It is that time again! You guessed it, I will be loading up the truck and heading to Greentop, Missouri for another round of deer hunting. Every year at this time I get down right giddy. For a couple of days me and a couple friends get to pretty much do whatever we want. We have no responsibilities other than making sure the others come back alive. Oh yeah, and we get to hunt the elusive Whitetail deer.
In follow up to my previous post entitled, "Whack'em and Stack'em", I did drop a small doe with my bow. I did not see any monsters to fling an arrow at but that is what this weekend is for. I get the chance to throw some lead in the direction of a freak nasty buck!
My wife often asks me, "why do you love deer hunting"? A question that, on the surface, should be easy to answer. But getting to the love is difficult. Last year I wrote this in hopes of providing some insight into my love of this sport. This was written 2007 BT (Before Townes)and talked about the first year that we would not have my good friend Matt with us.
"As I gaze upon the rolling hills of Central Missouri or the crop covered plains
of the Northeast I can not help but notice that the leaves are beginning to
change. The farmers have begun to harvest their drought stricken crops as the
summer weather angrily makes its exit much like a tired infant before
bedtime. Each new morning greets me with a slight chill, a moisture
covered lawn and a feeling of euphoria and giddiness. These rarely felt
emotions can only spell one thing…Deer Season.
What is it that sparks this excitement? Why is my usual imaginative mind only able to carry one thought at a time? Once again, I find myself daydreaming of the
vast and sometimes barren landscape of Northeast Missouri. I think about
the kill, poker, laughing, Wal-Mart, Rosie’s Northtown, Scott, Justin, Matt, the
list goes on and on. Each and every night I remember something else I love
about deer season, a sight, a smell, a joke or just simple laughter. For
example, last night I remembered the feeling of climbing out of the “Silver
Bullet” to relieve myself and looking up at the beautiful star cluttered sky
above Northeast Missouri. For many this would not seem like much of a
memory but for me it is one of the most beautiful sights in the world.
This year brings new excitement and a bittersweet reality. The new excitement comes from the new edition to my household. In late December my first child is to be born, a son named Townes. I look forward to seeing his face, watching him grow and eventually taking him on his first deer hunt. I could easily go on for hours on this subject but that will be another time. The bittersweet reality comes with the absence of one of the founding members of this motley crew. Matt Neeley will not be joining us this year on our quest for fun and excitement. I repeat Matt Neeley will
not be joining us this year on our quest for fun and excitement. Gone are
the sounds of what seems to be a fully automatic weapon discharging round after
round until the beast finally stops moving. Gone is the trickle of smoke
from his freshly lit Marlboro Light. Gone is the $20 he will pay Scott to
field dress his deer. These things will definitely be missed this year and
longed for next year. As Scott, Justin and I are staring up at the
Northeast Missouri sky, Matt will be staring at the beautiful Arizona
skyline. He will not be with us physically but will certainly be in our
hearts and minds.
Though there will only be three this year, the
remaining hunters will press on. I will enjoy my own bed this year.
We will each have our own hunting area. A doe and a button buck will enjoy
one more year of life. The “Silver Bullet” will not be as crowded.
Would I trade all of that to have our missing member back? In a
heartbeat. But we will continue on. We will fight the good fight
because we know that we have many more years ahead of us. We will enjoy
our sixth year and we will bring back the outrageous stories that fuel the fire
until our return.
These rarely felt emotions can only spell
one thing…Deer Season."
