(Published January 15, 2026)

Gary Miller
gary@outdoortruths.org

I've really enjoyed the unseasonably warm January weather. I wouldn't mind if the whole winter felt like this. It has allowed me to do a bunch of stuff outside in comfort. One of things I'm getting ready to do is head back into the deer woods. I want to spend a few hours perusing the land to learn what I can about last the previous season. I want to see where the bucks spent most of their time, where the most scrapes were, and of course how I can apply that to the next deer season. As I have mentioned many times before, one can learn so much when the leaves are off the trees and the season is over. There is no pressure. There's no time limit. There's no one thing that takes priority. There are just opportunities to learn and grow. And there's no better time to do a full investigation than when the woods are stripped down to their bare frame. Everything is exposed. Everything is open. And while everything seems dead, the ground is just preparing for another season of life. This sounds too much like you and me - and life.
As I write this, I think about many of you who would describe your present season as one of a bare frame. No leaves of life. No fruit of flourishing. Because of some circumstance or situation, you feel exposed to the world. You feel open for all to see the crooked limbs that stress shaped and trauma twisted. So, what do we do when this unwanted season of exposure comes our way? We find the signs of God. They will be there just as they have always been. But now we will be able to see them more clearly. And when we do that, we can return to our spring sooner. God does not always remove the leaves to correct us, but to help us see where He wants us to be more quickly, so that we can get back to the thriving life He has for all of us.
We will talk about all this on Tuesday morning. Get the Zoom link at outdoortruths.org

Gary Miller has written Outdoor Truths articles for 23 years. He has also written five books which include compilations of his articles and a father/son devotional. He also speaks at wild-game dinners and men's events for churches and associations.