Sports
Deer hunting has many rewards
By Dick Nelson
Reports from successful deer hunters continue to pour in, but at the same time, complaints about fewer deer are more prevalent than ever. And that’s coming from hunters from both within and outside this region.
On the other hand, the bucks seem to be bigger than in previous years, and while you can’t eat the horns, shooting a buck with a rocking chair rack does wonders for one’s ego — not to mention the financial benefits if you happen to be entered in one of the many big buck pools.
The only problem I can find with this deer hunting season is time. I haven’t been able to spend as much time in the woods as I would have liked, but now that things are back to normal I hope to get out more often — even if it is the tail end of the season.
Someone once asked me why I hunt, and while the reasons are many, there are some fringe benefits that come from spending a day or weekend deer hunting — something a non-hunter will never understand.
Some people may wonder what those benefits are. Aside from providing an opportunity to spend time outdoors, here is a short selection of key things that come to mind, and anyone who thinks about the topic for a few minutes can probably come up with a few more.
For me it begins with sighting in my rifle and knowing how I can do it with a minimum number of shots; it is taking the time to be certain your firearm is shooting accurately, and knowing that more deer are killed with a single, deliberate shot than by squeezing off several shots at a moving target that is more likely to wound than kill the animal.
Another benefit is the pleasure of introducing a newcomer to the sport. Giving freely of your time and knowledge — simple things such as pointing out a deer track, a rub on a tree or a ground scrape that helps others learn. And, if helping them means giving up a day or two of your hunt, do it so hunting will continue to grow.
It is the healthy exercise of walking, sitting, and still-hunting some more. It is seeing your breath on a frosty morning, seeing nothing clearly while hunting on a foggy day, picking up the sight of large and splayed tracks in the snow that could be a buck.
It’s watching a squirrel scurry among the leaves, or a chickadee landing on the trunk of a tree.
It is that first breathtaking sight of a good buck, his antlers bone white, moving slowly and cautiously upwind of you. You track his progress, pick a hole through the cover that offers a small but open shot, and wait patiently for the buck to walk into the opening and offer a clear shot at the heart and lung.
It is the fragrance of cedar and pine needles, fresh backstrap tenderloins or venison liver and onions sizzling in the fry pan, old pine knots spitting and popping in the fire and the pleasant warmth of a pot-bellied or Franklin stove.
It is the sight and smell of wood smoke curling from the chimney of deer camp and the distant glint of lantern light through the trees as we make our way back to camp after a long hunt.
It means helping others and sharing in their joy and success. This may mean helping to blood trail a deer with someone else, helping another person drag out an animal. It means doing your share to help around the hunting camp including chores such as washing dishes, cutting and splitting firewood, bringing in fresh water and helping others to field dress or hang their deer from the buck pole.
It is the endless participation of hunters bragging up their favorite rifle cartridge, and the retort of another hunter claiming his round is more accurate and deadly — and never once laying this issue to rest. It’s not so important who is right or wrong, but that there is a lively discussion on the topic.
It’s knowing that if you down a deer, others will help. It’s also the knowledge that you’ll do the same for your camp mates or even a perfect stranger.
Deer hunting is the knowledge that alcohol is never consumed until all firearms are unloaded and put away, and then used in moderation. Deer hunters must learn that alcohol, taken in moderation, doesn’t give sportsmen the right to act loud and loutish during trips to town. Hunters should project an image of being caring and responsible individuals.
And finally, it is sharing some of your venison with others less fortunate.
Dropping anchor ’til next year.
On the other hand, the bucks seem to be bigger than in previous years, and while you can’t eat the horns, shooting a buck with a rocking chair rack does wonders for one’s ego — not to mention the financial benefits if you happen to be entered in one of the many big buck pools.
The only problem I can find with this deer hunting season is time. I haven’t been able to spend as much time in the woods as I would have liked, but now that things are back to normal I hope to get out more often — even if it is the tail end of the season.
Someone once asked me why I hunt, and while the reasons are many, there are some fringe benefits that come from spending a day or weekend deer hunting — something a non-hunter will never understand.
Some people may wonder what those benefits are. Aside from providing an opportunity to spend time outdoors, here is a short selection of key things that come to mind, and anyone who thinks about the topic for a few minutes can probably come up with a few more.
For me it begins with sighting in my rifle and knowing how I can do it with a minimum number of shots; it is taking the time to be certain your firearm is shooting accurately, and knowing that more deer are killed with a single, deliberate shot than by squeezing off several shots at a moving target that is more likely to wound than kill the animal.
Another benefit is the pleasure of introducing a newcomer to the sport. Giving freely of your time and knowledge — simple things such as pointing out a deer track, a rub on a tree or a ground scrape that helps others learn. And, if helping them means giving up a day or two of your hunt, do it so hunting will continue to grow.
It is the healthy exercise of walking, sitting, and still-hunting some more. It is seeing your breath on a frosty morning, seeing nothing clearly while hunting on a foggy day, picking up the sight of large and splayed tracks in the snow that could be a buck.
It’s watching a squirrel scurry among the leaves, or a chickadee landing on the trunk of a tree.
It is that first breathtaking sight of a good buck, his antlers bone white, moving slowly and cautiously upwind of you. You track his progress, pick a hole through the cover that offers a small but open shot, and wait patiently for the buck to walk into the opening and offer a clear shot at the heart and lung.
It is the fragrance of cedar and pine needles, fresh backstrap tenderloins or venison liver and onions sizzling in the fry pan, old pine knots spitting and popping in the fire and the pleasant warmth of a pot-bellied or Franklin stove.
It is the sight and smell of wood smoke curling from the chimney of deer camp and the distant glint of lantern light through the trees as we make our way back to camp after a long hunt.
It means helping others and sharing in their joy and success. This may mean helping to blood trail a deer with someone else, helping another person drag out an animal. It means doing your share to help around the hunting camp including chores such as washing dishes, cutting and splitting firewood, bringing in fresh water and helping others to field dress or hang their deer from the buck pole.
It is the endless participation of hunters bragging up their favorite rifle cartridge, and the retort of another hunter claiming his round is more accurate and deadly — and never once laying this issue to rest. It’s not so important who is right or wrong, but that there is a lively discussion on the topic.
It’s knowing that if you down a deer, others will help. It’s also the knowledge that you’ll do the same for your camp mates or even a perfect stranger.
Deer hunting is the knowledge that alcohol is never consumed until all firearms are unloaded and put away, and then used in moderation. Deer hunters must learn that alcohol, taken in moderation, doesn’t give sportsmen the right to act loud and loutish during trips to town. Hunters should project an image of being caring and responsible individuals.
And finally, it is sharing some of your venison with others less fortunate.
Dropping anchor ’til next year.
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