I’m going to miss January Antlerless season in Iowa this year for the first time since it was instituted. I’ll miss crunching on the snow (Maybe! What a warm year!) and freezing my tail off hoping to get one more chance at filling the freezer this year.
There is something about being alone in the woods. At times, I hunt in groups during the January season and I love that too but you can’t beat the alone time while hunting deer. The first day I’m out hunting, I hate myself. Alone. With my thoughts. It’s frightening. I spend half the day shaking my head that my brain is so full of garbage and base-ness and the rest of the day praying, asking God to clear my mind. The next day or two or three are beautiful. I love the serenity, the listening for that “still small Voice.” I love the wildlife, the possum that walks over your feet as you sit so still it never knows you were there. I love the turkeys as they noisily leave their roost. I love the occasional rare treat of having a coyote or bobcat pass by so close you feel as though you could almost reach out and touch them with your shotgun or rifle.
It is in these times that I am truly amazed at how beautiful and how intricate Creation is. How such a tight web of interdependent relationships and ecosystems can evolve is beyond me besides being mathematically impossible. Our Creator is amazing. Imagine how much more amazing it will be when the earth is restored to what it could have been without sin. Imagine our new physical bodies being able to lift more and run faster than ever though possible. Imagine racing the mountain lion for fun instead of carrying a firearm in the woods to protect yourself from one. I can’t wait.
Although we probably won’t have hunting on the New Earth, I relish every chance to sit out in the woods and dream dreams, listen to His voice, and observe without words.
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