So much to do, so little time. For everything there is a season, a time to sow and a time to reap. Thankfully, we live in an area of the country where fall is a special time. It’s a time of harvest for farmers and producers. More importantly, it’s a time of harvest for area hunters and anglers.

Many anglers will continue to fish right up until cold weather when winter’s chill runs them back to the cozy confines of the living room. And what’s more, the fishing will be good, even great. Evidence of that came last week when I went bass fishing with a group of friends. Between the four of us we caught and released approximately 130 bass! So much to do, so little time.

Some outdoorsmen face a strong dilemma, whether to go fishing or hunting. And there are green fields to be planted and stands to be replaced. Some folks, like a few of my friends, choose to hunt right up until opening day of deer season. Others have already put down the rods and are in the woods chasing the deer with a stick and string.

Many die-hard anglers will hunt in the cool early mornings and fish in the warmer afternoons. What a life, catching bass and crappie in the mornings, and harvesting deer or doves in the afternoons. The choices are hard for many of us with so much to do, and so little time.

Just a short time ago, we left West Lauderdale Elementary School excited and primed up as opening day of squirrel season was upon us. Young boys like Bruce Roberts, Walter Ridinger, Robert Brown, Randy Smith, myself and countless others were primed and ready for action. We hit the woods running and cut our squirrel and deer hunting teeth in the outdoors of east Mississippi. What a time of sowing and reaping it was. Every afternoon after school the woods were teeming with young boys and their shotguns in search of squirrels. And in the mornings we would compete for bragging rights and find out who had killed the most. What a fun carefree time that was!

Our fathers and grandfathers took us hunting, and opened up a whole new world to us. We learned how to handle firearms and put meat on the table for our families. Our fathers were sowing seeds that would sprout, bloom and literally explode in our lives over the coming years. Yes we harvested squirrel, rabbit, ducks, deer and an occasional quail when they got in our way. We learned woodsmanship skills not found in the square boxes of today. And along the way we experienced plenty of harvests. So much to do, so little time.

Some say life is but a vapor, or mist in the air, that rises in the morning and disappears in an instant. Just a short time ago my schoolmate and fishing buddy Bruce Roberts and I entered the Okatibbee Swamp one morning in search of squirrels. And yes, we harvested quite a few. Later on Walter Ridinger and I traversed the Bogue Phalia Hills in search of quail and turkey. We shot a few quail and harvested our first gobblers as well.

Those hunts occurred just a short time ago, in the scheme of things. In reality, they occurred over thirty years ago. My how time flies, like a puff of wind. It’s almost unbelievable. The old folks used to talk about how fast the years passed, as they got older. I’ve lived long enough now to understand what they meant. So much to do, so little time.

With fall now upon us we all have choices to make. I for one will be going back to the woods. And I’ll be carrying my daughters and other youths along with me. Hunting is an American heritage and tradition that has been passed on to many generations. If we don’t expose our children to God’s great outdoors, and carry them hunting and fishing we are in danger of losing our heritage and rights. There are already too many youngsters that grow up with no idea where meat comes from, or how to hunt and fish. If not us, then who? It’s up to you and I to teach them the ways of the outdoors before it’s too late. What choice will you make? The future of a free America may just depend on it. So much to do, so little time!