"What Opening Day Means to Me" by Steph Lane

By Steph Lane- Iowa Program Coordinator

As a lifelong hunter, opening day does and has meant many things to me. Its meaning changes year after year as I grow and change myself. But no matter the changes, many things remain the same. The memories and past adventures fill my head, and I daydream more than usual. The promise of hunting wild places, both familiar and new; the familiar somehow feels new again, even after all this time.

It's the inevitable; the next few months bring the chase, the wait, the flush: the mud, the dirt, the wind, and the rain. The laughs, the sweat, the stories shared time and time again. Lessons learned, and the certainty of lessons learned a second time or until they stick.

It's early rising and chilled air. It's sitting in treetops and trudging through grassy fields. It's a test of my patience, strategy, wit, and time to reset. It's passing on this way of life as best I can in hopes of keeping it alive beyond my time.

Opening day for me is about long-standing traditions; It's hopes of becoming a wiser woodsman. It means time for myself, with nature, and with those I love in the wild places that feel like home.