Much has gone on already to lead to this point of the hunt. The tags for antelope and deer were drawn way back in April, which today seems like such a long time ago. I remember those softly confusing times, trying to figure out who was going to partake in this year’s hunting adventures. Which animal, which sex, which season and which area to hunt. All of this needed to be pondered and discussed for what seemed like such a long time before the actual hunt. The wait is drawing to a close. For such an advanced notice, it still baffles me that I have still things outstanding on my hunting to-do list. Procrastination, the mother of excitement.
The months leading up to this years hunts, antelope, deer and elk have been plagued with the usual confusion of who’s going on which hunt. I long for some stability in this aspect of the season. This will be my fourth hunting season. It seems as though it has always worked out so far. I feel that I have come a long way since being instructed to sit on my swivel stool fifty yards from an elk trail that crossed the road while the rest of the hunting party circled around to encourage a bull elk to wander on down the hill into my waiting cross hairs. . I remember vividly on that first hunt, playing what if games in my head. What if I only wound a huge bull and he charges me? I recall placing few extra rounds in my pocket and looking around for a large pine tree that I could hide behind.
Yes, as I polish those old boots, my mind begins to wander off into the realm of the perfect hunt, safe and successful. These are the thoughts that most connect me with the forefathers. In a world where I sit in front of a computer, with a hand on a mouse wishing that the computer would act as fast as I think. Hunting is a quiet instant in time, waiting for the right moment, for the right shot.
Antelope Hunt 1998
Deer Hunt 1998
Goose Hunting 1998
It is that time once again. I search the floor of my bedroom closet and pull out the prize. A pair of trusty Herman Survivors, warm, water-proof and sure-footed.. They are getting more scuffed up as the years wear on. The leather is softer and as they age they begin to feel like a a pair of old comfortable boots. Wait a minute! They are old comfortable boots. It is time to apply some polish and a coat of water repellant. Yes, the time of the hunt once again draws near and the old thoughts of buck fever are beginning to demand ransom for my thoughts.
Maybell Restaurant Experience