While we were in Hawaii visiting our family, I got to go to the island of Molokai with a friend and hunt for axis deer. They are smaller than our Oregon blacktail deer, but not much. Molokai is about 260 square miles, approximately 10 miles wide, and 30 miles long. It is relatively dry compared to Oahu, which is only 60 miles away. There are 7,000 people and 70,000 axis deer on the island. That is a lot of deer per square mile. We hunted for two days using a 6.5 Creedmoor rifle and killed five deer. We rented a car and a condo while there, and the apartment had a freezer to freeze the meat we harvested. I own insulated freezer bags that hold 50 lbs of frozen meat and can be checked on the airplane. I use the same bags when I go fishing in Alaska. The meat stays frozen all the way home in the bags and has handles, making them easy to carry. I can have two free fish or meat container bags on Alaska Airlines. The meat is delicious and very tender. I killed my first deer when I was 12 and have hunted all my life since then. I enjoy hunting a bit less than fishing now, though when I was younger, in better shape, and more agile, I think I enjoyed hunting more. When I die, I have instructed Patty to put Genesis 10:9 on my headstone; “He was a mighty hunter before the Lord.” Though I don’t want her to put John 21:3 on my headstone, “ They fished all night and caught nothing.” I read a book that said, “Because our great ancestors hunted and fished for their survival, it is in our DNA and therefore easy to get addicted to and to get great pleasure from. I am addicted to hunting and fishing and enjoy both activities immensely.
There is not much in this blog of spiritual value, though I did quote two Bible verses. Many of you asked about our trip to Oahu; it was super.