My deer hunt this year ended exactly like last year; I got a nice buck, then damned near killed myself dragging him out on dry, snowless ground...only to wake the next morning to the several inches of fresh snow that I had been waiting and hoping for throughout most of the deer season. My neighbour's son had told me last year after the season, and reinforced the idea before this season, that he would be happy to help me with the retrieval if/when I needed it. That sounded great; hunt alone as I prefer, then have help after the fact... but when the moment actually arrived, it was accompanied by the realization that I needed to admit to myself that I did need help. Stubborn pride stepped in; whaddaya mean I can't do this myself?
I'll bet that of the guys who cash in during the deer drag, there's a significant percentage who just couldn't or wouldn't admit that, maybe to themselves or maybe to the rest of the world. I'm not saying that as any kind of indictment of them, either. The truth is often a bitter pill to swallow.
I've got a personal rule about hunting around the house: there is no shooting at game (varmints/predators not included) from any position that isn't at least 100 yards beyond the edge of my mowed lawn. If I were willing to shoot a doe, I could have ended every hunt since I've lived here within a day or two, right from my back deck. That rule was created by "yesterday's me"; I'm starting to think that "today's me" will have to re-visit and re-consider that rule (along with the whole want-a-buck thing) sooner rather than later.
I'll bet that of the guys who cash in during the deer drag, there's a significant percentage who just couldn't or wouldn't admit that, maybe to themselves or maybe to the rest of the world. I'm not saying that as any kind of indictment of them, either. The truth is often a bitter pill to swallow.
I've got a personal rule about hunting around the house: there is no shooting at game (varmints/predators not included) from any position that isn't at least 100 yards beyond the edge of my mowed lawn. If I were willing to shoot a doe, I could have ended every hunt since I've lived here within a day or two, right from my back deck. That rule was created by "yesterday's me"; I'm starting to think that "today's me" will have to re-visit and re-consider that rule (along with the whole want-a-buck thing) sooner rather than later.
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