The Best Time of Year

Autumn is absolutely my favorite time of year. There is something magical in the air when the leaves begin to make their magical transformation. Thanks to the outdoor spirit of my grandfather and my dad, I grew up with a love for the woods and waters and everything "outdoors." I can sit for hours in the woods and simply watch the drama of God's creation that unfolds. I love to go hunting, and yet I have been on dozens of successful hunts where I did nothing but capture my prey with my eyes. Sometimes, however, I am blessed to harvest one of God's creatures that he created for us. God instructs us, "Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant" (Gen. 9:3). God has provided these things for our provision; "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude" (1 Tim. 4:4). Farmers, trappers, hunters, and fishermen are fufilling God's original mandate to mankind, to be stewards of the earth (cf. Gen. 1:28). By harvesting animals through hunting, wild game is protected from the diseases that result from overpopulation.
We are amid the first hunting season for the majestic North American whitetail deer. My brother harvested this handsome 9 point buck with his compound bow.