Deer Hunting As The Winter Rolls In

Here it is, just days before Thanksgiving and the cold is definitely settling in to mid-Maine. With just about a week left to rifle season, I have been trying to get out to the woods at every opportunity.

I was back out before the break of dawn this morning. It was a cold night...in teens and the temperature is on the rise as a storm front is moving in. Most of the state is getting a new blanket of snow. Amazingly enough though, not the first snow fall of the season!

I made my way to a blind, tucked way back in the corner of some thick woods. It is a pinch point leading from a nearby water source to a food source. I am set up, sitting silently as the sky lightens. The sound of the stream rolls along off in the distance.

About an hour or so after sunrise, I start grunt calling. I keep the calling going in 3-15 minute intervals. Unfortunately there is no reply. As I sit patiently in the blind, the weather is changing all around me.

When I first arrived, it was a light snow fall. This had stopped when daylight began to break and slowly transitioned into hail. I could feel the temperature begin to drop. I was never so glad for the many layers I had on and the warm coffee in my thermos!

I knew that the chance of movement was slim with the changes taking place all around me. But I continued my grunt calling anyway.

As I was sitting there listening carefully to the woods around me, I heard it. No, it wasn't a deer or some other animal coming into my shooting lanes. It was the simple calm and awesomeness of the great outdoors. The stream rumbling along was the backdrop for the hail hitting the blind and all the trees around me. It may have been cold, but it was relaxing. A calm came over me; if I were to take my blood pressure, I'm sure it would read that of a person some 20 years younger!

The stresses of life seemed washed away with the sound of the falling hail and rippling stream. Taken away to allow for something great to just wash over me. It made me almost feel guilty for not sharing this moment with my children, but school is definitely a must.

However, it did help me to envision the time I would share with them later this week. After all, Thanksgiving break is upon us, I would be heading out with them to bag this trophy. Hopefully we can all share in the excitement of the hunt!

As much as I would love to have had the opportunity to take a shot at a trophy this morning, I found that this great sport of hunting has provided me more than just the chance to fill the freezer, but the chance to fill my soul. I hope that you take a chance to head out and experience this for yourself and then share it with your family.