By Allan Olson
It was off to the hunting grounds again late
Friday evening. I was really hoping that finally, this weekend would be one when
I could finally pull the trigger on something. It was not to be. Before my
departure, I debated over and over whether to leave Friday evening or get up
really early on Saturday morning. I don’t enjoy driving late at night, but then
I don’t enjoy getting up really early in the morning either, so my options
weren’t that great.
I finally decided at about 7 p.m. to pack my
bag, gather my hunting gear one last time, load it all in the van and head for
the hunting grounds one more time this season. That decision wasn’t made any
easier by the fact that I knew that my cousin his family were going to be
spending the night on their way through town. However, I also knew that since
they wouldn’t arrive until 8:30 or 9 p.m., and then I would likely want to visit
and probably indulge a little, it would be even more difficult to get up at 4
a.m. to head to the hunting grounds.
Ultimately I left the house about 40 minutes
later, after double- and triple-checking to see if I had forgotten anything. I
popped in an audio book as I headed out on the drive north, and arrived just
before 10 p.m. I visited with my younger brother and mother, who were the only
two still awake when I arrived. My dad and older brother (the only other two
hunting this weekend) had already retired for the evening, and it wasn’t long
before I was ready to join them in the land of nod.
Soon it was Saturday morning. So many choices to
go and sit. Anywhere I had picked so far this year the deer were safe –
actually, they didn’t show up. We all picked our stands for the morning hunt and
headed out. It was a brutal chilly morning; I watched the sundogs appear on the
eastern horizon. By 8:25 I had had enough. As I made my way in, I was at least
happy to see that I had stayed in the stand longer than my older brother. “Yes!”
I thought when I saw him trucking down the road to thaw out in the parent’s
home. I walked the length of the field and waited for my dad to join me, and we
walked stiff-legged to the house to thaw. My younger brother crunched around a
bit longer and was soon in thawing out as well.
The afternoon hunt wasn’t near as chilly (as
long as I left my hands in my pockets and didn’t play with my phone) and it
helped that I was in the woods, which kept me pretty secluded from the
relentless winds that had pounded on us that morning. As it turned out, I left
for my post about 15 minutes earlier than my dad did and he quite possibly
would’ve had a chance at a deer if he would’ve gone out at the same time as I
did. He saw a flash of white just as he was nearing his stand – right place,
wrong time.
Sunday’s winds made Saturday’s look like a
baby’s breath compared to the gales that pierced every article of clothing I was
wearing (which was a lot) and sent shivers from the tips of my toes to the end
my nose. I had told the two remaining hunters (my older brother left Saturday
night – he had to go get ready for Black Friday) it would be a miracle if I
stuck it out to 8 a.m. Well, I made it to about 8:25 again, and then hurried
toward the house for some warm beverage; this time for a different “warm”
beverage than I enjoyed Saturday after the hunt! A little later I went for a
walk with my dad one last time this season; we trekked ever so carefully and
quietly through the woods on some logging trails, just hoping for a shot, but to
no avail. I headed home just before 1 p.m.
While sitting there shivering, I came up with
some suggestions to improve our hunting experience next year. Portable heaters
in all stands, extensive food plots everywhere, large floodlights for the
fields, all stands enclosed – complete with a comfy chair for dozing, a stylus
for my smart phone so I don’t have to take my gloves off to read my book, check
Facebook, read the news, or play a game (especially since I don’t imagine the
heaters will materialize). So, if I don’t get a heater and the comfy chair and
the other stuff – perhaps I can just find a big net, set it up two days before
hunting season, secure it to a few large trees and lay it on the ground, covered
with buck attractant and some deer food, and then come opening morning, I will
wait until legal shooting hour, lower the net, shoot the big buck, and go in and
go back to bed – to finish my dream of this all coming together the way I
imagine it. Of course.
In all, it was a fun deer season – even though
we only harvested three deer. It was a team effort because we all tried, but
really, everyone except my younger brother could have stayed home since he ended
up shooting all three deer. Oh, well. Next year we get to do it all over
again!
Please be safe while ice fishing this season,
and remember to take a picture to preserve a lifetime of memories. Also please
watch out for the buses that are transporting our children. Thanks for reading,
and have a great week! For more of my columns visit: http://allan-crazykids.blogspot.com.
Comments
Post a Comment