I spend much of my time in hotels as I travel searching the Internet and reliving the haunts of hunting past and harvest future. There's a dream of mine that exceeds any other goal or desire that I have when it comes to hunting: I want to hunt just one more day with my Father!
Merle Leland (Mike) Meyer was born to a Nebraska farmer, although his restless spirit made him chase an invisible dream it was his roots in the great state of Nebraska that quieted his spirit and soothed his soul. As so it is with me, his son! Mike-my Father-passed away in November of 2000 God rest his soul, he is buried in Nebraska.
As I sat at dinner last night in an upper class restaurant that sits right on the water at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia, I listened politely as someone belittled Nebraska as a barren waste land. Honestly it was all I could do not to defend the great state however I decided that she doesn't need me to defend her from someone who knows nothing about her. For me Nebraska is a state of mind, a safe place to be when life is in turmoil, a great escape if you like. I too, like my father, harbor a restless soul, and as my wife defines it-I wish my life away. I only feel complete when I stand once again within the boundaries of my home state.
As the conversation moved on to several others who couldn't help but put in their two cents worth on a state they have merely traveled through-my thoughts began to wander and it hit me: when I go back-I go back to be with my father! It's as though I'm safe there with him to see over me, I'm once again-a kid-my fathers son! Although my wife would never live there, she fully understands that something draws me there and that I'm a better man when I return home to New Jersey just for having been there. It's somehow-my time with Dad!
Deer hunting will forever be-Deer hunting. But Deer hunting with Dad is a thing of the past. A memory that will linger for as long as I can lift my rifle, a dream to be smiled about, a goal to be cried about. I'll never again in life-hunt with my Father. It is my wish to those who hunt that they may see more than the harvest when they hunt, I wouldn't want anyone to miss the smell of coffee as the thermos is opened, the horizon as the sun comes up or lays down, the short distance between them and their fathers who sit next to them.
May hunting forever be a place where one feels safe and secure, and for me at home if you will-with my Father.
In loving memory of all the cornfields and duck blinds
Respectfully your son Kevin Scott "Scooter" Meyer
About Me
- Kevo
- Small Town, New Jersey (originally Nebraska), United States
- Born in Nebraska-Heart and Soul, Living in New Jersey due to career, always looking for hunting opportunities out of the normal realm
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Plans well made!
I was told once that I don't let the grass grow under my feet! Well, it's happened again. Today is March 20th and I've just booked my last hotel night for my Saskatchewan Trip, it's all planned down to the amount of US Currency I need to exchange for Canadian Currency before the trip. This trip is special to me, I guess that's why I'm so excited. I'm doing this one with friends however at the same time-I'm doing it alone!
I've had favor to go to Saskatchewan two times prior to this trip. There were several of us on the trip and we planned it out and did it together all the way from departure to arrival. I'm going with friends this year as well however-I'm doing this one alone! The usual trip involves arriving on Saturday and checking into a local motel for the night, the next morning we board up with assigned drivers and undertake the 5 1/2 hour ride north to the lodge. Now I don't want to sound selfish however this trip is totally and unequivocally-for me! I've booked my flight for Friday (a day early) so I'm not traveling with the hoards of Saturday arrivals. I'm hoping for a quiet trip and a good nights sleep in downtown Saskatoon. My partners will be arriving Saturday midday to late afternoon and I'm sure we'll get together for dinner. Of course the following day we'll be driving up together, for me that's where it all ends. My flight home will be on a Monday, in exchange for the normal Sunday flight!
For the last several years I've been focused on trying to get some other hunters a respectable Midwestern Nebraska Buck. Although my attempts have been lacking, none-the-less it was me who sat by watching others hunt and doing what I could to get people in the right spots. I'm generally unselfish as it is, however this fall is different. Once I land at the lodge-it's all about me!
