This weekend is the deer hunting opener here in the Northland.
In other words, it’s a holiday weekend. People leave work early, pack up the guns, ammo, blaze orange hat, mittens, coat and/or coveralls, boots, snack food, beer and liquor before heading out in the big ol’ pickup truck to go “up north” for the weekend. Many folks plan vacations around it, spending a week or two out in the woods, at what is called deer camp.
Deer Hunting: The Hunter (Photo credit: thekevinchang)
Merle is doing it in a somewhat modified manner. He is packing up, less the beer/liquor, and going up north for the day on Saturday, returning and going back on Sunday. He has to be back to feed his cows daily. Now that is a dedicated cowboy.
Meanwhile, those of us left behind must fill our time while the hunters are gone. My mom and I went to see the movie “Flight” this afternoon. This is Denzel Washington’s newest movie.
D. Washington, Berlinale 2000 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Two comments about the movie: first, it is very intense; it pulls you in-it includes a very realistic portrayal of someone in the throes of fighting a chemical addiction. Second, it adds another reason to reconsider flying. The scenes inside the cabin are very realistic. I also learned something new-I did not know that taking cocaine while drunk masks the drunkenness. Shows how sheltered my life has been, I have never been that drunk and have never tried cocaine. (And as I learned when I found out I am allergic to morphine, I’d likely be dead had I tried it.)
Overall, a good movie. Denzel rarely disappoints, and his acting is great in this one. (BTW-does it look as though Denzel’s shirt isn’t buttoned correctly in that photo? Who let him go in front of cameras like that?)
So, I spent my day with my mom in a movie theater, while Merle spent his sitting on a little metal deer stand a dozen or so feet up in a tree. It snowed there. The wind kicked up. He came home and went right upstairs to take a hot shower.
When he left at 3:30 am this morning, he saw three deer crossing our front yard as he drove down the driveway.
As I got ready to go to the movie, I saw 7 deer in the backyard, about ten yards from the house.
Merle drove approximately three hours to the hunting spot and three hours home.
As he sat in the tree for 6 hours, Merle saw exactly ZERO deer.
My mom and I had a good day.
The deer had a good day.
Merle is still intending to go back tomorrow. He says he had a good day.
And I will never understand it.
Just My Life 
There are does all over my pastures in the evenings, but everything disappears during the day. I did hear one shot this morning in the distance. I think most hunters just like to go sit in the woods, but I can do that anytime I have the time, which isn’t very often.
By: Jon on November 4, 2012
at 8:36 am
Going to see Flight today. Being a pilot I can hardly wait to see how they present the flying sequences. Mostly Hollywood gets it wrong.
I got a good laugh out of Merle doing all that traveling to shoot a deer when they were standing about in your yard! Assume hunting not allowed so close to homes.
By: RustedGranny on November 4, 2012
at 9:02 am
I’d definitely rather watch a Denzel Washington movie!
By: Secret Agent Woman on November 4, 2012
at 2:52 pm
That’s hilarious…driving that far for hunting, only to have deer in your own backyard…literally! To me, hunting is like fishing: it’s okay until you actually get something. I haven’t heard of the movie, and I didn’t know that bit about cocaine, either. I kind of like not knowing about some of the ugliness that goes on.
P.S. I think the buttons might be straight on his shirt, but it looks really off because he has his left shoulder lifted higher. Either way, someone should’ve told him to drop his shoulder.
By: jannatwrites on November 4, 2012
at 10:34 pm