Ready ~ Set ~ Fire!

Hunting season started here in Vermont with a fury. Honey had to work today and at 5:30 this morning, he was moaning every time a pickup truck full of hunters would drive by the cabin on the way to begin the hunt. He worked until around noon, then he & his Dad were off and running.

There is a big difference between hunting in Vermont and hunting in Texas. In Vermont, you're not allowed to feed and/or bait the deer in any way. The rules here are that hunters have to go about it the old fashion way ~ chase the deer through the woods. The locals like it that way. They claim that they don't want it to be as easy as shooting the family cow. Also, in Vermont unless land has been posted, it's open to anyone who wants to chase a deer through it. Fortunately, there's alot of unposted land in the area. Up behind the cabin, there's about 100 acres of forest that is loaded with deer. Unfortunately, most of the deer up there are doe. (In regular gun season, doe are completely off limits.) When you don't need a hunting lease to hunt, that means everyone is welcome to get a license & a gun and join the competition for the big buck. Here in the meadow, there are quite a few resident hunters, most of which haven't lived here more than 15 years or so. Also, there's a camp down the road a bit that's owned by some folk that live in Connecticut. They are really friendly folks & usually come up every year to hunt. Honey and his Dad have the home-field advantage. They have lived here at least 40 years and know every nook & cranny of this meadow. I'm waiting to see if this will make the difference.

It's fun to watch father and son plot their strategies to not only out-smart the deer, but out-smart the other hunters as well. Honey's Mom & I are having as much fun watching them as they are chasing the elusive buck. I pray they are successful this season. But, whether they are or not, they will have wonderful memories for years to come. I've been informed that we're going to be up early tomorrow. Have a wonderful night and may the Lord bless you.