Last night after I killed the deer I went to the store to buy an antlerless tag. I figured I would take a doe this morning if the opportunity presented itself. The processed meat tastes too damn good and I would like as much as possible.
I didn’t get to sit too long. It was pretty chilly in the morning with a really good coating of frost and the wind was blowing fairly hard. When I got into the woods I realized that I forgot my coat and extra sweaters back at camp. I thought about sitting in the truck, but I decided to tough it out. We were only going to sit until 10. At that time we were going to break camp and head for Kansas. Nick and Doug would head for home.
At 8am dad told me on the radio that he had hit a good buck. He didn’t know how badly he was hit and he told me to stay on the radio while he looked. I packed my stuff up and headed to where he was in case he needed any help. A short time later we were celebrating a truly once in a lifetime occurrence. I’m sure that it might have happened to only a few people all across the United States.
All week in the tent before we went to bed we joked with Doug about killing an 11-pointer on 11/11/11. We kept telling Doug he was going to do it and then dad said he was going to do it. We joked every night. Well, when 11/11/11 showed up dad made it happen. He killed an 11-pointer. I couldn’t be happier for him. I could hear it in his voice and see it in his body language. I was really happy for him. I’m glad we all took part in this awesome event. I don’t have any words that can explain how I feel.
Due to a few unfortunate incidents we found some new land and in the matter of 48 hours this land paid off for us. It’s kind of like paying your dues. Don’t be afraid to try something different if the same old places and strategies aren’t working out.
I’ll also share a random picture that I took over the course of the week. One day when I was wandering through the woods in my normal hunting place I came upon a large beech tree with some carvings on the side of it. Since I’m dealing with all of my medical issues it kind of struck a chord with me. I’m not sure if I will find out if I have cancer or for that matter if I have anything in that mass at all. I do know it will be taken out and I’m nervous about what is to come. As you can see from the picture someone lost a loved one to cancer. They wrote their message so all people who pass by the tree can see it. I felt a bit of sadness creep into me the day I walked past the tree. I remember walking by the same tree in 2007 and there wasn’t anything on it. This person obviously goes to the woods to search for inner peace. I can feel for them. Although they don’t know it I’m glad I shared a part of their journey. In some strange way it inspired me to help others and fight the fight to the best of my ability. My family is tough. My mother’s side of it has been riddled with cancer. Many of them have survived and they’re tough. I only hope I have some of their toughness inside of me. She and her brother are the greatest warriors in my eyes. I respect and admire their strength and courage. It’s truly amazing. We’re on the road to Kansas. I can’t wait to see what will transpire over the next week.
