I know some of you may be tired of hearing the words “solar eclipse” by now but the science nerd in me thought it was a spectacular sight to witness. It makes you realize that you’re a part of a living world and that the earth is indeed rotating. When something as rare as a solar eclipse happens it puts life into perspective for me much like the time spent in the outdoors.
The connection you feel with nature and your surroundings while fishing or hunting is unlike anything else. When I’m out in the woods I’m constantly looking around and am highly observant of everything. It’s great to just slow down and listen to the sounds, feel the slight breeze on your face, and to smell the crisp fall air while admiring the beautiful fall colors. If you can’t tell I’m looking forward to another hunting season.
There’s plenty of time to think while sitting in a tree stand or ground blind waiting for that big buck to show, time for thinking back about prior successful hunts and strategizing about where to sit on the next trip out. Once deer season and the rut kicks in my mind shifts into deer mode. I tend to worry less about the little things in life that are out of my control anyways and focus on the task at hand.
Hunting after and then hopefully getting a clean shot at a big mature buck takes time and effort. Every once in a blue moon, or should I say “solar eclipse”, you’ll get lucky and see a nice buck on your first trip out but it rarely works out that way. Sometimes it takes weeks or even months to finally figure out where a mature buck is hanging out.
Last year I spent over 2 months hunting the buck I had my sights set on. Every trip to the stand I would hope he would walk by and finally on the second week of rifle season he did. I put my time in and finally crossed path with the big buck. To me that’s what the hunt is all about. I’m a firm believer in that nothing comes for free and it’s all about how hard you work for what you want when it comes to anything in life.
The older I get, this past week was my birthday, the more I enjoy the simple things in life. Watching a squirrel perched on a limb, a deer munching on clover or even a hawk soaring by puts you in touch with your surroundings. People are so busy nowadays, including me, that sometimes you forget to look around and enjoy the outdoor world we live in. We’re blessed as West Virginians to live in a place that’s still rough and rugged yet relaxing when compared to other states on the east coast.
I really don’t know how folks in the big cities live with all that noise and confusion but I guess that’s why the good Lord put me here. I have been asked several times if I like hunting or fishing better and my answer is I love both and it depends on the time of the year. In the fall I like to hunt because I just love being in the woods during that time of the year.
Once spring and summer rolls around I like to spend my free time standing knee deep in a cool flowing mountain stream or river. The same rule applies to catching a big fish in that you have to put some time and effort into finding and hopefully catching a 20 incher. There’s always that one buddy who only fishes a few times a year and manages to have a lucky hand every once in a while but that’s usually an exception to the rule.
It’s a numbers game when it comes to fishing in that the more times you cast the better the chance you have catching a fish. The more trips to the river the better your odds are. Over the years fisherman learn a few tricks along the way that will improve those odds but time on the water is the only way you’re going to hook into a big one.
In the end it all comes down to that time spent in the outdoors you’re in touch with nature and the living world that surrounds us. You notice and see things that you normally wouldn’t on your everyday routine. That’s why I love to hunt and fish so much and I’m blessed that the good Lord has given me another year to do so.
