Heart of a Hunter

Last year in Colorado

Paul is elk hunting in Colorado this week with 3 other guys that he knows through his work. He's been looking forward to this, well since he went last year. And he's been working out. He decided he wasn't fit enough last year. So this year he put himself on a regimen of biking, weight lifting and running the Creston Panther stadium stairs. He's looking good!

So I'm lonely. It's a good thing - it helps me remember how much my life is built around Paul. It's scary really. Reality check, giving me so much empathy for anyone who has lost a spouse. While I hate that question, "Where's your better half"? It's true - you do begin to function as a unit. Your unit is disrupted when one is gone. Thank goodness Paul is just gone for a week. Odie and I are hanging in there in Day 2. I made my own coffee...it was good! (I know...I'm spoiled). Now to change the furnace filter and empty the dehumidifiers.

He's nearly invisible with cammo on!

Back to Paul and hunting. He is the first hunter I have ever really been around. I remember Dad taking me pheasant hunting once. We stopped by a place down by where the Pizza Hut is now in Atlantic to drop off the birds so they could clean them for him. No blood and guts for Dad. Golf was more his thing.

An recent headline in Iowa papers said fewer hunting and fishing licenses are being sold in Iowa. It's kinda sad that fewer and fewer people are taking advantage of Iowa's natural resources. But I get it. Fewer Iowans have rural roots. That means they're not getting exposed to hunting at a young age, plus thanks to fewer family farms, hunting ground is hard to come by. They'd rather shoot on video games!

In the 1960's and 1970's that wasn't a problem. Paul Goldsmith grew up hunting. On one of our first dates, Paul invited me to his apartment for a meal - a deer roast. I remember biting into a bee bee. Hey - he said he'd shot the deer with a bow. Hmmm. His hunting didn't really affect me until we were married and lived together. Then, he'd take off for scouting and hunting mornings, especially in the fall.

I should explain that Paul enjoys hunting and fishing. He meets his college buddies Mike and Tom each year in South Dakota (now that Iowa doesn't have any birds) to pheasant hunt. But bow hunting deer is his passion. He feels like it's more sporting than gun hunting, and he puts many hours into his sport. He's an ethical hunter who cares about his prey, much like the native American Indians do. The killing part (Bambi...) makes me sad - but I realize (especially after hitting a deer with a rental car on Hickman near Living History Farm in DSM) that we need to help keep the herd down.

2008 deer

Most people don't understand how bow hunting works. I didn't either before I met him. Early in the fall, before the season starts, Paul sets up several tree stands along paths where deer travel. Then, depending on which way the wind is blowing on hunting day, he selects his stand for the day. When he hunts he leaves our house an hour before sunrise all decked out in cammo - his face is even painted. He is scent free because deer have a great sense of smell.

When he gets to his parking area for the tree stand he's selected, he usually can walk in with no flashlight - carrying his bow and a fanny pack. The stand is up high enough that he needs steps screwed into the tree to climb up. He straps himself up their with a safety harness to prevent a fall. Then he sits there and watches the sun come up - and the woods awaken. Through the years, owls have nearly landed on him, squirrels have checked him out and he's seen lots of other Iowa wildlife. It's very calming for him.

Then there are the deer. He usually has two licenses - a doe license, and the Big One. Early in the season he's patient - awaiting the trophy buck. Every good hunter wants the big one. Some hunters can pop out there one day and shoot a good sized (or even a monster) deer. It's kinda maddening to those who put more time in. I think of it like this - some people don't train for running a half marathon and can finish in a decent time. But if you work hard and train for it...when you finish in a time you are proud of, it feels very satisfying.  For Paul, hunting is about the whole experience, not just the kill. He usually only takes a couple shots the whole season. The arrows are razor sharp. The deer needs to be fairly close for a good shot. Paul has deer calls to draw them in.

After gushing about how wonderful it is...hunting has been the cause of some of our marital, shall I say irritation? Especially when the kids were very young and I had to get up with them early on weekends. He would be gone hunting, and instead of taking turns on Saturday and Sunday, getting up with baby - during all of October and November, it was my turn. Even on my birthday - November 4, which is during The Rut. That is when the females are in heat and the males are crazy - not paying attention to hunters as much. You probably know by now I'm not one to suffer in silence. We usually had to have one argument during that time - so I could get it off my chest. It usually came down to me getting some "me" time too.

Now that the kids are all growed up, I enjoy the quiet time in the house by myself when he's hunting. I can even sleep through it when he gets up to leave! This week long elk hunting stuff in the mountains makes me a little nervous though! I hope an elk has his name on it - that would be a great thrill for him. Just a week away from real life will be therapeutic though. Stay safe Pablo!