On the eve of our PA rifle opener, I find myself partaking in what has become an annual tradition. Watching a short video produced and aired on a regional network here in PA almost 25 years ago. A local outdoor television show (that still airs today), called Pennsylvania Outdoor Life did a segment on our hunting club and the deep rooted traditions that have held it together for over 75 years. At the time of the airing, our club was over 75 years old. We will be celebrating our 100th year next fall. While I know this is a bowhunting site, I thought it worth while to share. We all have our own personal stories as to how we became involved in this lifestyle we love so much. Some of us were and always will be bowhunters first and always. Some, like myself, have their roots beginning with rifle in hand. No matter what the weapon, it's nice to reflect back and realize that hunting is more than the kill. It's more than holding that set of antlers in the end. What really matters, what really sticks with us, are the memories. Those memories go way beyond all of the deer I've killed since I began chasing whitetails with my dad at a young age. I won't be entering the woods this season as I'm tagged out, but I will be spending time with my father and others at our cabin, as I have since 1996, and as my father did with his father. It's a tradition, I hope, in the very least, to be able to pass on to my future children as well. On a side note, the quality is low (ripped from VHS), it's aged (it aired in 1990 or 91, I can't remember). My father can be seen at 4:39, and then again at 5:49 trying to get a seat at the dinner table , and finally with my older brother at 7:31 with my older brother.
