By Greg Wagner
Someone once said, “Deer hunting is a lot about nothing.”
“Nothing,” seriously? I could not disagree more.
The hours when nothing happens may be the most valuable part of the experience. Deer hunting is distinctly different from simply taking a walk or sitting quietly outdoors. What makes deer hunting different? The anticipation of movement. The need to read wind, weather, tracks and sounds. The knowledge that an animal may appear and disappear before the hunter can react.
Deer hunting requires a person to remain engaged with the world while surrendering control over what takes place next.
This is the time of year for archery deer hunters and soon, firearm deer hunters, to be on their stands or in their blinds all day long, up to 12 hours… alone.
It doesn’t sound difficult, does it? Pulling an all-day sit is no easy feat, even with your smartphone. Long hours alone in a cold Nebraska deer stand demand patience and attention. You never know when the woods will come alive.
For the solo deer hunter, time moves slowly — very slowly. In addition, there is only so much time that you can occupy with electronics. A deer may appear for only a few seconds. You may see other wildlife such as squirrels, birds, opossums and raccoons. Hours go by sluggishly as a wild environment reveals itself.
Even during the deer breeding period called the “rut,” I have sat all day and seen no deer at all. Zero. Zilch. I resorted to watching the antics of fox squirrels and songbirds. Not all bad!
Welcome to deer hunting.
If you are not ready to be in your own company for an extended length of time, then you may not be ready to deer hunt. There are no guarantees with hunting. In fact, the animal taken is only one measure of a successful hunt. The hours when nothing happens can leave a person with something valuable, too.
Deer hunting is intensely personal.
A good friend of mine, Timothy Shousha of rural Waterloo, NE, is a college history professor at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha and an avid deer hunter. He shared this insight: “Humans deer hunt to not only learn about wildlife, but to learn about themselves.”
Stopping and sitting or standing quietly, he believes, is a trait that is lost in the modern era.
To highlight his point, the professor fondly recalled the line spoken by Ferris Bueller in the classic movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986): “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
The short walk to a deer stand can also offer a welcome change of pace, providing a little physical activity and time outdoors before the waiting begins.
This time for introspection on the deer stand can have a profound impact on one’s life. I know this firsthand.
Years ago, sitting in a deer stand helped me begin to come to terms with my father’s death. He was a passionate deer hunter who died at 58 years of age on Labor Day in 1998. The time spent daily for hours on end in his woods without deer moving during that fall’s firearm season in Nebraska helped me to put things in proper perspective. Continually looking over at my dad’s empty treestand allowed me to sort my feelings and thoughts. I realized I still needed to reach out to specific family members for further consolation concerning my father’s passing.
For me, those quiet hours created room to begin working through my grief. Other hunters may find that same space for reflection, even if their experiences are different.
Deer hunting can offer something that is increasingly difficult to find in everyday life: extended time alone, without any obligation to be productive. For those willing to embrace the stillness, that time can become an opportunity for reflection.
Professor Shousha emphasized introspection with this quote: “I must be alone with myself to find myself again.”
So true.
This autumn, I’ll return to the deer woods with more than the hope of seeing a deer. At 64 years of age, I still have plenty to learn about myself, and the quiet of a deer stand offers a place to start.
Now, if those fox squirrels would just leave me alone…