough to make a few bucks.
I’ve never been a fan of antler knife handles – mostly because I prefer full-tang knives. I’ve used antler for inlay and carving – and I’ve inlaid a few burrs (the part that connects to the head) for decorative paperweights. Never liked working with it – stinks when it gets hot and the dust isn’t supposed to be good on the lungs.
I kept the best pair I’ve found – the ones from that bull I bumped into. They just sit on top of a high bookcase all decorative and manly like!
Another place you might turn yours into $ is at a black powder shoot – esp. if there’s a ‘trader’s row’ – the traveling vendors can usually make a buck off them for craft or decoration.