Great Plains Natural Science Society

 

The Prairie Naturalist

Date of this Version

12-2015

Document Type

Article

Citation

The Prairie Naturalist 47:62–63; 2015

Comments

Published by the Great Plains Natural Science Society. Used by permission.

Abstract

Greetings GPNSS members! By the time you read this editorial, most of you will probably be enjoying spectacular seasonal changes in the outdoors this autumn and a hint of winter in the air (for those of us in the northern Great Plains region). I write this editorial during my favorite time of year, deer hunting in the Midwest. Temperatures are finally start- ing to resemble the fall and the Christmas Holiday season is just around the corner. Much like my children have images of Santa dancing in their heads on Christmas Eve, each fall I replay images of a trophy whitetail buck as I sit patiently in my tree stand. Though I don’t have the patience I did as a younger hunter, I often find myself passing the countless hours reflecting on the real reason for waking up at “o-dark thirty.” For me, sneaking to my deer stand with headlamp beaming and through the endless sea of beggar’s lice (or stickseed) are experiences I have grown to appreciate, which are a pleasant diversion (all right, maybe I’m stretching it to think picking hundreds of beggar’s lice seeds off your sleeves and pant legs is pleasant!) from professional obligations. In short, the enjoyment derived from the outdoor experience are memories I will carry with me for a lifetime. Of course, my personal reflections are in no way related to the topic of this editorial, but more to encourage you to step away from the desk and spend time enjoying your outdoor interests and creating memories during this Holiday Season.

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