A slight breeze causes the tree to sway back and forth as I sit in my stand listening to the sounds of nature. The stand is located 25 feet in the air in a big spruce tree. The safety belt holds me safe and secure.

The sun is warm and lazy in the sky as it works its way down towards the horizon. The sunset that is coming is bright with many colors, which increase with the passing of time.

Behind, off to my left, I hear the noise of an animal approaching my bait pile.  The air becomes filled with excitement. I listen intently to each slow, cautious and crisp footstep that is made. Can it be a deer walking into the stand? Knowing that chancing one slight movement to look can scare the animal away, I resist the temptation.

Sitting there waiting I am reminded of the first time that I went deer hunting with the bow and arrow. I remember my dad’s firm words “Don’t leave the stand until it gets too dark to shoot.�?As darkness increased with time my imagination started to run wild. As a 12 year old boy, all I could think of was “What will the Coyotes will do to me when they catch me in the dark?�?For a boy of 12 years old these were real concerns, so I left the stand and arrived at truck by dark only to hear, “why did you come back so early?�?/P>

 There it is, the animal that was walking is now in sight. A nice buck is walking ever so slowly and carefully into the bait. “Just a few more steps and then you are in there�?I think as the deer continues to make its way to the bait pile of apples and shelled corn to get a bit to eat.

The excitement and concentration continues to expand as the buck finally arrives at the bait, offering the perfect shot.

The arrow launches from the bowstring, the buck runs away. I climb down the tree cautiously so as not to miss a step and fall. I begin to follow the trail of the deer where it has run off, the excitement now gone, replaced fully by concentration and determination to find the deer.

There it is, - the dead deer. I place the proper identification on the deer, and then sit back and admire the beauty of nature’s ability to create and sustain such a magnificent creature with the wisdom of the whitetail Deer that I have successfully hunted. As I look at the deer lying at my feet, I am struck by the natural color of its fur and ability to blend into the natural surroundings.

On my way home I think about what hunting means to me. I realize that it has given and continues to give me valuable time that is spent with my family, as several of us hunt. It has also taught me to appreciate the natural beauty of nature. I realize hunting has taught me several lessons. These lessons that I continue learn are how to read the natural habits of the Whitetail deer, How to read the surroundings of nature, the type of ground and the type of trees that are there, which help to decide where I will locate my hunting stand. Appreciating the natural way that nature teaches me to relax and to let the everyday cares of life go, if even for just a while is also a valuable lesson.

Even today as I begin to teach my children those lessons that I have been taught, I can hear my dad say “well done son, well done.�?/SPAN>