Opening day of deer season.
No snow at Roshara, but a cold damp wind digs through my many layers of
clothing. No deer to be seen. A good time for thinking and relaxing, and a
little shivering.
I’ve not missed deer hunting since I was 12 years old when I
hunted with my dad in Adams County. In
1946 there were no deer in Waushara County.
Now my son, Steve hunts with me and he has done so since he was 12, not
missing a year.
Why do I do it? Why
do I get up at 5:15 on a dark, dank cold November morning and sit under a tree
at my farm and wait for daylight?
For two main reasons: Tradition and Family. Other reasons, such as being outdoors,
watching wildlife—I saw two chickadees and a gray squirrel on Saturday morning—listening
to the quiet, oh, and sometimes bagging a deer, come in second place.
This year Steve and I hunted with my brother, Don, and his
sons, Marc, Eric and Matt, as we have for many years. It’s a family tradition with many stories,
and catching up with jobs, and news of kids and grand kids.
And for more than 40 years, we all gather for a chili supper
with more stories, kidding, and smart talk.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Tradition and Family define deer
hunting.
UPCOMING
EVENTS:
December 2,
12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Book Signing,
Wisconsin Historical Society Headquarters building lobby. Books at reduced prices.
December
2, 7:00 p.m. All Wisconsin Public TV stations.
The Land With Jerry Apps. Hour-long documentary based on my book
WHISPERS AND SHADOWS.
Purchase Jerry’s
DVDS and his Books from the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose, Wisconsin
(a fund raiser for them):
The
library now has available signed copies of Jerry’s DVDs, Emmy Winner, A Farm Winter with Jerry Apps and Jerry Apps a Farm Story.
Also
available are several of Jerry’s signed books including The Quiet Season (on which the DVD A Farm Winter is based), as well as Rural Wit and Wisdom and Old
Farm, (which are related to the DVD Jerry
Apps a Farm Story). Also available is Jerry’s new novel, The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County as
well as Whispers and Shadows and his
newest nonfiction book, Wisconsin
Agriculture: A History.
Contact
the library for prices and special package deals.
Patterson
Memorial Library
500 Division Street
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