Opening Day: Rick Taylor shares his thoughts on the start of firearm deer season

(Chelsea Update would like to thank Rick Taylor for this column and wish all the hunters good luck during firearm season.)

Thousands have seen “Escanaba In Da Moonlight”, a play by Jeff Daniels at the Purple Rose Theatre. The play touches on familial relationships, the allure of deer hunting and the majesty of “da thirdy point buck.”

Of course, it’s a comedy, but there are many aspects of the play that ring true for real deer hunters.

Today, Nov. 15, is a day coveted by all deer hunters in the State of Michigan. It’s opening day of the firearm season, which lasts for two weeks, ending Nov. 30.

This is my 20^th year hunting and I’m as excited now for Opening Day as I was all those years ago. Very few things in life hold that kind of magic.

And, you hunters out there know what I mean.

I consider myself a fly fisherman first because that was my first outdoor love.  When it comes to hunting I call myself a bow hunter more than anything else.  However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit that I love the firearm season, too.

Opening Day of the Firearm Season starts with sighting in your gun a month before or the day before the season begins, depending on your time schedule.

There will be about 750,000 Michigan deer hunters waking up around 4:30 a.m. (or earlier) on Nov. 15.  Some of them will spring out of bed while others flop to the floor praying there’s coffee already made.

There’ll be a lot a farting like a scene from “Blazing Saddles” but the sounds and smells of crackling bacon on the stove begins to mask all the bad smells in deer camp if you’re lucky enough to be at a Deer Camp.

The guys begin to talk about who goes to what blind and the new guy at camp always gets the worst blind of them all; as it should be.

The trucks are fired up and four guys (and ladies, too) squeeze into the cab designed to fit two people without the multiple layers of clothing you’re wearing to keep from freezing.

The headlights turn on, the truck shifts into gear and you slowly head down the two track to your blind. Turning a corner you see three deer looking at you just long enough before they head off to the adjoining property that has that annoying neighbor.

It doesn’t take long before the truck stops. You grab your gun, backpack full of goodies and slowly walk to your blind overlooking a Tamarac swamp or ridgeline.  You open the door to your blind praying there isn’t a raccoon sitting on your chair like three years ago. This year, the mice have invaded your blind and they begin to scurry as you clear out their mess.

The familiar chair feels good as you load your 30-06 and concentrate on lowering your heartbeat to prepare for this morning.

You lean forward and tilt your head to the left and right; look at the stars through the leafless trees and take a deep breath.

It’s so quiet right at this moment that you take it all in, every last drop, and you know you belong here.  Right here and right now is a time of reflection that many hunters experience.

It’s at this moment when the sky begins to show that unmistakable red hue to the east and the morning begins to open up.  Squirrels begin to move and the natural world starts to wake as it does everyday.  The leafless trees with cold and dry air carry the sounds so much further than in the summer months.

Dark shadows turn to identifiable branches and the white, grey and black objects we see slowly turn to color.

Our eyes dart to the left and right as we know now is the time we’ve waited for all year.  And so another Opening Day of the Firearm Season begins…

This year, I’ll be staying in Washtenaw County and hunting close to home.  It’s not Deer Camp, but I’ll love being out there to experience the majestic sunrise that so many hunters will look up to.

Be safe, shoot straight and have a great Opening Day with friends and family to my friends up north.

To everyone who’s hunting more locally know this. The deer are more plentiful here down here and the bucks are bigger, too.

Finally, consider being a mentor by bringing a friend or relative with you.  Sharing this experience is so wonderful that it’s a shame not to share it.