Opening week of Muzzleloader season 2010 in Arkansas and you better have the right clothes! It was a little bit of 'unseasonably warm' weather, as they like to say, for the opener, but it is still deer season. Although I would have preferred some cool weather, it still turned out to be exactly as I like it...memories made.
I, like most hunters, turn into a full-time weatherman this time of year. I am constantly checking the weather forecast and hoping for cool weather. Besides being really hot-natured, I just LOVE it when the mercury drops, especially while I am in the woods. I won't go as far to say that "it's not deer season when it's 85", but...
I, like most hunters, turn into a full-time weatherman this time of year. I am constantly checking the weather forecast and hoping for cool weather. Besides being really hot-natured, I just LOVE it when the mercury drops, especially while I am in the woods. I won't go as far to say that "it's not deer season when it's 85", but...
Opening Day was nice and cool in the a.m., but it warmed up and got up to around 86. It was nice to be in the woods again and I enjoyed the sunrise ( it's a miracle every day, as I like to say), but not a lot of deer movement. I did have an experience that was a first...more on that in a minute. I was not able to get out any more until the next Saturday and I had one of my boys with me. Again, pretty warm and not much deer movement. We did have a doe come out and literally walk under the stand. He told me that was the closest he had ever seen a deer while on the stand and he was blown away. That made my day.
I am very guilty of growing numb to events and experiences because I am looking for ONE particular outcome. For example, Saturday I was really focused on him having a chance at one of several really nice bucks we have seen on our trail cameras (side note...I have wrote on this before, but in case you missed it, trail cameras are one of the coolest things for a hunter. They are helpful in may ways, but they also provide a constant attraction to see what pictures are on there). So, naturally I was a little disappointed when they didn't show, but I almost missed the fact that we had other situations that made memories we will have forever. Besides having the deer walk under us, we also had an all-out wasp fight that lasted most of the afternoon (I wonder if us banging around in the stand and swatting at wasps with our hats had anything to do with not seeing deer?) and I can assure you we will remember that!
As early muzzleloader season came and went, I kept thinking of all I had to do to get ready for gun season. Besides the to-do list full of work, I am going to also focus on enjoying it. Not to get too philosophical, but I think we get caught up in so many things that we sometimes miss the best. Life is an adventure and the big events get all of the attention, but it seems that my thoughts are on the "small" memories I have. My Dad and I had a lot of great times hunting, fishing, whatever. But, what I think about most since he is gone are the little things...conversations about the weather, sports, fishing, etc. One of my favorite was just stopping by or calling to talk about nothing. Those usually lasted the longest! Anyway, keep an open mind and enjoy EVERYTHING.
Back to an experience I had that will last for a while. As I was watching the sunrise and just enjoying being back in the woods after a long time, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. Not a deer movement type attention-getter, more like a really different type movement. I turned to my right just in time to see a hawk approaching my stand. I am talking about wings cupped, talons extended and about to land on my shooting rail approach! Do I have to tell you I was startled? Let's just say God blessed me because I was alone and nobody had to hear the scream that came out of nowhere and I could not control. Not the reaction I expected, but I had to laugh and think that was a memory made that will last a long, long time. So, was that a successful hunt or what!?
