I’ve loved being outdoors for a long time, but always felt a restless. I was in a boy scout troop when I was younger and loved being out in the woods. We were constantly moving: either hiking, setting up camp, cooking, games, learning skills, lots of people, lots of activity. When I got older I backpacked a lot in the Appalachians, going out for days at a time in the Linville Gorge or on the Appalachian trail. I hiked alone and with friends. We were out for the experience and beautiful views, but other than stopping for breaks when winded we were typically moving. When I moved out west I hiked and scrambled through the higher and steeper Olympics. I enjoyed the scenery, but there was also a emphasis on how high, how technical, how far, how fast we were able to complete the trails. I remember finding a perfect alpine lake after a five hour climb, setting up the hammock, and after relaxing for about 15 minutes feeling the need to explore and move. Even on the summits, after snaping some pictures and enjoying the view, it felt like time to move.

Sept 13^th 2025 was the opening day of archery deer hunting season. I woke up at 3 in the morning, drove to the trail access, carefully and quietly walked out to the tree stand, climbed up with my red light headlamp and the stars, put my bow on my lap with an arrow nocked and trigger on my shooting hand, and sat. At thirty minutes before sunrise it was legal hunting time and I observed it was still to dark to really see, but the light quickly crept through the forest and more details came into view. At 15 minute before sunrise I thought I could make out a deer if one appeared. Then the birds started to make noise. A nuthatch scratching is surprisingly loud in quiet woods. Then the cardinals and finches joined in, then right after sunrise three pileated woodpeckers the size of my forearm showed up and started banging on the pines and making a ruckus. One was even looking for bugs on the tree the stand was mounted on and I felt the vibrations. I sat, waited, and watched the woods come alive; and didn’t feel like there was anywhere else I needed to be. This was hunting. A deer could pop up with no warning from any direction. I was ready, and excited for the opportunity for a shot knowing it could be a small window.

I didn’t end up getting a deer opening day, but enjoyed the experience. I watched an orb spider create its web for three hours, which typically wouldn’t be a main attraction, but given the suspense and excitement of the possible deer harvest it was fun. I have finally discovered how to be peaceful and observe nature without feeling like I’m wasting time.

My understanding is humans have been hunting for as long as there have been humans. Archery has been used since the stone age. Quietly sitting hoping to ambush a prey animal has been a human experience for tens of thousands of years. There is lots of activity and preparation before and if successful a lot of work after the harvest, but there is a stillness in hunting I hadn’t experienced before.

During the covid pandemic with the supply chain disruptions and recession I thought about what one of my grandmother’s friends told me when I asked about the great depression of the 1920-30s. She said that it didn’t impact them too much since they were too poor to lose money in the stock market and it didn’t change their life much. They still had the chickens, garden, and the boys hunted and that’s what they ate regardless of the how the economy performed. I contrasted that resilience with the current complex global supply chains where one has no idea where the protein in the store actually came from, and there are even laws and trade agreements prohibiting the consumer knowing. I do not have allusions of self sufficiency, but I did think it would be good to know how to safely harvest game meat and feed my family if needed. Even if the supply chains all continue to happily keep humming, I like knowing where my food came from and healthy lean protein with no chemicals or factory processing sounds good. My children love the jerky and venison medallions with gravy over egg noodles that I’ve made. Yum!

As an American I can purchase a rifle and bow, but the next steps can be overwhelming. I have been discouraged with fishing in the past when I look through the regulations that seem to require a marine biology and law degree to understand. I was worried about mixing up a steelhead and a trout and keeping the wrong thing, or measuring the length incorrectly and keeping something outside of the slot limits. Each lake, river, and county seemed to have different rules and the effort to reward ratio just didn’t seem to be there. As I started to look at the deer regulations I felt the same feeling of dread. How could I be sure that I was on the right side of property lines and meet all the rules? What exactly am I supposed to do after I harvest one to make sure the meat is safe, and tastes the best possible? What about etiquette outside of the law? How to make sure everyone is safe on a property with multiple hunters? For a lot of people this information is likely handed down through their family, but in my case my parents didn’t hunt, and I didn’t live close to anyone in my family that did.

I looked for where I could find the information and skills to be confident deer hunting and found the NWHEMP, nclearntohunt.com, and Fall Line Outdoors, falllineoutdoors.com, programs led by Guy and Judy Gardner and a strong group of volunteers. They provided a full year program with workshops to educate and provide hands on skills to feel confident and safe hunting. They patiently shared experience, and it also helped knowing there were others that were also learning just like me. They provided an opportunity to actually skin and quarter a deer and that hands on experience greatly helped. The students were able to help prepare the hunting areas and actually climb the different stand types. When there was different experience levels they were happy to provide one on one help.

Overall it’s great to see such a well run program and such dedicated volunteers. I learned a lot and have made friends. I feel confident that I can safely and ethically hunt and harvest a deer. There is still a ton I can learn and now have contacts I can ask as new questions come up, but I’m ready to get out there and learn by doing. I look forward to more exciting days sitting in the woods hoping a deer with pop up and passing on what I learn to my children and others.