THE SEASON OF THANKS
Wow,
it’s November already. Where did the year go? We have all been busy preparing
for winter since April when the ramps popped up haven’t we? It seems to me that
all we get done during the year is prepare for winter and try to make it
through winter. Yes, the year flies by when you are busy. The freezers and
cellars should all be brimming by now. I know the only room I have left is for
meat and I need meat. That is what November is for. It’s time to head to the
big grocery store on the mountain; before winter sets in.
I have
always felt that the greatest time to be in the outdoors is November and May.
The other months are just fillers with not much to offer. I am thankful that
there are still a few places left that we can find solitude in. These places
dwindle every year; but I’m glad a few still exist. I sure am thankful that we
got that week of turkey season back that leads into deer firearms season. I was
kind of lost without that one. It just didn’t feel right doing serious deer scouting
without carrying my shotgun. It just felt weird. I put my requests in for time
off this month. I sure am thankful that I can do that after all of the years of
hunting and pecking for time in the woods. I got the usual “Oh, you really like
to deer hunt “while I am thinking I hate to deer hunt because it is boring. I
like to eat venison and that’s how you get it.
I am
thankful that I am still physically able to venture off into some pretty rough
country and get the meat back to my truck. I’m very thankful for that and a big
plus this year is that I’m going into the season a lot lighter than over the
last twenty years or so; about forty pounds is missing. That alone should make
everything a bit easier and more enjoyable. I know that if I ever get to the point
where I would have to sit in a box and stare at a corn pile; I would never go
again. I’m also thankful that I own wool and not that fancy hi-tech stuff that
you can hear a branch slap from a hundred yards away. I’m also thankful that I
remembered to load some ammo two months before season and not at the last
minute. I was down to 3 bullets.
Yes, I
am thankful for many things but one of the biggest things is my ability to
hunt, gather, catch and grow things to meet my needs. I think that is something
to be proud of. The Thanksgiving season is a time to think and be thankful for
what we have and what we have the ability to do. We need to be thankful for all
of the veterans who have served and are serving this nation. We need to be
thankful for all we have and all we have the freedom to do. If nothing else;
just be thankful that it isn’t January yet. But be thankful for something. I
know I am thankful that I will not be eating a butterball.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
(c) 2017 High Virginia Outdoors Photo (c)2016 High Virginia Images All Rights reserved
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