I'm considering the vegetarian lifestyle

Snells aren't gun people. Miskins are. Before I married Caleb phrases like "opening day," "10-pointer," and "deer stand" had about as much meaning to me as Caleb speaking Portuguese when he doesn't want me to know what he's saying. Incomprehensible mumbo jumbo, if you will. Well, my friends, November 12th marked a special--nay, sacred--day in the Miskin household: the first day of firearm hunting season.

The rituals began the day before, as Caleb left class early (an anomaly in itself) to go sight in his gun before sundown. He spent the following few hours strategizing with his uncle and cousin about which deer stand provided optimal visualization for dropping "the big kahuna." This was done with the help of a map of the woods, complete with color coded game trails and exit routes. It was precious.

After all the plans were made, we all watched a Louis L'Amour movie (Sacketts) about three trigger-happy brothers trying to survive the wild western frontier. OK, the movie wasn't too bad. I keep meaning to read me some Louis L'Amour. But nonetheless, this activity points out the family fascination with guns. These men are cowboys to the core.

At 4:30am the men awoke and showered with "Scent-A-Way" soap so the deer couldn't detect their presence.

5:30 am: they made their way out into the woods, with guns and camo body suits in tow.

7:22am: the first shot was heard

approx 10am: Caleb kills a large 9-point buck

12pm-12am the following morning: the family prepares meat for consumption. This process involves gutting, skinning, de-boning, washing, wrapping, and freezing the meat. It was quite a process. Now I am much more grateful that I can go to the grocery store and just buy my meat--not that I'll need to for a while. We probably have 100 pounds of venison to get us through the year.

I have a few photos from the day. Beware if you have a weak stomach:

Kinda gross, right?