I surely pray that you all are spending our Savior’s birthday with family and friends. As for me, I’m celebrating with a family of dearly loved friends, enjoying some mighty fine company and enjoying the excitement of their little ones. I haven’t any family of my own, but they’ve long ago opened their hearts and adopted me, so to speak, and their three kids give me great joy. Christmas Day, however, I expect I’ll spend a good portion of it at the base of an old oak tree, watching the surrounding river bottoms for a glimpse of antler. Me and Jesus enjoy some good long talks while I’m out in the woods; sure they’re kinda one-sided, but I know that he listens.
I took a glimpse at the moon phases and game feeding charts on the back page of a recent copy of Woods N Water Magazine and sure enough, this weekend is about as good as you could hope for when it comes to the projected feeding times. Mornings, just after daylight will be ripe for a modest feed, but the afternoon is forecast to be absolutely prime. I expect a lot of activity between three o’clock and nightfall and I really don’t want to miss it; whether or not I carry a weapon or just a sack of snacks with a pair of binoculars, is still up for debate…. I reckon I’ll just have to wait until Saturday morning, to see how the moment moves me.
Now, one of them children I made mention of earlier, my little adopted niece Payton had a grand evening recently. That six-year-old little tomboy joined her daddy, Benton Geer, in helping remove some wild hogs from a nearby ranch. I think he surprised her when he passed his lever-action, Henry, .22WMR, into her hands to get the job done and I’m pretty sure the tiny marksman surprised her daddy in turn when she dropped two out of three fat sows with direct shots to the noggin!
I’d gotten the head’s up that she’d been successful with that tiny cowboy’s carbine. So I was on hand to help with the skinning and butchering when they arrived home with a truck bed full of free-range, organic protein. I swear, I’ve never witnessed a child more proud and filled with adrenaline than little Payton when she stepped out of her daddy’s truck. And Old Uncle Toby was a mighty proud fella, listening to that little jabber box tell and retell about every minute of the evening with flashing blue eyes and a Cheshire grin.
Benton got busy disassembling the first of the hogs for the cooler and under his very attentive directions, Payton jumped in to help skin and butcher her hogs. She was proudly involved in every aspect of the harvest, from the first shot fired until the pork was packed away on ice. In the process, she learned some mighty important lessons too and her passion for following in her daddy’s footsteps as a farmer and hunter is now stronger than ever!
My friends, if you have any comments, questions, or just want to share your success from the woods, give me a shout out at [email protected]. God Bless, Merry Christmas, and Good Hunting!
