Hunting season is the best time of year, filled with great time with friends and family. Deer season starts the 15th of November, at this time it's normally colder and if we’re lucky snow. My favorite thing about hunting season isn't the hunting, but all the things that lead up to the hunt, all the preparation and things that need to be done before you can hunt. Everything from packing to feeding the deer, hunting seasons full of great times.
2 years ago I got to spend this time with my Grandpa who I love and is battling cancer, it was a trip that I will never forget. I started off the trip by leaving school early which is always exciting, followed by the frantic rush when I got home to get everything packed before my grandpa arrives at the house. You have to make sure all your camo clothing are separated and scent free for the upcoming hunts, as well as all your hunting gear to be in check and ready for the field. The many bags and boxes fill the back of the truck with ease.
The drive is about 3.5 hours long, which isn't bad due to the amazing landscape the whole drive. My Grandpa has a single cab truck so it was really small, but I don't care because my grandpa is content and that's a good thing. I enjoy the small talk and conversations that take place in the car, I enjoy spending time with my grandpa, and I realize how valuable that time really is. He drives slow but steady, always listens to classic country and has his orange soda, all things I will never forget. The drive is calm and exciting, knowing your destination holds so much possibility.
When we get there we start to unpack and get the fire started, and put some food on the stove. The cabin is peaceful and comfortable, with plenty of couches and chairs and a big TV. My favorite thing to do is start the fires, all of our wood is super dry and smells like heaven, birch and oak. The floors are cold and hard, where the beds are warm and comfortable. The radio is tuned in to the classic country station, and my grandpa cooks in the kitchen. We hop in the truck and go out to bait, throwing corn,apples,carrots, beets, etc, out at the the hunting blinds. My Grandpa can't carry the heavy bags of feed so I have to for him, I enjoy seeing him happy in the woods so it's worth it.
When dinner is done all the family and friends come out to the cabin for dinner, all sitting around a long table, Followed by the long intense game of cards for the older crowd. My great grandparents sit at the head of the table, looking out over their family with pride, everyone's happy and hunting stories fill the air. The tails and story that come with hunting are the best, the exaggerations and lies make them all interesting. Throughout the night the excitement to come in the morning is in everyone’s mind, the sensation of opening day! The morning before is amazing, the excitement and nerves are great. The cold November air rushes through your nose, the hair stands up on your neck, the moon highlights the crystals of morning dew on the grass. My grandpa is slow out of bed, but comes out all dressed and prepared. He makes his coffee, black, and gets his book and glasses, all apart of his everyday morning routine. We hop in the truck and crank on the heat and seat warmers, the guns loaded and snacks packed we head to the hunting blind. This 8 mile drive feels like the longest ever, the slow winding road feels endless. I have driven this road a thousand times before, every time trying to see something I hadn't the last. All the preparation has come to a head, the much awaited time has come, time to hunt.
I sit in the blind talking to my grandpa and waiting for the deer, we have the heater on and the windows and ears open. we stay quiet, no sound or smell can be released, I laugh as my grandfather reluctantly coughs, trying to hold it in. As I sit there looking and him, I begin to realize that it's not the hunt that I love, it's all the things and people that lead up to the hunt that I love.  The most valuable thing is time, and time with my grandpa is priceless.