Duck Hunting
Sept 30-Oct 3 2005
This was by far, my most successful hunting trip to date. We again made the trip to the Hudak Cabin. This year (because of some changes made by the DNR) the season has changed and this weekend was the season opener.Very out of the ordinary, I arrived much earlier than Ed did. I was at the cabin by 2pm and spent some time visiting with John and Jan. After some visiting, Jan left, and John and I went to do some grocery shopping. By the time we finished, and got the groceries put away, I decided to go do some grouse / squirrel hunting. I walked along the trail at the top of the ridge along the lake. It was a nice walk * quiet and peaceful. At the turn around (at the end of the trail) I decided to sit down against some trees and hopefully hear some squirrels. I nodded off for several minutes, and was awoken by a shrill sound of some sort of animal. I sat still for another (about) 15 minutes waiting to see what was making the noise. It was moving from one area to another. I then noticed a very large dark colored bird flying around. I noticed a very bright red crest on its head and black and white banding on its face. It was a larger bird. I later found out (with the help of John) that what I was seeing was a pileated woodpecker.After enjoying the woodpecker for a while, it finally got tired of entertaining me, and flew away. I then started walking back towards the cabin. When I got about three-quarters of the way back, I started hearing some squirrels off to the south of me. I started up the main road through the woods and broke off onto the trail to (what I believe is) Deer Stand #1. The squirrel kept chattering away at me from a little farther away. I'd move a few feet closer and the squirrel would chatter at me again, but from what sounded like a little further away. I was now just about at the stand when the squirrel made it's way to the front side of the tree. I took my shot, and bagged the squirrel. This was (to me) a sign of things to come, and felt good about how the rest of the weekend was going to go. I retrieved my squirrel and headed back to the cabin.Ed was about 30 minutes away by the time I arrived, and when he arrived we unpacked him, had dinner, and caught up. Didn't hunt first morning * too busy * chopped wood and worked all day. Jim arrived * Drove the Thompson Trail in the afternoon * saw nothing.Sunday morning woke at 0500 * heard boats in the water, and saw people already in field. Saw lots of ducks, I downed a ringneck with one shot - we shot six, crippled one * landed in bay * rowed out to it * shot * landed in other bay * rowed to it, and lost it. Hoped for 7 but came in with 6. For sure 1 of 6 was mine, but I suspect at least one more (grin). Jim heckled other hunters by accident.Pulled in dock and lift. Went grouse hunting on ridge. Jake flushed out a grouse. Had bead on it in the tree * looked odd to me * more tall and thin * looked partridge like * I suspected sharptail grouse * Later found out prob ruffled grouse per John.
Monday morning * no one out * we had the lake to ourselves. Ed got a couple more ringnecks, and right infront of me (from out of nowhere) popped a Drake Wooduck. I put a bead on it just as it jumped up and started flying away. 1 shot dropped the duck. It was a beautiful bird, and Ed Recommended mounting it. Bird total for Ed and I for the two mornings * 9After eating we went and walked the ridge one more time. (Looking for that grouse)Rest of day spent getting Jim's docks in. Went to Reed's sporting goods (bought pen I am writing this down with), and picked up some nice steaks for dinner.
Please forgive me for the hiatus of several years that appears in this book. It is inexcusable, and my lesson has been learned. As you have read in the introduction of this book, something happened to me during my deer-hunting trip in the fall of 2004. I was always planning on documenting it, but due to time restraints (and a lost book), I never got around to writing. It is now just under a year later (September of 2005), and hunting season is fast approaching. I have spent some time looking for a suitable journal to keep my records in. I hope you enjoy what I found!~
We have been hunting on my Uncle Greg's cabin ever since our first trip there. I will try to tell my story, but having been about a year, some of the small details have been forgotten, or become fuzzy. Please forgive me. This story represents my best recollection of the events of that weekend.
November 2004
My father-in-law Joe, and I were hunting at Uncle Greg's cabin again this year. This year was not (as I recall) uncomfortably cold. It was a crowded year for hunting. There were at least two other hunters East of Uncle Greg's and we had to be more careful than usual when out in the field.
