Were you sitting in a deer stand or blind on Sunday?
Like so many other archery season last-hurrahs, I found myself in my ground blind, holding my crossbow and hoping I wouldn’t lose my toes to frostbite.
I had the small Mr. Heater going, and ended up crossing my legs, one by one, so I could slow-roast the bottoms of my oversized Hodgman boots until I could again feel my toes. The rank stench of baking rubber filled my ground blind, but at that point, I didn’t care if my boots started to flame. It had been a long time since I was that cold.
I found out later that Sunday afternoon’s temperatures hovered around 11 or 12 degrees. As the minutes ticked away on my last chances for venison, I realized that even if a deer came in crossbow range, I’d have a horrible time trying to field-dress it in the bitter cold.
I quit a few minutes early, feeling warmer in my toes as I walked slowly to the minivan.
What makes us endure cold, rain, snow, gusty winds, heat, bugs, weeds and all the other hardships to sit in the woods and wait for a deer? Non-hunters don’t understand it. It’s not like any other sport that I know of.
As my wife points out, it’s not really a cost-effective way to get meat for the table, when you consider the price of a license, weapons, knives, specialty clothing, boots, deer haulers, blinds, heaters, bipods, chairs, raingear, ATVs and all the other stuff we “need” to buy to bring home a deer. In fact, I’ve seen estimates beyond $400 a pound for venison if you factor in everything you’ve spent, even amortized over several seasons!
Venison is delicious and one of the side benefits of deer hunting, for sure, but it’s not the only reason most of us deer hunt.
I looked at my boots slogging through a snowy trail, my old, melted trail from the blind as my path. This had been an especially tough year, with deer only seen twice while hunting (both times during the youth deer season back in October with my daughter, Kalispell). I’ve had few seasons where I had seen so few deer, although I have seen deer almost every day in places other than my hunting spot, so I knew the deer were near.
Being outside and becoming a part of nature are the two elements that draw me to the sport. Contrary to the antis, it’s not about killing, but yes, there has to be a victor in the natural world. This year, the deer won. In a totally wild setting, I’d be dead from starvation, which is the same fate deer face if their numbers are not controlled. Nature’s weapons, starvation and disease, are much less humane than the hunter’s rifles, compound bows and crossbows. Coyotes and wolves are not humane, either, and will eat a young or even an adult deer alive, not worrying about its suffering in the least.
In the world of iPods, iPhones, Xbox One, Playstation, Macs, PCs and Google Chromebooks, kids are starving for nature. There are books devoted to a child’s need for exposure to nature. Hunting takes this one more step by exposing them to the realities of nature. No, kids, Disney is not real. Other than perhaps The Lion King, most Disney animated movies do a huge disservice to kids and their understanding of the natural world. (This is probably why I’m not a fan of Disney World and Disneyland).
Adults have a chance to save their kids from a life of illusion and a misunderstanding of nature by taking them hunting. Adults get a greater appreciation of the tremendous effort needed to survive in the wild. I love the TV show “Naked and Afraid,” because the naked couple quickly realizes that without water, shelter and food, they are done.
When the wild animals in a habitat finally accept a human into this natural world, or simply don’t detect that person, this feeling of acceptance does it for me. It usually happens when I’m in full camo and archery hunting. Squirrels step within feet of me. Small birds may land on a limb within inches. Yes, I’ve had chickadees land on my cap! That’s the ultimate hunting experience for me.
Of course, if a deer happens to show up while I’m immersed in the natural world, I’ll do what the apex predator is supposed to do.
I often find myself hunting in the cold and snow on the last day of deer season, whether I’ve already tagged a deer or not.
I think I’ll keep doing that as long as I’m able.
I can’t think of a good reason to miss it. Can you?