Hunting seasons

Every year the seasons come and go from Spring followed by Summer to Fall then Winter and the cycle repeats. Those are the words for the seasons that non-hunters use. Hunters use the calendar of hunting seasons. Have you ever noticed that every hunters reference to time is based around a season? “I went to Toronto right after turkey season”, “Stevie was born on opening day of duck season”, “Why does the biggest gun supplier in Canada have their trade show in deer season?”.

Winter-Though not technically a hunting season, February is crucial in what you must not do as a hunter. What happens in February is most likely going to be born in deer season. This is a very, very important season because for the rest of your life your deer hunt can be compromised by choices made in February and we all know someone who has made this unfortunate choice.

Spring-Now for the first actual season we begin with Turkey season. I have only had the pleasure of turkey hunting once and it was one of the most expensive 24 hours of my life entailing about 18 hours of driving, about 5 of sleep and less than an hour hunting but worth every penny to shoot a turkey at the exact instant my dad shot his. Turkey season also overlaps the spring bear hunt. When I was part of running a bear hunt the spring hunt didn’t exist so I have not participated in that season-yet.

Summer-We then go through a hunting pause until the middle of July when the weather smells just right and its time to start baiting for the fall bear hunt starting at the end of summer. Then the hunting ball really starts rolling. First duck season- then grouse season comes just a couple days later and countless nights are spent riding back roads and early mornings on a pond.

Fall-Big game starts now- first with moose then a short few weeks later is the really big day. Why the first Monday in November, opening day, is not a national holiday is still shocking to me. We do not plan ANYTHING the first week of November because that is the start of deer season and everything in the second week of November is subject to cancellation with no notice as that week is sometimes necessary to fill the freezer too. Finally if you make it through the first two weeks, just last year, I discovered a bonus round which happens in December called black powder season.

If you survive all of these seasons you get to do them all over again the next year with more stories and hopefully a full freezer to last you until that season starts again.

There are also the hunting seasons of life too.

Infancy-In my family hunting starts at birth. Snuggly’s are amazing for putting a baby in your hunting coat to track a deer and going hunting in your car seat has been a family tradition for many generations.

Beginner- As soon as they can walk gun safety begins and is reinforced until the day when the child can fire a gun on their own then eventually the day comes when they begin hunting. My oldest sons PAL literally just came in the mail today and he is on to a new season where he will begin hunting on his own as one of the young guys in the group being taught by all of the more experienced hunters.

Intermediate-This season is where you get to really know what you are doing, sure you miss a few, your gun jams until you are comfortable with it and you learn the likes and dislikes of your targeted species. For me and I’m sure a few other female hunters, there was another awkward hunting stage called mom hunting. Depending on the year this entailed getting out of the hospital just in time for deer season then doing everything possible to avoid throwing up at the smells in the camp. There was also the year of

waddling around in hunting clothes that barely fit at that time. The worst was the glorious year explaining that the mysterious thing in the drainboard was a breast pump and the weird bags in the freezer were full of milk for the baby who had to stay home.

Experienced-As the years of experience add up there comes understanding, accuracy and confidence and you become one of the main hunters of the group. Then one day before you know it you become one of the master hunters, in my case I was honored last year to be told I had achieved this title, I guess three deer in three shots for the season was enough to prove I was worthy. As my children enter their teenage years the need for meat is increasing every year and right now their hunting education is my hunting focus.

Elder-I am not yet at what I would consider to be the elder stage, where the hunt is about training and the joy is completely in experiencing what the younger hunters do, but I have lots of time left to get to that stage.

Every year hunting seasons change. Sometimes you get to experience a new season for a new species or you realize that your outlook on hunting as changed into another season of life. The most important of any season is the memories that are made.