Hunting Season

The biggest 9 days of the year.............if you are from Wisconsin.  The 9 day Gun Deer Season.  Same time every year, the Saturday before Thanksgiving thru the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  Its such a big deal, schools close that week due to lack of attendance, besides, teachers are hunters, too.  The concept is mainly there to thin the herd which over the last 50 years has grown to numbers never seen before.  By thinning the herd, you create a stronger herd of deer for the future. A harsh winter with too large of a herd spells devastation if you are a deer.  Not to mention the car/deer mishaps that occur yearlong.  That being said, for me, deer hunting became more than a service to the Department of Natural Resources.  It became more than trying to find that monster buck to brag about.  It quickly became a way to connect with family that is seen too little.  It became a way to spend time with my dad outside of our home.  There  is a big difference in the communication level between a father and son, in the woods, with a common cause.  Especially, when both are carrying rifles.  It became a way for me to see uncles and cousins when due to busy lives the other 355 days of the year, we were not able to.  Most of the group of guys have never missed a hunting season since they day they were able to hunt.  We've all made it out there if not one year, the next, thru marriages, military service time, births, deaths in the family, hangovers from the night before,cancer,  you name it.   Perhaps the neatest thing, my cousins who I've hunted with forever now have sons of their own and they are part of our hunting crew And the memories...........Let me tell you, most of these guys couldn't tell you what they had for dinner the night before.  But, they'll remember the jokes and stunts pulled on each other from 20 years ago.  Trust me, I unfortunately, have been the subject of said jokes and stunts.   Oh yeah, we eat really really good, too.  So, for the people who have never experienced the Wisconsin deer season, its a shame because it really is so much more than shooting deer.  I could go on and on, but I'll save it for the book.  Here's some pics over the years of family and our little deer camp.