Household chores tend to get in the way of a lot of stuff that would be much more fun. And in years past, one of those chores has consistently derailed my hunting plans.
But this year, I got ahead of it. Instead of waiting until fall to get my winter’s supply of firewood, I ordered it early. The firewood guy dropped off the last two cords over the weekend, and I Shanghaied my children into helping me stack it all in the woodshed. I’d already gotten three cords earlier in the summer, and the boys were enlisted to help with that chore, too. They’re not very happy with me right now, but I’m tickled pink that the job is done, and it didn’t interfere with a single day of hunting.
Now that we have that out of the way, I’m free to go chase antelope with my bow this weekend. Colby could go with me, but he hasn’t quite worked up to the required 40-pound draw weight. I think he’s at about 30 now, so it won’t be long.
He can tag along with me, though, and we can try to harpoon a speed goat. If we get one, I can show him how to field dress it and haul it back to the truck. Then, when we go to get his goat during the rifle season, he’ll already have a good idea of the work involved after the shot.
Granted, that’s assuming I can get an antelope with my bow. If you don’t have access to a water hole with a good place to put a blind, antelope hunting tends to be a little tricky with a bow. Good luck sneaking within bow range of one of those wary critters.
But the wood’s stacked, so at least that won’t get in the way of a hunt. And if the temperature ever drops enough for us to use our fireplace, we can come home from a hunt and warm up by the heat from our summer efforts.
