I promised a write-up, so a write up you all will get. Aptly named as the culminating chapter to my previous thread titled Going to Wisconsin.
This hunt began with a family reunion on my wife's side of the family that occurred in southern Wisconsin, summer of 2022. My wife's mom grew up on a dairy farm out there and her sisters husband still own's a farm that he now leases to what would be his nephew. It is this man's (my mother in law's brother) second youngest son who I will call the big time hunter in the family out there. They all hunt, of course, but he's the one who is "into" it. Everyone else primarily does the traditional Thanksgiving week rifle hunt. An affair that is more about the culture of an annual hunt than really being concerned with the hunting itself. Of course, they all get deer every year, but more in the sense that it is the tradition for everyone to get a deer every year, they care less about getting the deer, and care more about the fact that they simply go hunt every year.
This man's son, who would be my cousin in law, my wife's cousin, is into it. He's the midwest version of most of us avid western hunters. We constantly are thinking about hunting, thinking about spots, thinking about tactics and strategies, where to go, where to apply, networking with other hunters who think like us, and just generally never shut the #*^@#* up about hunting. He's more like me, but a tried and true Wisconsinite who lives and breathes his whitetail lifestyle.
We hit it off at the reunion. It didn't take long for the "you should really come out here one of these fall's for a hunt" to come out of his mouth. I kept that in the back of my mind, knowing I would love to, but would have to a figure out a fall that would fit with own hunting, and not the least, personal life plans and commitments.
I started texting this summer about the possibility and he said come on out. I told him I would be planning on archery. Primarily because it would work with my schedule more and primarily, he's the only guy who is "into" it; he is the only one in the family who does archery and so of all the properties available to us, either in the family or that he's secured permission on, it would be just us. I wouldn't be inserting myself into the big family affair that occurs the week of Thanksgiving. It didn't feel my place (not that they wouldn't have me with open arms, it is the midwest after all) but as is the nature of most people, you don't want to upset other's systems and dynamics.
This would be my first time truly archery hunting. I felt it best to cut my teeth on archery hunting this way. It sure is an easier start than the wild world of western spot and stalk archery, but as will be obvious, it still isn't easy.
This hunt began with a family reunion on my wife's side of the family that occurred in southern Wisconsin, summer of 2022. My wife's mom grew up on a dairy farm out there and her sisters husband still own's a farm that he now leases to what would be his nephew. It is this man's (my mother in law's brother) second youngest son who I will call the big time hunter in the family out there. They all hunt, of course, but he's the one who is "into" it. Everyone else primarily does the traditional Thanksgiving week rifle hunt. An affair that is more about the culture of an annual hunt than really being concerned with the hunting itself. Of course, they all get deer every year, but more in the sense that it is the tradition for everyone to get a deer every year, they care less about getting the deer, and care more about the fact that they simply go hunt every year.
This man's son, who would be my cousin in law, my wife's cousin, is into it. He's the midwest version of most of us avid western hunters. We constantly are thinking about hunting, thinking about spots, thinking about tactics and strategies, where to go, where to apply, networking with other hunters who think like us, and just generally never shut the #*^@#* up about hunting. He's more like me, but a tried and true Wisconsinite who lives and breathes his whitetail lifestyle.
We hit it off at the reunion. It didn't take long for the "you should really come out here one of these fall's for a hunt" to come out of his mouth. I kept that in the back of my mind, knowing I would love to, but would have to a figure out a fall that would fit with own hunting, and not the least, personal life plans and commitments.
I started texting this summer about the possibility and he said come on out. I told him I would be planning on archery. Primarily because it would work with my schedule more and primarily, he's the only guy who is "into" it; he is the only one in the family who does archery and so of all the properties available to us, either in the family or that he's secured permission on, it would be just us. I wouldn't be inserting myself into the big family affair that occurs the week of Thanksgiving. It didn't feel my place (not that they wouldn't have me with open arms, it is the midwest after all) but as is the nature of most people, you don't want to upset other's systems and dynamics.
This would be my first time truly archery hunting. I felt it best to cut my teeth on archery hunting this way. It sure is an easier start than the wild world of western spot and stalk archery, but as will be obvious, it still isn't easy.
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