Traditions of Hunting Opening Day

by Wade Middleton

Traditional opening day hunts or traditions in general, honestly, are something I feel are very exciting. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, family reunions, whatever it may be, a lot of people look forward to by bringing likeminded folks together.

The opening day of any hunting season is a big day for me and all our team. We always circle those dates on our calendar and in some cases plan and prepare for months. Hunting season openers are often seeped in traditions that can range from camping at the same spot, hunting with the same group, using a firearm that’s been passed down for generations as well as many others.

Our Opening Day Traditions

The Wendlandt ranch holds some long-term history and memories for us when it comes to Texas Deer season. I can’t recall just how many years in a row we’ve been there to open the Texas season but it’s well over a decade now. We’ve killed some big deer, and we’ve killed some little bitty deer, we’ve tested new products, we’ve certainly told a lot of fishing lies around the breakfast table while eating pancakes and little Smokies sausages, we’ve also watched football games, tossed washers, and for sure played a lot of golf.

Sunrise on Opening Day of Deer Season
Can’t be this view!

One cool thing about staying at the Wendlandt Ranch is that we get to stay in this old house that’s been there for well over 100 years. Our food can range from meals Angel has pre made and send up to camp with us, all the way to having a fish fry with fish caught earlier in the year, to grilling venison or steaks with a mix of fudge brownies and apple pies.

With it being October, you know football will be on in the attic, surrounded by the numerous deer mounts shot on this property. We’re going to probably sit outside and tell lies while playing washers or cornhole, and we’re DEFINITELY going to play golf as I mentioned before.

Golfer hitting drive at Tee Box
What traditions do you have during opening day? We’ll always find time to squeeze in 18 holes.

All of that is a result of the many years we’ve spent doing this, and we still talk about those golf matches and cookouts, but it all comes back to deer hunting and whether we take down a big buck or just fill the freezer we’ll certainly gossip, tell stories and enjoy what a good ole deer camp is about. Which at the end of the day, is that we’re gathered here because we love deer hunting, and the tradition of hunting deer on opening weekend brings us all together to enjoy all of the other things.

Below are a few hunts that bring back some fond memories of Opening Weekend at the Wendlandt Ranch! What traditions do you have for opening day?

Hunting Whitetail with a .44 Magnum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRLwH7Ft3Fk

Crossbow Hunting on Opening Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLhJDudu5og&t=1s

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