Deer Hunt

As some around me begin to talk of that age old tradition of the annual “hunt,” I reflect on my own unique history with this tradition. Like most boys I was pretty infatuated with guns and weapons and various and sundry implements of harm. I am not sure why this happens. I am sure there is research there but I am content to leave it a mystery for now. I think this was a key element to why, as a kid and young teenager, I was so fond of the annual deer hunt which we participated in every October from the time I was allowed to go (maybe 4 or 5). Let me provide a little background. My Dad and his brothers grew up in rural Utah, if not in, then not far removed from the genuine need to hunt to feed yourself. The tradition remained and was (is) a much enjoyed and looked forward to occasion. My weapon (not of choice, but of restriction) was the Daisy BB gun rifle, which in the later years developed into a .22 (I have never held a loaded gun with the power or intent of killing deer). I poked around at little animals and little targets. When I was fairly young my Dad brought his deer hunting rifle along. As time went on he brought it less, until he stopped all together. As a young man I remember thinking of a big buck as an almost mythical creature. You see, though I heard many stories of hunting success among my dad and uncles (and had even seen pictures), in all my 10-ish years of hunting, I had NEVER seen anyone kill a deer. That's right, not one of my uncles or other family members EVER killed a deer while I was with them. Though I always had a great time, I always felt a certain disappointment at another unsuccessful hunt. Was it me? Was it all that BB gun shooting scaring them off? I never wanted to put anyone on the spot or rub it in anyone's face, but geez c'mon you guys, they're just deer! and there's like 15 of us with powerful, long range rifles. I kept it to myself. One year, when I was about twelve (ahh, that questioning age), we were driving out of the woods. We passed a camp that had two deer hanging from a tree. I decided I was going to be bold and ask what the heck was going on. Why were we cursed to never get a deer? I remember my uncle's response clearly. There was nothing cryptic about it. He said: "Did you have a good time?" "Yes," I said, "Do those people over there (pointing to the fairly weary looking hunters with the carcass of a deer to take care of), "Yes," I replied, then he asked, "Do they look like they are having fun? " I paused.. "Not really." My uncle smiled, "Once you kill an animal that's when the fun stops and the work starts." I had a serious 12-year old epiphany. Whether my uncle really meant it and whether it was the result of some stated strategy or not, it became relatively clear to me they weren't REALLY trying, and probably hadn't for years! Now its also possible that this is just something that unsuccessful hunters say right?! But as I reflected on what the "Deer Hunt" had become it just made so much sense that it was about tradition and family more than meat, it was about being outside with your brothers more than killing something. I laugh to myself today imagining my Uncle Sheldon wandering off in his own direction, sitting near an open meadow with his rifle against a tree, and sharing an apple with a 10-point buck :). I think of the gorgeous places we went hunting and think of how, from the perspective of encountering deer, they were not the best choices. Though memories of the deer hunt for me will never include an actual deer, they are magical memories of dutch oven dinners, ping pong, cards at the cabin, priceless cousin time, sleeping bags, VERY early and freezing mornings, long hikes and talks with my Dad, amazingly pleasant afternoons under bright yellow quaking aspen trees with the sun hitting the earth with that "Autumn" light and that crisp smell that is so hard to describe. I think traditions like these are important and are much more flexible than we may think. My Dad and his brothers along with nephews, nieces and grand-kids hold the "annual deer hunt" still. There is not a gun to be found and from what I can tell its focus is still simply going to the cabin, playing ping pong and cards, eating good food and just being together. Oh how I wish I could be there! This time of year my thoughts turn to the "deer hunt" but not really deer and not really hunting :) What are the traditions that my children will reflect on? Something I need to think about, and maybe you do as well.