As I have heard or read many times, we only get so many opening days. Every year when I go out to enjoy opening day of any hunting season, I am closer to that point in my life where there will no longer be an opening day. What it is it about opening day that makes grown men and women feel like a little kid on Christmas morning? All the anticipation leading up to that day. The hours of preparation through scouting and checking your gear. Practicing with your respective weapon of choice. Never mind all the time you spend talking to your buddies about how this year will go. Bottom line is that there is a lot that leads up to opening day. Then finally that day is upon you.
I am blessed to be able to continue to enjoy having an opening day to enjoy. I recently was able to get out for the archery whitetail opener in Virginia. Hours of sitting in my tree stand counting squirrels gave me plenty of time to reflect on what I was doing. I spent the majority of the day sitting in a tree stand broken up only by a couple short walks through the woods and lunch. You definitely can’t miss lunch. In doing so I had plenty of time to sit and reflect on the years of hunting opportunities I have been blessed with. If you have read my previous blog posts you know that for me this really began around 8 years old when my Dad started taking me with him on his annual archery trip.
I haven’t a clue whether any of those trips we took were opening day for archery season or not. It was the only time we went archery hunting so as far as I was concerned it was opening day. Those trips were something I looked forward to every year. I got to go spend a few days in the woods with my Dad and his friends. There are so many fond memories of that time. The one time a year I can tell you with certainty we enjoyed opening day was rifle season. If you are familiar with Pennsylvania hunting you will know that opening day of the rifle season is a major event. I can promise you that for me it was a major event. Never mind the fact that it was a day off of school and not a day I took off school, there was no school period. There are a lot of opening days in my memory bank from those days growing up.
Even though I looked forward to those days I don’t know that I understood them as I do now. Maybe it’s just because I’m getting older or I have just developed a keener appreciation. Regardless I found myself on my most recent opening day sitting in a tree thinking back on all the previous opening days. Really just reflecting on the time spent sitting in the woods. Whether it was passed out sitting at the base of a tree until my dad walked up and gave me hell for it or now as an adult waking up in a tree stand strapped to a tree. Common theme there, I guess. Probably would shoot more deer if I was awake more of the time. There’s just something about being in those woods surrounded by all that beauty that just sets me at ease and I am consumed by it.
I guess really what I’m talking about here is that even though I didn’t kill a deer on opening day to fill my freezer with I did fell my soul with peace. I know have another day in the woods that fills my memories with time well spent. Time spent quietly taking in the beauty around me. Taking time to reflect back on all the times I have been blessed to do this. We are so very fortune in this country to have the outdoor opportunities we have. Hunting just happens to be one of those opportunities I so enjoy. I intend to mark many more opening days spent in the wild wonders of this world taking in all that mother nature is willing to provide me. Filling my mind and soul with the joys of nature and peaceful naps under a tree of course.
