So it was that our author made his vow. But it really was a wish, because in his next article, he had already broken the vow. I am not quibbling with the author that he decided to once again shoot woodcock. I'd simply like to use his experience to show the difference between a wish and a vow. The outdoor arena of hunting and fishing is a good environment for vows where a person sacrifices personal desires for higher goals and ethics.
Wishes are desires.
I hope I don't shoot anymore woodcock. But a vow is something much more serious. There is no wish in it. A vow is a commitment to a behavior and a way of life. A vow shapes our actions and consciousness.