Growing up, all of my friends talked about their first bucks they shot, how big they were, and if you asked them today, I can guarantee you that they could tell you every detail about that deer down to a tee. And that’s cool. Personally, I’ve only gone hunting a handful of times, sat there freezing and never saw anything bigger than me.

So no, I have yet to get my first deer.

And I have tried for years to get into it, but I just can’t. I’ve gone with my dad, I’ve gone with my boyfriend, and I just cannot get into it. Maybe it’s because of bad luck, not really seeing anything large enough to shoot; maybe it’s because I don’t really like heights, so climbing up and down a stand is my maximum capacity; or maybe it’s because I’m slightly afraid of guns in the sense of accidentally moving and setting it off (highly unlikely, I know).

All that I know is that I have tried and failed at embracing the hunting lifestyle. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love me some deer meat, but I just can’t force myself to go out and hunt it myself.

Since I’ve lived in Mississippi my whole life, I’ve witnessed how hunting season isn’t just a season. And if you aren’t big into hunting, you will see it just as a season too. But for the majority in this area, hunting season isn’t just a season, it's a lengthy holiday. It’s like those two weeks you would get out for Christmas-New Year’s break as a child, only a little bit longer and for adults.

For your non-hunting average Joe, it just means being more careful at night and only being able to see your friends heads and guns they hold. For your hunters though, it means pulling out all of the camo you have been dying to wear, your lifesaving orange vests, all your favorite extras for the stand, and cleaning all your guns.

For your non-hunting friends, it means sleeping in late, under the warm, inviting covers of the bed, staying up late near the fireplace watching a movie, and maybe even enjoying a little bit of snow (if you are lucky). For your hunting friends though, it means climbing into that stand at the break of dawn, freezing, and spending countless numbers of hours at the camp, living like it's the 80’s again, playing board games, watching tv, and having absolutely no cell phone service ever.

For non-hunters, it's just another season really. We spend our time enjoying the holidays, enjoying or hating the temperature change and getting aggravated that it gets dark before you even get off work, just like hunters do. The only difference is that its a little more special for hunters. It’s like finding an extra present hidden under the Christmas tree after you thought you already opened all of them.

So happy hunting my hunter friends, and happy holidays to my non-hunting friends.