There is something special about sitting in a deer stand on a foggy, misty, rainy morning. The world seems muted, with few sounds other than the soft plop of water drops hitting leaves. A big whiteoak acorn ricocheting off a limb makes you jump from the sudden loud whack.

Nothing much moves, no leaves fluttering in the breeze, just the occasional one spiraling down after letting of its warm weather anchor.  Squirrels and birds seem to be hunkered down in the damp, too.

    Sitting there with water dripping, and cool, moist air all around can be uncomfortable. But the makeshift roof over your head you made from a black garbage bag and some broken limbs keep most of the water off.

A wad of paper towel keeps the water out of your scope. It is pointed up since your gun is hanging by its strap from a carefully placed nail in your tree so your hands can stay warm in pockets, but ready for slow action.

Any movement draws your attention immediately. Is it a deer or a brave waterproof squirrel or bird? You know deer don’t mind a little rain and water. Their hide with hollow hair sheds the moisture and keeps them warm.   

Will that big buck you saw on your trail camera all year during the day show up? Or will it continue to move only at night like it has done since the weeks before hunting season when folks checking stands and putting up new ones alerted it to coming danger.

Or maybe a tender young doe will wander by and become some of this year’s larder in your freezer. Some folks criticize you for hunting, but those same folks may go to the grocery store and buy meat that has gone thought no telling how many hands before getting to your table. You know exactly what has happened to the steak on your plate.

You love days like this whether you see a deer to shoot or not. It is part of your heritage and life. From the gun hanging beside you to the lucky cap on your head, your equipment goes back a long way. And you hope to pass it on when you are gone.

All the troubles of the world seem to lessen as you sit in nature. They may come flooding back as soon as you return to the “unreal” world, but for now you are at peace. You are happy just being here tuned in to the real world of nature.

Time seems to crawl, then go into fast forward when you spot something of interest. Is that flicker a deer tail? Ease your gun up slowly and check it out with our scope. It was just a leave twisting on a strand of spider web, but it got your attention and made your heart race.

No matter, you are here to shoot a deer but it really is not requires.  You are perfectly happy to go home empty handed again. Time to climb down and think about the next trip.

Wait – is that a deer…