On my past trips I've ended my hunts on Wednesday and Thursday respectively, with lesser bucks harvested. I've often wondered what would have happened had I just hung in there a little longer. There have been some monsters harvested in the region and I still yearn for "The One". With all of this in mind, I have learned over the years that my serenity is directly proportional to my expectations. Now that the trip is 100% a go, all I have to do is close my eyes at night and dream about that moment in time! I'm trying not to get too jazzed up, but I will. If you wouldn't, your not a true whitetail hunter!
There is nowhere in the world like Saskatchewan during the Rut for whitetail hunters! If you don't believe me, you haven't been there. I pride myself a Godly man however annually I'm drawing dangerously close to selling my soul for a trip up north....lol! As with most I have obligations to concern myself with: family, work, family, lawn, family and all things financial. Did I mention family? There are a lot of ships rocking out there in the ocean, I'm not willing to rock the one I live in....if you know what I mean!
I have to say, there is an air of calmness now that I've booked the last hotel night required for the trip-it's on! Hopefully I can just sit back and relax until November......NOT!
It is my sincere wish that those who would read this blog would one day land at Saskatoon Airport on their way up north, there's just nothing like it in the world!
I've had favor to go to Saskatchewan two times prior to this trip. There were several of us on the trip and we planned it out and did it together all the way from departure to arrival. I'm going with friends this year as well however-I'm doing this one alone! The usual trip involves arriving on Saturday and checking into a local motel for the night, the next morning we board up with assigned drivers and undertake the 5 1/2 hour ride north to the lodge. Now I don't want to sound selfish however this trip is totally and unequivocally-for me! I've booked my flight for Friday (a day early) so I'm not traveling with the hoards of Saturday arrivals. I'm hoping for a quiet trip and a good nights sleep in downtown Saskatoon. My partners will be arriving Saturday midday to late afternoon and I'm sure we'll get together for dinner. Of course the following day we'll be driving up together, for me that's where it all ends. My flight home will be on a Monday, in exchange for the normal Sunday flight!
For the last several years I've been focused on trying to get some other hunters a respectable Midwestern Nebraska Buck. Although my attempts have been lacking, none-the-less it was me who sat by watching others hunt and doing what I could to get people in the right spots. I'm generally unselfish as it is, however this fall is different. Once I land at the lodge-it's all about me!
On my past trips I've ended my hunts on Wednesday and Thursday respectively, with lesser bucks harvested. I've often wondered what would have happened had I just hung in there a little longer. There have been some monsters harvested in the region and I still yearn for "The One". With all of this in mind, I have learned over the years that my serenity is directly proportional to my expectations. Now that the trip is 100% a go, all I have to do is close my eyes at night and dream about that moment in time! I'm trying not to get too jazzed up, but I will. If you wouldn't, your not a true whitetail hunter!
There is nowhere in the world like Saskatchewan during the Rut for whitetail hunters! If you don't believe me, you haven't been there. I pride myself a Godly man however annually I'm drawing dangerously close to selling my soul for a trip up north....lol! As with most I have obligations to concern myself with: family, work, family, lawn, family and all things financial. Did I mention family? There are a lot of ships rocking out there in the ocean, I'm not willing to rock the one I live in....if you know what I mean!
I have to say, there is an air of calmness now that I've booked the last hotel night required for the trip-it's on! Hopefully I can just sit back and relax until November......NOT!
It is my sincere wish that those who would read this blog would one day land at Saskatoon Airport on their way up north, there's just nothing like it in the world!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
A Moment in Time
There is an air of familiarity in my newly renovated office. Late last week my 2009 Nebraska Whitetail mount arrived via UPS. As it is only the second full head mount that I've done in my hunting career it hangs predominately as you walk in.
I find myself quite humbled in its presence actually. No, it's not a monster or world record, fact is many may have passed on the opportunity-and normally so would I. As you may recall from an earlier story I was hunting a piece of state land with the hopes that my hunting buddy Rich would get a reasonable shot at a mature mid-western buck. As we worked our way back to the boat that brought us to our hunting spot I trailed Rich giving him every opportunity at a first shot. As it happened I worked my way a little bit too far to the left and ended up on an adjoining point and not where the boat was. As I turned back to the path that had led me to that spot, three (3) Whitetails jumped up from a daytime bedding spot and within seconds I "incorrectly" identified a set of antlers as a 3x3 and before he could get up a head of steam the harvest was over.