The morning in question was quiet. I was sitting on the ground near "Oakwood", the tree fort that Bob and I built when we were kids. I spent most of that morning on the top of the south side of the ravine, hunting north. I thought Joe was north east of me on the opposite side of the ravine (which I later discovered was not true). I had been hearing "rustling" off to my right (east) near the slew, but could not tell if it was wildlife, Joe, or another hunter.
As the morning drew on, I was able to determine that it was, in fact, another hunter. It was not long after, that I began hearing some additional rustling coming from the northwest. Convinced it was squirrels, I sat back, closed my eyes, and tried to use my hearing to hone in on the source of the sound. Several minutes went by and I began to notice a white animal, about the size of a dog, thru the trees. I watched as the dog zigzagged its way thru the woods moving in my general direction. This dog appeared to come from the road, and was (after several minutes) still meandering towards me. After several minutes the dog started getting bigger. I was convinced it was a husky that may belong to one of the other hunters in the woods.
I was not sure how this dog would react to me if or when it reached me. I had to weigh my options. Hopefully the dog would be friendly, but if it was going to attack me, I decided I would be willing to defend myself. I was, after all, armed. As the white dog continued to come closer, I noticed it was not alone. There was another brown dog with the white one, and they were both still heading towards me. The closer they got, the less I could believe my eyes. When they arrived at the bottom of the ravine I was finally convinced that what I was seeing was actually what I was seeing. In front of me was two does. One of the does was a full albino! It was completely white. Later it was close enough that I could even see that it's eyes and nose were pinkish.
I was not sure what to do in this situation. My heart beat faster and harder than usual. By now the deer was within 15 yards of me, and at the bottom of the ravine. I put the bead of my site on the brown deer (not knowing about the legality of shooting an albino), but I was so intrigued by the site of this albino that I became almost hypnotized to its presence. Joe was down the ravine from me, and the deer were beginning to climb the north side of the ravine and head towards where Joe was hunting. The albino deer, and my hoping that Joe would get a deer (he has not taken one yet * since we started deer hunting together so many years back) kept me from shooting the brown doe. I then lowered my gun and watched the deer as they crossed my line of site and went off towards where Joe was sitting. I could have kicked myself for not having a camcorder, or a camera with me in the field. (Lesson learned)
I sat and listened to the deer as they left my field of vision. I was hoping that I would here Joe take the brown doe. After several minutes, I could no longer hear the deer, and it was not long after, that I heard the report of a gun. I stayed where I was for several more minutes hoping to hear Joe call out for me to help him. When he never called I started heading towards his direction. It was then that I discovered he had been on my side of the ravine the whole time and that it he was not the hunter who had taken the deer. I stopped and talked to Joe for a few minutes and then went back to where I was sitting. Quite some time later where the ravine drops down (where the two deer originally came from) I saw two hunters pulling the brown doe out through the woods.
Once again, this hunting trip, I found myself intrigued by the awesome beauty of what God had put before me. The captivating beauty of it overpowered any need in me to take these deer. I sometimes wonder if what I am doing in the woods is really "hunting". I am not interested in giving up "hunting" if it means giving up the time I spend in the woods, sitting, relaxing, and enjoying the beauty of all that is around me. I know that if the right circumstance comes up, I would take a deer. I have, after all, taken one in the past. Ultimately, I believe there is a time and place for hunting, and for "hunting". I feel lucky enough to have discovered the difference between the two. My wish for you (reader) and for all hunters is that you are fortunate enough to experience and enjoy both versions of hunting as I have.
