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A Lee Enterprises, Incorporated newspaper. Majority shareholder: David Hoffmann, Hoffmann Media Group.

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Chris Hardie harvests a buck during a snowy opening weekend in 2022.

Chris Hardie/For Agri-View

Chris Hardie sips coffee from his grandfather’s Thermos.

Chris Hardie/For Agri-View

Grilling sandwiches over an open fire is a Chris Hardie hunting tradition.

Chris Hardie/For Agri-View

Crossword puzzles from 1992 keep Chris Hardie’s mind active in the deer stand.

Chris Hardie/For Agri-View

Chris Hardie uses a ground stand at his hunting spot in the woods.

Chris Hardie/For Agri-View

A wall in Chris Hardie’s house is a tribute to his love of deer hunting.

Chris Hardie/For Agri-View

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Chris Hardie For Agri-View

The pre-dawn hours of Saturday, Nov. 21, will find me pouring pancakes on a hot griddle with the smell of cooking bacon drifting through the house. I will sip hot coffee as I fill the vintage Thermos that was used for many years on similar mornings by my grandfather. It will join a selection of sandwiches and snacks that will keep me nourished as I sit in the woods for the opening day of my 51st season of gun deer hunting.

Chris Hardie and his wife, Sherry, live on his great-grandparents’ Jackson County farm. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2001, he is a former member of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and past president of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. His book “Back Home: Country Tales by the Seasons” is available through Amazon.