BACK TO TEXAS
By: Ted Nugent
Well that was a spirit dazzling 70-day bowhunting whirlwind, was it not! My landrush race to huntseason 2021 was as exciting, if not moreso, then any huntseason in my 73 years! I do believe the over-the-top giddy anticipation of getting back in the Michigan bowhunting groove was a hair more electric this year than most due to the hysteria and insanity of political outrage surrounding the weaponized Wuhan virus madness and various bizzarro conditions unleashed on an ever-increasing gullible society, and I for one couldn’t wait to swandive spirit-first into the soulcleansing glory of Ma Nature’s healing apparatus, bow and arrows in hand.
And healing it was, as arrow after arrow, adventure after adventure guided my spirit home to a better more perfect place, functioning as a dedicated participant in God’s pure and miraculous tooth, fang and claw renewable creation.
Thank God almighty!
Our Michigan wildlife heaven is a glowing chunk of wildground paradise that provides endless fascination, challenge and spiritual adventure. Sometimes there are deer everywhere, sometimes there are deer nowhere, and it can be extremely frustrating at times knowing they are there, but just not picking the ever-mystical right place right time.
I started out launching some mighty fine, very gratifying arrows into some very handsome old does as the season kicked off, and each and every outing was just what the doctor ordered. The venison and smiles flowed quite nicely off and on, thank you.
My beloved mutts Happy, Sadie and Coco performed valiantly on doves, pheasants, squirrels, rabbits and ducks, and a few bloodtrails, and this old hardcore hunting guitarplayer could not have been any happier.
My Michigan hunting tradition is deeply seeped into my very being from birth, and something very special happens deep inside when the seasons change and the dream of fall arrives from summertime in the once great Winter Water Wonderland of my birth. The autumn forests and swamps call my name loud and clear each year and I charge forth into their essence.
Recording my new killer album Ted Nugent Detroit Muscle in the barn smack dab in the middle of SwampNuge, surrounded by the effervescent Spirit of the Wild magnified the energy, groove and ferocity of my music, and Greg Smith on bass and Jason Hartless on thunderdrums helped create a firestorm of intense all-American R&B and flamethrowing rock-n-roll that we are extremely proud of.
I can’t wait for all you real musiclovers to hear this monster.
Normally I hunt Michigan every day from September right up to Thanksgiving time, but with a special invite to perform the Star-Spangled Banner at a huge Texas veteran’s event, the dogs and I departed Michigan a little ahead of schedule to show these heroes how much real America appreciates their warrior dedication and immense sacrifices for our freedom and quality of life.
So southbound with the hammer down we are, headed from our Michigan happy hunting grounds to our Texas happy hunting grounds, and though it is always difficult and bittersweet to leave the northern properties, I must say I am as giddy as ever to get cracking on our amazing Texas properties to keep the arrows flying and the happy flames fanned ferociously.
For many years prior to moving to Texas, I would always head to the Lone Star state sometime in December to experience and celebrate what is surely some of the best bowhunting on planet earth.
But now as a Texas resident, I split my hunting time between our old traditional family grounds in Michigan for the early season and at our new home in central Texas through the winter, and I am here to tell you, I cannot imagine the hunting could be any better or more fun than what we have in both states.
Our Texas whitetail season doesn’t end until March 1st, and such a long season sure makes for some incredible opportunities for living the ultimate venison dreams.
Between our homegrounds and some vast holdings by friends and neighbors, I literally have more deertags to fill than I do days to hunt, and I hunt every day! Now if that’s not the wildest American deerhunting dream I don’t know what would be.
So, with Thanksgiving right around the corner and the deerseason picking up steam day by day, I hope everyone is having the time of your lives like I am.
Take it slow and easy, hunt hard but hunt smart, celebrate and share the spirit with everybody you know, and let us be dedicated to keep this perfect hands-on conservation hunting lifestyle alive and well.
Aim small, miss small, and backstrap like you mean it. Know for sure that I am!