The Way
by Tim Ott
For some the path is clear. For others, it’s somewhat broken. Then there are those who will never know that a path even exists. I fell somewhere in the middle.
All my life I seemed to be in search of the way. In my early years there was no one around to guide me. I fumbled through whatever would do as a bow, graduated to a recurve, then (after the invent of the compound), that also. But something was missing. It wasn’t until a lone eagle showed me the way that I finally found the trail head to the traditional way of life that I now live.
Now some will say that I’m off my rocker, that I’ve “been in the woods to long”, but those of you who do understand, know that there is no such thing as “to much time afield”, and that there are spirits out there guiding us along the way.
A pair of does was picking their way towards a cut over bean field, near the river bottom stand that I had chosen, for my last evening hunt. The air current gremlins were hard at work and soon the duo was tipped off. “We humans must be of foul odor” I thought, for it took them the better part of 10 minutes to clear their noses.
I decided to call it a season and gathered myself to leave. The sun had set, bringing with it tulip red and marigold. What splendor we bow hunters get to enjoy. It was then that I saw him.
His mighty wings gracefully carrying him so effortlessly toward me. My heart hate began to rise. I’ve always held a fascination for these magnificent birds, even to the point of pulling over on the shoulder of the road to catch them in flight! While the commuters buzz by and wonder “what”?
As he neared, a strange feeling overcame me. I was hypnotized. I stared. Closer, closer,”man he’s really coming close”! He circled and lit not 30 feet above me! The sight of such a creature in the wild, so close, sent a wave of shivers over me. He looked down at me in a way that I will never forget, into my soul, searching my heart, my thoughts, and my inner self. It was then that I understood the path that I needed to follow, the way I needed to travel it, and the attitude that I needed to carry along with me. I was overcome with a strong feeling of being as one with nature. My brothers were there me. My answer had come. Then as quickly as he appeared, He was gone. For the first time in my life, I fully under stood the reasons why I hunt.
My life changed that day. I now have a deeper appreciation for the world around me. The woods, the water, and the animals that fill its spaces that I hunt. The feeling of satisfaction whether making a self bow, or casting a fly. Coming home after a long day in the woods, empty handed, with a smile on my face. The feeling of watching a first time archer cast an arrow, or watching a new day dawn.
Some will understand, others never will. Then there are those who were just like me, a lost sheep waiting to be shown the right path.
I’m sincerely grateful to all of those who have helped me along the way, but mostly to that lone eagle in the river bottom and the spirits of the hunters from the past that traveled on his wings. To those who helped me to realize the right path to travel. The ones who tell me when it’s time to shoot, of simply set back and watch the show, Those who blazed the trails and shared their knowledge so freely.
I know that they will always be with me, during my triumphs, and my failure, lending to me their spirit that guides me along, “The way”.
Topic: The Way - by Tim Ott (Read 2056 times)
