As deer season approaches each year, memories of hunts gone by flood my mind each night when I lay head to pillow. I can hardly remember what I did last week but every year at this time I can conjure up, with great detail, just about every hunting experience I’ve ever had.

And it’s not just the kills that I recall. No, I think some of my best memories revolve around time in the woods when we weren’t gutting deer or dragging them across the snow.

I still remember my first season i...