Observations from a Deer Stand

So I spent most of my Thanksgiving break with my husband and father-in-law, deep in the GA woods trying desperately to shoot a few deer to fill our freezer. I never realized, until we were blessed with two deer last year, how much of a savings it would be on the pocketbook for our food for the year. I now understand hunting deer as a "way of life" to eat vs. a sport of just killing. (which I totally DON'T agree with) I respect the process and enjoy reaping the benefits of all it has to offer.

Unfortunately, our time this year has been limited with work schedules and such to pursue the deer like we need to, following the weather patterns and such and being able to travel like we need to, so we have had to just try our "luck" and go when we could get down there.

BUT, after three days of trying, we came out tired and empty handed. Needless to say, I was frustrated.

The first day it was just too warm...but Wes and I had fun sitting in the stand together, watching the sun come up...then, go down.

The next day, it rained on us (well, Wes and Steve were exposed to the downpour while I was covered in a nice roomy box stand 30 ft up in the trees)...Yes, I was on my own after the first day. Figured we had a better shot at something if we spread out. It makes me nervous to sit by myself still, but I guess that is the best way to learn. I am not good at long shots, but if the deer is in front of me and I have something to prop my gun on, I can do it by myself....I think. I am willing to try anyways.

On the last morning (a very COLD morning), when I thought there were absolutely no deer in those woods, I was just about to climb down and wait for the guys in the truck due to my toes freezing off, I saw out of the corner of my eye three deer walking away from me at a fast pace and about to be out of sight; about 100 yards to my right....I think they were taunting me wagging their tiny little white tails in my general direction....so, out of desperation, I decided to take my luck on a "butt" shot before leaving my line of sight for good, but of course, I failed miserably. (hey, my impatience had its limit so I thought I would at least try to hit one)

As I went to see if I even had braised a hair on the deer's backside, I looked down in the ravine and back up the hill to where I saw a giant buck about 150 yards off walking back into the woods; another one about 50 ft farther than that wandering up the hill, and another one that kept popping its head out of a thick brush cover, staring me down, but with its body completely covered in brush, all i could do was have a very unpleasant staring contest through my scope. I swear at one point I saw it put its hooves in its ears and stick its tongue out at me while saying, "Na, na, na,na,na"...

It was like I could SEE the deer finally, but could do NOthinG about it...I wasn't sure where the property line was to the hunting lease or I would have climbed my way through the thick brush and wrestled that deer down...but I didn't know exactly how far it went and didn't want to be labeled as a poacher....so, I had to walk away....completely frustrated.

With all that said, I am learning, very slowly, that hunting takes extreme patience, determination, and skill. There is so much more to it than sitting out in the woods dressed in camo with a gun. So, with all the time I spent sitting out in the woods dressed in camo with a gun...(*smile*) in my deer stand, I had much time to think and come up with some 'hunting observations' :

(1.) You have to be strong to hunt. Strong in mind to stay alert during the wee hours of the morning and as the sun sets and the woods go to sleep.
Strong in body. Dressed in layers of clothing, with packs of stuff on, carrying a heavy rifle and climbing up a ladder 30 ft up into a tree stand....well, do that about 5 or 6 times in the course of a few days and you will understand.
and ...Strong in patience. Yes, you sit...and sit....and watch....and sit some more....it is exhausting. And I realized very quickly these past few days how much patience I truly lack.

(2.) Stilling yourself takes time. It takes me so long to just make myself get quiet. Especially when you leave busy jobs and travel busy highways to get there. To sit in the woods the first few times feels like something is going against the grain of every fiber in me...but....for that reason, I have come to really enjoy the process of stilling myself. It is so necessary. To stop, be still, and enjoy God's creation. Truly be still.

(3.) Once stilled, I am all of a sudden given super human hearing powers. I can hear EVERYTHING the woods has to offer. From the gentle fall of the leaves from the trees to the ground, to the tiny birds flying all around me (they yelled at me a few times for being in their tree), to the squirrels that sound like a whole herd of deer walking through the woods....everything is magnified. And the woods become alive. Literally. It is pretty amazing. You should try it sometime.

(4.) Deer pee smells absolutely horrid. We tried some scent bombs out of desperation on day 3...hmm...seriously? Who bottles that stuff up for a living? ...just saying.

(5.) I like my gun. No, I love my gun.

(6.) Even though hunting is typically a "boy" thing to do, I love LOVE the fact that my husband and father in law are so patient with me and always make me feel like coming with them isn't a burden because i am a rookie hunter. I love going. Really have grown to love it. I have had several other women and men make comments to me like, "It is nice you want to spend time with your husband doing his sport"; Well, it started that way. But over the course of a few hunting seasons, I really REALLY can honestly say that I love it. I love it as much as he does. And I KNOW it sounds weird to those that know me, but, seriously, I love it. And I really think that there are only a few people on this planet that understand that about me. My husband and father-in-law are two of them. They don't find it cute or weird. They have helped in making that a part of me. And I enjoy getting to enjoy it with them.

(7.) my last observation this time was this: I can overcome my fears with some faith and prayer. I hate walking through the woods in the dark to either get to my stand in the morning, or walking out at the end of the day. I HATE it. I am scared that an animal will jump out at me....and yes, I know that I am carrying a high powered rifle in my hands, BUT, still....I hate it. BUT, you have to do it. I had to. By myself....about 1/2 mile or so....alone for the most part...in the dark. But I used it as an opportunity to increase my prayer life....even if it was simply to say, "Lord help there to be no animals, help there to be no animals, help there to be no animals..."
I overcame....and did it.

Well, again, didn't mean for the blog to be so long....but, it gives you something to catch up on since I have been such a slacker lately with my blogging.
So, until next time...guess the Waldorf's will live off of eggs this year. Or, unless we can both play hooky from work and go out hunting ...one...last... time...