Staggering out to the truck with the day’s first cup of badly needed coffee, I hadn’t realized the severity of the mess I’d left last night. I knew there was carnage to deal with and cleaning to be done, but the scope of the cleanup was only now becoming apparent in the growing daylight.

Surveying the mess, a low growling pain in my back reminded me of my age. As I’ve said to my wife every hunting season for the last several years, “I’m getting too old for this.”

It’s a running joke but, lately, it’s only halfjoking. Non-hunters don’t understand the physical demands of hunting. That holds true for any kind of hunting, but especially for deer hunting.

It’s a lot of work.

In addition to the demands on body and mind, deer hunting can create a bit of a mess. Ignoring the muddy, rainy, snowy conditions that frequently accompany even an unsuccessful deer hunt, the real work begins when there is success.

SPLASH OF REALITY

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