Well I went hunting on Friday (spent about 9 hours in the stand) and saw two bucks, both of which were on the small side and did not present a good shooting opportunity, so I passed on both. Then on Saturday I went in the morning and didn't see anything. I sat there in the stand for about 5 hours. Sunday I went to church, and prayed for a buck on Monday. Yesterday I hunted in the morning and saw two bucks and two does, but they were all running and never came in closer than 100 yards so I didn't even take a shot. I went back out at 2 p.m. and hunted til nightfall. I had a buck walk in a huge arc around me, all the while staying about 100 yards out. I had one chance to take him when he ran across the field and stopped for a brief second, but for some reason I just didn't like the shot that I would have to take, so again I didn't shoot.
Now I'm here at work and the scene of those close encounters is playing back in my mind and I'm not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, I'm ecstatic that I even had a chance to see bucks, and that I had the opportunity to hunt on private land and not see any other hunters. On the other hand, I'm kicking myself for not taking a shot.
Luckily, I have off on Friday and will be back out there Friday and Saturday to see if I can't close the deal.
While I was in my stand, my words that "this is the year of the buck" kept playing back in my mind. I wondered if I had jinxed it by making that prediction.
I tell my girlfriend about my hunts when I get home, and I'm sure it is boring to everyone but me. I see something beautiful every time I go. On Friday I saw a flock of purple grackles in the woods about 75 yards away, on the ground, they were legion and raucous, apparently looking for insects. The birds were turning over every leaf and were hopping around on the ground and in the trees. They made so much noise that nothing else was audible in the woods. I froze completely still hoping they come my way. Eventually I was surrounded. I had them in the tree above me, below me on the ground and in the trees next to me. I was getting a cramp from not moving for several minutes. There were thousands of them. Thousands of eyes watching for movement. When I couldn't take being still any longer I turned my head quickly (smiling as I did it because I knew they would all panic). The flock picked up en masse and the noise from the leaves on the ground was instantly quieted and changed to a softer noise of wings in flight. That's something you don't experience sitting at a desk at work. You have to get out there and be a part of it.
On Saturday I saw a buck chasing a doe into the woods nearby and was excited that they might come my way. Then I saw another buck cross the field in pursuit of the two deer. There was nothing but quiet for several minutes, and then suddenly a doe appeared on the edge of the woods (where the others had entered). Then another doe. Behind her were the two bucks. The first buck was chasing the doe out onto the field. The second buck was chasing the first buck. They zig-zagged their way out onto the field, completely oblivious to the nearby danger that I was. It was like watching a deer circus. Deer are secretive, elusive and mostly nocturnal after opening day of hunting season, but here were four of them running around fighting over who was going to have breeding rights that day.
So, my hunt was a successful one, for these reasons and more. I could write a book on the experiences of just these three days afield, but like I said, you have to be out there to see if for yourself to really appreciate it.
by File Boy
Now I'm here at work and the scene of those close encounters is playing back in my mind and I'm not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, I'm ecstatic that I even had a chance to see bucks, and that I had the opportunity to hunt on private land and not see any other hunters. On the other hand, I'm kicking myself for not taking a shot.
Luckily, I have off on Friday and will be back out there Friday and Saturday to see if I can't close the deal.
While I was in my stand, my words that "this is the year of the buck" kept playing back in my mind. I wondered if I had jinxed it by making that prediction.
I tell my girlfriend about my hunts when I get home, and I'm sure it is boring to everyone but me. I see something beautiful every time I go. On Friday I saw a flock of purple grackles in the woods about 75 yards away, on the ground, they were legion and raucous, apparently looking for insects. The birds were turning over every leaf and were hopping around on the ground and in the trees. They made so much noise that nothing else was audible in the woods. I froze completely still hoping they come my way. Eventually I was surrounded. I had them in the tree above me, below me on the ground and in the trees next to me. I was getting a cramp from not moving for several minutes. There were thousands of them. Thousands of eyes watching for movement. When I couldn't take being still any longer I turned my head quickly (smiling as I did it because I knew they would all panic). The flock picked up en masse and the noise from the leaves on the ground was instantly quieted and changed to a softer noise of wings in flight. That's something you don't experience sitting at a desk at work. You have to get out there and be a part of it.
On Saturday I saw a buck chasing a doe into the woods nearby and was excited that they might come my way. Then I saw another buck cross the field in pursuit of the two deer. There was nothing but quiet for several minutes, and then suddenly a doe appeared on the edge of the woods (where the others had entered). Then another doe. Behind her were the two bucks. The first buck was chasing the doe out onto the field. The second buck was chasing the first buck. They zig-zagged their way out onto the field, completely oblivious to the nearby danger that I was. It was like watching a deer circus. Deer are secretive, elusive and mostly nocturnal after opening day of hunting season, but here were four of them running around fighting over who was going to have breeding rights that day.
