Deer season, in some form, has been open since early September, but the main event for most Maine hunters is the regular firearms season, which starts Saturday for residents.

They await its arrival with child-like anticipation, despite learning as we grow older that dreams rarely come true. Things seldom turn out as we’d hoped or imagined, but sometimes the unexpected can be just as rewarding; and sometimes, not.

Weather often plays a part. Those who recall last year’s opener probably don’t do so fondly. Temperatures soared into the 70s, which can severely depress daytime deer movement. I was bemoaning just that around 9 a.m. when I heard fast-approaching footfalls and wheeled around in time to see a buck running straight at me. He came close, too close, and too fast. Running shots aren’t for me so I passed, and consoled myself by rationalizing that it was too hot to drag him out anyway.

Then there was the year opening day fell on the tail end of a late easterly storm. It was warm, fortunately, but the rain came down in sheets and wind rocked the tree I was perched in. “I should have stayed in bed,” I thought, until I caught movement in the brush, a patch of brown and a glint of antler. Had I not forgotten my knife that morning, I dare say I would have been the first hunter in the state to register a deer.

Most openers pass with little or no action, but memories of those quickly fade. There were far more opening days when I went into the woods in the morning darkness feeling super confident, and came back out in the dark with nothing to show for it. Perhaps that’s a bit short-sighted because every day in the woods offers something.

I recall another opener when it might have warmed up to 20 by midday but the stiff northwest wind made it feel even colder. I heard a deer approaching, this time more slowly, but unfortunately too early. I took note of his route and was in a better position to intercept him the following Monday, when he obligingly arrived after daylight broke. That deer missed the Biggest Bucks of Maine Club by a mere 2 pounds.

There’s a saying among deer hunters that you should never pass up a deer on the first day of a hunt that you would shoot on the last one. That’s probably more appropriate for a short or guided hunt where you may only have a few days or a week. Maine’s season spans four weeks. It may seem like the odds go down with each passing day as deer get educated or removed from the population, but there are many variables involved, like local hunting pressure and the rut. Your goal may be to bag a big buck but if you settle for the first deer you see on Day 1, you’ll never know what could have been.

Bob Humphrey is a freelance writer and Registered Maine Guide who lives in Pownal. He can be reached at: bob@bobhumphrey.com