Friday November 4th, 2001Joe and I hunted on my Uncle Greg and Aunt Marilyn's property, south of Pine Center Minnesota in the Roosevelt Township of Crow Wing County. This was the first time I have hunted on Greg & Marilyn's land, and I was very excited to hunt there. While Growing up, Uncle Greg & aunt Marilyn's cabin was a big part of my life. They would often invite me to join them, and I spent many weekends with my cousins Bob and Mark at the cabin fishing, boating, and playing around in the back woods. Several years ago (while still very young) Bob, Mark, and I built a little "Shack" in the woods that we called "Oakwood" * To be honest, I do not even remember how old Oakwood is. (A minimum of 12 years to the best of my knowledge.) And it was fun to see Oakwood still standing.Uncle Greg met us at the cabin, so that he could show us a few things that needed to be turned on, and then what to do when we left. We arrived at the cabin at about 7pm, and Greg was already there, and had a fire in the fireplace * giving us a "head start" on heating the cabin. Greg helped us unload the car, and spent some time showing me around * where to find firewood, electricity, and how to close up the cabin when we leave. While this was going on, I was visiting with uncle Greg, and realized that it has been nearly 10 years since the last time I spent any length of time at the cabin. (I have stopped by, peeked in windows, fished on the dock, and left notes for Greg & Marilyn since, but the last time I was at the cabin for an "overnight" was in 1992 when our cousin Cindy and her husband (from Maine) were in Minnesota and had come to the cabin for a visit. There have been many changes at the cabin, and it felt very "cozy". Many old memories came flooding back to me while visiting the cabin this weekend. It was very nostalgic, and very very delightful! I cannot thank Uncle Greg and Aunt Marilyn enough for allowing us to use the cabin this fall!First morning out we arrived at our seats at 0625 hours (shooting time). It was not a very cold morning (about 35 degrees). Within minutes of sitting down, I could hear shots off in the distance from all directions. Abundant in the woods all around me was many squirrels. (Grey, with an occasional red showing up) * it was delightful listening to them scampering about, digging in the leaves. Within 30 minutes of sitting down, a small doe (yearling) came from my right side down in the valley, and slowly started walking up the opposite side of the valley from me, about 75 yards east of my location. I tried to put a bead on her, but because she was in constant motion it was difficult to keep a good site picture on her. (It did not help that this was the first year I had my 12-gauge slug barrel (with attached scope) sited in and usable. Since I have never hunted with a scoped gun before, I found it very different from what I was used to * I can see that hunting with my scoped slug barrel will take some getting used to before I am proficient with it.) As she climbed the opposite side of the valley, she got deeper and deeper into some brush/cover, and made it almost impossible for me to get a shot off (the trees and brush would knock the slug around * minimizing my accuracy), so I made the decision to sit back and watch her finish climbing the hill. It was gorgeous seeing her in her natural habitat. Her tail flinching up (sensing danger) * looking around, and dropping the tail, resuming her journey up the hillside. I am so accustomed to seeing deer in an urban setting that it was worth not shooting the doe to just observe her in her natural habitat. Not long after setting my gun in my lap, she faded off in the distance (finding out later * about 20 yards behind Joe * who was facing the other direction). Not even 2 minutes after seeing the first doe, a second one came into my field of view from the exact same place as the first one. I (again) tried to put a bead on her, and when I could not find her in the scope, I lowered the gun, and saw a third doe. This doe was very large, and I had decided that this was the deer I was going to try to bag. Again I tried to put the doe in my site picture, but was not having any luck. I tired at least 3 times to put her in the scope * without successes. The smaller doe was leading with the larger doe following behind about 5 feet. I found the smaller doe in my scope a couple of times, but I continued to look for the larger doe. As they reached the top of the ridge (following the first small doe) they also moved through some thicker brush, making a shot harder to find and less accurate. I (again) made the decision that these two were out of range, and I started to enjoy watching them move through the woods! At the top of the ridge, the two does took a hard left * and started walking the top of the ridge, heading west. They moved past the heaviest brush, and started heading closer to me. I (yet again) tried to put a bead on the large doe, but was only able to find the younger one in my scope. I was not able to keep the crosshairs on her long enough to take a responsible shot, and as they turned northbound (heading away from me) I put my gun in my lap and watched them as they strolled out of my site. I