2008 Season

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve posted. To tell you the truth, I’m not surprised I’ve begun to falter. I’ll try to not let my follower(s?) down and post on a more regular basis. The good news is that now I have saved up and have a lot to talk about. Let’s get started.

With the beginning of December marks the end of the 2008 Deer hunting season for me. As I said in my previous post, I always get new stories whenever I go hunting. This year is no different. Opening morning I was walking down a trail and came to a crossing. Down the other trail I saw two fawns walking towards me. I’m not going to shoot a fawn so I just decided to watch. They came closer and closer. At about 50 yards I grew anxious and decided to take action. I waved at the deer in an effort to shoo them away. To my surprise, one of the deer saw me and began running towards me, as if I was his long lost pal. Finally, the other deer saw me and was not so overjoyed. He darted into the woods and the other followed.

The next weekend I had a shot at a doe from ~250-300 yards. I could clearly see the head, but everything else was hidden in brush. I picked a spot where the vitals should be and pulled the trigger. Unfortunately I missed. At that distance, being off by even a cm means that you’ll be off by a foot or two. Disappointing, but I’ll blame it on the tree swaying in the wind.
The next day I was walking around when I heard a noise. I drew my gun and waited. Out walks another fawn maybe 20 yards away. It turns and looks at me, but it must not have been able to wind me because it wasn’t sure what I was. So it walked closer and closer, trying to figure out what I was. Finally, it got to be about two arm lengths away and stopped. I was almost in disbelief at how close the deer was. I thought about pulling out my knife, but it was just a step out of reach. After maybe 10 minutes of the deer curiously looking at me it grew tired and walked away.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a deer this year. But it’s ok since my brother went Rambo and killed everything in sight. So when you think about it, I have stories and venison. Can I really ask for much more?

The Great Outdoors

For as long as I care to remember, I’ve been a hunter. Hunting is (generally) cold, windy, sleep depriving, hard work. Most people wouldn’t dream of sitting nearly motionless in a tree for hours on end. I consider it fun.

Now before I continue I would like to clarify something. The following scenario is not hunting. It is not even close to hunting. And people who claim this is hunting should really be embarrassed. Having a guide, whom you pay fist-fulls of money, to hold your hand the whole time as you casually walk through a game farm, picking from your ‘prey’ as if they were produce at the supermarket. “Should I shoot that one? No… I think I’ll shop around for one of the other 30 awaiting trophies.”

There are so many things composing hunting that appeal to me. I’ll highlight a few that really grab my attention.

First and foremost, I view hunting as a challenge. It’s not certain that you will be successful. It takes dexterity, patience, stamina, will, endurance, and above all, LUCK! You haven’t lived unless you’ve woken up in the dark, put on frozen pants, and walked miles through the snow to weather the elements in the hopes of seeing that prized buck.

Second, every time I go hunting it’s a new adventure. No two times are the same. I have enough stories to write a book… or flood the pages of this blog until all but my fellow hunters are driven away. A show of hands: how many people know from experience that you can float a deer across a river? Anyone?

Finally, there are so many amazing things I’ve seen while hunting. I’ve seen so much wildlife and nature. I’ve seen the most amazing northern lights swirling right above my head, meteor showers that have lasted for hours. I’ve seen tons of wildlife; I’ve been 20 yards away from a wolf, and 5 yards away from a family of lynx. The boost of adrenaline you get from an experience like this is intense.

So that is a quick overview of why I hunt. If you want to hear some of my stories; all that is required is a campfire and beer. I’ll be waiting.


Oh, for all you people out there that think hunting is bad and evil and gross… I’d take a look at yourself. I bet that chicken club sandwich tastes good. Just be careful to not get anything on your leather shoes… hypocrite!