At 53 years old I am privileged to have hanging on my wall a link to a childhood dream. I spent most of my hunting days in my father’s tow however until this opportunity, in spirit of course, I harvested my first Nebraska Whitetail with my father beside me. Although it has only been hanging for a couple of days it almost brings a tear to my eye when I walk into the room. It's a connection if you will, to the days of holding my father’s hand, cleaning our shotguns together or just sitting on the front porch with a glass of iced tea. I miss him!
As I sit here tonight I fully understand how silly this all seems to my wife and daughter, Jersey born and raised, not much on hunting anything. I admit that it isn't a trophy most would spend much time on, let alone wait a year to have it mounted. I feel almost foolish as I send out the picture to my hunting buddies-probably the smallest buck harvested amongst the group in some time. But they don't know my Dad!
This one's for you Dad, the dry spell is over and yet another fond memory of hunting past shares my life and times. It's a connection of sorts, a look back into the past, a memory that just happened. As I often say to Rich: It's a Moment in Time!
This fall I head to Saskatchewan, the land of dreams, yet there stands nothing in those woods that can link me to my father. The harvest, should there be one, will be enjoyed as a new event-a New Moment in Time, none however will replace the attached Nebraska Buck in bringing me back to a moment with my Father.
I find myself quite humbled in its presence actually. No, it's not a monster or world record, fact is many may have passed on the opportunity-and normally so would I. As you may recall from an earlier story I was hunting a piece of state land with the hopes that my hunting buddy Rich would get a reasonable shot at a mature mid-western buck. As we worked our way back to the boat that brought us to our hunting spot I trailed Rich giving him every opportunity at a first shot. As it happened I worked my way a little bit too far to the left and ended up on an adjoining point and not where the boat was. As I turned back to the path that had led me to that spot, three (3) Whitetails jumped up from a daytime bedding spot and within seconds I "incorrectly" identified a set of antlers as a 3x3 and before he could get up a head of steam the harvest was over.
As I worked my way around the ditch to get a better look at the buck I was pleasantly surprised to see a 10 point (due to split brow tines)! Although not the trophy that I had hoped Rich would land, it still would have been a fine harvest for him as well.
I stated earlier that I feel "humbled", it has been a long time since I stepped foot afield with my father. When he passed in 2000 I had the opportunity to recall and relive many of the hunting days with him. None any better than the last-all were good days! At 53 years old I am privileged to have hanging on my wall a link to a childhood dream. I spent most of my hunting days in my father’s tow however until this opportunity, in spirit of course, I harvested my first Nebraska Whitetail with my father beside me. Although it has only been hanging for a couple of days it almost brings a tear to my eye when I walk into the room. It's a connection if you will, to the days of holding my father’s hand, cleaning our shotguns together or just sitting on the front porch with a glass of iced tea. I miss him!
As I sit here tonight I fully understand how silly this all seems to my wife and daughter, Jersey born and raised, not much on hunting anything. I admit that it isn't a trophy most would spend much time on, let alone wait a year to have it mounted. I feel almost foolish as I send out the picture to my hunting buddies-probably the smallest buck harvested amongst the group in some time. But they don't know my Dad!
This one's for you Dad, the dry spell is over and yet another fond memory of hunting past shares my life and times. It's a connection of sorts, a look back into the past, a memory that just happened. As I often say to Rich: It's a Moment in Time!
This fall I head to Saskatchewan, the land of dreams, yet there stands nothing in those woods that can link me to my father. The harvest, should there be one, will be enjoyed as a new event-a New Moment in Time, none however will replace the attached Nebraska Buck in bringing me back to a moment with my Father.
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