Eve of the deer season

It is the eve of one of the highlights of life in Wisconsin - northern Wisconsin, especially: the advent of Wisconsin's tradition-steeped annual deer hunt.

For most Wisconsinites, the annual hunt is about more than just the pursuit of a trophy rack or venison for the freezer, it is about other less tangible things. Things such as re-uniting with family and friends at the trailer without plumbing on a 40-acre spread of forestland, or returning to the plot of land which an ancestor purchased for either recreation or in an attempt to make a new go of things. It's about returning to the bond with the land that is undeniably a part of our very being, however many generations we are removed from it. That bond that lets you know that although you have the opportunity to take from the land the land also has an opportunity to give. As one city-bound friend put it: "sitting in the woods during deer season is that one time each year when I have a chance to really think about things."

And that's true, the solitude and quiet of the forest is a powerful thing. So the annual hunt is about many things to many people, for some meat and the pursuit of trophy; for others an annual respite from all else, a reunion with friends and family; still for others a chance to recollect and reconvene with nature.

For me, I think it comes down to the relationship with the land and the opportunity to be reminded that although I am no longer in a position to be dependent of the land for every meal - not all that long ago, my ancestors were - and what a unique bond that is.