A Perfect Harvest and the Paradox of Hunting's Popularity

November 21st marked a holiday for myself and many of my Oklahoma blood-brothers (great term, Uncle Ted!). I am speaking of course about the opening day of whitetail rifle season. Of course, hunters across our fine state have been pursuing deer since October 1st with archery equipment. I too, have partaken in this fine endeavor. Something remarkable, sacred, and unapologetically American takes place with the firearms opener that no other day can match. The day itself is steeped in tradition, honor, nostalgia and familiarity. In all frankness, I revere it. I should mention now that I absolutely want new hunters and youngsters to participate in this wonderful experience (more on this later).

For myself, this day has always been about three things: God, nature and family. To me, those are the most wholesome and prized things in my life. My great Provider allows me to partake in the cycle of life, my earthly father taught me and introduced me to the sport, and nature bathes me in all her majesty each time I step out. You could say that my deer hunting heritage goes back to a day during muzzleloader season when I was eleven (I believe), but in reality it goes even further than that. I was profoundly influence by my dad, and his deep love for the sport. I watched in my youth as it consumed him---something that it soon did to me. Before long I was not only admiring the beautiful deer that he brought home, but admiring the ones that I had brought to bear myself. Beyond this, I have ties even further back to a hunting heritage. My grandfather, L.D. Bruce was an avid sportsman as well. Each year, I hunt with his rifle; a Remington 760 pump in .30-06 that connects us in a sublime, unbreakable way.

This year's opener was about shared experiences for me; both positive and negative. I was lucky to share my favorite quest with my good friend Dave Gordon in the morning and one of my young relatives, Chris Smith, in the afternoon. The opening morning is always full of anticipation. This was certainly the case this year. Dave and I set up on a finger of brush jutting out into a newly planted wheat field. Generally, this is not the preferred location for me, but the rest of our lease had been burnt due to neighborly negligence. Dave and I were eager to behold a deer and sat quietly, despite the large number of mosquitoes on an abnormally warm November day. Dave was the first to spot a doe making her way through the burnt brush on a distant hill. Soon after, I could have sworn the British were invading---the prodigousness and volume of fire surrounding us was astounding. I was convinced that trespassers were hunting on our lease. The proximity of the shots was such that between 10 and 15 were either directly on our property or on our fenceline. We decided to investigate and in the process spooked four or five deer that were further down the field than we had anticipated. Needless to say, the uncouthness of the surrounding hunters and the degraded state of my lease were sources of frustration for me.

Later that evening, Chris and I sat in an elevated box blind that Dad and I had rebuilt during the summer. Once again, anticipation overcame us and we eagerly awaited the sound of approaching footsteps. As time passed, I craned my neck to check on dad who was in a ladder stand in a large cottonwood tree about 400 yards away. Not only did I see him, but also a pair of riders on horseback, casually conversing and riding up and down our property-line. Their ignorance and disrespect appalled me. Not only did they not have the scruples to regard our endeavor with respect, but they also failed to don blaze-orange, making them likely victims of a hunting accident. Near dusk I caught a movement out of the front window of the blind and quietly told Chris not to move. I saw a buck! In fact, after checking him out, I was certain this the exact buck that we had previously caught on our trail cameras. I quickly readied my rifle on the window and waited for him to approach closer. Unfortunately, the wind was sweeping through the blind and bringing our scent to the deer. I could tell that he knew something was wrong and proceeded to make the shot. Like always, I was considerably shaken. The buck was just in front of a large blackjack tree that I had ranged at 212 yards. I placed the crosshairs just right of his shoulder and squeezed the trigger. Knowing that my rifle was sighted in at 200 yards, I had expected the big 180 gr. bullet from my .30-06 to send him tumbling. This, however, was not the case! The buck soon ran about 10 yards and stopped---I was in disbelief! I hastily jacked another round into the chamber for a followup shot, but the buck was blocked by my feeder. I positioned myself in front of Chris' window but the buck broke and began to run down the hill. Once again, I had to switch windows and instinctively placed another round into the buck as he fled down the hill. Emotions drove me. Ethics spurred me. Hunger inspired me. I had to know what happened. Chris and I ran towards the spot where the deer had been and I circled down the hill. There he was! Rejoice! I quickly thanked God! What a beautiful creature! My buck was laying there, bathed in the golden glow of the prairie grass! He was a mainframe 10 pt. with one side broken off. What stories he could tell! I saw my dad approaching and was, in that moment, happier than I had been in a long time. As I walked back to the truck, I said a prayer of thanksgiving. What an experience!

My story ends with a tone of joy, but there are further implications. Despite the happy-ending that I was blessed with, there are things that need to be addressed.

(1) Hunters must have respect for each other. The practice of trespassing on private property and positioning feeders and stands on property-line isn't going to have a happy ending for anyone.

(2) Marksmanship counts. I am a strong advocate of putting enough bullets into a quarry to quickly and ethically kill it. However, the wanton spraying of bullets and screaming (which my parents experienced at the same spot the next day) makes all hunters look bad.

