It’s not like I haven’t got plenty to keep me crazy busy in between deer seasons, that’s for sure! But even with the nonstop orgy of my musical adventure, songwriting, guitar slamming, tone tweaking, equipment experimentation, jamming, sonic defiance, and soul music alchemy, I still dream relentlessly of October, November, December 2021 and beyond!
Gee, I’m almost like a deerhunting junkie for God’s sake! And speaking of God, I would certainly like to thank Him immensely for the diversity of my life’s adventures.
I raise maximum God, family, country, freedom hell everyday on global media, fulfill my daily ranch chore responsibilities, do my very best to wear out my beloved hound dogs, shoot a squirrel or two in the eyeball, check my trapline each morning, diligently pursue my husband, father and grandfather duties, and constantly reach out to remind my elected government employees that the Nugent family expects them to live up to their sacred Constitutional Oaths.
Then, of course, there’s always vacuuming, sweeping, dusting, laundry, general home maintenance, grocery shopping, etc., and today I mounted a new U.S. flag and Texas flag to the front of our home.
I had to chainsaw some low-hanging limbs on the fence again this morning, fill a few feeders, cut and remove some old barbwire tangles, train with and clean a few guns, exercise my Mathews bow, and oh yeah, sign a couple thousand Come And Take It hats and flags (tednugent.com) for the hardcore, freedom-demanding masses!
Then I had a quick breakfast and here I am.
It is rather funny how even in the vortex of our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness scramble, we are still able to manipulate our clocks and calendar to make adequate time during our beloved fall/winter deerseason to do all that scouting and hunting with so many other daunting responsibilities in life, but alas, we do indeed!
And as crazy busy as I am every day, I still need a sufficient dose of deerhunting mojo to see me through the nonseason.
And what provides that Bridge over River Sighs that gets us to the next season? Memories of past hunts, that’s what!
Although nothing fires up the memory bank quite like a mounted deerhead on the wall, even without that overly graphic and cherished optical stimuli, my backstrap-fueled brain can and does summon each and every gory detail of past hunts on command.
Multitasking like I do, my mind often races back to any one of my nearly 70 deerhunting seasons, reminiscing every detailed where, when, how, what and if of every hunt.
While cruising in between traps this morning, my graphic daydreaming of a recent bowhunt came flooding back in 3D technicolor, and I literally lived it all over again.
It was a cold, magical November morning last fall in the old Nugent family Michigan timber-ridged marshlands. Honking Canadas and squadrons of wood ducks and mallards came and went as the rising morning sun sliced through the gun metal gray clouds. The crisp northwest breeze was steady and welcome as red and fox squirrels vied for mast dominance all around my sacred ridge.
Even as I sat there 16 feet up in the cleavage of the ancient red oak, my mind sizzled with nearly 45 years of critter encounters and a whole bunch of wonderful deer and turkey kills from this very same, deadly perch.
Then he appeared. With the sun shining gold against his tawny hide, the dandy 8-pointer strolled along, seemingly without a care in the world.
With the rut in full swing, the old boy had dropped his guard and I was more than happy to capitalize on his rare and out-of-character vulnerability.
He skirted my tree and angled upward on the steep slope toward the standing corn and at my grunt, stopped right behind a giant oak tree covering his head and shoulder with only his ribcage exposed.
Remember when I thanked God just a few sentences ago! Talking about a very rare deerhunting gift, I sent my 400-grain Gold Tip arrow and razor-sharp broadhead home for a picture-perfect, double-lunger celebration, and all that was left was the easy tracking and joyful recovery.
I remember this hunt like I do all of them, but this one stands out a little bit more because, with his head and danger-radar covered up by the massive oak tree, I seemed to be a bit less nervous for the shot, having increased confidence that my draw would be hidden from his view.
My toothy smile this morning equaled that of the November morning kill many months ago, and I felt a noticeable upkick in my step as I continued my chores.
Each day of the nonseason is accelerated and pumped up substantially by these irrepressible memories, and quite honestly, nearly as thrilling as the actual occurrence, no matter how long ago they may be.
I know how in life we have to be focused on the moment at hand in order to be the best that we can be, but don’t hesitate to let the mind wander a little bit occasionally, for as we relive these magic past hunting moments in time, they will bring us much positive energy and spirit as we count down the days to the opener.
Consider them happy fuel for the spirit to tide us over. As the mighty Godfather of Soul James Brown screamed; “where’s the bridge!”
Take that bridge back to happy hunting memories. The guy that dies with the most happy memories wins.
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.
Why Did You Shoot That Buck?
Wild and Free in Michigan
