Bittersweet Opening Day Of Deer Hunting Season

by Jimmy DaSaint

This story isn’t about winning a writing contest. There will be no descriptive encounters with a grey muzzled buck stepping out of a foggy mist.

No, “…and I drew the glistening arrow to my anchor point and waited: one more step, come on! Just one more step!”

Instead, I hope you take away a sense of deep reflection on your time in the woods and those you share it with.

The opening day of deer hunting season went fairly well for my hunting group.

One guy put a buck and doe on the ground. Another guy missed a buck and doe; and I managed to miss an easy shot on a doe.

My brother’s boy sat from sun up until sun down and didn’t see a hoof, a testament to his “stick-to-it-tiveness”.

I had built a platform stand some time ago for a friend of mine who doesn’t get around so well. The stand has steps and a hand rail that ascends some twelve feet.

My friend had taken ill opening day, so I elected to sit this easy access perch.

Between shots that echoed across the hillside, I rejoiced at having two of my best friends and my nephew in the woods with me.

After I missed the doe and was reloading my muzzleloader, the impatient teenager buzzed my cell phone three times.

When I finally seated the load I answered and heard, “Did you get him? Did you get him?” even before the receiver reached my ear.

I hadn’t hunted this stand for some time and my mind drifted back to a hunt with my own son during the youth season several years back. There was plenty of room on the platform stand for a 13 year old in a lawn chair and me on a bucket. The three pointer, antlered on one side, showed himself exiting a swamp and walked thru an opening in the pines. I grunted and heard the hammer click to the retracted position on my boy’s .410 single shot shotgun. The slug found its’ mark and 30 minutes later we were standing over my son’s first deer.

Now, had you been a squirrel peering onto that platform stand on opening day, you would have seen a big strapping guy chuckling softly and rubbing his chin whiskers. Then, minutes later, you would have seen him remove his glasses and wipe some moisture from his cheek, though the rain had stopped hours earlier.

You see, my son had lost interest in hunting and I spent many days a field on my own. I couldn’t help but think that somewhere at that very moment, a mother or father was scowling at their son or daughter saying, “Shhhh! How many times do I have to tell you to be quiet?”- not knowing they should be savoring every snapped twig and dropped glove.

As shooting light faded, I called my nephew to meet me on “the lane”.

When I met up with him I asked, “See anything?”

He replied, “Naw, but we’ll get’em next time.”

As we trudged up the lane toward the orange sky to the West, I couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe next year, before opening day of deer hunting season, I’ll pick up the phone and hear, “Hey, Dad, got room for one more on the 15th?” And I’m hoping that a thousand other phones will ring with the same request.

Comments for Bittersweet opening day of deer hunting season

Oct 06, 2011 Damn it man ! by: B.R.Yanney Damn it man are you trying to make me cry. I quit hunting with my father, because I got shot at. He died when he was deer hunting, And I wasn’t there to be with him. Now my oldest son has lost interest, even though he had been fairly successful. My younger son shows no interest at all. So God bless you , I hope your son decides to hunt again. I know I did.

Feb 22, 2011 Understanding by: Anonymous As a youngster I didn’t understand why my dad was so bummed that I shot my first buck with high school friends and not with him. Last year, my own son got his first buck. Now I see why it is so important. I’m lucky so far, my son seems hooked on hunting, He’s only 16, but can’t wait for opening day of deer hunting “next season”.

Nov 17, 2010 sad.. by: Todd My son too has lost his hunting love and I’m so bothered this will be my first year not heading to the woods also. I find it hard to go by myself and not any fun without him. He’s a younger guy, he’s 10, but he was a good little hunter. His first deer was something you would have seen on tv, as it went down just like we had watched so many times. Todd

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