Texas archery-only white-tailed deer season opens October 3, which means that for bowhunters like me, the season has already begun in another sense: preparation.
Listen to the reflection
Right now is about getting everything ready. Making sure the knives are sharp. Checking the bow strings and every connection. Going through the quiver and picking out the arrows I trust most. Checking the sight, the draw, the release, the rangefinder — making sure everything is safe, tight, familiar, and ready to do exactly what it is supposed to do.
And then there is the other part of preparation: dreaming.
You think about that spot you picked for this season. The feeder you have already loaded with corn and have been checking. You find yourself strangely happy when there is almost no feed left on the ground but there are tracks everywhere. You pull the bow, aim at a target, settle the pin, and imagine that really good hunt.
The Hunt Begins Before the Hunt
Maybe this is the year for that special one. The kind of hunt that stays with you. The kind of memory that feels a little like a sunset you almost did not stop to watch — and then you saw it, and thought, Yep. That was the one.
I have come to believe that a lot of the joy of hunting lives right here, before opening morning. It is in the checking, tuning, sharpening, watching, waiting, and imagining. The getting ready is not something you have to endure before the hunt. It is part of the hunt.
What Age Has Taught Me About Preparation
As I have gotten older — and hopefully a little wiser — I have realized that the more seriously I prepare for something, the better I tend to do it.
That sounds almost too obvious to say. But I remember being a young man and thinking the opposite. Just get out there. Get what you need. Wing it. Work hard and figure it out as you go.
There is something admirable about initiative, but there is also a kind of maturity that learns to respect preparation. Small details matter. Familiarity matters. Repetition matters. Readiness matters.
Preparation and the Timing of God
That is where this starts to feel spiritual to me.
Scripture repeatedly joins preparation and timing. Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is a season for everything. Galatians describes Christ coming in “the fullness of time.” God is not scrambling at the last minute, reacting to circumstances as though He has just discovered what is happening.
He is never late. He is never early. But He is always prepared.
Michael Vowell
And so often, His preparation shows up in the details we are tempted to overlook.
That may be one reason preparation has become more meaningful to me with age. The older I get, the less I want to rush past the work that comes before the moment. Sometimes the preparation is doing something in us that the event itself cannot do. It teaches patience. Attention. Discipline. Respect for small things. It forces us to slow down long enough to notice what we used to miss.
That is true in the field. It is true in ministry. It is true in marriage. It is true in the life of a disciple.
Part of the Thrill
So, with bow season just around the corner, I am checking everything again. Looking over the gear. Pulling the bow. Watching the feeder. Looking at tracks. Thinking about where I will sit and what that first cool morning might feel like.
And I am enjoying the preparation for what it is — not a delay, but part of the excitement. Part of the anticipation. Part of the thrill.
The hunt begins long before the hunt. So does faithfulness.
Field & Faith is a series of reflections by Michael Vowell on the outdoors, hunting, stewardship, patience, preparation, and the spiritual life. Texas Parks & Wildlife lists the 2026 archery-only white-tailed deer season as October 3–November 6. Check current Texas regulations for your county before hunting.
