Do you feel GOD has a hand in being sucessful in the deer woods?

[uplander]

Do you really think God cares about your hunting success or that touchdown you scored or any other pesonal achievement. If there is a god I think he she it would be far more apt to care if you are being a good person than if you score your buck or not, besides there are real crisis situations going on all the time that might take precidence over your whitetail desires. You should use your prayers for something a little less selfless!!

[Christopher Quast]

Do you really think God cares about your hunting success or that touchdown you scored or any other pesonal achievement. If there is a god I think he she it would be far more apt to care if you are being a good person than if you score your buck or not, besides there are real crisis situations going on all the time that might take precidence over your whitetail desires. You should use your prayers for something a little less selfless!!

Negative attitudes like yours won't get you very far in life !!! Was that my question? NO I believe it wasnt and if thats the way you feel then keep it to yourself and I am guessing your not very happy with your life.

[sparcebag]

Gold thats kinda uncalled for,once ya post its open to all.Lets not get leaning towards the political threads here. Constant argueing.

[Christopher Quast]

I hear ya just my opinion I did specify I didnt want it to be a dabate originally I'm done now

[fishermatt]

I didn't see Uplander's post as negative except the selfless retort. Besides I think some of the stories are involving a dead person's spirit, which is different than and not God. Here's an example of what uplander is saying:

You're praying for God to send you a Buck, but a 5 year old Ethiopian kid is praying for food. Does God give you your buck and let the kid starve? People starve to death every day, so do you really think God would be involved in you getting a deer?

[USPENAMC]

let me first say i do believe in GOD but let me put it to you this way

the mayas had their GOD/GOD's the aztecs, the romans this and that and they have all gone out of existence. we have to believe in something bigger and far beyond our own self to be able to cope with things i believe. so what says we wont one day dissapear along with our GOD/GOD's and a new race XXXXXXXXXX will come into this world much like we did and the ones before us and we will be part of their history books. there will be talk about the now extinct zebra, whitetail deer, bear so on and so forth and more studies done on the alligator, duckbill platipus and such because they somewhow managed to evade extinctions so on and so forth????????????????????//

[uplander]

Thaks fishermatt! I was not being negative goldtip that's just my opinion and this forum is about expressing that. And as far as not being happy with my life , you couldn't be more wrong, but think what you want, to each there own......God is a touchy subject and if you open that can of worms don't expect everyone to share your veiws.

[Christopher Quast]

Your right and I did get a little over defensive against your post and I apologize. Lets keep er goin

[BobT]

All I know is that I can't begin to even suggest I know what God may think or do in any situation. Is he there when I'm hunting? Certainly. Is he there when a child is starving? Yes.

What I do know is that no matter how good a person I think I am, no matter how much effort I put into being a good person, it is all for naught if I don't know Him, believe on Him, trust in Him, and totally surrender to Him. That last part is probably the hardest part for anyone to acheive.

Fortunately believers have an out. We know in our hearts that we have salvation through His blood.

Do you know Him?

Bob

[Christopher Quast]

Very well put BOB T!

[uplander]

No sweat goldtip....you don't have to worry about me I have thick skin from all my neggative energy lol...but seriuosly it's all good.have a great season ..uplander

[irvingdog]

I know religion is a touchy subject with some people out there and this is not meant to be a debate. Just curious to hear some stories of when you were out hunting and you had that feeling in your gut that you were going to shoot one, and earlier that day you went to church and right after you just had a deer hunters intuition that you would get a crack at that big buck or just a deer in general. Any story is cool whether it be bear,deer,moose or what have you.

Answer: No

But I sure do curse him when I miss.

[Tim_Anderson]

I do go to church as much as I can, but guiding, hunting, and the outdoor lifestyle keep me away many weekends. I do miss it when I'm gone. A guy needs to connect with others who believe in the same things. I tried the loner path for a long time...didn't do too well with it. I'd say I'm a spiritual guy. Not religious.

I used to get frustrated and ask alot of questions of God. Why does the guy in the ice shack next to me who is slobbering drunk, swearing his head off and looking at porn...catch a big fish and I get nothing? Why does the atheist arrive at his stand at 10:00 a.m. stinking like stale booze and b.o., and winds up shooting a monster buck, while I hunt day after day with nothing? Small thing, but then you start asking about the really important stuff, like why does a child suffer, or why does someone die way before their time? Why so much injustice everywhere you look?

