What I have discovered hunting!

This is a self portrait of me in my tree stand with my phone! lol, you get bored some days. :)

Okay, I know I talk about hunting a lot but I really do enjoy deer hunting and if your a woman you probably don't get it! lol :) But hunting is really not just about shooting an animal. There is so much more to it, so much to learn about Gods Creatures and to learn about yourself (think overcoming fears). Here is what I have discovered out in the woods this fall while bow hunting.

Leaves make more noise falling to the ground than a deer does walking thru the woods! Crazy but true! Deer are very quiet when the walk thru the woods. They just appear sometimes. It startles you when they do!

Squirrels are very feisty creatures and are very entertaining to watch when you are sitting in your tree stand. I had one climbing up my tree a couple weeks ago and about half way up I was moving around trying to scare it and it just sat there and chattered at me. He was not happy I was in his way.

Turkeys really do fly! I never ever believed that Turkeys flew until I was hunting and saw one run and fly into the top of a tree! They roost in the tops of trees in the evening to keep away from predators. It is pretty entertaining to watch.

When you hear a noise and it sounds like the sky is falling it is just those crazy flying turkeys getting into the tree! It is loud, leaves are flying and they appear very uncoordinated.

Birds will land in your tree and sometimes almost hit you in the head while flying around. I am still waiting for one to land on my head! :)

Sitting in your tree stand while it is windy out can be a little scary! lol I was so glad that my hubby let me know that my tree might move a little if it is windy. The first time this happened to me I freaked a little. It is a really weird feeling having the tree moving one direction while your sitting in a ladder stand hooked to the tree. It does not really bother me now, but like I said if I had not known about this I probably would have gotten down that night and missed seeing that doe I shot on the 2nd day of bow season this year! :)

Now not many of you probably know this but I am scared of the dark! lol I really am and I am not ashamed to admit it. I always have been and probably always will be. Anyways, hunting normally involves going into the woods in the dark or coming out at dusk! This spooks me out so much. Once I am in my tree stand I am fine if it is dark but I guess I don't really like the unknown. I know that nothing is going to get me and I do have a weapon but I hate, hate, hate being startled by deer, raccoons, squirrels, etc. in the dark! So I am really working on overcoming this fear and I am doing better with coming out of the woods by myself in the dark. Still need my hubby to walk me to my stand in the morning! Gotta love a hubby who will get up and go with his wife even if he is not hunting. He is the best! I pray about it daily. :) Now I am for sure not going to disclose where I hunt at for fear that one of you might try to sneak in and jump out at me in the dark! lol

I know I can overcome my fear of darkness (well maybe) someday. I was able to get in a tree stand for the first time this year! I always told my husband that I would never hunt out of a tree. I have a serious fear of heights as well. ( I am a wimp) Well since he went and bought me a bow for Christmas he thought I should try to get in a ladder stand since it is better than the ground blind. So this past summer he put up the stand in our yard so I could practice getting in it! It must have been so funny to watch me climb up it the first few times. Scared out of my mind to climb just the 10 feet, I would not let him put the last 5 feet of ladder on it! It got easier every time and eventually I was able to stop holding on to the side rails long enough to actually shoot my bow. Well the first time I got in it in the woods this fall I laughed to myself because the 10 feet did not seem tall enough in the woods. I felt like the deer would walk in and look me in the eyes. So I had Kyle put the last 5 feet of ladder on and have been hunting from 15 feet ever since. Does not even bother me to climb it now! I am so proud of myself. Baby steps Wendy, baby steps! :)

One of the best things I like about hunting (besides actually shooting the deer) is the quiet time I have to myself! 2 to 3 hours of just sitting in your stand in the woods gives you a lot of time to reflect on life and to talk to God! He is an awesome God and I am in awe of everything he has created!

So even if your not a hunter you should all consider spending some time out in the woods! It is a beautiful place, so different from the hustle and bustle of every day life. I keep telling my self to grab my camera because there is so much to photograph. Maybe next time. Thanks for letting me ramble on about my hobby. :)