It’s been said that life is like a roll of toilet paper: the closer you get to the end, the faster it spins. That’s funny when you’re young, but it sure seems to have lost its humor at my age. I just realized that as I was about to comment on how many shopping days we have before Christmas, I realized that there’s only two more weeks left in this year. Where’d they all go?

    As most of you who hunt have been reminded, hunting is dying out across America. I’m here to tell you that the stories of our demise seem to have been exaggerated.

    Most of these so-called facts come from the haphazard way that records have been kept on our sport. Most of it was tied to information that the Pittman-Robertson funding uses today in distributing its funds, i.e., numbers of licensed hunter by state. The only flaw with that system is that many of us hunt in more than one state. When I was younger and had more hormones and money than I had sense, I would have four to five different state hunting licenses each year. Those bean counters actually had me being counted as five hunters, not one hunter with five licenses. With today’s money crunch, guys like me have rationed their disposable incomes and now may only hunt one or two. To the bean counters, we’ve lost three hunters in the sport.

    Many of you are exempt from buying licenses. That’s a reward for just living this long, but I’d like for you to consider giving back instead of taking. A hunting license is only $12. You spend that much on a lunch at McDonalds. You spend more than that on a five pack of deer slugs and twice that on a box of duck shells. Why not put that money back into the system that we love? It’s not much in cash and it would double itself in Pittman-Robertson funding coming back to the state simply by adding one more counted hunter in our ranks.

    Speaking of our ranks, I’ve noticed in the last two or three years of teaching hunter education that our ranks are being buffered by a huge new group of young people. Girls now make up a large portion of our class and they don’t come with boyfriends. They come to learn and to become certified.

    Fifteen-year-old Katie Price, daughter of Kurt and Lynn Price of Smyrna is one of those young ladies in the field. Sitting with her dad in a treestand in Maryland, Katie not only took her first deer, she took her first buck. The year and a half old 8-pointer was no record deer, but it sure was a trophy to her and her proud dad. The deer had been a fighter and had the scars and the broken antlers to prove it. Congratulations, Katie.

    For the first time in some time, I heard from a successful cottontail rabbit hunter this year. John Mitchell of Milford along with his son, John Jr., hosted a traditional Thanksgiving hunt for their families and even 4-year-old grandson, Hunter, was able to join. The dogs had to be doing a great job or the rabbits were everywhere. When the fur stopped flying, 10 bunnies were on the ground waiting for the stew pot.

    Some of you may not know but the “hunting season” around the Chesapeake also signals opening day of striped bass season. Ray Lloyd of Felton and Jack Kling of Camden made their yearly trip to Cape Charles, Va. As they’ve done for over the last decade, hopes were high. Boat issues and gale winds kyboshed Friday’s fishing but hope springs eternal for fanatic fishermen. Saturday was a glorious day with four fish to fit the slot limit and one of them being 40 inches long. Ray says that it was fortunate that Saturday was good, as the gale forces returned with a vengeance on Sunday and they were forced to pack up and come home.

    I understand the trappers are doing quite well, but the shame is that the fur market, like many other luxuries, is suffering a bit. Still, what’s lost in price and be made up in volume by those dedicated to chasing a trap line.

    Whatever you’re doing this December, remember that the bitter cold can be a silent killer to those who don’t respect its force. Hypothermia can affect anyone at anytime, but never without warning. If you’re in a boat or slogging the marsh, make sure your clothing is suitable for the job. In the boat, wear the PFD, it won’t do you much good if you’re overboard and it’s under the seat. If your teeth are chattering or you’re shaking inside, get to a heat source of some sort and protect your core temperatures. Don’t ruin your family’s holiday by doing something stupid. Be careful out there.