can tell you that my pulse and blood pressure were off the charts! I was very excited, and was feeling the effects of adrenaline. After thinking about the scenario, I am glad that I did not take any of those 3 does. I am fairly certain that what I saw was a doe with her two yearlings (who were still dependent upon their mother). Looking back, I can say with complete confidence that not taking any of the does was best decision I could have made. Firstly it is not every day that I get to observe wild deer, in their own surroundings, not aware that I am there. Secondly I did my part in some "conservation", by keeping 2 younger does with their mother for (at least) a little longer.As far as deer goes, that was the extent of what I saw for the day. Throughout the remainder of the day, I was able to listen to the squirrels as they started chattering warning each other of the owl I spotted flying into one of the pine trees nearby. I got to watch the owl for a while, and then watch it fly away (no doubt looking for a different * unsuspecting squirrel for its next meal). Of course there were also the typical "dozing off" naps throughout the morning and into the afternoon.As evening approached, time became a factor because we had decided to attend church that evening so that we could hunt straight through Sunday morning. As I contemplated getting up and heading out to meet Joe, I heard a shot that seemed very close. I could not tell it was Joe, until I heard him using the action on his gun, then I knew it was his shot that I heard. Not knowing where he was shooting, I dropped to a knee (for safety reasons) and waited a moment. Joe then took a second shot. I could see now see him from where I was, and noticed him getting down from his seat. I approached him, and found out that a buck had come out of the swamp, and Joe took a shot. The buck stumbled, got up and ran a few yards where it stopped. This is where Joe took his second shot. The buck then ran west through the valley and disappeared from site. Joe and I went down to where the buck was when he first shot, and we could see where the buck stumbled through the leaves, but did not find any sign that Joe hit the buck (blood). Because the leaves were freshly fallen, we were able to follow the steps the buck took as it ran. We followed it through the valley, and about three-fourths of the way back to the cabin, there was a very loud shot heard just NorthWest of where we were. My estimation of what happened was that after Joe missed the deer, it ran (noisily) through the woods Westbound * as we followed it, it continued to run where the last two cabins on the lake are at, and a hunter in the area of the other two cabins heard it coming, and took the buck (or also missed it as it ran away*)We ended up missing church, because I located an older Church Bulletin in the cabin (from 1998) which said Saturday mass was at 5:30pm. We got there and found out that mass was actually at 4:00pm.The rest of the evening was uneventful and most relaxing. We enjoyed dinner, and some television before heading to bed.Sunday morning was as uneventful as Saturday afternoon was. Not a deer was seen or heard. I was quite surprised to hear (what I am certain was) a wild turkey * gobbling as it walked (what sounded like) up and down the road in front of Greg and Marilyn's garage. I was also able to hear the playful sounds of the squirrels in the woods again. As church time grew closer, we called it a morning, and went in to get ready for church.It was a lot of fun to visit Holy Family Church again. It had been many-many years since I was last at the church, and a few improvements had been made, but overall it was much like I remembered it. Church at the cabin also brought back many fond memories. Bob, Mark and I used to have a hard time not laughing out loud when the older Priest clanked his glasses against the chalice when it came time for communion. We also had nicknames for all the alter-boys. After church, we returned to the cabin, had some lunch. We relaxed in front of the television for a bit, then packed up our things, packed up the car, and packed up the cabin, so that when we were done hunting that afternoon, we could just pack up what we had with us and jump in the car to leave. It was about 3:00pm when we finally made it back out to the woods. Joe took up the same position he was hunting on Saturday, and Sunday morning. I moved further East down the ridge, closer to the opening near the swamp, and set up on the ground at the base of a tree. It was a beautiful day, it was gorgeous, and just sitting there in the woods could only be described as heavenly.As sunset was approaching I still had not seen or heard a deer. I was starting to think about packing it in, when out of the corner of my eye (to my right) I saw a doe coming along the shoreline of the swamp. I raised my gun and put the deer in the crosshairs. This time I was able to put a bead on the animal, and just as I was flicking the safety to "off" on the gun, Joe shot at the deer. Through the scope I saw the deer stumble, get up and start working it's way to my right (back towards the swamp). As I was about to take a second shot at the deer, it moved behind the