2020 has been a strange year. My life and probably many others have been strange too. But as this year ends, another year goes by. Life is good. I really can't complain. The typical struggles of a common man always make a bumpy road in life this year. 2020 hasn't made it easier.
Sometimes in life, you have an idea of what your life will be like when you hit a certain age. In four months, I will be hitting forty years old. I don't even remember what I thought my life would be like at forty. My life took turns I didn't even expect. But they all worked out in the end. So I decided instead of having "what-ifs," I am working on "Why not."
I decided to start writing a blog about my adventures. About the things, I still want to do. My goals. My hobbies. The things I need to put more effort into.
So, in 2021 and in the fortieth year of my life, I will work on the things I want more in life, hunting.
Hunting has been part of me since I was a child. I envied my father and Pap when they would head to our camp every Deer season. I was always jealous when I couldn't make a trip due to college, money, or just life when I was younger. My Pap (my idol) has since passed away, and I long for those moments with him. My father has long been gone when he disappeared from my family's life with his new wife. Those things hurt but they are also part of the what-ifs bucket.
Long have I been frustrated with changes big and small. Long have I made excuses for why I am not having luck hunting like I did when I was younger. The keyword was luck. I was lucky to hunt a spot that had for generations produced bucks. Things have changed, the woods have been timbered, the deer have changed their habits, and so should mine.
Historically, my family for the past fifty years has hunted sedimentary in tree stands across our properties. But technology has changed. Fifty years ago, everyone walked up the mountain to get to their spot. Then there were three-wheelers, then four wheelers, side by sides, and no people can even drive their vehicles to most places. People aren't walking the woods.
I traditionally have always had hunting at my family camp as the #1 season. Realistically, the deer aren't as plentiful as they used to be. And traditions change, so should I. I plan to still go up there to hunt deer every fall. But it won't be my number one priority. I will set out to find places to hunt where deer are plentiful.
My other goal is to align myself with people who want to hunt. With the loss of both my father and Pap, I have lost my hunting partners. My son, who is now twenty, enjoys hunting. But he is a hobbyist whose priorities are typical of men his age. When I was his age, I was addicted to hunting; I spent every fall prepping and planning with my father for our annual hunting trip. Even in college, it was always on my mind. So my goal is to find new people to hunt with. Find my own group of hunting friends.
So my goal for 2021 is to hunt more, be more outdoors, and spend more time walking the woods instead of riding my ATV or sitting in a blind or treestand. My other goal is to work at funding hunting spots. I have already been researching places to hunt in North Carolina (I have a lifetime hunting license here) and Virginia (where I live). I plan to take multiple trips out to the Eastern shore to hike the area of public land I want to hunt—stakeout hunting spots. Take my daughter with me.
My other goal is to get back to being healthy so that I can enjoy all this. And so I can sustain this until my daughter reaches an age where she is ready to hunt. Even if she decides this is not for her, I want to take her on adventures that she wants to go on. I want to be able to go out west and hunt with her.
My long-term goals are to take the dream hunting trips I always wanted to. I only live once. But first I need to get back to being in shape and get back to loving hunting.
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