Well, the guys are off to hunting camp. Final shopping and packing up yesterday left my house a lot less messy and a lot more quiet.

This year they opted to share the cooking and my husband elected me to cook a pot of chili. Our cousin that is also a member of the hunting camp is making fresh bread to go with it. I have to tell you they eat pretty darn good while they are there.

Now until the end of the hunting season I will be spending the weekends on my own until the end of the hunting season. This is an accepted way of life here and the other wives I talk to fully understand and seem to look forward to it.

I was raised in California and as I grew up we did a lot of camping, fishing from shore and out on a boat, crabbing, frogging and some small game hunting. But, to set aside a time that a lot of the population participated in a certain hunt, we did not do there.

One of the draw backs to deer hunting in California is it is very expensive and it just isn’t a “way of life” there. As a matter of fact it is considered rather barbaric I think. Here in Upstate New York it really is a “Way Of Life”.

The one thing that I learned was the wildlife management and conservation that is taught here along with the hunting safety that is focused on makes you understand how the sport has survived and flourished here. Restaurants have Hunter’s Specials. Department Stores have hunting sales. It really is a major event here.

Maybe we will have some more good hunting stories to share this year. I you have one please write it up and share it.

I still think the best story I have is the one I wrote about in an earlier post about how my husband works so hard to get ready for the hunting season. He starts just as soon as he gets the camper weatherized and closed up. He starts getting out his gear and going through it. We end up with sporting or hunting magazines every where in the house, mostly in the bathroom. He mind just goes into this- gotta go hunting soon, mode.

New gear gets brought in and inspected and added to the old supplies. Things get stacked up. He brings it out to look at then packs it away then brings it out just to make sure it is all still there. Every year there is something new out that has to be purchased (of course).

Then as we get close to the big day, Opening Day! He gets all packed up and gets to hunting camp the night before so he can be up and ready for hunting as the day breaks. Meanwhile, I site here and have my coffee and watch the deer in my back yard come through from the back woods and go down to the river. Usually about 6-8 of them. Then as the sun sets I watch the deer go back into the woods out back. I just shake my head and raise my coffee cup to them as I watch them gracefully saunter through.

So, what is your hunting story? Please leave a comment.

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