Do you Ever just Stop, Look and Listen?
11-08-2009, 08:22 AM
#11
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: PA
Posts: 9,085
good post Rob! its real easy to get TOO focused on trying to kill something that its easy to forget about the rest....
when that happens, hunting starts feeling a HECK of alot like work to me...hard to get outta bed...hard to enjoy it period...thats usually when i throw in the towel and take a day or 2 off and dont think about hunting for that day or 2...after a few weeks of heavy hunting, it can get to ya....
i think its important to not take all the little things forgranted when were out there...theres millions of people that rarely ever see the sun rise...
one of the things i get a major kick out of is listening to the woods come alive at day break...especially in the spring when the song birds and long beards are talkin...thats just awesome to me...
like i said in my buck harvest thread, that day was one of the most beautiful days i have ever been in the woods period...started off cool and crisp and you could smell the smell of fall...wind was absolutely calm which is amazing in itself...the fall foliage was at its absolute peak and leaves were raining down like someone flipped a switch...the drive home a few days later proved i timed my hunt absolutely perfect as the fall colors were all about gone....the leaves were falling so hard the day i killed my buck that when i was taking pictures i had to try to remember to remove the freshly fallen leaves from him...i got 1 pic a leave fell on my shoulder...the picture before, it wasnt there and it was a matter of seconds..that was when i had a buddy taking pics for me...just a breath taking day i'll never forget...
the little things often keep me going....its easy to get burnt out if you dont get a kick outta the little things...from the sights to the smells to the sounds....heck, just take a nap out there! thats one of my favorite past times!
when that happens, hunting starts feeling a HECK of alot like work to me...hard to get outta bed...hard to enjoy it period...thats usually when i throw in the towel and take a day or 2 off and dont think about hunting for that day or 2...after a few weeks of heavy hunting, it can get to ya....
i think its important to not take all the little things forgranted when were out there...theres millions of people that rarely ever see the sun rise...
one of the things i get a major kick out of is listening to the woods come alive at day break...especially in the spring when the song birds and long beards are talkin...thats just awesome to me...
like i said in my buck harvest thread, that day was one of the most beautiful days i have ever been in the woods period...started off cool and crisp and you could smell the smell of fall...wind was absolutely calm which is amazing in itself...the fall foliage was at its absolute peak and leaves were raining down like someone flipped a switch...the drive home a few days later proved i timed my hunt absolutely perfect as the fall colors were all about gone....the leaves were falling so hard the day i killed my buck that when i was taking pictures i had to try to remember to remove the freshly fallen leaves from him...i got 1 pic a leave fell on my shoulder...the picture before, it wasnt there and it was a matter of seconds..that was when i had a buddy taking pics for me...just a breath taking day i'll never forget...
the little things often keep me going....its easy to get burnt out if you dont get a kick outta the little things...from the sights to the smells to the sounds....heck, just take a nap out there! thats one of my favorite past times!
11-08-2009, 08:42 AM
#12
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: West Chester, Pa.
Posts: 1,892
I do this all the time, it is amazing what you witness in the woods when you are still and quiet and nothing knows you are there, between foxes, owls, hawks landing in my tree, geese flying overhead, raccoons, and of course deer. The woods is an awesome place to sit in watch. Nothing like a beautiful sunrise on a cold morning or watching the sun dip below the trees as the hunt is winding down. I completely agree Rob. I have a friend that hunts who isn't much into this type of stuff and is only concerned with wether he kills something or not. I constantly tell him he is missing out on part of what hunting and enjoying the outdoors represents, always turns into a fruitless argument. Great Post!
Shane
Shane
11-08-2009, 09:18 AM
#13
Fork Horn
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: pike county, ohio
Posts: 208
when i see a sunrise or sunset from my stand, everytime i cant help but stare at it and wonder how anyone could say that god didnt create that.... i can be five minutes from the house in my stand and feel a million miles away from everyone, thats what i love about hunting.. people that dont hunt wonder what is so special about shooting a deer, but theyll never understand how much more it is than that..
11-08-2009, 09:44 AM
#15
Spike
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 10
I have been following this forum site for awhile now, but I never felt the need to comment until now. Reading this post was eerily similar to my experience last night. It was a cold morning that was sure to lead to some good movement, but it only lead to a few does walking past me. But the best part of the morning was the turkeys were going crazy all morning.. Something you could only hope to see in the spring.. So after a bad morning as far as deer hunting went, but an amazing morning in the woods I went home to watch my Mountaineers play.. After grabbing a bite to eat and watching till half time I went back out. I sat for 2 1/2 to 3 hours that evening without even seeing a deer, and was constantly getting text messages from other hunters in the same area; most of them consisted of their disgust with the lack of deer this close to the rut and/or they are getting out early tonight. My response was somewhat of an annoyance to the lack of deer, but "what's the worst that's going to happen, a beautiful sunset hurt your eyes?".. Well needless to say I ended up only see 2 does that evening, but the sunset was one of the best I had saw from my stand this season (and the current background on my phone).. And the same guys that left early got that picture with a nice little message showing them what they had missed, along with my cousin in FL who is coming up in a few weeks to hunt.. And his response was the best of all.. So this all brings me back to an old saying my grandfather always told me, not matter if you're fishing, hunting, or just going for a hike.. People need to slow down and "Stop and smell the roses." I always thought I understood what he was trying to tell me, but not until recent year have I realized that you can never fully understand the need to Stop and smell the roses..
By the way this was an amazing post, Rob.. Hopefully it'll get more people out to experience this instead of concentrating on the aspect of only killing, not the hunting experience as a whole.
By the way this was an amazing post, Rob.. Hopefully it'll get more people out to experience this instead of concentrating on the aspect of only killing, not the hunting experience as a whole.
11-08-2009, 11:05 AM
#16
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Poconos, PA
Posts: 1,712
Great post Rob! I often find myself gazing at the beauty of nature or focusing on a bird or squirrel and just watching how they go about their daily activities. I got my buck this past week and cant hunt out by school now but I still went out thursday and friday mornings just to be outside where i love to be and take in the beautiful scenery and animals that go along with nature. Friday was a wonderful morning even though I didnt have a weapon out there with me. It enabled me to relax and take in all the small things. Hopefully everyone out there can have experiences like this because its like nothing else in life.
11-08-2009, 05:13 PM
#17
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Corruption capital USA, N. Illinois
Posts: 1,150
Yea Rob...been doing a lot of that this weekend. It's been really slow here with the near 70 degree temps. Leave the house at 3AM and not home till 7:30PM doing all day sits. The thing that really gets to me is how much the looks of the same area of the woods change in a matter of a few weeks!
11-08-2009, 05:38 PM
#18
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Delaware county,NY
Posts: 280
Amen to that Rev.Went out to today a 530 am and spent the whole day in the tree watching and listening.Finally climbed down at 530 pm.watched a bunch of squirrels and greese fly over.THe lord made the perfect day today even though didnt shoot a deer.