I saw my first flock of geese flying in formation and calling to me over the weekend. I think they were telling me to follow them because they know that winter follows closely on the heels of autumn. I love to hear the sound of geese overhead, especially while walking through a woods on a blanket of new-fallen leaves. Nothing says that autumn has arrived more than geese and falling leaves. It becomes a spiritual experience for me.
I remember sitting in the woods during many beautiful autumn days, waiting for squirrels to start scampering through the leaves. I would lean back against the trunk of a tree and soak up the warm sun, as leaves floated gently through the air, sometimes circling ‘round and ‘round, before joining those already covering the ground. It was a quiet, peaceful time communing with nature. Then the sound of honking geese could be heard in the distance, gradually coming closer, until they were overhead. Was the constant honking a way of communicating? What were they saying to each other? Were they just chatting among themselves to relieve the boredom of a long flight? So many questions and so few answers.
I would become lost in thought until the rustle of nearby leaves would bring me back to reality. It must be a squirrel approaching because of the jerky pattern of movement. One, two, three jumps, then a pause. One, two, three jumps, then a pause. Why the pause? Was the squirrel stopping to listen for the sound of intruders looking for a meal? Was he pausing and trying to remember where he buried that last acorn and just wanted an afternoon snack? Or was he pausing to listen to what the geese were chatting about? Did the squirrel understand their talk? Maybe their chatter was reminding him that autumn had arrived and winter was close on its heels. It was time to get serious about stockpiling acorns and insulating the nest for those cold winter days and nights that were just around the corner. Maybe the geese were telling all the critters down below, who were stuck here for the winter, to pack on another layer of fat because it was going to be a cold one.
I would get so lost in thought with all these questions, that I’d forget I was sitting there hunting for squirrels. I needed to bring some home for supper, and I don’t mean as guests. One time as I was sighting in on a squirrel that was gathering up leaves and heading up the trunk of a tree with them, I remember thinking ‘I can’t pull the trigger. What if it’s a mamma squirrel who has young ones and she wants to keep them warm this winter by packing more grass and leaves into the nest? Maybe she heard what the geese were chatting about. If I pull the trigger, what will happen to her young ones?’
I was probably twelve years old at the time and didn’t realize that her youngsters were grown up and out on their own by that time. I was a farm boy who knew about the birds and the bees from watching what went on with the animals, but apparently it had never dawned on me that most were born in the spring and on their own by the time the snow started flying.
I may have been full of questions, but apparently I was a bit short on answers! My concern for the well-being of animals allowed many wild critters to go unharmed. I guess that was OK because it left a larger population of squirrels for other hunters, and that made them happy. But it sure didn’t do anything for my “Great Hunter” reputation when I would come home empty-handed.
We did a lot of hunting and I was proud of my hunting ability. I felt like I was helping provide us with food. We always ate everything we hunted and killed, whether it was squirrels, rabbits, pheasants, grouse, or deer. Dad also taught us how to skin and clean the game we killed.
When I came home without anything to show for my efforts, I didn’t dare tell anyone that I had plenty of chances to blast them out of the trees, but had decided to just sit and watch them as they went about their work of getting ready for winter.
Times change. People change. I have nothing against those who hunt, but I don’t hunt anymore. Vietnam destroyed the hunting spirit in me. When we lived in Madison I fed the squirrels in our yard and some trusted me enough to take a nut from my hand. I wouldn’t have had the heart to shoot them, even if I was starving!
Now, Instead of heading into the woods with a gun, I venture the back roads and woods with a camera. That’s how I shoot animals and birds these days. It’s that time of year when the geese are flying and talking to us, and the leaves are beginning to fall around us. It’s a great time of year. It’s a beautiful time of year. I hope you can get out and enjoy all the sights, sounds, and smells of autumn. Let me know if you understand what the geese are talking about!
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