Peace of Mind
It’s quiet and dark, as I step out of the truck. The smallest sound startles me and has me hoping for the best. From the truck door shutting to the noises from opening my bow case. I park off and away a good two hundred yards. From this distance I cannot even see the stand from the camouflage. I began to arrive up on the stand, looking down hoping to see some signs of deer in the area. I start up the ladder with my hands full. I grabbed the stand and notice the roughness from the camo tape being weathered and starting to peel. The stand is about twelve feet up, and from this height at the right time I can see on top of the layer of fog.
I can see down the hill and down both sides, but right in front of me there is a side of a hill close enough that I can barely see the top. Left and right I can see a good forty yards before the woods thicken from the distance. While in the stand during a hunt I notice things that I usually do not notice. It is little things, like the sound of leaves falling, the random branches that fall and hit the ground, the growth of the woods, where it thickens and thins out.
The sounds are what always amaze me. The whole time there’s something going on. Like the two birds in the brush pile chasing each other around or the squirrel jumping from tree to tree. They sneak up on me and are beneath my feet before I even know they’re there. It may not seem like much, but every animal is extremely different in their own way. They each have their own unusual sound and move through out the woods.
Behind me there’s a creek, with small trees growing out of it. So while up in the stand there is a constant sound of water flowing over the rocks. That sounds like a small waterfall. The creek gives the woods its own unique odor. I am not sure how or why it is like that, but it just has its own distinct smell.
Exploring the woods in the morning is the best because the sun starts to come out and you are able...