OPENING DAY IS FINALLY OVER !!

Don't get me wrong, I love the opening day of bird season, but it really takes a toll on me.  I look forward to it so much that I barely sleep the night before!  Opening day is a climax of the  pre-season rituals that have been going on in the house for at least forty days and forty nights. 

Ruffed Grouse

The dog has been keying off the change in seasons, I have been keying off the dog--and the calendar.  The "ramping up" is like an emotional crescendo.  I've worked up mental and written lists of gear, supplies, places to go.  My boots have been re-conditioned at least three times and I've replaced laces, re-attached the soles or ordered a new pair. 

The boot dryer has been given a place of prominence in my "seasonal space".  ..It goes on.


Non-productive, "circular thinking" can't compete with the compulsive, --even "driven"-- preparations for bird season, but the night before!!  Oh my!

Preparations come to a head on "opener eve".  You'd think I was preparing for a deployment to some far-off land!  And for what?  To be in the woods with the pup and pursue a small, reclusive bird--to hell and back if we choose.  The trouble is, by mid-afternoon, I'm totally wiped out.  The lack of sleep on "opener eve" and the emotional drop from the anxious high of the 'first' morning leaves me aching all over--or perhaps I wasn't in shape enough?

Can we go again Boss?

Anyhow, I'm glad it's over.  Now we're approaching the rest of the season in a more 'steady' manner.  The dog and I are fully engaged in the rites of fall, and loving every minute.  Opening day?  For me it's the travail and birth of a new season.  I'm just glad it's over!  Now we can get down to it.

If you see us in the woods or on a back road, be sure to stop and talk.  A pleasant, honest chat with like-minded souls enriches the experience .....OK!  Ready to go pup?