Like I say, I USED to question alot of this stuff, but have gotten to a point in my life where I just trust God. I haven't been able to come up with the answers, and haven't really heard of anyone who has. As far as being successful in the outdoors goes, I don't think it matters if I prayed and went to church or not...God loves the other guy out there just as much as me. I got my own set of sins...they're just maybe different than the next guy. I just know he likes it when I go...and you know what, I do too.

I used to think I could earn my way as well, by doing good deeds and following all the rules. Drove myself crazy. And then I came to understand that Gods grace and eternal life is a free gift. Just believe and accept it...it's as simple as that. Man, does THAT ever make life alot easier! Still like to try and do some good clean livin...just got a different understanding of it now. It's not because I'm trying to earn my way, but rather, it's a response to Him for all the things he's done for me.

So I just keep plugging along, enjoying his creation, and trying to connect with him. And when he blesses me, I smile extra hard, bask in it, and praise and thank him for it. I know in my heart he's there, taking care of all the big things, AND all the small things. I don't need to know all the answers.

Me? I just have faith and trust that he's got it all under control. I find great peace, contentment and satisfaction in that.

Last night, I was in the deer stand again. Saw a huge deer coming. Bino's up, and I see it's just a big baldy. Still fired up, cuz I know a big buck could be coming anytime. And then I realize...I'm completely wired up. Heart is racing. Adrenaline is rushing. Where did THAT come from?

I know. And I immediately thank HIM for thrilling me yet again. Though it's the best, it rarely takes a monster buck to do that.

Enjoy the fall guys...

[Pyrex]

I would say its hard to sit in the woods or on the edge of a slough at sunup and see the world come alive as the sun rises and not believe God had no part in it.

Great post Tim I would agree the reason we do what we do is to find peace, contentment and satisfaction and whether we get the game or not, just being out there makes us better people, I'm not here to preach, but I dont know if you do not believe in God you can have the same serenity .....Wow thats deep.....I do think He laughs at me when I miss though, I once heard a bush say "Dude how did you miss that, it was right there in front of you!!! Maybe I should have made you a ballet dancer instead..."

Naw , Im just kiddin.

[fasternu]

I asked myself this same question in the woods this weekend, and left more confused than before. I think he helps keep us safe, but was pondering the question "If God created man, and God created deer, would God answer man's prayer to kill another creature he created?" I know the bible talks about teaching a man to fish, so to speak, but was leaning towards saying that I just don't think God would change destiny to allow me to kill one of his creatures. I instead chalked it up to the time I spent scouting and studying the land. But, that is just my opinion.

[slick814]

I'm right there with Eskimoman. I say a prayer for the safety of everyone in the woods, and the ability to be out in the beauty of His creation. Then I will also say paryers of thanks for a safe day, and also when I am able to harvest a deer.

It does say to hunt and fish in the bible, but I don't believe that He interferes or intervenes in our hunting successes in any way other than to have given us the inteligence and ability to hunt.

[cupper]

Great post Tim... very well said.

[AHLHAWK81]

Enjoyed reading all the posts on this topic. As is said, iron sharpens iron. Some great insight guys. Now to answer the original question...yes, in some way. Personally, I believe God has a hand in everything. A plan for everyone. It does not always mean success though. At some point in life everyone will be faced with varying degrees of hardship, heartache or whatever, and it can change you. I guess for me, I am thankful for the opportunity to hunt, which leads to wisdom, which hopefully leads to success. Whether it be a big buck or other. If not, I trust that's His plan. Good luck all!!

[Royce Aardahl]

I always pray for fun and safety also when I head out to hunt and fish. Last Tuesday I got an arrow into probably the biggest buck I've ever shot at. Quartering away perfect and I botched the shot and hit forward. Tracked him over a mile in the next 20 hours and did a lot of praying along the way. Well I did not get a yes to those prayers which really bummed me out. All the preperation and passing smaller bucks and then blow the shot. For some reason God let the buck live, at least I'm pretty sure he's still kickin from the sign I found. I'll still praise Him forever and hope I make a better shot next time.

[bottomdweller]

Im with hawk, I always pray for just the oppurtunity to be out hunting. No matter what the weather I thank GOD, just for letting me part of his creation, and letting me take part in the hunt. Heartaches are abundant, but nothing compared to what the Lord went through for us.