Ten Points About Sharing

I haven't pulled my bow back in three months now and I'm getting a little anxious to get out in the woods and chase some critters around. The above picture of my '07 IL deer was taken by Danny Younger when he met me at the processing place. It was really nice to pull up there and have a good friend waiting to see what took me three months to get. The best part of hunting, for me, is the fellowship and sharing with good friends. I remember learning how important that was when I did a short Colorado hunt by myself back about eighteen years ago. We've been going to Meeker, CO since 1986, and we've had from two to five in our group every year. That year I went back for a two day hunt and it just wasn't fun at all. No one to report to after each hunt - and there is ALWAYS something to tell even if it's not about deer or elk- and no one to share meals with, the hunting cabin with, or to get you pumped up at 4:30 in the morning when it's cold, dark, and your eye lids are made out of concrete.
As I applied for my '08 mule deer tag for Colorado yesterday, I thought about all the guys I've shared that trip with through the years and all the fun we've had. My brother-in-law, Kevin has been the only one who has been part of it with me since that first one in '86. There's probably another dozen names I could list who have been part of the group at one time or another. Kevin's brother Brian has been there quite a few years since he started in about '90 or '91. And Danny went for his first trip last year. Yes, I'm thankful for the few times I've come home with something for the freezer, and yes, it's a blast now to play with ATV's on the fourteen thousand acres of private property we have access to, but the best part is the sharing with friends. That's really what hunting is all about.