Hunting Doldrums

Hunting Doldrums

Photo: I took some time off from my deer stand to do a little road hunting, and while I found no deer to shoot on those drives, but I did manage to locate a geocache in an area I haven't been to in years.

By Allan Olson

Oh, we hunt, and we hunt, and we hunt some more.

I could just leave this week’s column at that, because in all reality – that’s all we did. Last week was a busy one, but I “jetted” out of town Friday and didn’t look back, instead only forward to another weekend at deer camp. If I had looked back, all I would have seen was blackness; there wasn’t a spec of daylight in the sky by the time I left home.

I crawled into bed at about 9:30 p.m. on Thursday and closed my eyes knowing that my alarm was going to ring at the very early hour of 4:30 a.m. I understood that I wasn’t going to be able to get north before daylight, but I also that if I set my alarm any earlier, I just wasn’t going to get up. And sure enough, my trusty old digital radio alarm clock (that previously belonged to my grandmother) went off at the correct time – and for the record, the only time it has ever failed me was due to operator error. I crawled out of bed and started tugging my clothes on in a state of grogginess. I put some water on to make some tea for the road, gathered a few remaining supplies for the weekend, quietly rousted Nikolai, and we were on the road by 5:10 a.m. We made one stop between home and our hunting quarters at Lake of the Woods; that was to grab a bit of convenience store breakfast, and then we were on the road again.

We arrived just in time to miss the deer that my brother saw because he was late getting to the stand. We unloaded and donned our hunting clothes, grabbed our guns and set out for our stands. It was approaching 7:30 a.m. and I was settled into my stand when I saw it – a deer! I got set, but then for this deer ‘duty’ called and when it was finished doing its thing it disappeared for a couple minutes. It then reappeared in an open area – relatively speaking. I steadied my aim and fired. The deer jumped, and here’s where I want to say “and it fell.” Unfortunately, for reasons I can’t explain, it hid behind some trees and remained hidden from my view as it slowly moved further and further from me. I was confident by this point that my effort had been a “swing and a miss,” or rather a “shoot and miss.” I watched it scurry away into cover. 

I didn’t know it at the time, but that would be my only chance to score this season, and I blew it. I had no luck in filling my tag, making a kill, bagging a deer, bringing home venison – however you want to phrase it – I failed. My father showed up to my stand at about 9:30 a.m. and we went searching for blood, just in case. But it wasn’t in the cards.

I hunted the remainder of Friday, Saturday and all day Sunday and never once lifted my scope in the direction of another deer. For me, it might have been the worst season on record for seeing deer. Even in the recent poor years, I’ve always at least seen deer.

On Sunday morning, my dad and brother each took a shot at a deer and did not score. I decided that because they were seeing deer, I would try at their location. I stayed on a combination of stands from 9 a.m. Sunday morning until near dark on Sunday evening, and the only critters showing themselves were birds and squirrels.

As of Monday, I’m still contemplating whether or not I’m going to sneak north one more time, but it appears there could be some nasty weather on the one day that would fit my schedule best.

As for our party, we have two buck tags filled, with one left open, and seven doe tags still to fill. The four juvenile hunters have yet to fire a round at anything or even have much of an opportunity. I hope the rest of you are having a more successful hunting season than ours.

On a brighter note, my youngest child, my baby girl, turned nine on Sunday! Time sure flies. We will be celebrating her big event with a few friends and family this Saturday.

P.S. – Regardless of filling tags, the time spent alone out on a deer stand or joking and laughing together with family is priceless. Hunting with the next generation of hunters is rewarding, too, being able to see that this cherished tradition will continue.

P.P.S. – I did interrupt my time up north to find a geocache or two, but in my defense, I was still technically hunting – both deer and hidden treasures!

Please remember to watch out for the buses that are carrying our most precious cargo. Also snap a photo or two to preserve a lifetime of memories. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! Feel free to drop me a line at cltimes1@arvig.net or stop by the office for a visit. Be safe hunting!