DON'T BECOME DISTRACTED
Acts 13:22
And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
As we move into a time when mornings begin to have a coolness to them and you can begin to get a smell of fall, it makes me think of one of my favorite times to sit in the stand. That time is when the oak leaves start falling. If you hit it just right, they fall like rain. I don't suppose it is the most productive time to hunt because it does seem that the deer may be more nervous those few days with all the movement and commotion of the leaves. It seems like the woods are coming alive, setting things in order for that magical time of the rut. With all the leaves on the ground, the sound of the bucks chasing gets the adrenaline flowing.
A few years ago, my wife Lora had a dandy buck coming right into her stand, nose on the ground, completely focused on what was a trail of a hot doe. When he passed at 10 yards there was nothing she could do to get him to slow down and stop and away he went. A little bit later here he came again on the other side of her tree at 10 yards, same scenario, nose on the ground unaware of her presence, or grunting, or even scent. He had one thing on his mind, find that doe. He was intent on his mission and nothing else mattered.
I had a couple of rut crazed bucks help me harvest a doe a while back. I wasn't interested in shooting either one but was hoping to put some meat in the freezer. Those two herded a doe right under my stand and wouldn't let her leave. She knew I was there, but every time she started to leave, they would jump in front of her and cut her off. After enjoying the show, she ended up presenting me with a broadside 12 yard shot with an easy 50 yd blood trail. Even with the blood they stuck around, so intent on her that they didn't care about me.
In the bible, when one mentions King David, one of two things come to mind. His great victory over Goliath as a youth, and his great failing with Bathsheba when he not only committed adultery with her but also conspired to kill her husband to try a cover it up. David was exposed by the prophet Nathan and the consequences of his decisions were great. David repented and God restored him, but sin always has a cost. You can read about it in 2Samuel 11-12 and David's repentance in Psalm 51.
Davids's focus reminds me a lot of the bucks we chase. Before the rut, their focus is food and survival. The alertness of a whitetail can be amazing. The other morning when we left the stands, we were pegged by a couple of deer that I thought had no reason to notice. When David was confronted with Goliath, his focus was on God, and he was victorious. When that unique time comes, which we call the rut, all bets are off for a lot of the bucks and their focus now puts them in vulnerable and dire situations. Just like David, who should have been focused on the Kingdom and his army instead of a fling that is still talked about today. God's grace is amazing because David not only was forgiven by God, but scripture also tells us that he was a man after God's own heart.
This reminds me that I can put myself at risk when I let my focus on the Lord wander. I must intentionally keep close tabs with Him. Being in his word and praying are two strategies that keep my focus where it needs to be.
In the book of Psalms chapter 42:1 the psalmist talks about what it looks like to be intent on seeking God. Ps. 42:1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God.
My prayer for myself and you is that when we watch those bucks with their tongues hanging out, panting and completely focused on their mission, that it would be a reminder for us to pant after God.
God bless, pick a spot, and shoot straight,
Keith Cline, God's Great Outdoors board member
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