I must be getting old. Or at least getting more responsible. Not long ago, I’d have taken vacation, called in sick, or whatever it took to get out in the field to hunt antelope with my bow on opening day. But here it is, five days into the new season, and I have yet to set foot in the prairie.
Chalk it up to having grown-up responsibilities, I guess. For some reason, they expect me to actually be at work during the week. Crazy, I know. I guess that means I’m doing a fairly decent job at work. If I weren’t, maybe they wouldn’t miss me, and I could sneak away for a couple of days at the beginning of each hunting season.
But one of the benefits of having a grown-up job is that it comes with a grown-up paycheck. I can exchange at least a portion of that paycheck for arrows, broadheads, camo clothing and other hunting paraphernalia. And as an added bonus, my grown-up job comes with two full days off each week. And those days off just happen to be tomorrow and the next day. Granted, another drawback to getting old and being responsible is that sometimes, other responsibilities crop up on those days off. I have a few of those this weekend, but they shouldn’t be so taxing that I can’t break away for at least a morning or afternoon antelope hunt.
I could always use some of my precious vacation days during the week to go out chasing speed goats, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve begun to realize that sometimes, you have to save up for something you want more than what you could afford right now. That’s as true with money as it is with time. And I’m saving some of my vacation time for a bigger, better elk and deer hunt later in the season.
So for now, I’ll just be content with a short antelope hunt this weekend. With any luck, it’ll scratch the hunting itch long enough for me to make it to elk season.
