Whats Your Pattern?

With all the camo patterns out there for hunters, it’s amazing how we can even be seen in the woods at all! From A to Z there are tons of patterns that people wear when they go hunting. The goal is to blend in to their surroundings. Why is it so hard to kill that buck of your dreams? Regardless of how much you spend on camo, you will get busted from time to time. It is not easy to go into a wild animal’s home and kill it, although it does happen … it ain’t easy. Not only do you have to have a good camo pattern, you have to pattern the animal you’re hunting! Growing up in Alabama, I have spent a lot of time in the outdoors. I have been blessed to see my children enjoying the same passion for hunting that I have. My time in the outdoors has not always been successful, and is sometimes comical. It seems that if it can go wrong, it usually does on my hunting adventures. I have learned to laugh at those times and enjoy telling the stories around my adventures.  I was blessed to be able to be a part of an Outdoor TV show for several years and I enjoyed getting to hunt all around the country. I’ve taken mule deer, elk, and my favorite—whitetail deer—from all around the United States and in Mexico. Most of my time now is spent taking my children into the woods to allow them to have the same thrill of hunting, and enjoying that one-on-one time that I can have with them there. During the off season, we spend some time patterning the deer. We want to know their behavior and travel tendencies. Trail cameras have made it that much easier, but it normally comes down to just sitting in the woods and watching the day unfold. You learn a lot about a deer by just watching it. The ultimate goal is to harvest the animal and enjoy the food that it gives our family. We celebrate a doe almost as much as we celebrate taking a trophy buck! With a house full, we like to keep our freezer full of that good venison meat.  I have also been in ministry for many years and I’ve talked with many people that have been tracked down and hunted by their enemy … the devil. He never stops hunting. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Many people are never satisfied with hunting. It always leaves them wanting more. The enemy is never satisfied, either, and he will not stop his pursuit of you until Jesus Christ returns and crushes him. Until then, he is looking for every opportunity to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10a). The enemy is a lot like a deer hunter when you think about it. Here are some qualities of a good deer hunter; you can see the parallels of how the enemy comes after us. A GOOD DEER HUNTER KNOWS WHERE TO SET UP This is one of the key traits of a good hunter. He knows where to set up to kill his game. A good deer hunter sets up in places where the deer is naturally going to travel. These can be food sources, pinch points, natural funnels, etc. You then try to slip in unnoticed and wait for the opportunity to strike. The enemy sets up in natural places as well. A man is naturally going to struggle with the lust of the mind, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-16). You must fight against this or you will be like the unwise buck that goes into one of these places and gets taken out! The enemy is very aware of the pattern of mankind and he uses the same tactics that he has always used to do his damage to those that were created in God’s image. A GOOD DEER HUNTER KNOWS WHAT TO SAY I enjoy using calls when I hunt whitetail deer, especially in the Midwest. It seems that I get a better response when I use these in moderation. I do not want to sound unnatural and educate the deer. It’s never good to do something that blows your cover, or you may not see a deer in the area you’re hunting for the rest of the season. Grunt calls, rattle bags, snort wheezes, buck roars, and doe bleats are always in my arsenal to take on my hunt. The enemy knows what to say as well. “You deserve this!” “No one will know.” “It’s not hurting anyone!” “It’ll make you popular!” “You need that!” He just puts it out there and tempts you with sin. If you do not recognize the enemy’s calls, you will surely be destroyed (Hosea 4:6).  It is essential that you study the Word of God so that you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). A GOOD DEER HUNTER KNOWS WHEN TO SAY IT There are times when you use a grunt call or a rattle bag and there are times you don’t! If that buck is 50 yards away and walking straight to you, it is best not to slam that rattle bag together! He will know something is not right, and in a moment you will have nothing but a memory of that buck!  The call you make can’t kill that buck; all it can do is make him come closer so he’ll get in the kill zone. You want to do something to tempt him or trick him into thinking that he has an opportunity to be in control. That buck likes to think he is in control, and if that is threatened he will respond. The enemy knows just when to tempt you! He is not waving a neon sign saying it is him, either!! When you are afraid. When you are sad. When you are having difficult times. When everyone is panicking. That is when the enemy comes and calls you into the kill zone. If you are not wise you will walk into his trap! For the whitetail deer, it’s his keen senses that help him to avoid death. For the Christian, it is the Holy Spirit and a knowledge of the Word of God that will help us as we journey through this world. A GOOD DEER HUNTER KNOWS WHEN TO SHUT UP AND TAKE THE KILL From time to time, I get a blessing and actually harvest a big buck. I have been blessed for the past several years to take home some really large bucks from around the country and even right here in Alabama, where killing a big buck is at best difficult. I pattern that deer, learn his habits, keep tabs on him, and then I set up on him and call him in just at the right time. Once he’s in range, I’m pretty deadly with my bow and especially my .308. Then, in an instant, that big buck is dead! I’ve accomplished my goal and I’ve harvested the animal I was after. Some of the bucks I’ve taken are the result of 3-4 years of effort and patience. Then there are some that I never get! Once you have been patterned by the enemy and succumb to his call and temptation, you are in grave danger. In an instant, you can lose the respect you once had and the relationships you once enjoyed. The enemy has accomplished his goal. You may even be killed and step into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The enemy is persistent and patient. He will not stop hunting you down. It is a lifelong battle and if we plan to honor God, we must heed His warnings and obey His Word. I pray that this is a wake-up call for you and that you will run to the safety of Jesus Christ and live!  John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”  “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” (Galatians 3:13).  “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). In a moment you can be saved! You can run to freedom and live! Maybe you have called yourself a Christian for many years, yet you find yourself the same … deep in sin. You can’t honestly say that you “know for sure” that you will spend eternity with Christ. Maybe you’ve tried to earn God’s favor by being a “good person.” Or, maybe you’ve spent your entire life not caring about Jesus Christ and you have done what comes natural and rebelled against Him.  I urge you to REPENT, to change your mind about God and yourself. God hates sin and He is holy, holy, holy. He will not overlook your sin on the Day of Judgment. You will not be able to blame it on the devil because it was you who walked into the kill zone by your own choice. Your “good works” will do absolutely nothing to change the outcome. However, God has made provision so you can escape and live for eternity with Him. That provision is Jesus Christ! Eternal life is available!  “And this is eternal life, that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). You can have that relationship with God today through Jesus Christ. Trust in Jesus as your Savior. Look away from yourself and call upon His name to save you and to make you right with God.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12). You do not have to “hope” you have eternal life—you can know that you are a new creation. I pray that Jesus Christ is not just your passion, but He is your obsession! You can still enjoy hunting and work hard at filling your freezer, but that doesn’t have to be your god. Avoid the trap of the enemy! So, what is your pattern?