MARSHFIELD, WI (OnFocus) – 2021 rifle season is in the books, and the Hopperdietzel group filled six tags. The deer will make excellent table fare for the upcoming year. You see, I was raised in a family where we didn’t buy beef from the store. Sure it’s easier and cheaper to go to the local store and pick up a package of meat; that experience, though, doesn’t give me any traditions or memories to hold onto.
I can’t ever recall telling a story about how excited I was to walk into a crowd of people, grabbing a shopping cart that may or may not move in the direction that I’m pushing it. Line myself up along a meat cooler admiring the plastic wrapped around a piece of meat that has gone through the processing plant—celebrating that I bought a steak on sale and saved X amount of dollars on my purchase. Maybe some people have that experience in life but not this guy!
The hunt is a little bit about putting food on the table. Still, it is more about seeing the outdoors, sharing the sunrise or sunset with a family member, or simply sharing it with anyone of the many different animals seen while out on an adventure.
At the close of the season this year, my oldest son reminded me how special these nine days of November are. We had created a group text message with everyone in the hunting group. As he departed camp and made his way back to Appleton, he sent a message to the group that read, “Very grateful to have the whole clan together this year. I had a great time with everyone!”
It was a proud Dad moment to see how my son, who is turning into a man, appreciates family. It’s nice to have moments like this to remind you of those tough times raising kids that it’s all worth it.
A highlight to this year’s deer camp was a visitor from Italy joining the family. Corey and Leatha, for the second time now, have brought a foreign exchange student into our family. Luna got to experience how we celebrate the experience in our deer camp.
Luna is quite a young lady who is full of energy. She has such a good nature about her, and she jumps right in with everything the family does. You would almost have thought that she has been a Hopperdietzel from birth.
She got to experience our Thanksgiving experience, many card games, how Dad (Grandpa H.) turns everything into a game; she even put on some blaze orange and sat in the woods. Luna even got to be part of our deer drive. She got to see all kinds of deer run past her.
We were even lucky enough to harvest a deer on her drive, so she got to see what gutting a deer was all about; she took video of that to show family and friends back home. She completed her whole deer camp experience by firing a few practice shots at the target.
The family had shared how enjoyable it had been sharing all of this with Luna. Bryce, the quiet guy, had the funniest line of the season. He says, “I can’t understand a damn thing that she says!” That gave us all a chuckle. I have to admit when she talks, I have to listen very closely due to the heavy accent. I bet she thinks we sound goofy to her, though.
Luna will be heading back home to her family around January, she will be missed by the family, but I’m sure her family misses her greatly and can’t wait to have her return home. It has been neat to share our outdoor lifestyle with her.
The outdoors has shown how it can take all kinds of people and create a bond with unique and emotional experiences that will last a lifetime. Luna, thank you for being part of the Hopperdietzel family traditions and letting us show you how we “celebrate the experience!”
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