IAM Outdoors
By Chris Rathbone
Mitchell County
The cold damp air swept across our faces as we opened the truck doors. It was both refreshing and a shock to the senses at the same time. We lifted our backpacks to our shoulders and grabbed our hunting rifles. Before the long walk to our treestands began, we prayed for the Lord to give us a safe day in His creation and watch over our families till we made the journey back home.
My brother Mike and I have put in many days hunting in these woods. The days are long and the vast majority of them come home without a harvest. But there seems to always be something that keeps bringing us back. The smells of the fall season, the sounds of the forest waking up as the sun rises, the beauty we see that God has created, and of course the hope of seeing that big buck. Perhaps, it is the quiet and solitude one experiences away from the noise of everyday life. It gives us the time to just sit, think, and pray. These are things we should do often but life sometimes demands so much we feel we don’t have the time.
The rain had fallen overnight making the air cold and damp. Our lungs burned as our breathing deepened walking up the steep terrain. Journeys such as this always remind us of how the years have crept up on our bodies and we aren’t as young as we once were! There’s a certain point of elevation on our trek up the mountain that we realize the rain has transitioned to sleet. Our minds push our bodies through the struggle of the walk and we arrive at my hunting spot. Mike continues to his chosen location. I ascend the tree carefully because of the ice and cold. With my safety harness secure, the wait for daylight and the morning hunt begins.
As the sun rises the winds begin to blow. With increasing fervor, the tree I’m in and those on the ridgetop sway back and forth bending at the wind’s command. Even with the cold weather clothing, it becomes increasingly hard to stay warm as the wind whips across mountains, and thoughts of a warm truck or home creep into my mind. But, that same thing draws me up this mountain and helps me to endure.
Then I hear him. Cold and wind had me distracted just trying to stay warm. The sound of his approach had been covered by the howling winds and he was close behind me before I could hear his steps. His walk seemed to be one of authority and purpose and even before he came into view there was no doubt…it was a buck. As I leaned out from the tree to look behind I saw the buck I had never seen before but knew it was the one I was waiting on. His antlers glistened in the sun as he turned his head in the damp and cold morning air. Clouds of vapors came from his mouth like puffs of white smoke as he exhaled. The colors of his coat blended almost perfectly into the forest around him even at this close distance.
Suddenly, the cold and wind that had plagued me all morning were gone. They were replaced by the sound of my heart seemingly beating in my eardrums. My breathing became rapid and my body literally shook with nervousness and excitement at the same time. Silent prayers instantly came to my heart, “Lord please don’t let him smell me! Lord, please don’t let him see me! Lord, please don’t let him hear me!” In what seemed like a scene that was from a dream, somehow I managed to gather my wits, settle the crosshairs, and with the squeeze of a trigger, the moment I had waited for years to experience took place. I had harvested my first mature whitetail buck.
It took about 15 minutes for my body and nerves to calm enough to where I felt safe enough to climb down. In all the excitement of the moment, there was an overwhelming sense of gratefulness that flooded my soul. That the One who created me in His image, gave me life, health, and salvation, also gave me the privilege to experience with all my senses the events that had just transpired that morning. I knelt and thanked Him for life, salvation, and all His blessings to me and my family, but most importantly, I know the love of my Creator through Jesus, the One who made it all.
One last time I admired the majestic creature before me. I leaned over and put my hand around his antlers and began the drag to the truck. Now the work begins…..
In Christ,
Preacher Chris
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Preacher Chris Rathbone is the Pastor at Bear Creek Baptist Church and is now serving the Lord as needed while preaching the Gospel. You can read more Good Christian News from Pastor Chris HERE.
You can connect with Preacher Chris on Facebook HERE.
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