The Countdown

Holy racks, bowman. I was just running through a few huntin' shows on the DVR and realized that I'm less than two weeks away from the start of the archery season here in Michigan.

Man, where does the time go? I had made a vow that I would be ready well in advance of the season this year. Well, guess what? I'm not. I still have a couple of key stands to get in place, gear to check and details to attend to.

Of course, those are acts of love because that is one of the greatest joys of the hunting experience: The preparation and anticipation.

Anyone who has paid any attention to national events lately knows that it's been a rough week. Our stock market took a record-setting dive, banks are failing, investments are tanking and our economy is rocky to say the least. We've just seen gas prices soar as yet another hurricane hammered our coast. Unemployment rates are high and, here in Michigan, we're dealing with the discovery of CWD in a whitetail.

That's a lot of doom and gloom. Happiness is in short supply.

But not for long. Bow season will soon begin. And for the next three months or so, I'll go to sleep every night with hope in my heart and anticipation in my soul. Because that's what hunting does for me. It creates a world of possibilities. Every single dawn could bring with it the buck I've been dreaming of. It could bring one of those magical mornings where the woods is filled with antlers and whitetails and, perhaps, a crimson trail across frost-covered leaves.

Two weeks and counting. Even if I'm not officially "ready", brothers, I am READY.

Tony Hansen, Michigan Man