Today is my brother’s 54th birthday. Although he hunted a little bit when he was younger, I never really had the ability to hunt with him. By the time I was old enough to hunt, he had moved to Montana and never hunted after he left. I often wonder what it would have been like to hunt with him. I’ve seen many brothers who hunt together, and it seems that they have some great times together.
I ventured to an area where I grew up hunting. I wanted to look around for a bit and check a camera I had in the area. I always put a camera there to see if anything might be using the dinner table.
I was disappointed to find very few pictures on my camera. I did have a bear on it, but that was about it.
As I strolled out of the woods, I encountered a lot of mixed emotions. I’ve hunted the area since I was a kid, but it’s just not the same anymore. Many things have changed over the years, and I don’t have the confidence I once had when I walk in the woods in this place. Although I return there every year to see what’s going on, I try to make things happen rather than accept the reality that it will never be what it once was. Walking into the darkness, I could smell dirt and leaves, a smell that reminds me I’m in my home.
When I got to my truck, I learned that my buddy Steve had hit a buck earlier in the day and was unable to recover it. He was disappointed, and I could understand his frustrations. If we hunt, those things are bound to happen. It never feels good when we don’t hold up our end of the bargain, and it’s something we have to life with the rest of our lives. Hopefully, he can put the disappointment behind him and make a quick recovery.