It takes months to get “camp” ready.
Gotta cuts the paths, clear the lines, trim branches for the stand, fill the generator, test the heaters, and stock the fridge and coolers.
Gotta get the ammo and clean the guns, too, and there’s the boot check, packing the camos and the long johns and the orange vests. Some folks prepare venison chili for the first couple days, and others stick with cold cuts, white bread, maybe some mustard, and jerkey. There’s water, sure, and there might be a shower. Might.
Doesn’t matter, though, because it’s about the woods, the hunt, and yes, the kill.
There’s a peace out there that maybe you’ve not met. A quiet away from the hum of life you haven’t heard. It may be chilly, too, but it’s fresh air far from the threat of COVID-19.
This year’s deer-gun season in the Upper Ohio Valley provides more a sanctuary than ever before because of the pandemic, and for that reason a record number of folks in East Ohio and the Northern Panhandle have purchased licenses to venture out into the wilds. Today, in fact, is the first day for buck firearm season in the Mountain State.
So, if you think about it, take pause this morning and say a quick prayer for those women and men so they return to their families safely and … with something for dinner, too.
