#huntalaska

DHC-2 Beavers & Alaska Hunting ... 

We are not having the best deer season.  I could probably blame a lot of things, but the main problem is that neither one of us wants to ditch the little guy for a whole day to go hunting.  We both want to hunt, but time together as a family is limited, and so we keep trying and trying to go as a family.  

And it’s not working!  I’ve been carrying this kiddo on my back for years now (Scott carries him sometime, but he has a bum knee to consider) and we’ve yet to get a deer with Cody in tow.  We have seen a few--in fact Scott saw one this weekend--but they are fleeting glimpses.  I was sitting next to Scott and never saw the doe he did.

I don’t really think there is much of a trick to hunting with a toddler, besides plying them with anything to keep them quiet (which won’t work, regardless) and finding a mantra that works to keep your patience high and your frustration low.  And then not being surprised when it doesn’t work.  And then not beating yourself up for wishing you were home in town, sprawled on the couch, watching bad TV and feeding your kid pure sugar...

Cody had his first major tantrum this weekend, while hunting, because he did want to hike; wait no he didn’t; he wanted in the pack; wait no he didn’t; well maybe he did.  It was a classic “I NEED TO NAP” sort of meltdown, and I felt a bit bad about it, but couldn’t he have done it at a slightly lower decibel level??  I didn’t lose my $#@% but I sure came close.  I was on hour three of an Alaska-style Crossfit class up a mountain, with a 35+ lb pack on my back that sometimes wanted to be a jumping monkey... not my most empathetic mothering moments, I can tell you that.

He did finally sleep, and I let Scott wander off into the muskegs while I swayed in place, hoping to stay far enough away from any gun shots that he wouldn’t wake up.  There was no hope for me seeing a deer, and even if I had, my focus was just totally blown by that point. After the nap, all was fine... for him.  I still had to get back down the mountain!  It was not my best day.

It’s a good thing this kiddo is so cute, that is for sure.  If only the deer appreciated his cute-ness and were willing to come closer to check him out...!

Here’s to the next hunting trip, and the one after that, and hopes that at some point this season we start getting the deer.  Our freezer is feeling a bit empty!