Journey of a Hunt

I never dreamed I would be a hunter. Growing up the only gun I took to the woods was a BB gun. Now it is about two thirty in the afternoon and we are headed to a box stand made of wood standing about fifteen feet in the air. Our destination is a buck or doe away. We never drive up to the stand on the four wheeler, but we park within walking distance. As we walk along the way we look in the trails and green food plots for a sign of where the deer may be crossing. After we quietly climb in the stand, I check the sights with the scope on the rifle in all directions of the possibility of the appearance of a deer. From then on the journey of the hunt begins.
The first thing I need to learn is hunting requires patience. I stare in the direction in front, on the left, and to the right for any sign of movement along the edges of the extended line of woods in sight. This movement could happen quickly after arriving to the stand; however, most often the prize comes after a long wait or sometimes not at all. I think of the few times I have been successful on the hunt. If I had been impatient the doe would be still roaming in the woods. Therefore, I can leave the stand early empty handed, or I can accept the fact that this journey takes time and endurance.
The final thing I learn from this hunting experience is that I will have to remain persistent. I have to keep coming back and repeat the process in spite of the outcome. I remember being in the stand with my husband while he was hunting. On many occassions we would scan the forest for deer and find no movement at all. This is the time when I can enjoy nature and God's creation. I watch squirrels as they scurry from tree to tree. I can also see different kinds of birds as they fly from one end of the woods to the other and may even see a rabbit or two. Even if I leave the stand without the buck or doe, I cannot give up but leave with the expectation that the next time I enter on this journey, I could reach my destination.