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Patience
It was very early in the morning, dark thirty. Getting to the tree stand in the pitch darkness, with only a red light takes some navigating. The glow tags placed on trees leading in helps. A lot. With extreme, exaggerated slowness to remain quiet, I make my way up the metal strip stairs, hoist up the rope with my bow and settle in to sit in the stand and wait for dawn. Patience.
As I settle in, I become attuned to the darkness. All is quiet, very quiet. Even the crickets are asleep. I’m wishing for my warm bunk, questioning the sanity of the morning hunting ritual; get up, get dressed, take the quiet as possible walk, in the pitch dark, to the stand and wait it out a few hours for dawn’s early light and whatever it will bring in the way of a shooter deer. Patience.
Ah, the dedications of a hunter, I muse to myself. Can’t shoot a deer while sleeping I tell myself. It will all be worth it. Even if I just see deer, the trip out into the solitude of the woods is worth it. The quiet serenity, hearing the woods wake up, watching the sunrise.
I close my eyes and listen for any sounds. Ah, the crickets have awakened. I open my eyes, still darkness all around. I try to make out familiar surroundings. Nope. Still too dark. I wait. Patience.
Then I hear the crunching of corn. My wandering mind comes to focus, my eyes pop open. How could that be? I never heard the footsteps. I listen, straining my eyes to see what is too dark to see, hoping my beating heart can’t be heard. I take deep quiet breaths to still my heart. And I wait. Patience.
Slowly, the trees become more defined, but still just dark shapes. Then, I make out a dark shape, then two, then three eating the corn. I can only determine they are deer, the darkness just doesn’t seem to want to leave just yet. Patience.
Finally, as dawn begins to spread her golden orange colors across the eastern sky, I see antlers on the biggest deer. Again, my heart jumps. Again, I will it to a quiet thump with deep silent breaths. I determine if the wind is right. Patience.
I wait for shooting light, and better light to determine if he is a shooter. And if I will get a shot if he is.
Patience.
It was very early in the morning, dark thirty. Getting to the tree stand in the pitch darkness, with only a red light takes some navigating. The glow tags placed on trees leading in helps. A lot. With extreme, exaggerated slowness to remain quiet, I make my way up the metal strip stairs, hoist up the rope with my bow and settle in to sit in the stand and wait for dawn. Patience.
As I settle in, I become attuned to the darkness. All is quiet, very quiet. Even the crickets are asleep. I’m wishing for my warm bunk, questioning the sanity of the morning hunting ritual; get up, get dressed, take the quiet as possible walk, in the pitch dark, to the stand and wait it out a few hours for dawn’s early light and whatever it will bring in the way of a shooter deer. Patience.
Ah, the dedications of a hunter, I muse to myself. Can’t shoot a deer while sleeping I tell myself. It will all be worth it. Even if I just see deer, the trip out into the solitude of the woods is worth it. The quiet serenity, hearing the woods wake up, watching the sunrise.
I close my eyes and listen for any sounds. Ah, the crickets have awakened. I open my eyes, still darkness all around. I try to make out familiar surroundings. Nope. Still too dark. I wait. Patience.
Then I hear the crunching of corn. My wandering mind comes to focus, my eyes pop open. How could that be? I never heard the footsteps. I listen, straining my eyes to see what is too dark to see, hoping my beating heart can’t be heard. I take deep quiet breaths to still my heart. And I wait. Patience.
Slowly, the trees become more defined, but still just dark shapes. Then, I make out a dark shape, then two, then three eating the corn. I can only determine they are deer, the darkness just doesn’t seem to want to leave just yet. Patience.
Finally, as dawn begins to spread her golden orange colors across the eastern sky, I see antlers on the biggest deer. Again, my heart jumps. Again, I will it to a quiet thump with deep silent breaths. I determine if the wind is right. Patience.
I wait for shooting light, and better light to determine if he is a shooter. And if I will get a shot if he is.
Patience.
