UNDER THE STARS

I don"t know a single hunter who hasn't found themselves far from truck, camp, or trail at dusk with a big game animal on the ground. The field dressing and tag punching uses up the last remaining rays of light. Suddenly, its dark and you have a long ways to go. It's even more amplified when you are alone. You have 3 options. Call for help. Leave it overnight and comeback in the morning. Take your warm weather gear off. Roll up your sleeves and get it out. Oddly, I enjoy the 3rd choice. I've always enjoyed my time under the stars; be it pre-dawn or post sunset. It's almost magical. While I cannot see well, my sense of hearing and perhaps even smell are heightened. I enjoy the night smells and sounds. I don't rush. I revel in every hard won step that brings me closer to home. I'll sweat and use muscles like no gym workout will ever duplicate. No obsticle is too great - because there are no options. There is only the end of the task waiting ahead. Only when the meat is out and safely stored from spoilage and scavengers do I feel the long hours of a successful hunter's day are over. And it's a glorious feeling. The kind of exhaustion that only a hunter can appreciate.

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