I can't begin to count the number times I've read the phrase "and the blood pounded in his ears". Almost every piece of adventure fiction seems to have it somewhere. It's a great line that evokes a strong image in your mind. For many years I thought it was little more than the poetic license often used by good authors. That changed the day it happened to me. That moment when I said to myself. "Wow! I can hear the blood pounding in my ears. Come to think of it I think my heart is going to break my rib cage it's pounding so hard. I can't believe that deer can't hear it."
I should probably pause in my story and tell you why we're here. I decided to start this blog to chronicle my new adventure. To be truthful I would have to say it's a bit of a renewal with a lot of expansion. Many, many years ago I studied and passed my hunter safety course here in Ontario. My father used to hunt but he stopped before I was born and my one grandfather who hunted died in 1975. I had no one left in the family to mentor me so I plugged along on my own. Primarily I hunted ducks with my grandfather's old shotgun and a wonderful Labrador Retriever I named Jigger and trained myself. I tried deer hunting once or twice with a bow I bought but never had much in the way of success. I did manage to actually see a deer once. He was a speck off in the distance. Not very useful for what I had in mind. Life moved on. I finished University and hunting fell by the wayside as other priorities and an unsympathetic wife interfered.
Now I find myself in an entirely new situation. A middle aged man on the road working a fair amount. I've decided my mid-life crisis is going to involve two things. One is to get back into some semblance of physical conditioning and the other was to start hunting again. It has been a bit of a task getting started as all of my old stuff is, well, old. My knowledge was virtually non existent and my time available, like so many of us, was sporadic. I always had a dream to wander off into the bush with a gun and my wits and see if i can live off the land. With small children that probably won't happen any time soon but in the meantime I want to master the skills I would need. And this is going to be the chronicle of that journey.
This particular deer hunt tale ends moments after I heard the sound of my beating heart echoing inside my chest. It was, finally, favourable as my new bow propelled a broadhead tipped arrow towards it's intended target. I can't say that the tail was an easy one or that I was even certain of success. I had only 2 days left of a bow season that was fraught with uncertainty and frustration. That, however will be a tale for another day. So welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy it.
In the joy of hunting is intimately woven the love of the great outdoors. The beauty of the woods, valleys, mountains, and skies feeds the soul of the sportsman where the quest of game whets only his appetite. After all, it is not the killing that brings satisfaction; it is the contest of skill and cunning. The true hunter counts his achievement in proportion to the effort involved and the fairness of the sport." Dr. Saxton Pope
Thursday, January 28, 2010
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I saw where you came by to visit me and decided to check you out. I wish you good luck with your new blog on hunting and look forward to reading all about it. Thanks for being a member of the OBS and we all look forward to getting to know you. Also, thanks for following my site. Really appreciate it. Take care and GOODHUNTING! :)
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