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Letters from
Deer Camp
November 12, 2005 Hoops, Had a quiet one on the stand today. A doe and a fawn walked right under me and never knew I was there. After that, just chickadees and squirrels!
Of course, as usual, my mind starts to wander. Today I reminisced about Noble Hall and the first day of football practice. He always started with the same speech: “Today, everyone in the conference is equal. We all have the same record, and any school can win the championship!”
I chuckled a bit at that. In those days there were no “classes” in football. Didn’t matter if you graduated 50 or 500. There were no playoffs, no state champs. Conference Championships were the ultimate goal. Getting ranked in the final State Poll was the only other list you might be considered for and in ‘68, we were ranked 7th! Proud of that! But as Coach said, on opening day we were all equal!
As the morning wore on, it dawned on me how similar a football season and deer season are. When opening day comes around, all hunters AND deer are equal! No winners or losers at this point. How did the leadup to the opening game go? By preparing. A trip to the rifle range to sight in our rifles is no different than making sure all our helmets and pads are in good repair and fit well. We get in shape by grass drills and walking miles down trails and through the woods. We learn and remember offensive schemes just as we remind ourselves where the deer crossings are, and the bedding areas might be and travel patterns during the rut. We scout by tramping the forest looking for “scrapes” and “rubs” and “droppings” just like watching film, seeing diagrams drawn on chalkboards or running plays against “Mario’s Mafia” - Coach Lucia’s scout team. We practice, practice, practice whether it’s running plays or shooting our bows or rifles in preparation for the “real” contest. Corrections are made. Maybe some new tactics or equipment are tried. Stands and shoulder pads are adjusted – maybe moved, possibly replaced.
Getting to deer camp a day or two before is like the team having a steak dinner at Mickey’s Cafe before our first game. Sweeping the wood floor, packing the cooler and filling the woodbox is akin to shining our spikes, getting game jerseys assigned and polishing our helmets.
And the excitement and anticipation of that first game – opening day – just grows and grows. How difficult it is to fall to sleep the night before. Playing in our mind’s eye the football being handed off or the monster buck appearing out of nowhere within yards of my stand. Imagining the first physical contact of a real tackle or the bite of an icy north wind blowing across my cheeks that will signal the beginning of what’s to come.
The alarm awakes me from my stupor way too early opening morning - just as Coach Hall tells us it’s time to leave the locker room and head out to the playing field. Doubt and confidence battle each other as I ask myself, “Have I done all I can to prepare? Am I ready for this? Will I put forth my best effort when the time comes?”
And all too soon, it starts. Shooting time arrives just as the head referee whistles the opening kickoff. Each year is different, each day or game is different. The battle commences and the course of the contest changes hour by hour, play by play.
Some years the first game or opening day is a success, sometimes not so much. We learn, we adjust, we move forward from our mistakes. A cough at the wrong time, looking to the east when the deer comes out from the west are as much penalties as an illegal motion or holding call. Missing a shot is like a fumble or a missed tackle. The game moves on and suddenly the first game, or opening day, is done.
Win or lose, our first experience is not a season. “We’re in it for the long haul” is a common expression coaches use to say our season isn’t a single game or day. There are many to go. We must pace ourselves, and maybe change our goals and objectives as time goes by. Could be some injuries or a soft spot in the lineup that changes our outlook, much the same as discovering there are less deer in the area than we thought there might be. Our game plan or hunting strategy might be amended by who we play next week, or that the weather makes a big switch from warm and dry to cold and snowy. As the days and weeks go by, we become tired, banged up and it takes more effort to rise early to get to our stand or fire up our energies to ride the bus to a rival many miles down the road. Some years we’re looking for the season to end, others the excitement extends through the last game or weekend.
When all is said and done, and the jerseys are hung for the last time and the guns are cleaned and returned to their place in the gun safe, we take stock of our accomplishments over the last few weeks. Did we accomplish what we set out to do? Were our preseason goals on target? Did we make the most with what we had, or did we let one slip away? What worked well and what do we have to change in the future? All our life’s endeavors go through that cycle of prepare, execute, assess and then start over. Season by season, year by year.
Did we win the championship or have bragging rights to a deer harvested with a fair chase? Good for us! If not, well you know what they say, “There’s always next year!”
Hoops, I guess there might be a reason why football season and deer season coincide in the fall. They’re so much alike! Will the Vikings win the Superbowl? Will that 30-point buck fall down in front of my stand? I can only smile and say, “There’s always next year!”
Buck p.s. It’s taken a long time, but I think I’m finally come to the point where a successful deer season doesn’t necessarily mean venison steaks in the freezer. Too many things to enjoy about the hunt that make every year a winner! Skol!
Buck
