Choosing to be Second

This coming Saturday is National Hunting and Fishing Day. This annual event came into being on May 2, 1972, when President Nixon signed the first proclamation of National Hunting and Fishing Day, writing, "I urge all citizens to join with outdoor sportsmen in the wise use of our natural resources and in insuring their proper management for the benefit of future generations." Over the years since, this special day has helped provide many millions of Americans with a chance to experience, understand and appreciate traditional outdoor sports. The National Hunting and Fishing Day has boasted many public relations successes, assisted by celebrities who volunteered to help spotlight the conservation accomplishments of sportsmen and women. This year's honorary chairman is Bill Dance. Celebrated on the fourth Saturday of every September, the National Hunting and Fishing Day remains one of the most effective grassroots efforts ever undertaken to promote the outdoor sports and conservation.

Luke 22:26-27 (NASB)
...but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

The Road Not Often Taken

I'm driving to work one morning this past week in yet another one of our region's recent snow bursts. As has become habit to this die-hard sportsmen, I am checking out all the fields and waterways that I pass for various types of wildlife. Well, I approach one particular wheat field that is often frequented during Spring by a large flock of turkeys, and I am thinking, they certainly are not going to be out in this weather. Surprisingly, in the back of the field, I see the boss gobbler in full strut amongst the large flock of hens and jakes. There he is in all his glory, un-phased by the adverse conditions around him. He's one of God's creatures, doing what he was made to do, just simply living out his God-given purpose.
 
Philippians 3:12-16 (The Message)
I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.

The Best Made Plans

I took the opportunity last Monday to try something I had never done before - predator hunting. My primary reason for wanting to learn how to do this is to thin out some of the coyotes that have been moving into eastern Virginia. Many area hunt clubs saw significantly fewer whitetails this past season, and popular opinion is that coyotes are playing an impact in these lower numbers. Well, the presence of coyote tracks and scat, as well as sightings by deer hunters, indicated that a pack was spending time in our hunting vicinity, so we felt pretty confident that we could have at least one come into our setup. However, despite being well camouflaged, setting up in locations with good predator sign, playing authentic-sounding wounded rabbit sequences on our electronic call, and keeping the wind in our favor, we did not have any predators, including coyotes, come into our multiple set-ups. What we did discover, though, was that there were plentiful numbers of crows in the area that were curious and that even responded to our coyote calling. Fortunately, we had a couple dozen crow decoys in the truck and several crow sequences loaded on the call, so we decided to change gears, change firearms, and take advantage of the crows' receptiveness. We had a huge group of crows come into our layout within the first 30 seconds of playing the initial fighting crow sequence, and had a great time shooting that group and those that followed as they circled back on several occasions to check out the commotion. We were even able to replicate our setup and have similar success in another other area before the action slowed.

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."