hill and out of site from where I was sitting. We both converged in the area, and walked towards the swamp, where we last saw the deer, and I was able to spot the blood trail. We discussed trailing the deer, when I spotted the doe at the top of the ridge on the opposite side of the swamp. I made the decision to head up to that spot. Just prior to arriving at the location where I last saw the deer, I was able to pick up the blood trail again, and so I knew I was on the right trail. Additionally I heard something in the woods about thirty yards ahead of me. I was not able to verify that it was the deer, but I was able to hear it until I got to (about) the half way mark around the swamp. The shot was (in my opinion) a non-critical hit, and I feel it was hit in the leg. The way the deer was limping around the swamp, and the way the leaves were disturbed on the ground, it appeared that it was dragging a leg as it walked, and I think that may have been what I was hearing.I continued half way around this swamp and lost the blood trail completely. I did follow what I believed to be the trail through the leaves, until the trail went cold. By this time I had made it three-fourths the way around the swamp. I backtracked to the last place I saw blood, and started to trail again.(Lesson learned * when backtracking work your way back several feet AWAY from the original trail, so as not to disturb any blood that you may yet find on the trail.)I did return to the last spot I saw any blood, and started the trail again. I was lucky enough to locate some blood that I had walked over while backtracking. I followed the trail, and was able to locate two additional blood spots on the ground (in addition to the one I had disturbed while backtracking). The last blood I was able to locate took me about the two-thirds way around the swamp. It was getting dark by now, and was definitely past shooting hours (one half hour past sunset) making tracking the deer very difficult. The last sign I saw of the deer was a patch of fur the deer left (possibly from the wounded area) located about three-fourths the way around the swamp. I could hardly see the ground by now, and definitely could not see anymore of the trail. I was so disappointed that I was not able to locate the doe. It weighed heavily in my heart. The last thing I wanted was to have an injured deer running around the woods, but I did everything I could to locate the deer. This is where I made the decision to stop trailing the deer. It was a difficult decision to make, but it was getting dark enough that my blaze orange was not showing up as bright as it should, and for my own safety's sake, knew that it was time to head back. The last quarter way around the swamp was very difficult. It was getting pretty dark, and the brush was so think, I could hardly make it through. After making it through the brush, I still had 2 very large ridges to climb before making it back to the original spot where the deer was shot. After having to follow Joe's voice to where he was at, I met back up with him, and I apologized for not being able to locate the deer. It was with a heavy heart that we then started our trek back to the car, to pack up and leave. I made one last stop at "Oakwood" to say "goodbye" and made it back to Joe's car. It was well after sundown, and very dark, and I was completely exhausted, and thoroughly disappointed to have to leave an injured deer behind as we did our final checks on the cabin, and left to return home * finishing our deer hunting trip for 2001. I had a fantastic time, and it was a beautiful weekend. One of the best parts of the hunting trip this year was being able to make new memories to go along with my childhood memories surrounding uncle Greg and aunt Marilyn's cabin. I could not be more grateful for the generosity and trust of my Uncle Greg and Aunt Marilyn, and would love the opportunity to do this again in the future. David
Deer Hunting 1998 - November 6 - November 8, 1998.
My father-in-law Joeseph Nawrocki, brother-in-law Michael Nawrocki, and myself left for our 2nd hunting trip to my grandfather-in-law’s (Stanley Nawrocki) farm. The farm is located near Fairmont MN, 3 miles north of Grenada MN. The Deer season did not start until Saturday, November 6th, and we arrived sometime in late morning / early afternoon hours on Friday November 6th. We drove directly to the farm, and began Pheasant hunting. Joe and I were the only two with a pheasant stamp.
We walked the corn field boarding the bean field. The beans had already been harvested, but the corn was still standing. We saw nothing. After returning to the truck, we stopped at K-Mart (I forgot boots, and had to purchase a 2nd set.) and then checked into the hotel. After unpacking, we laid down for a nap, after agreeing to set an alarm, get up and return to the farm for more hunting at 3:30pm. Three-thirty rolled around, Joe and I had fallen asleep and Michael stayed up watching TV. The alarm went off, and Joe wanted to keep sleeping. Mike and I went back out to the far, and started out at the north end of the property at the creek, and walked the meadow. We walked south, and scared up a couple of birds. I came back to the hotel with one.
