hunting experience day 2

Over the next few days I'm hunting and taking a notebook along.  In the evenings I'll post how my day went.
~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~

It's day 2 of my hunting the elusive white tailed deer.  I made it out to my stand around 7:30 a.m. ~ yes ~ I have a watch on today.  Although, it's set an hour ahead of time.  It's Sam's old watch which he seldom wears and he didn't turn back the time at daylight savings.  Maybe I'll figure it out while sitting here and put the correct time on.

~~~

My fire starting skills were much better today ~ it only took a few pages of the deer hunting regulations booklet and three magazine pages.  I swear... those magazine pages are made of fire retardant material.  I grabbed some dry balsam branches from outside before coming into the shack this morning.  Once I get in here for the day ~ this is where I stay ~ unless its for an urgeant potty break.  I'm trying to not drink too many fluids while sitting here.  Not easy ~ considering how much I love my morning coffee.

~~~

8:00 a.m.  ~ heard four shots in a row

8:10 ~ heard one more shot

8:15 ~ Just heard another shot

If someone is shooting at the same deer it must be hamburger by now.

8:17 ~ another shot! mercy

~~~

Lumber Jack  -  image from the web

It's been quiet now for awhile.  I do hear a Lumber Jack, or Gray Jay or Canada Jay as it's also known, and a blue jay is squawking out a warning.  I suppose he's telling the lumber jack that this is his territory.

~~~

I love being out here in the woods listening to the sounds of nature and enjoying the peace and quiet.  I sure can understand why Mom took such a liking to coming out to her little hunting shack for a week out of the year.  Especially when all us nine kids were little and all still living at home.  This had to have felt like the equivalence of a luxury spa.

~~~

9:26 ~ Just heard another shot to the south of me

9:26 1/2 ~ Just heard another one.  That could be Mom.  It sounded pretty close.  It's so hard to tell when you're sitting in an enclosed building; even with the windows open.

9:35 ~ another shot - but this one was way off in the distance - maybe Balczewski's or Troutman's crew.

~~~

I have a pounding headache.  I hope it let's up and I can sit all day.  Come on deer - give me a break.

~~~

I have to bring my camera out here and take some pics.  I'm looking at the different tree trunks.  The balsam are unique in color - wherever there was a growth spire the coloration all the way up the tree is darker - interesting - and they're so evenly spaced.  The one straight out from my window in particular is very neat.  The coloration from gray to green is so distinct.

Today seems to be dragging on.  It must be because I have a watch on and I know what time it actually is.

~~~

image from the web

 

I'm reading a book today while I wait for my monster buck to show up.  It's by James Campbell called "The Final Frontiersman".  It's a true story of a Wisconsin man named Heimo Korth who gave up life in the lower 48 to live a life as a trapper by the Arctic Circle in Alaska.  It's very well written and really makes you think about life in general.  The adventures of the Korth family's daily lives are those that many will never experience in a lifetime.  Myself ~ being the wife to a trapper and living as we do in the north woods of Wisconsin can relate to many of the Korth's experiences.  Thank you Porky for lending this book to us ~ and I promise to get it back to you.  It's a treasure.

~~~

It's a little after 11:00 - I just ate a ham salad sandwich.  The ham salad sandwich has become symbolic of hunting season in my family. The only time I really ever make it is during the gun deer season.  I don't know why - I guess for the same reason you don't put out candy canes at Easter or make colored eggs in July.  I guess it's another one of those traditional things passed down the generations by my mother.  She on the other hand would usually cook up a big beef roast before hunting season and would grind that meat up and add pickle relish and mayo to it for a sandwich spread.  I loved that ~ but my crew always favored the ham instead of beef ... so I do ham.

Note to self - cook a beef roast.  Maybe I'm eating the wrong sandwich to bring me luck on my deer stand.

~~~

11:45 - a big bobcat just walked in.  He was only here for a fleeting moment and moved on; but the red squirrels are chatting non stop.  He must still be close.

~~~

1:00  What a gloomy day. Now it's starting to rain.

1:10 The rain quit.

Still no deer.  I'm having remorse and thinking I should have taken that 4 pointer yesterday.  I'm always the first to say, "you can't eat the horns" but when I was given the opportunity myself I didn't shoot.  I know there's bigger deer around.  Let him go so he can grow.

1:30 I heard a shot to the south

I still have a headache and my body aches something fierce.  I feel almost like I'm getting the flu or a bad fibromyalgia flare up coming on.  Let's hope it's the lesser of the two evils and it's the flu.

~~~

I just read in my book that the name Coleen is a French word meaning "little hills" - and I know my maiden name Obernberger means "over the hill" - so my sister Colleen's name must mean "little hills over the hill".

~~~

4:00 ~ I'm just jolted to alertness ~ Just behind the shack I hear a red squirrel let out a chatter and at the same time a low cat growl.  The brush starts cracking and snapping.  I think bobkitty just got supper.

~~~

~~~

I'm back to the house ... it's just about 5:00

I called Mom to see if it was her that shot earlier today.  It wasn't.  She didn't see anything.

I called for a report out to Darla's bunch... nothing there either.

Staci stopped over.  Nothing by her either; except for 3 turkeys that roosted right above her.  Brooke got to see some does and fawns run around... but no bucks.

~~~

Until next time...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel