Surprise!

   Today was a great day because I found out that I get to go on a weekend gun hunt. I am very excited that I dont have to miss the whole gun season this year! My day was completely turned around when I found that out. Nobody will ever know what something like that means to a hunter. Sometimes it really is the little things in life. When things seem at their darkest something small like that can really make the difference in the life of a hunter. This is something that I will not forget because it was so nice to find out that someone was actually thinking of me.

Frustrating news

   Today I got some news that was very frustrating for me. My brother who is still back home while I am at college and seen a big herd of deer heading right towards my stand. This is frustrating because I was just on thanksgiving break and I hunted nearly everyday and only saw 6 deer over 4 days and none of them came within range.
   I know that the good and the bad go together when it comes to hunting but I must say this is getting a bit ridiculous. I cannot wait to be done with my final exams and back into the woods. I have felt out of place this year not waking up and heading to my stand on weekends that im here. I dont think that I will every get used to it. So for now I will have to settle for some weekend hunts and news like this.

Bow Hunting

  For this post I thought that I would take a break from the journal entries and give you my take on Bow hunting. To me bow hunting is truly an art form and a way back to our primal roots. To harvest an animal with a bow and arrow is an accomplishment like no other. Its something that you cannot compare to any other feeling. Theres no explosion, just a quiet peaceful ending.
    The challenge is another thing that makes bow hunting unique. Every hunter knows how difficult it can be to close in on your game of choice. But when your hunting with a bow, you have to close that distance to an even smaller margin. This cannot be done with a certain amount of skill that will never be learned unless you are a true hunter. The time, commitment, and dedication that bow hunting involves is equal to nothing else. Put in the time and work though, and you will be rewarded ten fold.

Bad feeling

    I have never had a worse feeling than this. What feeling am I talking about you ask? Well I will tell you about this feeling. Its the feeling of knowing that your gonna miss the best day of the year. The best day of the year being the opening day of gun season. Every year that I have been old enough to hunt I have been in the woods opening morning.
    So this is a new feeling for me. Knowing that I have to break this tradition is really killing me right now. I have always been in bed with my gear ready for the morning. This doesn't feel right at all and I do not like it. Next year its time for a change and Im gonna make that happen. Opening day I will be in stand no matter what classes I have. No ifs ands or buts.

Boredom

    Hunting can be very exciting at times. At the same time it can actually be very boring. It is boring when your sitting in the freezing cold, your toes are numb, and you do not see a single deer. This is when true hunters are exposed. True hunters realize that you must take the good with the bad. Your reward is directly based on how many hours you spend in the stand and sometimes it takes a few hours with no excitment.
    In the end a life lesson can be learned from the sport of hunting. Patience and persistence will get you far in life. Whether its actually starting a new life, or putting your hards on some hard earned antlers. Being patient and not giving up will earn you what you desire. A positive mind set and a good attitude will get you anywhere you want to go.

Waiting for the weekend.

    This week has seemed to last forever. It is now thursday and I cannot wait to go to bed, get done with class and head for the woods! Since hunting season began all I have thought about was being in my treestand. Throughout the week at school visions of giant bucks and blood trails dance through my mind. Sleep does not come easy at night when all I can think about is getting in the truck and driving to the woods.
    This coming weekend is different though. This weekend is going to be even more rewarding than hunting alone. Im not even getting to hunt this weekend but I am still excited. I am excited because I get to take my brother out hunting, and that to me is more rewarding than just going by myself. I feel that whenever I can I should introduce somone to the outdoors. I say this because ultimately our youth is the future of the sport of hunting.

Windy Weekend

    The stage was set, I had gotten a good nights sleep, I was up, and on my way to my stand again. I was ready no matter how long it was going to take I was going to shoot my buck. I had my bag, my bow, my arrows, my calls, everything that I would have needed to bag that monster buck.
    The only thing that I didnt count on was the wind. Somehow when that slight little breeze hit my face I knew that it was going to be a bad day. I could just tell I was going to get busted over and over again that day and what do you know I did! The first set of does came out and started feeding and they busted me and ran off. Then I started getting hopeful when a big twelve point came out, but then my hopes were dashed when a doe winded me and spooked him too. Those deer were the only ones that I saw that day, so I guess that just goes to show you that you can be as prepared as you want but you can't change the weather.

Amazing Disappointment.

    This past weekend I managed to get home and go hunting again. I was so thrilled that I could get into the woods again after two weeks. The night before my hunt it was really hard to sleep because I had visions of big bucks in my head. A little bit after one in the morning I finally managed to get to sleep, and before I knew it it was six a.m and my alarm was going off. I got up and had my cup of coffee, got my shower, grabbed my gear and I was out the door.
   I got to my stand and not even an hour later that I was having the visions of big bucks for a reason. I looked and I saw antlers everywhere. That day of hunting was what all hunters dream of. Although none of those deer got within shooting range I still had an amazing morning. That afternoon though everything decided to come close. Soon enough the buck of a lifetime was in range. I called at him and he stopped and I put an arrow in him. To my dismay I had hit a little too far back. I gave him a long time to die but I never did find that 10 point buck of a lifetime. So my amazing weekend ended in disappointment.

Family

    As I said in my previous post, hunting is a one of a kind feeling. That being said, the feeling that you get when you share the experience of hunting in a one of a kind feeling also. Taking someone out, especially somebody younger is a feeling that you will never forget. Being able to teach someone about your passion is a privledge. 

    This weekend I am getting the opportunity to take my brother out on his first archery hunt. I am so excited because he has never went on an archery hunt. Another thing that makes it special is the fact that I helped him take his first deer also. So if I was able to help him take his first and second deer it would make my weekend. Hopefully I will be able to pass my passion of the hunt onto my brother so it can be enjoyed by him and future generations. 

Hunting

    The outdoors has been a part of my life since I was young. The favorite thing that I like to do in the outdoors has always been hunting. For me there is no other experience like it. Every single year the one thing I look foward to is the beginning of hunting season. Once hunting season comes around you would always find me in my tree stand. 

    Once I got to college that all had to change. Actually everything changed, but the one thing I look foward to is going home and hunting. Even though I don't get to hunt as often I do not enjoy it any less. My mind is always on waking up in the morning and shooting that monster trophy buck. Hunting for me is what baseball, or football is to most people. It is my challenge, my passion, my sport.