It’s 9:30 a.m. on a beautiful partly cloudy day and I’m 21 feet off the ground in a tree. There’s just enough breeze to keep the leaves raining down and keeping a slight chill in the air. Yes, I’m whitetail deer hunting today. Now I know this is probably not the way most of us would want to spend our leisure time.

For me it’s a joy. It’s a time when I can enjoy God’s beautiful handiwork. Nature itself is simply incredible. I enjoy the challenge of trying to outsmart a mature whitetail buck on his turf. Although luck is certainly a factor in many hunting tales each year, taking a mature whitetail is not easy. Their sight, smell and sense of hearing are extraordinary.

I love to take pictures and film a big mature buck. Occasionally I harvest one but seldom is that my goal. It’s my recharge time.

I get energy from the quiet sounds of nature. Separating myself from everyone and everything brings on long focused times of self-reflection. I find that after two or three days of hunting, I have a better vision of what is important. I’m less busy and more effective.

We are all wired differently, however, everyone needs to recharge and have periods of self-reflection. I just charged my batteries back up today, have you checked in for a boost lately? What serves as your getaway?

Got to go, I see a deer coming this way. Happy Recharging!