vHUNTING continued from page 15 archery season of deer hunting, which takes place prior to rifle season. Lynette didn’t start hunting until she met the Pinkleman family. Explaining what attracted her to the sport, she stated “This is one thing that enticed me to go hunting, to listen to these guys talking about being out in nature, seeing a squirrel barking at you and then you’ve got deer within arm’s reach looking at you. This doesn’t happen unless you are in nature. That’s the coolest thing, being part of nature, experiencing nature at a whole different level. I lived in San Antonio and you don’t see that outside of this area. You don’t experience what these guys experience in their pasture. Words can’t even express that. It’s just amazing to be that close to nature.” They described a meteor shower that they witnessed from their deer stands and as they showed me some beautiful sunrise pictures on their phones I could feel a calmness just gazing at the scenes. Cheri explained, “If it’s in you, it’s in you. You just want to be out there.” “Otherwise you pick a different season,” Lynette laughed as she continued, “Yes, there is a temperature limit for me, but even this morning, I would have braved it to see the first blanket of snow. That calmness, it’s to fall in love with.” I laughed along with her, fully understanding what she’s saying. Although I also love the outdoors and have a shooting hobby, I’m a target-shooting lass who has my limits, not venturing out when I can see my breath in the cold air. Competition has gotten more intense over the years. Charlotte explained how years back, her father didn’t have to apply for a permit for deer season. “I think it got more serious when it got to be more particular and you had to get a permit,” she explained. Also adding to competition is the limited number of deer. The local deer population was affected by Bluetongue disease a few years ago, a virus that killed off much of the population and made deer scarce. The Pinkleman’s are pretty competitive on bragging rights of who gets the biggest deer. When I asked who had gotten their deer so far that season, the joke was that the women always shoot their deer right away, because they need to get the food on the table. The youngest hunters both having shot a couple of deer now, Keely and Lexi, told me about their hunting experiences. Keeley’s dad Carl captures her deer hunts on video and has even recorded her falling asleep on a hunt. She explained that, one year when she was about six and starting to fall asleep, two very large bucks came walking near their stand. Carl nudged her to wake her up and as she jerked and said “What?” their deer scattered and ran off. As they let me view the video of Keely’s last two year’s hunts, seeing the look of uninhibited excitement on Keely’s face after a perfect shot was priceless. vHUNTING continued on page 17 Are You This Happy With Your Therapy? Morgen Square 16vHERVOICEvJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 605.260.5003