This deer season is quickly coming to a close. We have merely a few days left before another season is in the books. Although, if the weather cooperates a few of us here at SimplyOutdoors may hit the woods a few more times before the New Year! I figured now would be a good time to look back and reflect on the season to see what lessons I have learned. So, here we go.

First, I that I learned that bowhunting is by far the most challenging, yet rewarding, way of hunting the whitetail for me. I can say that I always said it was, but did not have the real experience in the field to back up my belief. Now I do! In South Carolina (where I lived before recently moving to Michigan) rifle season is the primary deer season. I had dabbled in bowhunting, but never took it very seriously. Up here, it is a totally different story. I finally did shoot my first with a bow, but man, it took a lot of time in the woods. Patience was definitely key. I saw tons of deer this year, but not necessarily tons of deer within bowrange. It was a whole new experience sitting there with a bow, watching deer at 50-60 yards and not being able to take a shot! I learned to be disciplined and wait for the right shot. Jeff and Arthur were right though. They told me it would only be a matter of time before I would be hooked on bowhunting. It’s official – I’m now a bowhunting junkie!

Second, I really, really, can’t wait for my kids to start hunting. I had the opportunity to hunt with Jeff’s son, Tyler, during the youth hunt and had the incredible time taking my daughter, Kylie, out as well (as mentioned in an earlier post). Once again, I have always said that getting the youth involved in the outdoors is extremely important to me, but experiencing it firsthand made it even more real. I had a blast both times I went out. I think that in the future, sacrificing some of my alone hunting time to take the kids out will be well worth it. I look forward to not only hunting, but all outdoor activites with my two kids.

 The third lesson I can take away from this season is that videotaping while deerhunting is definitely not as easy as I thought. It takes a lot of patience as well as perseverance. Whether you are attempting to video yourself or video with someone else, neither version is easy. Jeff and I had several attempts together to get some footage of a shot on a deer. We did get footage, but none of a shot. I also attempted videoing myself once. It probably would have been a little easier if I was not using my climbing stand. Hopefully next year we can do a little better.

 Even though this season is not quite over, I am already looking forward to next season. It has been a blast so far this year. Hopefully this season’s experiences help push me to become a better outdoorsman for seasons to come.

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