Why I treasure whitetails . . .

 

Let him grow!
Let him grow!

 

 

Why do I hunt deer? It’s partly an excuse to . . .

 

Watch a brown creeper fly down, then creep up the tree trunk –

 

Be amazed at how efficiently a pileated woodpecker can chisel apart a boxelder log –

 

Hear several other pileateds chattering and flying in woods –

 

Chuckle at the commotion gray squirrels make when chasing each other around woods –

 

Blink my eyes, as deer seem to appear out of thin air – and disappear just as quickly –

 

Blue jay, gray/brown woods
Blue jay, gray/brown woods

Be happy to see a bossy blue jay, who ads a bit of color to the otherwise –gray-brown woods

 

Admire too-small bucks calmly browsing in the brush near my stand –

 

“Dee-dee” an answer to the ever-present chickadees that keep me company in the woods –

 

Listen to a buddy’s tale of the ghostly “monster” buck that eluded both of us –

 

Ponder a fawn intently munching grass a few yards away, oblivious to my presence or my scent –

 

Welcome “our” eagles as they daily circle, soar, and screech –

 

December sunset
December sunset

Savor a December sunrise, and the following December sunset –

 

Share the excitement of 6-year-olds as they get to sit in the blind with Papa –

 

Huntin' with Papa
Huntin’ with Papa

Commend a normally fidgety 13-year-old on his patience while watching a deer trail –

 

Bring the entire, orange-clad crew into the woods to fetch a deer after a successful hunt –

Bringing home the venison
Bringing home the venison

 

Smile at the exuberance of an 11-year-old future hunter, as he hugs the deer carcass hanging in the shed –

 

Cut and process our own venison, while planning meals of tasty loins, versatile burger, and delicious stew –

 

Burger on the menu
Burger on the menu

Await the unseen coyotes, raucous crows, and hoped-for eagles that may come for a feast on the bones and scraps, to be sure nothing goes to waste from our harvest –

 

And to sleep well, after a day watching and stalking the deer trails of our Turkey River bluffs.

 

 

Scroll to Top