Next morning (Deer opener), we made it to the farm about 10 minutes before legal shooting time. The temperature was in the mid 30’s, and overcast. Mike and I dropped Joe off at the north end of the farm (near the creek) and Mike and I started at the south end of the farm. The plan was that Joe would walk in wb to the meadow near the creek, I would do the same, and Mike would cross at the culvert, and take a position watching the corn west of the creek, and the open bean field. Joe settled in, I settled in the corn, and watched Mike cross the creek and work his way out of my vision behind the corn. Waiting for any action, I began nodding in and out of sleep - it was not too cold, and very quiet, and calm. I sat in the corn facing wb. Behind me, at to my right (NE of where I was sitting) I heard something walking through the corn. I did not want to scare whatever was coming, so I sat as still as I could. I waited about 15 to 20 minutes after I heard the rustling end, and got brave enough to stick my head out of the corn. As I very carefully peeked out of the corn rows, I saw a buck about 150 yards NW of my location. I froze, and watched the deer head down into the creek bed. I waited another 5 minutes watching the west end of the creek for the deer to come back up. It never did show. About this time, I saw Joe Coming over the ridge walking sb towards me. I tried to get his attention and flag him down the creek, hoping that he would scare the buck back up the creek bed, or bank of the creek - opening up a shot. At this point I began stalking down into the meadow along the fenceline. Mike came into view on the NW end of my vision on the other side of the creek. We began walking closer towards each other, and at the point where we were within talking proximity, I had decided that We were too close together to make a safe shot anyway, and began explaining what I saw, and why I was flagging them down to the creekbed, The buck poked up, and began a high speed sprint sb - crossing between Joe, and myself. I can say with certainty that I heard someone yelling to take a shot at it. Everything else blacked out (like they say) and I got “tunnel vision” with the deer. I brought the gun up, and took my first shot. I was way off. I blame it on getting the gun up from an unready stance, and opening the safety. After I got the first shot off, I remember sliding the action back, and my fingers slipping. I caught the back end of the action with my pointer finger and thumb, and just barley got the gun reloaded. I took my second shot, and the buck kept running. I had one more slug in the gun, and as the buck kept running, I slid the action of the gun, and took a third shot. I was most confidant with the third shot. I was sure that I hit the buck, but watched it round the corner towards the road that I walked in on. I could not believe it. I let the buck get away.
I was very frustrated, and then Mike and Joe began asking me if I hit him, and how I could miss. I could hardly believe that I missed the deer. After lamenting the missed deer, I began walking back to the area where I sat in the corn. ( I still had some stuff there) and noticed some blood on the plants on the ground. As I looked up, I noticed the very distinct bloodline that ran about 60 yards across the corn field, and around the corner. I ran to my stash of stuff, and reloaded the gun with another 2 rounds. (I was unsure weather or not I would find the deer dead or alive.) I picked up the blood trail again, and began following it. As the buck rounded the corner, he tried jumping the property line fence, and that is where I found him, on the other side of the property fence, about 10 feet from the fence. A 8 point buck. My first Deer. I felt tremendous. Joe and I sent Mike to get some rope and plastic for securing the deer to the roof of his van. Joe and I began field-dressing the deer. Neither of us had actually done this task first hand. For two rookies, we did not do too bad! The task past uneventful. Hardest part was the pelvic bone, not wanting to burst the bladder.
It must have been a comic site, watching us attempt to get this buck on top of Mike’s van. We started out with the deer tied up by the neck, and Mike on one side of the van, and Joe and I on the other. Mike had the rope, and Joe and I had the carcass. We got it as far as the head to the luggage rack, when the antlers became caught up in it. Mike and Joe switched sides, and we tried again. This time, Mike got the antlers uncaught and got it as far as the shoulders. Mike went over to help Joe pull on the rope, and I got a face full of warm, steaming, freshly killed, and still bloody deer carcass - while trying to get him up on top of the van. Several minutes later, successfully getting the deer on the van, we left the farm, and headed to McDonalds. What a site - to see the three of us (in blaze orange) bloody up the elbows walk into McDonalds and go straight for the bathrooms. What must have the patrons thought.
