The intent for this Hunting Eve post was to craft an eloquent summary of the many reasons why deer hunting is such an anticipated event for so many people. Life grabbed Intent by the throat, however, and squeezed until its thirst for air was squelched, then threw it on the floor and stomped any last glimmers of hope into the woodwork just for good measure. It's been that kind of a day, that kind of a week. As I begin writing at the front end of the Eve's final hour I search for excitement and anticipation and find only.......exhaustion. This will be brief.
Yes, tomorrow is the "opener" of hunting season - but it feels more like an ending. Not a sad ending...more like a culmination ending. For me, and many hunters, hunting season began in April. I did some scouting for last fall's scrapes and rubs I may not have seen while hunting. I put a new stand up at a place I planned on making into a food plot. I did a little bit of shed hunting, hoping to find cast antlers that would announce a buck's home territory. I did a lot of trail cleaning by removing blown down trees and clearing brush that had been leaned over onto a trail by heavy snow. Tree pruning and planting took up part of May. In early summer I began working our food plots, turning the soil in preparation for planting. Midsummer brought more trail clearing and mowing, as well as planting food plots and hanging trail cameras for our first looks at this year's deer population. By late summer and early fall I did one last round of trail cleaning, moved cameras off of summer spots, and get some shooting in with my rifles. I also created the new food plot I'd been thinking about for several years. In late September I began checking stands for needed repairs. October was anticipation month as I studied camera pictures, scouted for fresh scrapes and rubs, and counted the days until the previous months of work would be traded for two weeks of fun.
And now those weeks are here. This year is a special season, my bi-annual "week away from work to hunt" season. Having nine straight days to hunt is an entirely different ballgame than having a weekend at a time to hunt. More relaxing. More strategizing. More hunting! If the sun sets tomorrow and my deer tag is still unused...so be it - I'll have eight more days to hunt. And if I don't get some sleep soon the first day is going to go by pretty quickly while I snooze it away in my stand....
I've been debating between The Slaughterhouse and The Bald Knob as my opening day stand selection. The head of my scouting department (Dad) says The Knob looks a little better....and hunting buddy George was at The Slaughterhouse the other day on his four-wheeler clearing trail with his chainsaw. Apparently he didn't get the memo about keeping that area human-free these past two weeks. So Bald Knob it is.
Alarm is set for 5:00 a.m. Stand is selected. Mind and soul are excited, body is weary. Seven months of planning, sweating, and waiting have led to this weekend. I regret not getting that portable on The Knob moved like I had planned. I should have shot my 30-06 a little more. I could've used one more scouting weekend in October. Time is precious, and even many months to prepare usually isn't enough to get everything perfect before The Opener. But when I watch the sun come up from a deer stand tomorrow...well, later today now...perfect preparation won't matter. A seven month journey has led to the perfect destination, and I'm going to cherish every moment of it.
Enjoy your Saturday. I know I will.
No comments:
Post a Comment