“The movie Bambi used to make me cry and even still I get teary eyed when I watch it.”
“Do you even want to go hunting?”
I was never exposed to hunting growing up. It was not a right of passage for me. No one in my family was a serious hunter that I knew of or at least knew well. I guess my dad used to go duck hunting all the time but this was before I existed. Somehow I ended up with a hunter. I never thought I would go hunting in my life, but here I am, asking my guy to take me.
Let me state that I have no desire to kill animals. I have no antler obsession or need to fill my walls with mounts of “trophies.” I do have a desire to learn new skills & try new things. I only recently started avidly fishing & ice fishing in the last few years. I love it. I love pulling fish out of the water (mainly through the ice) and cooking with what I or my fishing guide caught. I love knowing where my food came from. Maybe hunting could be similar.
I wanted to learn and experience hunting from an academic and skill set standpoint. I wanted to be able to cook with what I harvested. I didn’t know if I could handle hunting. If I could handle taking a life even if it is to provide food for my household. My hunting guide said he didn’t know if I would like it either, “Maybe you will like sitting quietly in a tree for hours. Who knows?” He does not particularly like deer hunting. He is more of a waterfowl hunter. Regardless, I thought I should try. It could be something we do together. It could be something that I might really enjoy. Or maybe I will hate it but at least I would know. With this mindset I set out for my first deer hunt.
This was probably the worst year for me to start hunting. The deer population is, let’s just say, bleak. This could be the worst year in about 20 years for harvesting deer. Very few doe tags were given and with no preference points I set out with a buck only tag. Having also recently moved to Northern Minnesota (aka Almost Canada), we do not know this area very well in terms of hunting, so were at a slight disadvantage. We did find some spots but of course they were on public land. Insert sad faced emoticon here. The weather was also not going to be the best. With very high winds and blistering cold temperatures some of the sessions were bound to be downright miserable.
There were lots of negatives stacking up against me. I went with the mindset that I would most likely not get a deer this year, but I should try and learn as much as I could. I was just hoping to see some deer (obviously still hoping to harvest one).
I made it a point to go as often as I could. I mean I live in God’s Country. I can leave work early and go hunting or go in late, which I did a few times. I could go in the mornings on the weekends, go home for a bit, & go out again in the afternoon. I also wanted to make the most of my investments: rifle, scope, ammo, & gear. Another reason to go out as much as I could.
We actually went out 11 times which I think is awesome. My guy says he has never hunted that much during a season. I said that if I didn’t get a deer it wasn’t going to be because I didn’t try. We ended up seeing a lot of deer sign & a lot of deer including a giant buck. Of course none of the deer were close enough for me to shoot &/or were on private land. Apparently that is what the majority of deer hunting is. Sitting quietly and seeing nothing or seeing some deer but not being able to take shot.
I don’t mind sitting quietly for a few hours. When the weather wasn’t terrible it was actually nice. Sitting in nature is quite soothing. Being able to think or not think and just be. That part of hunting I can handle. My guy even said that those were the coldest sits he had ever done and I had done numerous ones without complaining or wanting to go back home.
In addition to the deer, we ended up seeing lots of grouse during the last few times we went out. The last day (there is an extra weekend up here) when we were pulling out stands, I said I wanted to come back in the afternoon and try to hunt the grouse. As he had just gotten a grouse recently I was anxious to get some more to cook with. If I couldn’t get a deer, maybe I could get some grouse. I did just that.
My first hunting season turned out to be a success depending on how you look at it. Yes, I am disappointed that I didn’t harvest a deer. I still don’t know if I truly like deer hunting. I know that for me there will be a big difference between killing a grouse versus killing a deer. Will I actually like all aspects of deer hunting? It could be another year or two or who knows how many years before I find out. Maybe I will never find out. My guide says, “Oh please dear…, ” in a tone that only couples have with each other. It still doesn’t mean I am any less disappointed with the lack of a deer. At the same time, I know that I am just lucky that I saw so many deer. I know many people who didn’t see anything.
I also know that one really has to be positive, patient, and persistent not only in hunting but anything else in life. I will have as many opportunities for different types of hunts and more deer hunting in the future. As many as I am willing to do or make happen.
For this deer season I hoped for the best but expected the worst. I think I ended up somewhere in between which is just fine with me.
