Hunting '09

Hunting season '09 has ended literally with a bang. I finally got my deer this morning. I am lucky to have a few friends with property, or access to property that are gracious enough to allow me to hunt there. First, the details: I drove up to a few acres on M-82 this morning to hunt some private land for the late antlerless season. It was a beautiful morning with snow covering all of the branches, very little wind, and not too cold. I found a very recent deer trail and followed it. After walking around a 1/4 mile or so, a little (and I do mean little) deer trotted out from some pines ahead of me. I don't think he knew what I was, or exactly where I was at because he stopped around 75 yards away from me and started looking around. When he stopped trotting and started walking, I could see him limping. He was all alone. Normally I would not have shot a deer this small, but he was all alone which I think is unusual this time of year for a yearling, he was limping, it was the last day I could hunt, and he was made of delicious meat. BANG. Season over.

So with the story out of the way, here is what I experienced this year. I "discovered" places new to me that I can't wait to visit again. I found tiny creeks with cedars drooping close to the water and salmon everywhere I looked. I camped with a good friend and got to know him much better. We shared delicious meals cooked by a camp fire, saw gorgeous scenery, and fished somewhat unsuccessfully for said salmon in pouring rain. And I know I loved every minute of it. I took my kids out to experience God's creation first hand, to try to explain what it means to be part of the food chain. I found a fresh badger den with his footprints clearly visible. I saw turkeys come down from their roosts, heard their yelps, and scared the dickens out of a few of them that didn't know I was there. I watched pileated woodpeckers hammer out holes in dead beeches. I made venison chili over an open fire to share with friends at deer camp. I watched the sun rise, the moon set, the sun set, and moon rise. I played hide-and-seek with a deer circling a huge spruce tree. I watched a flock of easily a thousand grackles move through the woods feeding and moving, rolling along like a wave. I listened to owls, saw cranes circling several thousand feet up, watched formations of ducks and geese flying south. I spent mornings sitting in cool green moss surrounded by mist, waiting. Always waiting, listening, looking, and paying attention. I took an active part in providing my family with meat. Now it's only 10 more months until I can do it again.

M