Deer hunting with my dad

I remember when I was about 8 years old and too young to hunt yet, my mom would put me to bed and say “get some sleep now”. As soon as she closed my bedroom door, I would move my bed over to the window and stare into the darkness. There I would sit and wait to see those familiar headlights pull into the driveway. When the vehicle finally pulled up, my eyes would squint at the back of my father’s trunk too see if there was a deer tied onto it. I seriously could not go to sleep knowing whether or not my dad got a deer that day. And if he did get one, I would sneak out of my room, go outside in my pajamas and congratulate him. I also wanted to get a closer look at that deer! My mom would try and put me back to bed but my dad would make sure I got my look first.

We lived on a farm near Royalton, MN and when my dad left for hunting, I would beg my mom to take us kids to town so we could eat at the local café right on HWY 10. No – I didn’t care about the food – I wanted to watch all of the vehicles coming home on HWY 10 with deer tied up on their hoods, their trunks and trailers. I was infatuated to say the least with deer.

The day finally came and I got my chance to hunt with my father. On my very first day hunting, the very first deer that I ever saw, I shot and killed an 11 pointer that grossed 145 inches. On that day, I remember my Dad saying that he was incredibly proud of me and then he firmly said “Enjoy this moment son. It will be a long time before you ever lay eyes on a deer like this again”. How true that turned out to be. However, it didn’t matter – from that day – I was obsessed with big bucks!!!

Since that incredible day, my dad and I have shared every single MN Firearm season together. We have truly built some incredible memories. We talk more about the ones that got away then the ones on the wall. I’ve learned so much from him. Not only about how to hunt deer, but also how to balance life itself. Other hunters have come and gone, but my Dad and I have always been there for each other.

This year was fantastic – I guess just like every other year. We did not kill any monster bucks but we had a really great time catching up on life as we once again figured out the complex world. Tina even drove up a couple of nights (two hours one way) just to hang out with us and so we could play our favorite card game called Razzle Dazzle.

My dad is 69 years old and still is going strong. He amazes me and he can climb up any stand without any difficulty. However, as we all know, that can change in a heart beat.

On my last report “a buck of my lifetime”, I mentioned that I was going to try and slow down a little bit and appreciate all the hunting rituals. For the last several years, I was obsessed with killing a huge buck. Each year, I would strategize and try to figure out what that big buck was doing. I would bark at my dad alot and tell him to stop frying stuff for breakfast because it was stinking up our clothes, stop slamming car doors because your possibly scaring deer away, stop walking around the woods because your spooking more deer (land that he actually owns and not me) and for peat sake “stop shooting little bucks so they can grow up!”. There was pressure between us and I would have to admit, it was caused by my big buck obsession.

This year my approach was different. I pretended that this year was my last year hunting with my dad and I also imagined what deer hunting would be like without him around. It’s funny how that puts things into perspective.

When he fried up breakfast in the morning, I told him that was the best breakfast ever! When he slammed his car door, I slammed mine harder than his (he actually laughed at me one time). When he got off his stand only one hour after sun up, I asked him if he saw any deer and asked him if he was dressed warm enough. Now granted, it wasn’t easy but in some weird sort a way, it felt so much like it was “the right thing” to do.

One of the things that we do have in common is that we really like to laugh and tell stories about the little things in life that cracks us up. We have a lot of coyotes in our hunting area and it’s not uncommon to hear them at night barking and howling close to our cabin. One time in the middle of the night (3am), my bladder was plump full and I just couldn’t hold it anymore. We do not have any running water so we go in the woods right behind our cabin. That night I snuck out very quietly not wanting to wake up my dad. As I was finishing up, I noticed a little light coming my way. I soon realized that it was my dad and apparently he had to go too. I quickly crouched down behind a tree just like a coyote would do and waited for the little naïve bunny approaching ever so slowly while holding his little pen light.

The little bunny was within 10 yards of me and decided to relieve himself too. I waited until the little bunny was in mid stream and then jumped out at him giving the best coyote howl ever. The little bunny squealed with all his might and in the process peed all over himself. After my dad realized the big bad coyote was me, he laughed and laughed out loud stating that was the funniest thing that has happened to him for a long time. It was 3am in the morning and there we were laughing at each other in the woods in the middle of the night. It was truly a funny situation. And don’t feel sorry for my dad – I know he will have his day getting even with me.

This report is not going to talk about how we killed our bucks because I learned that is not always the most important thing. What is important is for all of us to remember that our time here on earth is very short and precious. In other words, I love my dad and can’t imagine what it would be like to hunt without him. Take time to appreciate your loved ones during this hunting season and the next one too. Accept that we all hunt for different reasons and one reason is not more important than another. Try to understand that things may change and you can’t bring back time. I wish someone would have told me that a long time ago.