4 days. It begins.
The anticipation is building.
Friday is the opening day of shotgun deer season in Illinois. For seven days of the year, hunters in our state pour into the woods in hopes of bagging a big, corn-fed Whitetail. It is something I eagerly look forward to, not because I enjoy killing animals, but because of the relationships that surround the event and for the time spent away from the rest of the world. When you are hunting, you are miles away from reality. It's just you, the trees, the wind, the wildlife, and God. I love it.
Traditionally, the hunters in our party gather at "Deer Camp" the Thursday night before opening day for a feast. It is held in a 30x60' shop with a heated concrete floor, full kitchen, bathroom, and loft. It even has a hot tub to relax in after a long day in the cold. My dad and Bernie (the owner of the shop) invite a bunch of their customers and other hunters over to dine on a variety of wild game dishes. I usually have a showing of the previous years Wild Boar and Deer Hunting DVD's I film and produce.
Then it's off to bed (if sleep is possible). We roll out of bed around 4:30-5am every day, inhale breakfast, pile on layers of insulation, and head out to the stands before daylight.
I can already feel the crisp air in my lungs, see the forest come alive as daylight creeps through the branches, hear hooves gently plodding through fallen leaves, smell the gunpowder...
4 more days...
The anticipation is building.
Friday is the opening day of shotgun deer season in Illinois. For seven days of the year, hunters in our state pour into the woods in hopes of bagging a big, corn-fed Whitetail. It is something I eagerly look forward to, not because I enjoy killing animals, but because of the relationships that surround the event and for the time spent away from the rest of the world. When you are hunting, you are miles away from reality. It's just you, the trees, the wind, the wildlife, and God. I love it.
Traditionally, the hunters in our party gather at "Deer Camp" the Thursday night before opening day for a feast. It is held in a 30x60' shop with a heated concrete floor, full kitchen, bathroom, and loft. It even has a hot tub to relax in after a long day in the cold. My dad and Bernie (the owner of the shop) invite a bunch of their customers and other hunters over to dine on a variety of wild game dishes. I usually have a showing of the previous years Wild Boar and Deer Hunting DVD's I film and produce.
Then it's off to bed (if sleep is possible). We roll out of bed around 4:30-5am every day, inhale breakfast, pile on layers of insulation, and head out to the stands before daylight.
I can already feel the crisp air in my lungs, see the forest come alive as daylight creeps through the branches, hear hooves gently plodding through fallen leaves, smell the gunpowder...
4 more days...
3 comments:
poor deer....all he wanted that morning was a snack and all he got was a casing full of lead.
Great deer.
Got two little ones, this fall.
Can i get some venison summer sausage from your trip?? i love it!!
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