Matters of Opinion

We’re about halfway through most of our hunting seasons, and another one that holds special meaning to many North Dakotans – deer gun hunting – is upon us.

I’ve often said that the deer opener might rank second only to Christmas in popularity in North Dakota. Back in my high school days there weren’t many kids left in class on opening day of deer season, and the following Monday always seemed to bring out the stories, some exaggerated and some not.

No matter the era, or past memories we might have, deer gun hunting is a special time in our great state. I’ve hunted deer in North Dakota for about 50 years. Given the amount of time I’ve spent in the field, there are a number of special memories I have, with each year providing a new and greater memory. This is part of what hunting is all about. For me, today, the experience outweighs the harvest of an animal.

I’m guessing there are many of you readers who have hunted for decades and feel the same way. Then there are those who are just starting out and have their sights set on a big buck, which is all right, too. My prediction, given time, is that your feelings will evolve into the same as mine.

My first deer hunt was with my father in 1967, at Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge near Stanley. I remember being a little disappointed in going there, since he’d always gone to the Amidon area, where he had such good stories about hunting mule deer.

Remember, this was before the deer lottery was in place and you could buy a buck tag over the counter. They were the old “cream can” metal tags that clipped together at the ends. I had to borrow a .308-caliber rifle from a friend’s father since we only had one high-powered rifle in the house, a .32-caliber special that my father used since he was young.

We went to Lostwood with a high school friend and his father. The first day we hunted with our fathers, but I imagine that they probably didn’t get to hunt like they wanted with some wet-behind-the-ears youngsters in tow, so they cut us loose to hunt by ourselves, which I certainly don’t recommend anyone doing today.

I don’t remember which day it was, but my friend and I came across a couple of young bucks and decided that these were probably the best we were going to get, given our luck to that point.

We proceeded to light up the sky, yet the deer kept running, but still within distance. I was down to my last round and figured I’d better bear down. And, to my amazement, the deer dropped after I pulled the trigger.

There are memories much more vivid than this one, including my sons harvesting their first deer; hunting in blizzard conditions with freezing wind chills; hunting in a T-shirt since it was way too warm; getting the best buck of my life, with what I consider the shot of my life; and the list goes on. The point is, the hunt itself is only part of the experience, but memories are always the best part.

As Game and Fish director, I wish that we could issue a deer gun license to every hunter who was interested. At the moment, we simply can’t do that like we could 10 years ago and still responsibly manage the state’s deer herd.

Even so, I hope that you’re able to go out with family and friends, whether it be for deer or upland game, to make your own memories. There’s no shortage of outdoor opportunities in North Dakota, no matter the season.