Share the Harvest

The dear hunt has arrived; it is that mythical time of year when boys become men, and men become boys -- a right of passage, of sorts.

Sunday afternoon we took a drive to a small town just 45 min north of Kirksville (Memphis, MO), near the Iowa-MO border. With finals slated all week, I was needing a little distraction, a little reprieve from studying . . . something to break me free from the self-absorbed bubble that med school requires! So we immersed ourselves in to the local culture -- National Geographic-style!

It is not uncommon to see a trailer filled with deer carcasses in the middle of a parking lot, just off main street. It is the central hub, the main artery, the locus of all comings-and-goings in town. It is a cultural amphitheater for non-natives like me. Share the Harvest is a program ran by one of the local churches (this one, I believe, is ran by the Baptists) which is designed to feed the hungry with the deer that is "leftover" from the hunt. Each hunter that gives his/her prize to the program is asked to donate $20 to help offset butchering costs.

A pretty impressive program . . .

and a pretty impressive sight!

While visiting with some of the locals, a hunter pulled up to the gas station next to us. With tailgate down, three trophy-sized racks were showcased in the back of the truck like Christmas window adornments at Macy's! Passersby stopped and admired these soon-to-be wall ornaments, stroking the hunters' manhood with every question posed. Of course, I was right there in the middle, indulging the moment as they boasted of their heroics!

Yes, it is that mythical time of year -- a time, no doubt, when living vicariously through another is just the escape that I needed.

(left to right) 17, 11 and 8 point whitetail buck