The Blessed Ritual: My American Dream Cup Runneth Over

TED with double bucks“A simple life I will not have. It doesn’t satisfy me. I don’t believe in the status quo, it kind of leaves me weak.

 A mountain high is what I climb, I swim the river deep. If you crave the time of your life, try to keep up with me!”

I’m going to live, I’m going to fly, I’m going to soar till the day I die. On the wings of a bird of prey, hey, hey, hey, you’re absolutely what I CRAVE!

Well look at me, that’s a smile on my face. You know it don’t come cheap. Sure I live the American Dream, go ahead and crucify me!

I’m going to live, I’m going to fly, I’m going to soar till the day I die. On the wings of a bird of prey, hey, hey, hey, you’re absolutely what I CRAVE!”

A lovely song if ever there was one, CRAVE! Is one of my many compositions that celebrates a gungho, unbridled, full-on, go for the gold, kick maximum ass, passionate dedication to living life to the fullest.

I know a lot of happy Americans, and each and every one of them genuinely pursues their individual American Dream happiness with all they got. They exude positive spirit and energy. They are inspiring just to be around. Their glow is contagious. They are assets and I salute them all.

My long, blessed life in the eye of the music and bowhunting storms provide me a deep and powerful understanding of just how passionate my fellow man can be. You cannot imagine the depth of love we have for our music, the fascinating creative process and the ultimate unleashing of our musical visions and dreams through song and performances.

Ted Nugent 2016
Ted Nugent 2016

I assure you that such musical intrigue and celebration truly qualifies for “out of body” outrage, and I thank God and my fellow musical cohorts everyday for such intense jubilation and spiritual gratification.

Within the equally forceful life of our love for deerhunting, I can honestly say that such passion can also be found in our reasoning predatory instincts.

Having just completed my 6572nd out of body concert on our amazing Sonic Baptizm 2016 tour and now swandiving headfirst back into my 67th hunting season, I know for certain that making the earth moving music I do with my phenomenal musicians has direct parallels with the equally spine tingling flexing of our deadly, natural predator muscles and spirit.

Experience dictates efficient use of time and resources, and when on the road performing 6 concerts a week in 6 different cities, there is no room for floundering or schlepping about.

To unleash the intense music we do each night demands we take good care of ourselves, remain clean and sober no matter what, eat good, sleep good and remain focused on the musical groove and energy.

Doing so has guaranteed a killer concert every concert 6572 times and has brought back sellout audiences for 50 plus years.

Now my hunting ritual is well under way and all the same quality control rules apply. It is my responsibility as a human hunter to maintain absolute reasoning predator proficiency excellence and authority in my hunting rituals to out maneuver my quarry and make a quick, responsible kill.

My every bowhunting day begins well before dawn after a good night’s sleep. A slug of NugeJava, fill the thermos, fresh de-scented clothing, a quick run and feed and water with the dogs, a few practice arrows with the Mathews, then a rendezvous with my SpiritWild VidCamDude heading to my chosen ambush stand.

I hunt 2-3 hours each morning and quite honestly very often kill a deer and therefor always revel in the joyous exaltation and celebration that is the soul stirring wonderment of pulling off one of life’s greatest and most challenging accomplishments.

TED  WXdoeEach sacred kill is photographed, gutted, cleaned, skinned and hung in the cooler. Next as I chowdown on some hard earned protein, I organize the SpiritWild camera gear in preparation for the afternoon hunt, then go about the daily chores and duties of ranch and farm work, check some Bushnell trailcam cards, I conduct some midday media interviews, a little writing, standard home clean-up and maintenance responsibilities and of course some dutybound husband responsibilities with Mrs. Nugent.

I do play my guitar pretty much everyday to hone and unleash the musical creative juices and to keep the touch. Nothing inspires killer guitar music like the hunting season!

At least once everyday I hunt with my beloved Labradors Happy and Sadie, and we get after doves, squirrels, rabbits, pheasants, grouse, woodcock and ducks and geese depending on the season and whether we are in Texas or Michigan or elsewhere.

I cannot imagine a single day failing to hunt with my dogs. They are a huge part of our quality of life.

By late afternoon after a few more disciplined, diligently focused, aim small miss small pick a spot practice shots at the Morrell 3D deer target archery range we are headed back to a carefully chosen stand based on sun, wind, pressure and scouting to get after big game again.

Another kill demands the standard operating procedure 101, then after a wonderful meal of hard earned game, and I hit the sack pretty early.

A little time in the blind or the field with good dogs is a nice break from chasing whitetails.
A little time in the blind or the field with good dogs is a nice break from chasing whitetails.

My last concert of the year was on September 3rd, and this craved daily hunting ritual is repeated everyday through February. Only monsoons and life threatening weather will keep me from hunting.

The scouting and exploring never ends. Stand rotation and relocation is ongoing. The excitement is increased exponentially when I host and guide 100s of our Sunrize Safaris hunters every season both in Texas and Michigan.

Shemane and son Toby join me often and daughter Sasha more frequently.

Sons Rocco and Fleetwood try to hunt with dear old dad as often as they can, and my other daughters do everything possible to be a part of the sacred fall/winter rituals too.

It is certainly quite the life I have carved out for myself, and between the fiery passions for both music and hunting, my America Dream cup runneth over!

I love it all. I crave it all!

Ted Nugent is an award-winning musician and writer, with numerous best-seller books including “Ted, White and Blue: The Nugent Manifesto,” “God, Guns and Rock ‘n Roll,” and “Kill It and Grill It: A Guide to Preparing and Cooking Wild Game and Fish” with his wife, Shemane, among other books. Be sure to check out his website for more news on his latest music, thoughts and upcoming shows, and also at World News Daily, Newsmax and Daily Caller for more insights.

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