Enjoy every hunting opportunity you get

Avid hunters can be in the woods for several months a year if they wanted to.

Take deer hunting for instance. The archery and crossbow season begins in mid-September and runs into January. There’s a youth hunt in early October before the gun seasons kick in.

The nine-day gun season is in late November, while muzzleloader season is in late November and early December. There’s also antlerless hunting opportunities in December.

That’s a lot of opportunities to hunt and successfully harvest a deer, but there’s also some hunters that can only get out a few days a year.

Whether you get to hunt several days a week or several times a year, it’s important to try and enjoy every minute of hunting you can get.

Filling a tag is the goal, but not filling them can really wear a person out, especially if you are able to hunt plenty of times. I’ve found that the best way to view punching tags is as the ultimate high of hunting.

Not every time out in the woods is supposed to result in a harvest and punched tag. It’s called hunting, and not killing or harvesting, for a reason.

The next highest success of a hunt is simply seeing the target animal — or any form of wildlife.

There’s a chance to see everyday wildlife like squirrels or rabbits, but getting away from town and the rest of civilization can also turn into encounters with things like bears, coyotes or wolves.

So what happens when you get skunked on a hunt and see a whole lot of nothing? It’s easy to get frustrated after those hunts, so I’ve tried to find any sources of happiness I can.

It could be listening to the woods wake up and hearing birds start chirping as the sun rises. It could be just taking in the natural beauty the outdoors provides. Sometimes, hunting is just a chance to take a breather from your everyday life. I’ve found that perfectly calm days in the woods is one of the most relaxing things.

Personally, I’ve had a wide array of deer hunts this year.

There’s been a few days that have resulted in seeing several deer and a couple that ended with no sightings at all. Through it all, I’ve been able to walk out of the woods with a smile on my face.

On deer-less hunts, it was a chance take a break from work while taking in the sights and sounds of the woods. Hunts with deer encounters were just a bonus. I’m still waiting for the ultimate high of hunting and being able to fill a tag.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to fill a tag or two, but really I’m just looking forward to the next time I can hit the woods again.

Before you know it, the season will have come to an end and then we’ll just be left dreaming of the year to come.

So whether you get the chance to embark on hunts several times the rest of the year, or only get out once more, do whatever you can to enjoy the hunt.

Enjoy the beauty of the outdoors and the sights, sounds and smells it provides. If you see the animal you’re after, that’s a great day. If you’re able to fill a tag, enjoy it all and cherish every second of the harvest.

Morgan Rode is the sports editor for NEW Media. Readers can contact him at sports@newmedia-wi.com.