I think I officially have it. This will be my 3rd year deer hunting. I've been fishing my whole life. Thought I'd never have a passion for anything else like that. If I wasn't doing it, I was dreaming of alpine lakes and streams, salmon and steelhead head shakes, top water bass, saltwater cutthroat, fly fishing, spoons, spinners, jigs, massive strikes.... Any peice of water a happened to be driving by is immediately analyzed for fishing prospects. Perfection is often a nice summer evening boulder hopping my favorite small river and gracefully casting a small elk hair caddis into boulder pockets and ruffles and seam lines to eager trout. Just me, deer and other wildlife, the singing and dancing waters, and beautiful little trout leaping out of the water doing various types of cartwheels.
Well, I took a break for a while. After our 3 boys were born, I slowed down some. But then we adopted 5 more in a short time out of foster care. Life had a new purpose and fishing lost its luster. I love sharing with others when I can. Just doesn't 'own' me like it did.
So for the last few years I have started getting more into hunting. With one of my boys mainly. And I think it is getting serious...
The other evening while out helping coach my 12yr old's football team, I was looking down at some dirt and flattening out mole hills, when my heart skipped a beat. Like seeing a huge steelhead role in a tailout... I spotted what looked like, for a split second, a deer track. And I remembered that my boy and I would be heading out in a few days. And I knew I had it. Deer fever...
