Buck up… it’s hunting season!

It’s time to dust off the blaze orange, sight in the rifles, and pick out your favorite spot in the woods. Saturday is the opening day of gun deer season in Wisconsin.

While I come from a family of hunter-gatherers, I don’t think I ever inherited the deer hunting gene. 

I remember when I was a teenager and deer hunting season arrived. I was always so excited about getting into the woods. I was sure that I was going to bag that trophy buck. We’d all get up around 3:00am and mom would cook one of those huge, artery hardening breakfasts of eggs, ham, potatoes, toast and coffee. We’d all eat our fill then suit up in the blaze orange and take off to our hunting site in Jackson County.

I don’t know if it was the coffee or adrenaline, but I was practically trembling with excitement by the time we reached our hunting spot. 

We’d get into the woods just before sunrise. I’d find my spot and sit down. I always wore about 30 layers of clothes so I was always comfortable. So there I’d sit… watching… and listening. The adrenaline rush of the hunt was soon replaced by a peaceful calm. I was ready for any sized buck Mother Nature would send my way. It was then my deer hunting gene always seemed to fade. After about 30 minutes of watching and listening, my warm clothes would interact with my full stomach and soon I would sleeping more soundly than the log I was sitting on. A 20 point buck could have walked up and kicked me in the back of the head and I would’ve never known.

Well… it would be nearly noon when I’d wake up. By then it would be time for lunch, so I’d hike back to the truck for some lunch not having seen a thing. After lunch, I’d head back out and sure enough fall asleep within 15 minutes of sitting in my spot. 

As you can imagine… I didn’t see many deer. 

I wish all of you hunters a happy and safe hunt!

Talk to you later!