Hunting Season

This picture is a couple years old. Cowboy's first deer. Yuck! The first weekend in November marks this auspiscious event in this neck of the woods. Personally, the whole thing is ridiculous to me. Grown??? men spend months in advance feeding unknowing animals to draw them to a particular spot, one near their particular "blind" (a small hiding spot where a hunter can remain camoflaged,) then at first legal opportunity (November)they make them prey. TT (tall texan-dad) and Cowboy (my teen son) have been gearing up for this for at least a month already. It used to be they camped in the woods and it was a real "rough it" thing but it has evolved over the years into a comfortable cabin they've built a little at a time with solar energy and a generator for small appliances. They still have to carry in water.
I know many are diametrically opposed to hunting and I can sympathize but it's in their blood. It affirms their feeling of worthiness, bringing home the proverbial bacon, in their case a deer buck. At least they follow Mogley's jungle rule. "Only kill to eat or keep from being eaten." Remember, from Disney's JUNGLE BOOK? We fill a freezer each fall or winter, depending on how accurate their hunting, with at least a couple hundred pounds of processed venison and sometimes hog from their hunting lease. Yes, I eat it too, but it's not my favorite of meats. Although I must confess, the dried venison sausage and jerky are pretty tasty.
My favorite part of the whole experience is that when TT and Cowboy head for the woods they usually go for a night or two and this affords some private time for DQ (Drama Queen, almost teen daughter) and me. We usually splurge with chinese take out and a DVD on one night and sometimes the luxury of not having to fix dinner at all- just snacks when we get the urge. I guess it's a dad/son thing too. They seem to really enjoy their MAN time together. Go figure.