As I walked into the woods with Dad, I noticed many more posted signs than in previous years. And more than what had been there even two weeks before. No one had signed them but they were clearly on the property next to ours. We walked along the property line towards my treeseat. It was raining hard enough so that I could see the drops flash in front of my headlight but I was in my wool pants and coat so I knew that I should be OK for the five hour sit that I had planned. Dad waited until I had climbed up, got situated and clicked off my headlamp (it was a new purchase that I had made when I decided to go bear hunting and it was very useful now as we walked into the dark woods.) I settled in and waited for...
The temp was 102 at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Yes, 102. Dad and I were melting but we had put this off for way too long. Here is was July and our trail cameras were not up and because they weren't, we were not seeing what sort of animals are around our hunting areas. We put up three cameras. Two by the Sky Condo (the above shot is a panoramic from the bottom of the SC) and one by my tree seat. For the first time in a long time, I was able to bathe in deet in order to prevent the ticks from finding me - as well as the mosquitoes and black flies. It was hot, we were sweaty and I stunk from all of the bug dope but it was fun. It is weird how different the woods look in the middle of the summer...
Dads play an important role in getting the next generation of hunters interested and out in the woods. It takes almost as much skill to get the kids out there as it does to make that shot and harvest an animal. There is the concern over getting cold, keeping their attention and talking about what it means to kill (and then eat) an animal. In honor of Father's Day and all of the great outdoor Dads, I thought that it would be perfect to hear how Bryan includes his sons with his hunting and the excitement they had this past deer season when the boys were with Bryan as he shot his first buck. I have interviewed Bryan before about hunting, fishing and getting his kids involved from an early age but his dedication and his...
Well, we know we are in a good area and that our calls work. We got into the woods by the Sky Condo a little earlier than we did on the first day. The weather predicted rain so we wanted to get in as much time as possible. We got to our ground blind, set up the decoys and settled in to start calling. This morning though, we didn’t have to start anything. We heard a gobble within five minutes of sitting down. I got my box call out and called back. He answered almost immediately. We had a great conversation for a steady 30 minutes with him often double or triple gobbling. Then the gobbles became more spaced apart but did not stop. Dad decided that be would circle down to the power...
It is official; we are having a boy! I have always been the one in the family to say that I was going to have a boy, years before now. My cousin and sister both have girls so he will be the first boy in our family. Hubby and I could not be happier! But, there is a part of me that wonders how this is going to go. The idea of potty training and puberty scare me, but the weird thing is that my son will probably have no idea what it is like to not be taken seriously as a hunter. The struggles that myself and other women have gone through to "prove" that we deserve to be in the woods along side men will be something my son will not have to deal with...it will just be assumed; born into a hunting family, seen as a hunter. In August, I wrote...
I am getting spoiled. Actually Dad and I both are. I am afraid to write this for what it might mean for next year, but I will; Dad and I have not had to follow a blood trail in a long time. Three years ago, Dad dropped this guy (below) on opening day.Last year, I dropped this one: and this year, I dropped him right at the base of the Sky Condo: We are getting spoiled but really, I have a great teacher who has taught me where to shoot a deer for the quickest, least painful death. And it has worked out well. This year, we spotted the buck coming to eat grass early in the day. He walked out from the upper right corner of this photo and headed down almost to where the camera is and then started to walk back and eat on the clump of brown...
I miss hunting season already! Is that weird? This is the first Friday I have been at work since mid October. And while it is freezing out right now, Dad and I do have a heater for the Sky Condo. The good thing is, once we get snow, we will start tracking the deer around the SC to see where they are yarding up for the winter and see if we can get some pics on the cameras of our targets for next year. Coming up in the blog world: * My post about shooting this year's deer * A GREAT interview with Bryan White about getting his first ever buck this season * (Hopefully) an interview with Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's Commissioner Mr. Woodcock about the past hunting season, where the numbers are and if he is happy with the progress of the...
