Written by 2021 has been one of the more difficult years of my life to this point. For a number of reasons. Many of the social interactions and other interests in my life for many, many years have not seemed to matter all that much to me this year.
The Beaver moon the evening after the lunar eclipse. The scene was so brilliant that all three of us in the vehicle agreed to pull over and check this scene out for several minutes.
Regardless of all that, I made a last minute decision to make the trip out to Illinois for my annual hunting trip. As much as I enjoy the quiet of the woods, and the people I get to see when I go out there, this year was not the same for me. Honestly, the people that I get to see and spend time with out there were the best part of the trip for me this year. Despite all the great pictures (I think they are) of the scenes I was able to witness, my mind was not as quiet and peaceful as I like it to be.
On the other side of the horizon, almost literally opposite the Beaver moon in the picture above, the sun was setting. It looked like this.
My favorite part of hunting is the walk into the woods while it’s still dark outside. I don’t use any lights while walking in. I prefer to take it slow and careful. To see what I can see and feel the rest. Usually, I will have walked the route that I plan to take in the daylight sometime before. Maybe I walked it last year, or maybe four years ago, but always walking to leave a mark on my brain for future use. When I get to my stand, blind, or tree that I set against, I sit quietly for as long as it takes to have my prayer time. Usually, I am in my spot early enough to have plenty of time in prayer before legal shooting time (half hour before sunrise). But sometimes, I am later. Either way, I have my prayer time in full before I address anything that might be walking around in the faint but growing light. That is my peaceful time, the most peaceful time.
Some shots of “The Woods” (click on pictures to enlarge)
This year I didn’t get a deer. I only fired one shot, an arrow. The arrow hit a twig 50 yards away. It glanced off of the twig, down and just in front of a massive buck that I have seen a few times over the last four years. At 55-60 yards away, he was the closest that he has come to me while I’ve been set up. But he didn’t get to be this old or this big without being wary. He walked a path deeper into the brush by about 15 yards than the two does he was showing interest in. He was never (while I could see him) completely in the open. He walked through saplings, brush, and thorny undergrowth while weaving his way among the mature trees to where he wanted to go. Hopefully, I will see him again next year.
Looking north as the sun sets and lights up the tops of the trees before falling below the horizon.
About 15 minutes later, after walking across a field or two and through a wooded area around a small pond, I see the western sky.
So, with all of that, I still did enjoy the woods and the skies. The woods and the skies, along with the sun and the moon, did their part to improve the quality of my trip west. I took pictures that end up only capturing a fraction of the impact these scenes impress upon me while I am present in their midst. These were days the Lord had made, and I did rejoice in them, while be being both blessed and grateful. I hope you enjoy the pictures. The sunrises. The sunsets. The sounds. The feel of the shifting, if not mighty winds, changing directions and affecting temperatures. The squirrels, the owls, the coyotes, the bats, the rabbits, the turkeys, the woodpeckers, the cattle on the next farm, and the hawks all play a part in adding value to the joy of being outside. Always my pleasure.
Standing in the cover of trees and brush near a sheltered watering hole, looking east, and watching the moon rise.
Even the clouds look as though they may have rushed into place to see the setting sun.
This is exactly 24 hours (to the minute) later than the picture above. Even when we park in the west, and walk out looking to the western sky, the view never gets old.
This was a cold morning (low 20’s and windy). I walked through the woods, close to the fence line of the neighboring cattle farm. The picture faces east and sightly south. I would see a pair of gorgeous coyotes trot through the frosty field a little bit later in the morning.