How about that incredible and unique feeling of overwhelming joy and relief when we culminate a difficult blood trail and finally walk up on our hard-earned prize.
As powerful a Hallelujah moment that there is.
Can you remember every one?
I can.
Is there anything else in life quite like the out-of-body experience when a shooter deer finally enters our ambush domain and we make the serious decision to kill?
I don’t think so.
Do you remember them all?
I do.
I am hard pressed to identify a moment in life that matches the solemnness of treestand time, when birds land right in our face, a squirrel nearly runs us over on our shared limb, a kill-crazy hawk or owl whooshes past us within inches, or the unexpected startling blow of a matriarch doe alarming the deer world to our rude intrusion.
My 72-year-old memory bank nearly bursts at the seams with spellbinding, dazzling memories of eternal hunts and adventures in the wildgrounds of my beloved hunting lifestyle.
I learned and determined at a very young age that I would embrace and imprint every moment of every outing, every step, sight, sound, smell, sensation, emotion and every titillating thrill of my hunts.
Our natural, earthy, reasoning predator connection with God’s miraculous renewable creation as hands-on participants is a gift beyond normal life description, and while I am on ultra-high alert every minute of every hunt, it can also be best described as almost trance-like, beyond the ether, beyond the mortal, deep into the physics of spirituality.
Crazy smart and phenomenally lucky, I was able to carve out a dream hunting lifestyle many, many years ago when I cleverly prioritized my yearly calendar to the point where I literally get to hunt nearly every day for six to eight months annually. And then some!
The nonstop plethora of sensual stimuli that we are bombarded with on every hunt, from the subtle to the outlandish, just doesn’t occur quite the same during any other human endeavor.
In my own way, I get to cultivate, channel and share such deep, unlimited cosmic inspiration with the whole world through my music, my writings, my radio shows, my “Spirit of the Wild” television show, my Spirit Campfire podcast, and my shared storytelling in the media and speaking presentations here, there and everywhere.
Each moment and each memory are simply much too powerful to hold inside.
Constantly spotlighting and regurgitating those wonderful memories and experiences in such a celebratory way not only keeps them alive and soaring, but reminds me and everyone paying attention all the time just how doggone special and wonderful they are.
My dad, God bless his soul, was a casual hunter, and though I am sure each outing was special and memorable, I don’t think he loved them or cataloged them quite the way that I do.
We never know how much time we have here on earth, and as we celebrate this amazing huntseason 2020, right now would be the perfect time to escalate and accelerate our passion for this soul-cleansing natural outdoor life.
Zeroing in on every detail and minutia of every aspect of each hunt will not only put an increased current smile on your face, but at the end of the day, I am convinced that all of those details will provide a much more fulfilling sense of aliveness and happiness that will never go away.
Hang on to those memories. Never let go.
As we wrap up another fascinating October, when we meet here again, it will be November 5, 2020, and for all practical purposes, after this presidential election, it may very well be an entirely new, and potentially different world.
I am hoping my fellow naturalists and conservationists have stepped up to the plate and voted to insure we can continue to create these special freedom memories in the great outdoors.
The writing is on the wall, and if we fail to vote for these traditional American family values that the hunting lifestyle embodies, memories may soon be all we have.
Memories of past events are critical, but much more important is the fight to ensure we can continue to make these special memories.
We are truly down to the wire. Hunters must be registered to vote our conservation principles. Be a positive, patriotic voting force to reckon with at Huntthevote.org. There is still time. Hunting families must be a voting army to halt the enemies of our lifestyle at the gate. And they are at the gate.
Huntthevote.org. Never let go.
Multi-platinum guitar legend TED NUGENT has a new full-length album THE MUSIC MADE ME DO IT, on Round Hill Records. The album is available now for order everywhere, and the title track “The Music Made Me Do It” is available to download and stream wherever music is sold.
And now, the Ted Nugent Spirit Campfire with John Brenkus, is #1 on Billboard’s Top Facebook Live Video Chart! The ever-articulate Nugent and co-host Brenkus, the Emmy-winning broadcaster from ESPN, make for a high-energy and entertaining combination. The show launched in June 2020 and offers a front row glimpse into musical inspirations, hilarious anecdotes, thoughtful recollections and an enviable lineup of legendary talent.The Ted Nugent Spirit Campfire with John Brenkus airs live on Mondays and Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. EST on Facebook and YouTube.
With more than 40 million albums sold, rock legend Ted Nugent is equally well known as the nation’s most outspoken proponent of our 1st and 2nd Amendment rights, conducting thousands of pro-gun, pro-freedom, pro-American interviews in major media worldwide. Nugent is a New York Times best-selling author whose works include Ted, White & Blue —The Nugent Manifesto; God, Guns & Rock ‘n’ Roll and Kill It & Grill It. This year, his award-winning Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild TV show celebrates its 500th episode! For all things Nuge, visit www.tednugent.com
Wild and Free in Michigan | Deer & Deer Hunting TV
Why Did You Shoot That Buck?
