January continues to make a strong argument for being my favorite month. Deer, doves, ducks, coyotes, geese, rabbits and squirrels all deserve attention in January. It seems every year, I labor through October, November, and December in hopes of filling my buck tag and more often than not, I fail in that pursuit. So when January rolls around with its abundance of hunting opportunities, it doesn’t take long for me to concede defeat to the deer Gods and shift focus to the types of hunting I tend to enjoy more than deer hunting most days. Not that I abandon deer hunting in January; there’s still “The Streak” to consider most muzzleloader seasons. As it grows in length, the mounting pressure rivals what I feel surrounding my buck tag most years! This year, I felt the pressure more than I have in past years because I was less prepared and we had but one hunt to keep it rolling. Thankfully my wife has a greater rapport with the deer Gods than I, so they treated her favorably this year.
Tracie killed her first deer with a muzzleloader at the end of 2003. At the time, the idea of a “streak” wasn’t on our radar, we were just happy to have met our goal of getting her first deer. The following year, we hunted a good bit and were fortunate enough to take her first buck using a Barnett crossbow. We’d sprinkle in a compound kill and shotgun kill over the next few seasons. Then in 2007, I bought my CVA Optima Elite, which is as much her gun as mine 11+ years later. She loves that gun and has killed 11 deer with it since then, overshadowing my 6 kills with the same gun. In the years where the continuance of “The Streak” was in question (or danger), the only sure thing has been that Optima. Put that gun in her hands, and put a deer in front of her, and chances are pretty darn good you’re having inner-loins for dinner!
In years past, I’ve gone to great lengths to ensure “The Streak” continued and this year was no different in that regard. The only difference was time to capitalize on those "lengths". We don’t have much free time these days, especially when it comes to alone time as a couple. So carving out time to hunt together is difficult for any number of reasons, which meant “The Streak” was in severe danger of ending this year. Especially when muzzleloader rolled around and she’d yet to step in the woods! Combine that with the fact that my cameras showed very little daylight movement and I was beginning to think I’d finally rid myself of the pressure that comes with guiding someone with such high expectations!
With all that build up, our hunt on January 5th had the potential to either save my season or just rub salt in the wound. I’d like to say there was a dramatic build-up to last light, but we barely sat an hour when the exact doe we were after offered Tracie a slightly quartered shot at 30 yards nearly 2 hours before the end of legal light. True as can be, she connected with the Optima and we were back to the barn in time to enjoy a beautiful January sunset. For me, it made my season. Since I started bowhunting in 2000, this was the least I’ve hunted in a season. Hell, I won’t even kill a deer this season, something that has only happened once since 1999. Keeping my favorite client happy and breathing new life into “The Streak” put a smile on my face and made frustrations from the previous 3 months of struggle fade into the setting sun.
As for me, well my season can be summed up in one picture. Beautiful. Peaceful. Absent of deer.
And my January? I made a few half-hearted attempts to fill my tag, but my heart wasn’t in it. The older I get, the more I want my pursuits to include close friends and unfortunately, bowhunting is a solitary venture. With the arrival of a new year, cold temps and snow, I quickly forget about deer and think about dropping the bolt on my Benelli in anticipation of a good shoot. This picture captures what I’ve grown to love most about hunting: spending time with my buddies. I’ve known the guys in this picture for a combined 75 years. In the deer woods, I don't find the sense of fulfillment and overall enjoyment for the outdoors that I felt while taking this picture. Sure, it’s an apples and oranges comparison. But for a guy who has eaten a lot of deer tag soup, I’m good with eating a few more oranges if they come with limits of honkers!
So what's next? Well... a whole new take on hunting the farm. Something drastic. But that's a story for another day...
Tracie killed her first deer with a muzzleloader at the end of 2003. At the time, the idea of a “streak” wasn’t on our radar, we were just happy to have met our goal of getting her first deer. The following year, we hunted a good bit and were fortunate enough to take her first buck using a Barnett crossbow. We’d sprinkle in a compound kill and shotgun kill over the next few seasons. Then in 2007, I bought my CVA Optima Elite, which is as much her gun as mine 11+ years later. She loves that gun and has killed 11 deer with it since then, overshadowing my 6 kills with the same gun. In the years where the continuance of “The Streak” was in question (or danger), the only sure thing has been that Optima. Put that gun in her hands, and put a deer in front of her, and chances are pretty darn good you’re having inner-loins for dinner!
In years past, I’ve gone to great lengths to ensure “The Streak” continued and this year was no different in that regard. The only difference was time to capitalize on those "lengths". We don’t have much free time these days, especially when it comes to alone time as a couple. So carving out time to hunt together is difficult for any number of reasons, which meant “The Streak” was in severe danger of ending this year. Especially when muzzleloader rolled around and she’d yet to step in the woods! Combine that with the fact that my cameras showed very little daylight movement and I was beginning to think I’d finally rid myself of the pressure that comes with guiding someone with such high expectations!
With all that build up, our hunt on January 5th had the potential to either save my season or just rub salt in the wound. I’d like to say there was a dramatic build-up to last light, but we barely sat an hour when the exact doe we were after offered Tracie a slightly quartered shot at 30 yards nearly 2 hours before the end of legal light. True as can be, she connected with the Optima and we were back to the barn in time to enjoy a beautiful January sunset. For me, it made my season. Since I started bowhunting in 2000, this was the least I’ve hunted in a season. Hell, I won’t even kill a deer this season, something that has only happened once since 1999. Keeping my favorite client happy and breathing new life into “The Streak” put a smile on my face and made frustrations from the previous 3 months of struggle fade into the setting sun.
As for me, well my season can be summed up in one picture. Beautiful. Peaceful. Absent of deer.
And my January? I made a few half-hearted attempts to fill my tag, but my heart wasn’t in it. The older I get, the more I want my pursuits to include close friends and unfortunately, bowhunting is a solitary venture. With the arrival of a new year, cold temps and snow, I quickly forget about deer and think about dropping the bolt on my Benelli in anticipation of a good shoot. This picture captures what I’ve grown to love most about hunting: spending time with my buddies. I’ve known the guys in this picture for a combined 75 years. In the deer woods, I don't find the sense of fulfillment and overall enjoyment for the outdoors that I felt while taking this picture. Sure, it’s an apples and oranges comparison. But for a guy who has eaten a lot of deer tag soup, I’m good with eating a few more oranges if they come with limits of honkers!
So what's next? Well... a whole new take on hunting the farm. Something drastic. But that's a story for another day...
