Checking Things Out

The chill is on and I am trying to get myself ready to go hunting. Not like the man of the nursery rhyme and looking for a rabbit skin to wrap my baby bunting in, but for venison. Deer hunting with my brother has become an annual tradition. I’m not the trophy hunter like some. I can’t eat antlers. It was and still is all about putting meat in the freezer.

Yesterday, I walked around in one of our usual places to hunt to see what I could find. I’m not as spry as I once was, if I was ever spry. Last year I was summoned to jury duty in Fayette County. For hours upon end I was forced to sit on hard wooden benches and chairs, waiting for trials that never came. Long before an end came to the first day, my right leg was aching and my foot was numb. I complained to the woman in charge of jurors. She listened to my plight and excused me for that session. To this day, I still have pain in that leg and occasional numbness in that foot. It has aggravated my sciatic nerve.

The tour of the hunting area was slow, walking, stopping, listening, and watching for deer sign and for any deer that might be sharing the woods with me. It was a chilly start, but the sun came out and warmed the air until I could no longer see my breath. Birds and chipmunks were out searching for their breakfasts. The leaves underfoot were still damp and made little noise as I walked. The only other sound was made by the wind, high in the trees overhead. I moved slowly, searching for movement.

I had just moved to an area that was more open than a brushy spot I had been standing, when I saw a silent, slinking form that moved in from my left sign. As it drew neared, I made a soft snort.  The animal came to a stop. It was a fairly meaty three point buck. It stopped and stared in my direction. The wind was in my favor. I stood just as still as it was. Finally, it bounded away into thick cover, giving a few soft whistles.

I continued to circle back to my car without seeing anything but a few birds. I drove home to rest my aching leg. Oh, by the way, the Monday that followed my jury duty and release, I found another summons for jury duty.