Another opening day of rifle season has arrived and slipped away, and once again my deer license sits unused. I am now oh-for-my-lifetime on opening days.....I'm beginning to wonder if I should simply stay in bed on opening day in future years.
I may not have shot a deer, but at least the weather was absolutely horrible. Snow fell nearly constantly all day. It did stop snowing a few times, which made room for raindrops to fall. And ice pellets. Mixed in with more snow. Can't forget the wind that was just strong enough to make the snow come down sideways to ice up my glasses and the lens of my rifle's scope. So, in a nutshell, the day was wet.....windy........wintery...............and wonderful.
"Where would you rather be right now?" I've gotten into the habit of asking myself that question almost daily over the last couple of months. Ninety percent of the time the answer is "somewhere else". It's exhausting to fight the constant desire to be somewhere other than where you are, so I've started adding a second question for those days when the answer is "somewhere else" - "How will you get there?" Answering the second question keeps me focused on earning my income and keeping up with the responsibilities of life, thereby opening up opportunities to answer the first question with the location I desire. A question that was borne out of the longing for a different life now helps me endure the many, many days between the truly enjoyable days that this life has to offer.
Like this day. In the midst of sideways snow and cold fingers and icy water dripping down my back I asked, out loud, "Well, where else would you rather be right now?" My answer was a smile. A true, genuine smile. I get accused of not smiling enough, which I don't, but if all of my friends could have been in the stand with me (which was impossible....I don't build 'em big enough for the three of us) they'd have seen that I do, indeed, possess a genuine smile of happiness. And isn't that what we all search for every day - happiness? We each find it in different places; mine is found in the midst of the forests and fields of the Great North Woods, regardless of season and weather.
Oh sure, my happiness was tempered a bit by the frustration of another deer-less opener....and the shock of watching a really big buck jump onto and off of the trail I was walking. He was there and he was gone quicker than I could find him in my scope...which was caked with snow and water and ice. I don't know exactly how many points he carried or if he was one of the bigger bucks I've seen on my cameras, but I do know he's another nice addition to the impressive wall of missed opportunity bucks I've managed to not shoot over the years. Within that brief tale of woe lies even more happiness - he was the seventh deer I saw on the day, it was a thrill to see him, and after I saw him I predicted his behavior perfectly. I thought he'd circle back to get downwind of me so I headed straight into the woods towards where I thought I'd have a chance to see him. Not a minute later there he was, crossing the ash swale I was walking towards. Thick brush and heavy snow make excellent cover, though, so all I was able to see was his legs as he headed towards a tag alder swamp that those legs could manuever much more efficiently than mine.
Ok, I'll admit it: there were at least two times today when I asked my question - Where would you rather be? - and the answer was "Under the warm, dry covers of my bed." And that's where I'm off to. Another opener is in the books, another batch of opening day memories has been filed away, and the dawn of day number two creeps closer with each passing minute. No snow in the forecast for tomorrow, but colder temps and more wind mean an even more grueling day awaits. But already I know - there's nowhere else I'd rather be.
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