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November 2007
Something special about hunting
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Before I discovered basketball, which came in the fifth grade, I remember taking a “wrist rocket” sling shot on a small-game hunt with my father. I had a shot at a squirrel, too, but missed miserably.
A better hunting memory was deer season. It only lasted a week in Wisconsin but it was the highlight of the fall for my father, who always carried a whistle-clean rifle and always wished for snow in late November so the deer could be tracked easily.
The same time every year — usually overlapping a basketball tournament of mine — Dad, my oldest brother and several other friends and family made deer camp an hour from home, just far enough away for a good guys getaway.
Dad killed a buck every year. I became a venison connoisseur.
My father wasn’t able to hunt this season, but it was the first thing on his mind when I called him Monday night.
“Rick [my oldest brother] got two,” he said of the 4- and 6-pointers. “I wish I had seen him take ‘em.”
He paused, then said, “I really miss being out there.”
All hunters have something they love about deer season. Could be the camaraderie between father and son or best friends. Or the quest for a trophy. Or just being in the woods on a cool, crisp day.
What’s your favorite part of deer season? Why?
Meet Scott Bernarde
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ever since catching his first bullhead catfish as a 4-year-old while growing up in Wisconsin., AJC Outdoors sports reporter Scott Bernarde has had a love of the outdoors.
He’s been known to withstand raw 40-degree days in the wind and rain in hopes that something — anything — will bite. He’s sat still for hours while covered in camouflage during too-many-to-count turkey hunts without a shot being fired. He fell into the Amicalola Creek in February one year, filled his waders with 35-degree water, then dried off, changed and returned to the river to catch a 16-inch rainbow trout.
But, the Troy University graduate who has been with the AJC for nearly 20 years, has never caught a 10-pound largemouth bass, one of the most sought-after moments for a Southern outdoorsman. Don’t hold that against him.
Conact Scott at sbernarde@ajc.com
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