CONTENT IN ALL THINGS

The alarm sounded at 2:30 a.m. I jumped out of bed and headed for the shower. While walking through the hallway I could see my son’s bedroom light was already on. By 3:00 a.m. we were both grabbing snacks from the kitchen and packing up the remaining gear. At 3:15 a.m. we were pulling out of the garage and heading to one of my favorite places. We pulled into a gravel parking spot at 4:10 a.m., donned in our camo clothes, backpacks and other gear, grabbed our shotguns and started the hike.

Our headlamps illuminated a narrow tunnel 15 feet ahead, but everything else around us was black. The path was a mixture of mud, frozen puddles, crunchy leaves, and snow. We carefully placed each footstep to make as little noise as possible. Eventually, we arrived at our destination and shut off the headlamps. As we were setting up by the light of the moon, to our disappointment another father and son team hiked past within 15 feet of us. My son was able to get their attention to let them know we were close, and we wished each other good luck. A few minutes later we were hunkered down in our blind waiting for the sun to rise. It wasn’t long before we noticed another headlamp bobbing down a trail east of us. Shortly after that, two more headlamps were west of us on a field’s edge. We were definitely not going to be alone this morning.


As the moon was setting on the western horizon, complete
darkness fell over the woods. The cool, damp air also began to set on us. Soon the sun started to creep its way up in the eastern horizon. The sky was just starting to lighten up when a thunderous gobble echoed from the woods behind us. Ah yes, my favorite place to be…the turkey woods.

The morning’s hunt didn’t turn out as planned. We spent the next three days hiking numerous miles through dense woods and thistles, wandering up and down hills, and marching through grassy plains.

The thick brush and thistles 

At times we would lean against the base of a tree motionless for hours trying to call turkeys to our location. We encountered coyotes, horseback riders, hooting owls, drumming grouse, various waterfowl, female turkeys, and young male turkeys that almost ran right over my son. We endured the blazing hot sun and cold rains. However, we never saw the adult, male turkeys we were stalking.


Even though the hunt required a lot of preparation and we didn’t get exactly what we wanted, we were blessed with many sights and sounds that not everyone gets to enjoy.

My son was so content, he took a nap

Philippians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.