Deciding to go out again, we went to the State Land in East Chain, Mn. This is an L shaped property that we have had luck finding deer in the past. Joe walked in at an angle towards the wooded patch in the center area of the land, while Mike and I began walking along the property line edge. Not even paying full attention to what we were doing, a doe got up and ran away from us. We all fumbled to get a shot off, but by the time any one of us were ready (Joe could not get the safety off fast enough, and Mike (who was in front of me) could not get to a shooting stance fast enough.) The doe ran out of the state land, and off to some private property, not to be seen again.) Now (all at the ready) Mike continued down the road, and I stayed put. When Mike reached the end of the road where it turns left, I started through the weeds to meet him at an angle. We met up, and decided to do what we did in the past to scare out deer. We walked up to the wooded patch, and Mike stayed on the outside edge. I walked around it, and then entered the wooded area on the opposite side as Mike. I saw no evidence of deer. As I walked a small ridge in the wooded plot, I heard a very loud shot from where I thought Mike was. I ducked down, and waited. Moments later, a second shot rang out. Figuring that there were no deer in the area after hearing the shots ring out, I exited the wooded patch, and met Mike. I asked if he got one, and he affirmed the kill. Smaller doe, hit right across the spine. What appeared to be a small doe, proved to be quite a task, trying to get the carcass back to the truck.
Mike got to field dress this one, (as it was his, and he missed out field dressing the buck. We strapped it to the roof of the van, and went back to the hotel. Both deer were taken before noon.
Sunday morning we went out again. About the same temperature, but a fresh layer of snow. We found no sign of deer - no tracks, no bedding, nothing. The only thing I had seen this morning is a large deep scrape in a tree near the creek just off the roadway. the scrape was 2 scrapes about 6 feet up and down the tree, and about 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep.
We made it home, got the deer unloaded, and hung up in my garage. I skinned both deer myself, and Mike and Joe came over to butcher both deer Tuesday November 10th. It took between 3 and 4 hours, to process the deer. We each ended up with a grocery bag filled with venison. All things considered - a very successful weekend!
I have, in the past, spent some time trying to document my outdoor, hunting, fishing, and camping activities for my family in the future. I started out a few years back, and with good intentions, jotted down a few of my “adventures”. I have though, over the past couple of years, let this go by the wayside. I am – at best – ashamed of not having kept this practice up for the sake of my children whom I love so very dearly. I know I have not always been a perfect father to all of you, but I want you to know that nothing was more important to me that you. This journal is something I have wanted to, and will do for you.
The first few entries were made several years back after a successful hunting trip to the Nawrocki farm, and very frustrating (but funny when you look back at it) fishing trip. Since those entries, a number of years have passed that I did not follow up making entries. I regret not having done so. As hunting season quickly approaches again this year, I do not want to continue making the mistake of not journaling one of my favorite pastimes for you. I am going to use a notable event that occurred last year, to re-start this tradition, and make a brief summary of last year’s deer hunting trip with Grandpa (Joe). There was a moment during that trip that very few people get to experience, and thought it would be a crime to not share this with you while I still can. This event is (what I hope to be) the springboard to my starting, and keeping a continuing journal of some of the things that I enjoyed and were important to me.
Benjamin, Jonathan, Zachary, Rebecca, and Melissa… This is for you!
Over the next few days / weeks - I hope to post all the entries in my hunting jorual.
These entries date back to somewhere around 1998 (if my memory severs me).
Some of these entries get long. I tend to wax on poetic when it comes to writing. It takes me a long time to get it right, but when I am done, it's something I am proud of! I am doing the journal (and this blog) for my children. I hope that someday when I am no longer around, that they can enjoy the stories I have written for them, and for my future grandchildren, and maybe even my great-grandchildren!
David.
Currently, Dad's Outdoor Journal is a "single post on the front page blog".
Please feel free to use the Archive, Catagories, or "Older Posts" link to locate additional posts.
