Some Christmas Thoughts

There were thoughts of bow hunting this evening. They were very brief thoughts, and the notion quickly passed as windy rain drizzled down my windows.

I have deer hunted a good many Christmas days over the years, and there have been a few bucks taken. Not many though, and frankly, it's become difficult of late to muster up much energy after chowing down on a big dinner.

Too much food makes me act a bit like an old bird dog curling up before the fire. I turn around in a circle two or three times, slump into an easy chair, tip the foot rest back, and if the chatter isn't too loud, I might study the insides of my eyelids for an hour or two.

This old dog took a nice little nap.

Old dogs, especially those lean and long-legged pointers, hit the floor like a sack of old bones, and are about as noisy on a hardwood floor as that bag of bones being dropped. The dogs curl up, make little puppy-like sounds as they follow the heady scent of a grouse, pheasant or woodcock through their dreamy coverts.

The older I get, the more sense it seems to make to sleep off at least an hour after a big meal. It allows the grub to settle into all the nooks and crannies of my digestive tract, but sadly, I didn't get a chance to doze today.

Some basketball game was on, and two or three of the players acted as if they had eaten too much, but perhaps that was just my lazy attitude this afternoon. It would have been a decent bow-hunting day, albeit a bit windy.

Nasty weather today with rain and a stiff breeze.

There was just enough huffy, puffy breezes to keep me indoors. A keening wind may be fun to listen to but the deer do not move well in a heavy blow. The continuous rain borders on sleet, and may turn to freezing rain as the temperature drops.

There is a lot of snow still on the ground, and somehow, heading out for an afternoon of bow hunting in too much deep and sloppy snow seemed pointless. It's not that I might not have seen a deer or two, perhaps even taken a shot, but it seemed a far wiser strategy to spend time with family.

I kicked back, put my feet up, and remembered two or three Christmases over the past years when I hunted. As I recall, all had snow on the ground and with much colder temperatures. Our snow this year is deep, and where I live 86 inches have fallen since it first began drifting down from a leaden sky last month.

Years ago, the cold and snow made the deer move, and on one such day, a nice 8-pointer came walking by and offered an easy shot at 12 yards. The buck ran 45 yards, and fell with a two-bladed hole through his heart. It was an easy shot, and a wonderful Christmas gift, and one I've remember for a long time.

I seldom hunt on Christmas now.

Now days, as a general rule, hunting on holidays (especially Christmas) is something I seldom do. It doesn't bother me to hunt Thanksgiving Day or New Years Day, but I usually stay inside on Christmas.

And, guess what? Sitting out today didn't bother me one bit. I can still hunt through Jan. 1, and expect to do so. Some cold weather would certainly help, and then I'll hang up the bow for a month before starting to practice for next year's bow seasons.

Merry Christmas from my house and family to yours. May the best of the Christmas season bless and keep you, and while you're at it, say a nice prayer for the men and women in our Armed Forces, who make such Christmas events like this possible for us. God bless one and all.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors