OK, first let me say that I am not trying to expose anyone in this post (and I won't). I think ALL sportsmen to some degree often do things like rounding off a trophy's length to the nearest (or even next highest) inch. This is harmless embellishment I think and it is in fact just easier to say we shot a 24" impala than to say that he measured twenty three and three quarters. Also. as is often said, "Fish never get smaller with each successive telling of the story". Again, this is probably harmless and maybe in our own minds the fish is actually remembered as being larger than it actually was. Human nature? I don't know. All that said, do any of you know people who hunt/fish and who are simply over the top about this sort of thing? Do you think people "in the business" embellish more or less than us "civilians"?

The reason I ask is because an old acquaintance of mine has been getting a bit over the top lately. He is in the hunting/outdoor business and these "embellishments" are clearly to serve his own business interests as well as his ego. It used to be this person was simply lying about how many safaris they had undertaken....then it was the duration of the increased number of trips (now up to months in duration!)....then it was species of game they had hunted...then it was "I actually worked in a professional capacity on this ranch or that" while in Africa....then most recently it was, "We were shot at by poachers and I now have PTSD over killing this guy". WTF? The guy had potential clients (some with a lot more experience) convinced that he was Ernest Hemingway and Jim Corbett all rolled into one.

You know, I don't even really know why I am posting this except maybe as a way of generating dialogue about why we really hunt? Why, for some, does it have to be an ego thing or a competition? What's more, how pitiful is it when someone who leads a very privileged and fascinating life STILL is not content with it to the degree that they must transform their existence into an outright fiction. That someone would do this for profit probably makes it worse.

More specifically, just yesterday someone was talking to me about this person and mentioned one of the above stories. My response was simply, "Yes, well...some people would rather lie even though the truth is easier and every bit as interesting".

Should I have just kept my mouth shut?

Yes, I think we all know, or have been in camp, with someone as described. If you think about it, it's kind of sad really. The need to glorify one's won feats and accomplishments, or simply make them up, is a sign of a deep-seated feeling of inadequacy and low self-worth. As youngsters we were all guilty of such "stories", as we struggled to achieve our own identity. When we see it in adults, it's really rather sad....seeing someone going through life and never feeling OK with who they are.

One of the seven deadly sins is envy. Most people think the sin is "to envy."

I wonder if the desire to be envied isn't the true sin.

Agreed. And there isn't any envy in any of us reasonable folks for the bloviated stories from a blowhard fool like that one-more like pity. Tell him.

Get him to post his shit on AR and that will soon sort him out.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Get him to post his shit on AR and that will soon sort him out.

With close up pictures.

quote:

I wonder if is the desire to be envied isn't the true sin.

That is probably closer to the way things are with some folks. Some individuals just have to embellish things to make themselves seem larger than life.

Mark Twain once said something similar to: "In Missouri we tend to embroider stories a bit, but I once met a Texan who knitted the whole cloth."

As a Texan I take exception to this, but I know there are people like that.

quote:

Originally posted by Don_G:
Mark Twain once said something similar to: "In Missouri we tend to embroider stories a bit, but I once met a Texan who knitted the whole cloth."

As a Texan I take exception to this, but I know there are people like that.

Reminds me of another Texas saying: "Big hat, no cattle."

You know, if it is just some guy trying to impress folks/massage his ego I just nod and walk away.

If its someone trying to sell something because of their experience, I probably shouldn't, but do tend to call them on it. All they are going to do is give some newbie a bad taste in their mouth when they buy the BS and find out later...

The whole thread does remind me of a certain poster who claimed he had shot 25 elk, none of which were less than 350.

There is a difference between, on the one hand, making a story a bit more entertaining and, on the other, attempting to deceive people.

Like most other things in life some people dont know where to draw the line.
I know someone like this, sometimes i think he is lying just to be lying.

Two cliches come to mind ; "Why tell the truth when a lie will do," and "The older I get, the better I was." More often than not, "little-man syndrom" is in the background. Not so much little as in physical size, although that is fairly often the case, but as in mental stature causing the birth of a pathological liar. It really has very little to do with being a hunter, angler, fireman or a special forces vet. I have read that there were more men in Britain scoring free drinks and meals by claiming to be members of the SAS Team that took part in Iranian Embassy raid than there have ever been members of the SAS. There was an instance in South Africa where an a%$@-*ole claimed, in a pub, to be an ex-member of "Koevoet," and even introduced himself giving the real name of an ex-member. Unfortunately, the real ex-member was there who then promptly knocked the snot out of the silly toss.

Folks like that are Pathological Narcissists.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N...personality_disorder

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder[1] in which the individual is described as being excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity. This condition affects one percent of the population.[2][3] First formulated in 1968, it was historically called megalomania, and it is closely linked to egocentrism.

Symptoms

Symptoms of this disorder include, but are not limited to:
Reacts to criticism with anger, shame, or humiliation
May take advantage of others to reach their own goal
Tends to exaggerate their own importance, achievements, and talents
Imagines unrealistic fantasies of success, beauty, power, intelligence, or romance
Requires constant attention and positive reinforcement from others
Easily becomes jealous
Lacks empathy and disregards the feelings of others
Obsessed with oneself
Mainly pursues selfish goals
Trouble keeping healthy relationships
Is easily hurt and rejected
Sets unrealistic goals
Wants "the best" of everything
Appears as tough-minded or unemotional [4]

Another good article:

http://brainblogger.com/2010/1...-or-severe-disorder/

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:

Reminds me of another Texas saying: "Big hat, no cattle."

That is an old saying among many others from Texas!
However I believe it reads "All hat and no cattle!" . It really doesn't apply as much to lieing as it does to describing a DRUGSTORE, dance hall COWBOY, usually from the east coast, and/or a person's mental capacity, the hat replacing the brain in his head!

The practice of making up stories is an old cowboy tradition, usually ending in a punch line when the listener is totally convinced of the truth of the story, followed by a big laugh around the campfire!

These things were harmless entertainment exercises around a camp fire after a hard day's work on the drive trail giving everyone a good belly laugh. I think this type banter is alive and well in most deer camps in the USA, where old friends hunt together, I know it definitely is, with all the AR members at the annual DRSS hunts down at Brady, Texas.

I think what the original poster is talking about is a whole different thing, and is a pathological disorder that is just sad!
....................................................................................................................................

quote:

Originally posted by Scriptus:
There was an instance in South Africa where an a%$@-*ole claimed, in a pub, to be an ex-member of "Koevoet," and even introduced himself giving the real name of an ex-member. Unfortunately, the real ex-member was there...

OUCH! I would certainly say Ann's list of NPD symptoms strongly applies to the "Koevoet member". Maybe I am hanging out with the wrong people but, to be honest, I think most people these days have a good number of the symptoms on that list! Welcome to the 21st century I suppose.

As for the individual referenced in the original post, mental illness may be a reality. I remember one time he exaggerated TO me about a hunt....a hunt THAT I WAS ON! As the old saying goes, "If you tell the truth, you don't need a good memory".

Ann,
you described Berry again that belongs on the political thread

The older you get the better you was -- especially guys watching/critiquing football games.

Maybe this belongs in the Old Gossiping Women forum?

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Maybe this belongs in the Old Gossiping Women forum?

You've been there?