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The Hunt for Money and Deer

Two goals are on my mind this moring that will occupy most of the next few days. Each one is actually part of hunt, but of two very differnt forms.

The first hunt is for money. The goal is that I have grant deadline that is due today. I have been feverishly writing for the past several days to put together this internal grant application. It is a relatively small grant (~$10,000) but it has a high probability of being funded. And, the best part is that with this small internal grant, the field opens greatly for submission of a much larger (harder to get) grant from the National Science Foundation with the anticipated data this small grant will allow me to collect. The small grant is for two pieces of equipment that will help me better record and analyze rodent physiology.

The second hunt is for deer. The goal I have is to get up to deer camp on Thursday. While deer hunting season has officially started today in my neck of the woods, teaching duties (and the above mentioned grant application) do not allow me to trapse off to the woods today. Instead I shall head to the hunting cabin on Thursday and join friends and family then for the annual hunt. The hunt will likely be again a misnomer for me, as I will likely only spend a short time in the woods this year. I *do* have my liscense, and my rifle is cleaned and ready but, I am not particularly interested in "bagging a buck" this year. If I were to spot a true prize rack on a buck, I would be glad to get a beautiful trophy mount of the head to put in my den, and I would donate the cleaned venison to the homeless shelter. However, the reality is that I am not grandly fond of venison and actually have been eating quite a bit less meat in the last decade or so. So, the drive is not there in my soul. However, I am very much in favor of hunting and feel as a person who does consume meat, that it is my responsibility to be a hunter. To be a meat eater, one should be willing to participate in the whole of the process to attain said meat. I think it is disingenuous for people to be anti-hunting yet they allow others to kill for them so they can buy their pre-packaged chicken, beef, etc. As a meat eater (albeit relatively infrequently... perhaps 2-3 times a week these days), I am very comfortable participating in the whole process of collecting meat for consumption. Deer hunting is one way in which I participate. Fishing, which I find more enjoyable of late, is another passion.

Now, you may ask, why the hell do I go to deer camp if I am not extremely interested in bagging a buck? Well, if you ask that question, you my friends, have never been to deer camp. Deer camp is a place where fellows can gather and shed the tedious trappings of modern society. No ties, no phones, no shaving. Instead, there is ample drinking, boisterous card playing, engorgement on unhealthy but delicious foods, a general slovenly attitude about appearance, and a helluva lot of good times, memories and fun. That is why I am looking forward to deer camp.

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