(3) Sharing the sport of hunting with others not only enriches your time, and strengthens the sport as a whole. The time that I spent with Dave, Chris (and my dad, and Andy) over that weekend was just as joyful as the harvest of that buck to me.

In conclusion, I'd like to encourage you to go out and experience the thrill of the hunt, the wonders of nature, and the Glory of God. Better yet, take someone with you when you do it---just make for sure that the time you are spending doing this is quality and respects not only your quarry, but also the people around you who are enjoying the same sport.

New Moon: Vampires, Pop Culture, and the Bible

The second movie in the Twilight series, "New Moon" is set to appear in theaters soon. Based off of the success of its predecessor it will certainly do well. In fact, the wave of Twilight induced mania is all but already here. My primary question is why are millions of people worldwide consumed by this? Secondly, should we herald this series as a great thing? What does that say about our society?

I have neither read the books, nor watched the first film in its entirety so in truth I am not qualified to judge either's content. However, this global obsession with vampires is a trend that goes beyond the Twilight series. In fact, American popular culture is dominated by a perversive obsession with vampire lore, mystique and sexuality. This is easily demonstrated by the profuseness of literature, television and film on the subject. For myself, this is an ill-boding phenomenon. Whenever a society becomes consumed by a particular ideology, event or occurrence it inevitably aspires to become that itself. This is not something that should be taken lightly.

My sentiments here may sound far-fetched to you, but I implore you to consider the ease of which group-think and idolatry consumes a populace. Do I think that soon people will be walking down the street, biting each other's throats in an attempt to satiate a blood-lust? No. However, I do believe that this sort of fantastic obsession will result in a relaxation of what is considered taboo. Many cultures today already drink blood as a part of daily routine. Historically, Scottish highlanders "bled" livestock and mixed the blood with milk for a hardy drink. Many African tribes do the same thing today. The prevalence of "Goth" culture today is known to almost everyone. Many of these individuals wholeheartedly embrace the vampiric culture. Is this necessarily a bad thing? That depends on your own beliefs. For myself, as a Christian, it is abhorrent.

Leviticus 7:26-27

"Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people."

This selection is crystalline. The consumption of blood is not something that the Bible approves of. Each and every time we embrace vampire glorifying works we open ourselves a little more to the notion that maybe the consumption of blood isn't so bad. I heartily recommend that you spend your precious time on something else, instead of exposing yourself to the temptations of "New Moon".

Game Recovery and Presidential Ambitions

I came across an interesting news article via Field and Stream's website this morning. Apparently, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty wounded a whitetail buck but was unable to recover it. Pawlenty now is being criticized by both hunters and anti-hunters for not recovering the deer and instead leaving for a Republican Party fund-raiser in Iowa. I am pulled in opposite directions regarding this event. Here are some observations:

(1) Every good hunter knows that an ethical, lethal shot is an absolute requirement to participate in the sport. If you can't make the shot, don't take the shot.

With that being said, (2) the wilderness is not a laboratory and sometimes things simply go wrong. Animals move, people flinch, branches are not seen, yardage is poorly estimated, and sights shift. Every hunter who spends any time the field is going to have difficulty recovering game at one point or another.

This brings to mind the fact that (3) the art of recovering lost game is as important (if not more so) than the ability to be stealthy, make the shot, and be sportsmanlike. Tracking and game recovery must be something that taught to every single new hunter.

(4) Hunters collectively lack this ability. Far too often I have heard of shooting of numerous deer by a single hunter without the recovery of a single head of game. This is one of the most enraging actions that I can possibly think of and results in the degradation of the image of a hunter---both in the eyes of other hunters and those who oppose hunting altogether.

Finally, (5) it is good to see a politician who actually goes out and hunts. I'm not going to get into this debate about whether Sarah Palin does or not, but John Kerry's publicity romp at the sporting clays range and Joe Biden's unlikely affection for his Beretta shotgun have left me with something to be desired. Here's hoping that Pawlenty gets another chance at a buck and enjoys the full experience of one of America's greatest traditions.

The AP article covering Pawlenty's hunt is here:
http://wcco.com/wireapnewsmn/Gov.Tim.Pawlenty.2.1304292.html

Cold Snap

After a none-too-brief bout with uncharacteristically warm weather it appears that Oklahoma has found her stride. With a high of 45 degrees it appeared to be a wakeup for a lot of folks. How funny it is to see people running to and fro in athletic shorts when the air is barely above freezing. What really strikes me as funny is the cold weather resilience [or lack thereof] of Texans. At Oklahoma State University we are lucky to have a good number of our southern friends and find much in common. However, the Texan reputation for ruggedness and grit doesn't appear to apply to cold temperatures. I am certain the theatrics of these individuals when the temperature drops to the single digits will be even more entertaining.

