COLUMN: Deer season struggles

     Normally an article by me about deer season struggles would be more focused on actual hunting. Not this article. This column is about the “new” deer season that surrounds my life. It’s made up of birthdays, anniversaries and other exciting events.

     For the record, this is not a complaint, it’s a realization that as your family grows, life events change what we do and it affects our priorities.

     Here is my deer season in a nutshell. Bowhunting opens up Oct. 1 each year and runs though November. Shotgun season one is somewhere around the first week of December.

     I don’t get too serious about bow season until Halloween. That seems to be the time deer start getting into their more aggressive nature.

     Then about Nov. 5-15, all hell seems to break out in the woods. Deer are chasing does with little or no concern about us hunters being in the timber. The big boys still leave at least one eye open about our presence but generally, this is what many outdoorsmen call primetime.

     Well, primetime and all of its rewards has taken on a new meaning for myself. Our grandkids have all been born during bow season. Sullivan on Oct. 8, Logan on Oct. 24 and Sonder, just after primetime ends, on Nov. 19.

     I must mention that my daughter Macey’s birthday is Nov. 11. Daughter Allison has her birthday Nov. 27. Those are just as important but they are past the age of having birthday parties, sort of. My anniversary is Nov. 28.

     And then there is my wife. Darcey celebrates her birthday on Dec. 4. In all the years we have been married, it is rare that her birthday hasn’t landed during first season shotgun. If it’s not actually during season one, her birthday weekend is.

     This year is the first one with all of the family celebrations. Sullivan’s party was Oct. 5. Logan’s party was Oct. 26. Sonder’s celebration will be this Saturday, Nov. 9.

     As I wrote earlier, priorities change. Being with my family beats a day in the woods. Even though most of that time is spent with Dillon bow hunting and Devin/Dillon during gun season.

     Oh, and for the record, deer season has been a struggle so far this month. I’m hoping sweet November changes all that!

     (Side note: My brother and sister also share November 28 as their birthday and dad is in there too on December 5.)

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     Wisconsin has been a thorn in the Hawkeyes’ side. I’m not going to look up any stats for this but the Badgers of Wisconsin face off with my Hawkeyes this Saturday. History will show that the past few years have belonged to Wisconsin.

     Saturday’s game is another big one for both programs looking to win the Big Ten West. Assuming Minnesota struggles as their schedule gets tougher (or maybe they keep winning), a win over the Badgers would go a long way for the Hawks to have any shot of playing in the Big Ten championship game. Go Hawks!