If you have followed our online videos or D&DH-TV on Pursuit Channel over the years, you might know that I am not shy when it comes to professing my faith. It’s just who I am, how I was raised, and what I believe deep down in my heart. This is usually displayed in raw emotion every time I walk up on a downed deer. It’s an incredibly humbling moment.

Over the past several months, many of you have written to us and expressed that you do the same — pray — when you’re standing over a deer. These are blessed moments. A prayer I’ve been using over the years goes something like this:

Dear Father in Heaven,

Thank you for this wonderful day.

Thank you for this wonderful gift.

May this deer’s body nourish
our bodies.

And may its memory nourish our souls. Amen.

Every day we spend outdoors — whether it’s deer hunting or hiking, or whatever — is a blessing. I don’t know how many days I have left on this earth. None of us do. Only He knows, and this creation is filled with millions of reminders of our blessings.

Many of them are the gifts that He provides. It’s the circle of life. It invigorates me, and I know it invigorates you. Everything about the hunt is special and worth noting. But ultimately, when a deer is on the ground, it’s cause for celebration.

True, everyone has their own motivations for the hunt and for celebrations. I don’t really view a deer hunting prayer as religion, per se. For me, it’s not about celebrating some sort of accomplishment. It’s about paying respect and celebrating life itself. In North America, our modern roots can be traced back to European settlers (aka: “Last Bite” rituals), true, but a better representation of after-the-kill reverence, in my opinion, is linked to the Native American Cree. The Cree’s entire existence revolved around hunting, and they humbly appreciated everything the land provided. This led to elaborate after-the-kill rituals.

My dear friend Charles J. Alsheimer taught us these lessons years before he left us in 2017. I think he said it best when he penned these words in D&DH:

“Our time on God’s green earth is but a vapor. Make no mistake; the day will come when all of our cycles are complete.

“As we approach another fall, work hard to seize the moment, work hard to make a memory with your children and loved ones. In the process of sharing your world with them you will come to realize that your deer hunting experiences can be far more than a rack to hang on the wall or meat for the freezer.

“Racks and meat can vanish in the twinkling of an eye but the lessons learned in the deer woods last a lifetime.”

Amen, sir.