Letters To The Editor: November 2016

Defining A Successful Deer Season Is More Than A Kill

Dear GON,

The time is finally upon us, as hunting season has begun. Everyone is hoping that their hours of scouting, planting and the blood and sweat that have been shed will all result in a buck on the ground. As this dream may become a reality for some hunters, for others, the season may seem like a disappointment if a big buck is not harvested. One thing I have learned is that taking the buck that you have been dreaming about is not what defines a successful season. 

My brother and I always bet each other who will shoot a bigger buck each season; however, our seasons usually end up without either of us putting a buck on the ground. Many hunters have the same result, yet we still put so much time into hunting every year. The adrenaline rush that comes with not knowing what may step out any second is what makes hunting fun.

Taking a nice buck definitely makes hunters feel like all of our hard work has paid off. While this may be the main way hunters define their season, some of the most important accomplishments are often overlooked. I still remember my first deer, and what I remember most was having my dad by my side telling me how proud he was of me. Having our family and friends accompany us when everything goes right, and when everything goes wrong, is the most defining part of hunting that most people forget about. Whether you harvest your biggest buck or nothing at all, we should all remember that the memories made with our family and friends makes every season a successful season.

Matt McCain, Lawrenceville

Moved By Steve’s Editorial

Dear Steve,

It’s been more than a year since I read the moving editorial about your mother passing away. I was especially touched with the printing of Tennyson’s poem to go along with it.

It’s a tough mental process to work through the loss of a parent, but mothers are something special. In most cases, fathers have to be gone all day making a living, which leaves mothers there until we grow to maturity, and thereafter they are usually only a phone call away.

They say time heals all wounds, but that has not been my experience. Time softens the pain in your life and allows you to adjust to the loss of a parent, but the memories are always with you. It only takes something to occur in your daily activity to trigger a memory, and suddenly there he or she is with you. I speak from my experience, but I hope you experience the same.

I graduated from UGA in 1960 after a tour of duty with the Army Security Agency. It was at UGA in my study of literature that I became acquainted with Tennyson. The words of “Crossing the Bar” had a particular meaning for me since I was raised in the country. The words remained with me, and when I lost my father in 1972, our family put those words on our family burial plot in Cuthbert. It might seem strange to some, but we feel very comfortable with those words.

Incidentally, my son York Carter is the only participant to win two trucks in your Truck-Buck Shoot-Out.

Melvyn Carter, Albany

GON Social Media

Matt Gordy took this 8-pointer with his bow on Sept. 25 in Louisville.

Chip Henry tweeted this picture to GON.

Gary Purvis, 14, of Oak Park, arrowed this Emanuel County button buck on Sept. 25.