More importantly, the cold spell is likely to foretell better hunting if it continues. The Indian Summer glow is nice before the first hard bite of winter, but it doesn't exactly equate to fair hunting. In particular, the rut cycle of whitetail deer is of critical importance. Despite the vast research into the antics of the whitetail the subtleties of what determines the ignition of the rut is still up for debate. The most likely factor is the photo-period, or amount of time in daylight for a particular area. Temperature, although perhaps not directly linked to the onset of the rut can have a dramatic influence on levels of deer activity. Such was the case two weeks ago when I had a brief chance to hunt on a Sunday. Typically, I refrain from greeting the dawn in my hunting escapades and prefer to instead begin around 9 a.m. and stalk and still-hunt up until the early afternoon. This provides me with the opportunity to not only see a good range of habitat, but also keeps my legs from falling asleep (I don't know if a tree falling down in the woods makes a sound, but I do know that I certainly do). Unfortunately, my most recent adventure was star-crossed by the weather and after six miles of hiking up hill and dale with a muzzleloader and all the accouterments I had seen zero deer. I did manage to bust two coveys of bobwhites, a mallard, a squirrel, and an alligator snapping turtle. That, my friends, is fate. If I would have had a shotgun and it had been quail season I would have seen every deer in Creek County. I did however, see a good amount of sign. I saw heavy deer traffic next to a small meandering creek bed throughout the property. This creek was bordered by interspersed by persimmon thickets and made its way past several small ponds. The lesson here is that unseasonably warm weather equates to deer activity near water sources with food supplements nearby.

I've got my fingers crossed for more cool weather next weekend but it isn't looking good. The current forecasts have the temperatures hovering in the 60's---I guess I am going to have to bribe (or threaten) the meteorologist if I am going to get a deer!

On Thoreau and Growing Up

I've developed a bit of a weekly tradition in that I post a quote from Henry David Thoreau on my white board that is hung on my suite door. It's a nice little thing that keeps me sane and reminds me of how I should be living my life. This past week's quote from Thoreau was "How vain it is to sit down and write when we have not stood to live". That really struck a chord with me. At times, I feel that I have done my fair share of living, but at other times, it seems that I am actually missing out on quite a lot. As part of my curriculum I do a lot of writing, so does that make me vain? I am really beginning to think that it does.

In truth, there are two Cody Bruces. One is the academe and scholar---a person of logic, determination and scholarly enterprise. The other, is Cody Bruce the Man. My how he is different! He even verges on looking at academia with disdain (a throwback to Thoreau?). In fact, he is decidedly less focused on the knowledge of the world and more focused on the knowledge of the divine and of nature. It is frustrating for me sometimes that these two are altogether apart. I now feel that the latter, if given free reign would be the one to dispel Thoreau's vanity and would venture forth onto that beckoning path of life.

This reminds me of another transcendentalist quote: "Time is but the stream I go afishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is." Here Thoreau gets to the core of life. In fact, every moment it is slipping away. Certainly, we skim the surface---the coarse epidermis of life---but do we really drink deeply from the stream? Sometimes I think not. A meditative self-reflection seems to be the best investment of time for myself at this point. Here I stand; a man, quite happy, healthy and [relatively] wise. What more could a person want? Troves! Unfortunately, "quite" and "relative" are not descriptors that most prefer in reference to their lives.

I suppose then, the gist of this writing is that I must challenge and even demand of myself growth each and every day. So, my friends, let us all drink a little deeper out of the stream of life!

Best wishes and God bless,
Cody Bruce

Barack Obama: The Next Teflon President?

I am in honest disbelief. I'm an open Reaganite, and I'll admit that my favorite jellybean-eater got away with a lot during his time in office. However, I am unable to fathom how the proverbial salt of the earth, the rural, hard-working citizens of the United States are not riding Sen. Barack Obama out on a rail. Obama's recent comments regarding rural bitterness is not wholly unfounded. We do, as a general tendency, cling to guns and religion. It's not because we're bitter about the economy, it's because our very country was founded on guns and religion. There is an increasing trend within liberal circles in believing that the possession of a firearm is a form of compensation for something; be it a lack of understanding, or an innate fearfulness. The United States of America was created by revolutionaries who were forced to overthrow a corrupt government. Modern Americans have the same right as our founding fathers. Whether a person possesses a gun for procurement of food, for sporting purposes, for a hobby, or for protection against threats both foreign and domestic, we inherently have the right of that possession. Furthermore, Christianity is a central axiom of our nation. Granted, our nation bestows religious freedom. That is one of our most cherished rights. However, we are a nation under God. Secular progressives would have you believe that many of the founding fathers were Deists. That statement is incorrect. 54.7% of the founding fathers of the United States of America were members of the Anglican Church. A large portion of the remaining percentage belonged to other denominations. (http://www.adherents.com/gov/Founding_Fathers_Religion.html) Obama has claimed that rural dwellers cling to religion, however, it seemed that early in his campaign he was guilty of the same. He attended the same church for twenty years, didn't he? Oh, wait, that would be the radical, highly racist church with affiliations to known terrorists. Hmm...that might be why he's trying to downplay his religious affiliation---but, that's just a guess. For our country's sake, I desperately hope that you can look past the charm and charisma of this threat to the American way of life.