The hustle and bustle of daily life gets the best of us. Beyond our hectic lives, there’s the headlines that bring news of hatred, violence, hunger, and war. We’re bombarded with so many images and messages of disruption that peace and quiet become a commodity.

Enter deer season. While hunting has been known to bring stress of its own (equipment failures, preparations, frustrations), it doesn’t take me long to remember a primary reason I love hunting so much. I love the moment when all of my preparations are complete and I’m in my stand. There’s nothing else I can do to prepare for the moment of truth…and I take that deep breath, exhale, and relax. Not just relax like kick up my shoes and relax…I mean deep peace in the soul.

It takes me a while to find because my mind races with anticipation. But hunting forces one to patience. Eventually, our bodies and minds give way to the presence of peace. It creeps in through the bird chirping or the squirrel scurrying in the leaves or, when we’re lucky, a hoof crunching a leaf. We learn that the rays of sun peering over the horizon can burn our souls.

Solitude:Hunting reminds me of the importance of solitude…time to escape my own thoughts as I unite with nature. For me, it’s one thing to go for a hike. But when I’m hunting, the hope that a buck will appear keeps me in the woods for extended periods of time. When else do we allot so much time to ourselves…to quietness…to solitude?

A Battle to Surrender: The words “battle” and “peace” aren’t exactly synonyms…but my experience has taught me that I have to battle to stay in the presence of this peace. It’s a struggle for me to let go of myself and attend to nature herself. Thoughts race repeatedly, but I have to give way. I must fight to surrender myself.

I don’t understand it, but I often find the things I don’t consciously set-out to hunt. One of those things is peace…

deer, Hog Blog, hunting, peace, Series, Why I Hunt

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