Yes, the morning breaking through the darkness is the master motivator. Walking in at 9 o'clock and seeing fresh tracks that were not there when you left the day before will destroy you. It is the drug the doctor can't prescribe you. The second guessing of whether the 10-point was in front of your stand the morning you slept in just makes you put your feet on the floor. A huge buck stepping gingerly down the trail in front of you as you gain light second by second is unmatched. The morning flurry of ducks is intoxicating. I know that game tends to move at daylight. I don't care if it's deer, duck, or any critter. The thing that makes me overcome is the daybreak of the hunt. Most days of hunting season, I overcome this debilitating problem. No, I love to hunt, I just hate to wake up. I was facedown in a big ole pool of drool. I have also missed flights, learned all my negotiating skills from begging college professors to look past my excessive tardies, and once woke up in an empty classroom only to find the class had dismissed an hour earlier. Now before you throw the black robe on and start judging my love and passion for hunting, I say save it. I don't know what was worse for my television producer, the fact that he had a mini-panic attack that I wasn't there or the fact that when he informed my brothers and dad I was not there, they simply said "he's probably still in bed." Oh, they know me too well. And yes, I had an alarm clock malfunction and yes, I was a bit tardy. On opening day this past year we had an entire television crew in town and had gone over all the things we wanted to accomplish on opening day. It is amazing how clear thoughts can seem in a deep sleep, thoughts like "these deer are not moving early," and "mid-day is the only way to hunt here." All seemingly clear, well-thought out plans while my eyes are slammed shut. When I am in my silk pajamas and buried in the covers, it is simply too temping to just keep right on sleeping. I don't get under covers either, I don't like to get too comfortable. Now, it does cause a less satisfying sleep experience, but that is exactly what helps me to get out bed. I am ready to go face the beautiful outdoors immediately after rising, coffee, sitting, and staring. I always do this at deer camp and do it about half the time at my own house. One method I find really helps with my particular problem is sleeping in my clothes. I did kill my biggest deer in the morning though, a 160ish Kansas buck a few years back. Remember Buck Commander has only been around for a year or two. Come to think of it, most of my memorable hunts on camera have happened in the afternoon.
I have been guilty of wanting my big "stud hoss" to come by in the afternoon. Filming hunts usually requires the person hunting to be exciting and captivating, well, at least using verbal language. Now, because we don't just hunt alone in a stand, I usually have a camera in my face when I'm doing it. Again, I look at this person and wonder if they are human. There is always a chatty pants at camp who whistles and wants to spew verbal conversations.
I communicate in the early morning hours through low growls and moans. I need coffee and I need to sit, just sit and stare. Heck, I'm not even sure if I'm human at these ungodly hours. I look at them like I am not sure if they are even human. I initially look at people I know, like my wife of 17 years, like I don't even know who they are. I can stare at the television like its on, even though it is not. When I get up early, I just sit, just sit and stare. whether they are hunting or not make me sick. And yes, those guys who get up on Saturday mornings at 4 a.m. Last I checked, hunting in the moonlight is frowned upon by game wardens. Now, this is all fine and dandy unless you live, breathe, and work in the business of hunting. The only time I feel great in the morning is when I stay up all night. You see, I was born a "non-morning" person. You can hunt deer successfully in the AFTERNOON. Growing up as a son of The Duck Commander, I get asked how in the world I ended up deer hunting.
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