As I have written before I am a lousy deer hunter but an excellent deer hunting reader. The reason for this is that I like to read in nature while “looking” for deer but that isn’t actually very conducive for seeing the deer that I am hunting. So I assume that I miss seeing a large number of deer.
The good news is that I read a lot during deer gun season each year and in the six years I have been doing this (I was raised with a dad who loved to dove hunt but refused to deer hunt – because he had been aimed at once and hit with buck shot another time – which, in my opinion, are good reasons to avoid deer hunting) I have averaged getting a deer every other year. I believe the reading helps me to do what I actually want to do – which is harvest the weak and the stupid.
I realized today that part of what I like about being involved in the Wisconsin deer gun season is participating in the cultural element of the whole thing. I have been around hunting most of my life, but I have never been around any culture that is as focused on the deer gun season as Wisconsin is. Wisconsinites loves to hunt for deer. Seriously, there will be deer strapped to car roofs and in truck beds & trailers all week. Deer hunting is an excused absence from school. I like being a part of the cultural phenomenon.
Also, as I have written before, I enjoy all the cool things of nature that I get to see while I am deer hunting. Today that include a bald eagle flying VERY low across a field, a falcon dive bombing and catching some prey, and finding owl pellets in one of the tree stands that I sat in. How cool is that?!?!?!
No I didn’t see a deer that I wanted to harvest. I did watch two young does wonder across a field 30 yards in front of me and if it had been later in the week I may have taken one of them. Right now it is early in the week so I let them walk on. I am fairly sure these two would qualify as “weak and stupid” and therefore will quite possibly make themselves visible again and again. If not that’s no big deal since my average of every other year would indicate that I’m not due for a harvest this year.
So here was the reading for today.
- Finished Philip K. Dick’s book “A Scanner Darkly“
- Finished the Luke 6:1-11 section of N.T. Wright’s “Luke for Everyone“
- Finished the Luke 6:1-11 section of Joel Green’s “The Gospel of Luke“
- Started Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “Psalms: The Prayerbook of the Bible“
I do love deer hunting/reading.
SIDE NOTE – I think I must have done something to offend Erig G because the tree stand he recommended I sit in was the most uncomfortable tree stand I have ever sat in. He must have been getting me back for something. I just don’t know what.