Time Passages. People mark the passage of time in a number of different ways, birthdays, seasons and holidays and of course the beginning of a new calendar year. Happy New Year by the way. The first time I went deer hunting I was 13. Pop and Uncle Marvin had been going to the border of Pike and Jackson counties for a couple years and they decided that my cousin Keith and I were old enough to come along. We borrowed someone’s camper and had a great time. And so that adventure began and believe me there are more that a few hilarious stories associated with some of those trips. The first few years that I went I was surely a hindrance to Pop’s hunting. He had to keep an eye on me making sure I didn’t get “turned around in the woodsâ€Â, which is the Madewell term for slightly lost. He was generally concerned about me keeping warm, dry and having enough to eat. You can go on a hunting trip with someone but it is not the same as hunting with someone. Hunting with someone is a partnership. In my early years in the field I didn’t have a clue what this really meant but I am sure that I really wasn’t much of a partner. As time progressed I became surer of myself in the deer woods as I also began to physically mature finding strength and confidence and all those attributes that often come with young adulthood. Somehow there was a passage of time and suddenly I found myself keeping an eye on Pop. He was slowing down a bit and I found myself doing more and more of the simple things around our camp like lighting a Coleman lantern because he couldn’t see the hole to put the match in. But I would also slow myself down to keep pace with him while we were hunting. Of course on occasions this was more than a bit frustrating and I was oblivious to the fact that just a few years earlier the roles were reversed and it was he that was altering his preferred hunting plans to accommodate my abilities. As time continues to pass I can say that all and all Pop and I have had many good hunting trips with countless memories and a sea of faces of relatives and friends that have jointed us somewhere along the way. This included my son and son in law and nephew who are all fine hunters and strong young men. It was always a great pleasure to tell them to help their Grandpa drag his deer back to camp. This was the first year Dad didn’t go deer hunting in 42 years. Some family concerns and sever arthritis in his right hand convinced him that he should stay close to Mom. But this wasn’t the only mile marker that occurred this year. My son Phil is at the point where he is physically in the prime of his life is an avid hunter and has a remarkable set of shooting skills. This deer season Philip passed up a shot at a huge buck and allowed the deer to walk past him to come to me. The long story short is I missed it. For many years I enjoyed a reputation of being a deadly shot and have certainly had my share of good fortune in this regard. However in the past few years shifts in my vision and physical condition have resulted in a world that is not quite a clear and not nearly as steady. And while it was a remarkable deer that I missed it was an even larger gift that Philip gave acknowledging another passage of time.