by Rick
I have got to tell you that that when I was given a chance to do a guest post for Arthur over at the Simply Outdoors blog I was happy to be asked. Working with the limited amount of time I have to complete this task I sat here and thought to myself, “What can I write about?”. As usual the only thing I could think of is my passion/obsession for whitetail deer and hunting. It has consumed me beyond belief so much so that I constantly get joked about it even from my very supportive wife Heidi.
It all started eighteen years ago when I came home from work and told Heidi I wanted to try Bow Hunting. Out of the blue it had come to me, I don’t know why but it did. I went the local K-Mart at the time and put a bow on layaway. Little did I know that was the start of what is now my passion/obsession. I am not trying to blow my own horn but I had become so proficient with the bow I started competing.
The competition part was ok but it just was not for me. It wasn’t until I was sitting in my tree stand one autumn morning during bow season that I realized what I wanted to really be doing. I had saw two deer run past my location at what appeared to be mach speed and the thing that amazed me the most was that they did not make a sound. It was like they were running on air. I had no idea where they came from or what if any had spooked them but I was officially hooked.
That was eighteen seasons ago and since then I have harvested quite a few deer. I like to consider myself an accomplished deer hunter and I take a lot of pride in that because I basically learned it all on my own. I never had anyone to teach me when I was growing up. Sometimes I wonder how and why I have stuck with this for so long and I don’t know if I can ever answer that question.
I will say that I am proud to be a deer hunter that believes in 100% wild and 100% fair chase and would not hunt any other way. I do not harvest more than I can eat and contrary to what some hunters feel my definition of a trophy is not the size of the rack on it’s head but the amount of food it puts in my freezer.
The only other thing I can say is that I hope to be able to teach my son Tyler who is five the tradition and heritage of whitetail hunting that I have become to love and admire. The respect I hold for the whitetail deer and all of god’s creatures in my mind is unbreakable.
I want to thank Arthur for the opportunity to do this guest post and I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this and want to say “Remember to take a child out hunting/fishing because that is where our future is”
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Rick, that was a really nice post. I like hearing stories as to how some of the hunters started hunting. What a great accomplishment to start hunting on your own.
Very good – I’ve always felt that a trophy isn’t the size of the horns or the amount of meat in the freezer but the amount of memories in my head. The prospect of some good memories is all it takes to put me out in the woods year after year. I certainly am thrilled to feel your passion for chasing whitetails come through in your writing.
Rick,
Great post about your love of deer hunting. I think I can safely say that many of us feel exactly the same way. And I also think many of us can relate to the fact that we can’t always put into words exactly how and why that love grips us so hard. But it definitely does!