It’s Deer Season, Man
Maybe you’ve seen the Facebook post from Bubba Buck Adventures in which a buck-toothed Bubba laments his inability to do anything for his mom, girlfriend, significant other or whoever the heck might have requests for his time once deer season begins by giving the disclaimer to whatever the request may be by saying, “It’s deer season, man – I’m gonna be deer hunting!”
Then again, maybe you haven’t. Regardless, I met me some Bubbas recently, and their enthusiasm and reverence for opening day made me smile.
One the guys, a preacher in his mid-sixties or so, said that he remembers, as a child, not having to go to school the day before deer season started.
Obviously, it was as big a deal to him and his family then as it is to him and his family now, because to this day, he refuses to officiate any weddings, christenings, or anything else requiring the use of his official capacity on the opening weekend of deer season.
When he proclaimed that, a younger, 30-something father of three boys chimed in that he purposefully planned for he and his wife to have their kids be born in the summertime, so future birthday parties wouldn’t conflict with any hunting plans he might have in the future.
I’m not that mad at ‘em now, but there was a time in my life, as a young man, that deer season was a big deal. Fresh out of college, living on the home place and working for the United States Department of Agriculture, I’d get up early in the morning before work and walk out to my deer blind to see what I could see for an hour or so before I had to go to work.
When I got home, I’d sit in that same blind an hour or so to see the same until 30 minutes after the sun went down. Mind you, this was back in the day when there weren’t as many deer as there are now. If something walked out with antlers on it – it was going in the freezer. I had a pre-arranged agreement with my boss that if I shot a deer in the morn, I could go in late to work. Pretty cool, indeed.
And once again, the opening weekend of deer season is nigh upon us. For people who hunt with a bow or have access to properties with Managed Land Deer Permits (MLDP), deer season has already started, but for the rest of us, the big day is November 1.
With that in mind, I’m going to go with some things I’ve said before, because I want everyone to get along when it all gets underway. Number one - get to know your neighbor. It makes the resolution of conflicts/issues so much easier, and the game warden will appreciate you both so much more. Besides, game wardens have more important things to do than referee conflicts between neighbors that don’t involve violations of the law.
Also, if you get checked by a game warden, don’t lie. Many times, a game warden will already know the answer to some, if not all, of the questions that you will be asked. And, the time to ask, “Is it legal to shoot this or do that?” is not when you have already shot this, or done that and the game warden is walking up to say hello. If you don’t know, don’t shoot.
If you have questions, it’s always best to call the game warden BEFORE you go hunting. Nowadays, every game warden in the state is issued a smart phone, and every game warden in the state has the number to said smart phone available on the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) website.
But really, the most important thing is that you need to get your priorities straight. After all, it’s deer season, man!
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