I headed back to the mountain today and sat in and amongst all the big oaks that were dropping nuts. I had another uneventful morning. It was 29 degrees today when I gout out of the truck. The squirrels are plentiful this year, which is good.
As I sat in my stand and listened to the sounds of nature my mind raced back in time. I was 14 years old and I sat patiently in the old wooden stand dad had built me. The sun had just come up and the frost covered leaves were scattered across the forest floor. As I exhaled the sight of my breath captured and held me for a few seconds. Lost in the moment I suddenly heard a flock of geese above me. Glancing toward the sky I could clearly see that their journey to the south had begun. Fall was underway and winter would be breathing down our necks in a matter of weeks.
I heard the geese this morning just as I did on that morning 31 years ago. Although I’m much older now the appreciation of the moment remains the same. The journey south has begun for the geese and my journey into the heart of hunting season has now begun. Unlike the geese I’m not sure where the journey will take me. Your worst hunting season can become your best in a matter of seconds.