In honor of opening day tomorrow....

[Davek1977]

(just a lil something I wrote after last season came to an end..... feel free to remove if not directly related to hunting enough)


Opening Day



Up before dawn
I stumble out of bed and yawn
But I've been awake all night stewing
well before the coffee was brewing



For today is THE day
the one I wait for all year
For today is the day,
I finally get to hunt some deer



Better than my birthday and Christmas
All rolled into one
A fall morning so beautiful
spent with special people and of course, my favorite gun



Plans are made before the sun slowly rises
but are quickly abandoned
as the hunt is full of surprises
Even before we leave the house
deer are moving,east, north, west and south



Bucks and does
mulies and whitetails
pursuing them is all today entails



As the gear is loaded and the tanks are filled
we reminiscence about the deer we've killed
About the big racks and following tracks
We talk about the deer on the wall
and about the big one that escaped just last fall



As the morning becomes crisp and bright
the world has never felt just so right
shots in the distance
maybe someone's tag is filled
With a trophy, I hope someone is thrilled



I ponder life as I patiently wait
while I hope for "my" buck to test his fate
A movement in the brush
My heartbeat begins to rush

Suddenly...he appears
A majestic critter
with heavy antlers well beyond his ears
I aim my rifle, and slowly squeeze

Boom!
The silence is broken
as I approach, not a word is spoken
After twenty two seasons
the "happy sadness" is still there
As I admire my trophy
in the cool fall air


As the work begins and I start field dressing
I can't help, but feel hunting is a blessing
So many emotions, all wrapped into one
I can't believe another season is already done

These are the days I live for
I hope they never go away
For I always hope to see
another opening day.



- DK (2012)

 

[WolverineFury]

I love it! Definitely a keeper.

 

[cat_IT_guy]

Nice, I especially like:

as I approach, not a word is spoken
After twenty two seasons
the "happy sadness" is still there
As I admire my trophy
in the cool fall air

My Father in law was trying to explain the "thrill of the kill" to my wife the other day. He called it a high (and oddly compared it to the high a murderer gets.... or so he's heard/read). While I agree that it is an exciting, adrenaline filled experience, its not all delight - you are, after all, ending the life of one of God's magnificent creatures. That is not to be taken lightly. I think you summed it up very well.

 

[Davek1977]

Thanks guys..... I ujst wanted to capture some of that magic for the other 364 days of the year that can't be the season opener. I only hunt one big game season a year, and its been the same one, hunting the same area, since I was 13, and I just turned 36. I'd say there was no way to explain the excitement I feel....but this was my attempt!

 

[Armored farmer]

well done , I like it.

 

[morcey2]

Very well done!

Tomorrow's the pheasant walking opener in Utah.

You dress warm (relativley), carry a loaded shotgun around, walk around a lot, get frustrated, and finally start shooting jackrabbits. That's why it's "pheasant walking", not "pheasant hunting." I think it has something to do with the increase in fox population around here.

I'm going to be taking the NRA Pistol Instructor course tomorrow. I'll probably see more pheasants there.

Matt

 

[303tom]

I still say we need a LIKE button, well done !...............

 

[Davek1977]

well, having worked all night thursday, packing and getting things ready all day today, and making the drive to the family ranch....I'm calling it a day...but, before the sun comes up tomorrow...before the coffee starts brewin....I'm gonna be rarin to go!!! Will add any results/pics/interesting stories tomorrow or sunday night!!! Wish me luck

 

[DC3-CVN-72]

Outstanding !!

 

[Davek1977]

Though there were five hunters, and only one deer shot, opening weekend was a great success. I got to stand beside my 12 yr old nephew as he took his first buck, a wide, heavy 3x3 mule deer. Her missed his first shot as the deer spooked and ran just as he pulled the trigger, but five minutes later, he got another chance, and this time made it count, making a perfect heart shot. The deer sprinted 25 yards, and collapsed in a heap. I'm honestly not sure who was more proud or more happy....him, me, his dad, or his grandpa, all of whom got to be part of the hunt. Other bucks were seen, and the deer population is healthier than we first feared it may be. Season is closed for me until the 18-24th again, but I'm still optimistic about collecting my buck. Hope others had as good of a weekend as we did!!

 

[brainwake]

I hope you don't mind, but I posted this on my Facebook to share with my friends and family. I did credit you for it too. Excellent poem!

 

[ldlfh7]

What a great poem. I do believe I will be passing it along to friends and family. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Centurian22]

Amazing! Very well captured, and fitting I just got my first happy sadness on opening day this year. Thank you.

 

[Davek1977]

thanks guys!!! I'm one of those people who loves to write, but not to share most of the time....I don't know why, but I've never felt comfortable sharing my work. However, the kind words here may encourage me to do so more often! certainly don't mind it being shared...but if you get comments, go ahead and let me know...the ego needs to be fed since I don't have a braggin sized buck down (yet...hehehhe)!

 

[Davek1977]

Well, opening day wasn't all that productive, but the season turned out productive all the same. On friday, my nephew shot his buck at about 7:30 AM. He left the house on foot, thinking he knew how to sneak up on a buck he'd been after for days. He located him in an open milo field, put a stalk on him and two other bucks, and harvested an old bruiser of a buck at about 250 yards. This deer was OLD, as evidenced by his long nose, salt and peppered snout, and a rack that showed ample evidence of defending his turf....each and every tine, save the brow tines, were snapped off. He was rightfully proud of his deer.

I arrived back to the ranch to hunt friday afternoon. I rode along with dad as he did some various chores around the ranch, and we looked for deer as we worked. Just over the hill from my parents' home, on the same filed my nephew harvested his buck on earlier in the day, was a good whitetail buck and some does. Not knowing exactly how to approach the situation, I jumped out of the pickup, and creeped down a draw that led to the field. WHen I got to the fence, and where I thought he deer should be, I peeked over the edge and could at first only see a solitary doe. I was rapidly losing light, and was having trouble picking out deer from among the bales in the field. Then, not two hundred yards away, the buck finally got nervous and headed south in high gear. I was admittedly a bit sad to see those antlers disappear over the horizon, but vowed to be back early Saturday morning.

Saturday morning, before daylight, I drove to a spot overlooking two fields, with the access road to my parents house seperating the two. I watched as a vehicle approached from the distant north, hoping it wouldn't turn down our road (we have a large chunk of land in the Walk In Program that attracts a decent amount of deer hunters). Sure enough, it eventually turned west right down our road. As I was watching it through the binoculars, I noticed movement in the field closest to me. Appearently, "my" buck was already in the field, and they had scared him. I got out of the Trailblazer, and attempted to cross the fence, getting tangled in the barbed wire in the process. (It was a tight five wire fence, designed to keep bulls in.) I eventually freed myself, thinking the deer was long gone....but instead I stepped over a small rise to see it trotting away, oblivious to my presence. It never knew I was there. One shot at less than 100 yards, and my deer fell, not a quarter mile from where my nephew had shot his! It was a respectable 4x5....not the biggest deer I've ever shot, but it was the earliest deer I've ever shot! I only had 3 sips from the can of coke I brought with me before I had to field dress a deer!!! Dad was rather surpised when I called him 15 minutes after I left asking if he'd be willing to help me load a deer!

 

[Centurian22]

Congrats to you both! I'll have to make your poem part of my yearly routine now as I got my first deer ever on opening day in Maine this year.