Now that another deer season has come to a close, many of Maine’s unsuccessful deer hunters are left wondering why they trudge through the wet and cold of Maine’s late fall year after year in search of that elusive buck.

Yes, a good many do bag a deer. And yes, a number of them seem to nab one each and every year. But for the lion’s share of Maine hunters, “success” and “deer hunting” are words not commonly used in the same sentence.

As many a hunter will tell you, there is nothing easy about chasing down a deer in the Maine woods. Man is much less adept at moving about the woods, and relies as much on luck as his wits when on the hunt.

Yet, year after year, thousands of us crawl out of bed long before dawn every Saturday in November and ready ourselves to tread out into the rain and snow in search of a big buck. What makes us head out on what is so often a fruitless effort? There is no clear answer, as the reasons are as varied as each hunter’s strategy for bagging a trophy deer.

My own deer hunting past is a checkered one, littered with missed opportunities and near successes. However, I have yet to give up hope and routinely head for the woods each November.

Part of that enthusiasm comes from spending many a fall in the hustle and bustle of sporting camps. My father once owned and managed such a business, and I would spend every possible minute among the hunters as they came in from a frosty day and settled into seats before bowls of steaming stew and heaping plates of food.

Most of those evenings consisted of half-heartedly finishing my homework as the hunters gathered around the fire to have a few drinks and smoke pipes and cigars as they swapped stories of their hunting exploits. As they told tales, I would sit silently in the some corner of the lodge, trying to envision their anecdotes and glean what hunting tips I could from their stories.

I realized then, as now, that these men weren’t heroes or living legends. They were from all walks of life, and but for one or two weeks of hunting a year they performed myriad duties as police officers and masons or teachers, doctors and lawyers. Yet, in the warm glow of a fire and amid the unique camaraderie of the lodge, my youthful exuberance for all things hunting led me to view these men as foremost authorities on the subject, and bolstered my enthusiasm for coming hunting excursions.

But that enthusiasm was often tempered with the practical realization that deer hunting in Maine’s North Woods can be a rather humbling experience. Wet boots, cold fingers and crackling brush underfoot can, and often do, conspire to make even the most dedicated hunter appear to be a bit of a bumbler when on the trail of a deer.

So why bother? Well, I believe many a hunter will tell you that they aren’t out trudging through the cold, gray fall landscape of Maine just for a deer. They are out for the sheer enjoyment of the total experience.

They love to soak up the view from a hardwood ridge after struggling to reach the summit. Many a hunter will tell you that a jaunt into Maine’s woods reveals treasures such as discovering a new beaver pond or finding some old stone fence and apple trees from homes and farms long since forgotten.

I am always in awe of the sheer activity within a forest that would otherwise go unnoticed. I often find some location where I sit or stand for an hour or more, still and silent as I await the possible appearance of a deer in my vicinity.

At first listen, and almost inaudibly, as though one’s own heartbeat and breathing could obscure it, a careful listener will hear the extravagant goings on of the Maine woods. As one becomes more aware of the noises, they seem to intensify to the point that I often wonder if I would be able to recognize the sound of a deer approaching my position.

Older trees whine, crack and moan as they are jostled by cool gusts of wind. The boisterous chatter and rustling of squirrels moving about the forest floor in search of acorns and beechnuts mixes with the calls of wintering birds to create a veritable cacophony capable of distracting the most focused hunter.

But while other hunters and I enjoy the beauty of nature, others enjoy the company of their friends and family during their outings. I have come across many a vehicle filled with three or more orange-clad generations of one family.

From the excitable teen-ager bounding with energy, but limited in knowledge and skills, to the less energetic but all the wiser grandfather, Maine’s hunting traditions appear to remain a healthy part of family life. In my younger days I spent many a sleepy morning traveling before dawn to some favored hunting spot selected by my father or grandfather.

As I sat squeezed between hips and rifles, and with my legs straddling the stick shift of a pickup, I would listen intently as my father would instruct me on the terrain of the preselected spot and what signs to look for. But it was also clear that this time was meant not merely as an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of hunting, but rather time devoted to bonding with family.

But beyond family bonding and an appreciation for nature, hunters also partake of the sport for the simple fun and kinship that it provides. On the last day of this season, I went hunting with my father and one of his close friends. Within a couple of hours a shot rang out, and my father’s friend had indeed shot a deer.

The man was overjoyed, and his enthusiasm spread throughout our hunting party. We all took part in readying the deer for transport, rotating turns as we dragged it from the woods and then loaded it onto the happy hunter’s truck for transport.

And while the only thing I gained from my hunting season this year was a set of sore legs and a stiff back, I have no regrets about a season that others may describe as wasted. In fact, I look forward to another November of chilly Saturdays spent in a lively forest in search of Maine’s elusive deer.

For those hunters who were fortunate enough to fill a freezer with deer meat this year, my experience cooking deer meat has been to fry it, either ground or in steaks, with some pepper and served with traditional steak sauces. However, I have found a few recipes that offer more elaborate ways of preparing the meat:

Venison Pepper Steaks

2 pounds venison round steak

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 large onion, sliced

6 ounces mushrooms, sliced

4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 large green pepper, sliced

1 cup water

cooking oil

Cut steaks into 1-inch-by-3-inch pieces. Coat with flour, salt and pepper. Warm oil over medium heat in large frying pan and lightly brown meat. Drain excess oil. Add onion, mushrooms, green pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Stir-fry for 10 minutes. Add water, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Venison Stew

2 pounds venison, 1-inch cubes

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 tablespoons butter

1 large chopped onion

1 chopped green pepper

2 bay leaves

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

4 cups water

1 chopped celery stalk

4 large potatoes, cubed

6 chopped carrots

Coat meat with flour, salt and pepper. Melt butter over medium heat in a large frying pan. Brown meat and add onion, green pepper, bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce. Add meat and vegetables to a stew pot with water. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add celery, potatoes and carrots and simmer for an additional hour or until vegetables are tender.

Smoked Venison Roast

1 venison roast

6 pieces of slab bacon

Garlic powder

Bacon grease

Smear the roast generously with bacon grease, then sprinkle with garlic powder. Wrap the roast with slab bacon and place it on a charcoal grill. Apply desired wood chips (every 2 hours) to the charcoal until desired temperature is reached (about 4 hours). Slice thinly and serve with desired sauce.

Venison Kebabs

venison, cubed

1/4 cup cranberry juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon fresh garlic

1/4 teaspoon onion salt

1/4 teaspoon celery salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon sweet basil

teaspoon ginger

mushrooms

onions

green peppers

cherry tomatoes

Mix juice, oil and spices. Marinate venison overnight in the refrigerator. Thread the kebabs on the skewers. Alternate skewered meat with mushrooms and vegetables. Grill over hot fire for several minutes. Do not overcook. While grilling, marinate kebabs with remaining marinade.