A woodpecker landed two feet from my face and skittered its way down the tree. A hawk swooped from my right peripheral vision to the left a mere six feet away, turning to observe me mid-flight and landing on a nearby branch. Ive had birds land on the brim of my hat and squirrels scold me within arms reach. At dusk and at dawn, the woods is a fascinating montage of reality and fantasy. Shadows become whitetails or bears and during feeding times, animal movement can be heard everywhere but not seen.
Every sound is magnified.
You can look through the woods, scanning intently to discern each intimate detail, or you can rest your head on your tree to gaze skyward through the umbrella of trees. My thoughts on stand are both curious and serious. The campfire that burned so fast and hot on this windy evening is now dying out as I write this. Before hunting season is over, I will harvest a whitetail deer - all in good time. If there is heaven on earth for me, it is being here in the forest and it is in the Courtship of the Whitetail.