So, my hunt was a successful one, for these reasons and more. I could write a book on the experiences of just these three days afield, but like I said, you have to be out there to see if for yourself to really appreciate it.
by File Boy
posted by File Boy & D.Tkon at 9:36 AM
13 Comments:
hey file boy, I'm glad you a great couple of days appreciating nature and all that the universe has to offer -- BTW, I hear ground turkey is on sale at the Acme.
Thanks s'girl. But ground venison is more fun, less fattening and you get more of it for the money (a lot more). One deer will give me about 60 pounds of meat in the freezer and the cost is about 50 bucks for butchering. That's less than a dollar a pound. If you see ground turkey for cheaper than that let me know. Otherwise, I'll stick to the woods and get my own.
Yeah, but S'Girl doesn't have to wait 9 hours in a tree stand for the deli girl to call her number.
Good point D. And, add to that 9 hours all of the other days this year that I've sat in a tree to no avail. Still, I enjoy it, and prefer going hunting to going shopping any day.
FB -You need to find a way to combine spending useless hours in a tree stand with earning money! I assume it doesn't take more than 3 seconds to shoulder your rifle and kill something. You could spend the rest of the time earning money by stuffing envelopes by designing websites.
...or since I can't really imagine how he cld possibly get all the paraphernalia up the tree to adequately stuff envelopes or esp do web design, at least use your spare time to knit a sweater or something -- then you'd have something to show for your time and knitting is very quiet work.
P.S. Altho you are probably right that the cost per pound of my ground turkey will never be less than one dollar/pound, I feel tht you are forgetting other costs in figuring the going rate for venison meat. For instance, cost of hunting license, gun and shells, gas to/from, deer stand, don't forget those fancy clothes you get to wear so you blend in perfectly w/the trees, snacks to keep you going, lost vacation time (altho I'll give you this one since you obviously enjoy being out in the woods w/nature so you didn't really waste the time away from work), gov't mandated pee breaks (is there a union for hunters?) and probably a few other things we'll call "overhead". Factor all of those things in and let me know if you still think $2.49/pound for turkey (cheaper if you can find a coupon) isn't a good deal.
File Boy, just admit to yourself that as you grow older and more secure in your manhood you enjoy being out in nature more than you enjoy shooting deer that are just out looking to get laid!
I've thought about the cost per pound idea before. In addition to the 50 dollars to get the deer butchered, there is the 15 dollar hunting license. I typically also buy a buck tag for 10 dollars more (keep in mind that the majority of this money goes to purchase and protect land in Delaware, and maintain the health of wildlife including but not limited to game species - because any habitat improvements made that benefit deer also benefit song birds, foxes, hawks, etc...). The license and buck tags allow me to take a total of 6 deer per year. If I had a chest freezer and a large family to feed I might consider taking that many. My usual number taken per year is two. So 100 dollars in butchering, plus 25 dollars in licenses. I don't drive to my stand, I walk out my front door to it, so no gas cost. Shells are cheap (about 5 bucks for a box of 5, or a dollar a piece). The doe I shot in October used one shot. So a grand total this year in expenses is 76 bucks. I've probably saved someone the inconvenience and expenses involved with deer/automobile collisions on at least one occasion which is not quantifiable. I'll say this - even if deer meat cost more than turkey, I'd probably still do it because I enjoy it so much. And I will admit that I do enjoy the pursuit more than the actual taking of a deer. But without the eventual taking, the pursuit loses its meaning.
ah cain't believe I've foun' a site whar varmints talk about huntin'. Although ah pow'ful doesn't git th' idea thet ennyone's pow'ful into huntin' other than File Fella. So mah comment is fo' yo' File Fella... ah jest love a man who hunts. ah mahse'f like t'hunt, an' yessuh ah's a woomin. ah ain't gone mo'e than a few times but ah unnerstan' exackly whut yer talkin' about wif regards t'bein' alone in th' woods. Its jest yo' an' nature. Last year ah went huntin', an' ah muss admit ah's still a li'l freaked about gwine into th' woods in total darkness, but as ah sat up in mah tree stan', all alone, ah started t'reckanize th' booty in huntin'. Its not so much th' harvess but th' intimacy wif nature. Th' trees, th' birds, th' chipmunks, ev'rythin'... Yo' git in th' woods when its pitch dark. Shet mah mouth! Its like nobody knows yer thar until th' sun comes up. An' eff'n yer quiet inough they (deer an' other animals) may not even knows then, as enny fool kin plainly see. So, ah jest be hankerin' t'thank yo' fo' writin' about huntin'. ah reckon its intriguin' an' wish thar were some way we c'd meet. ah see thet yer in Delaware, o' at least yo' hunt in Delware... Me too! Fry mah hide! Mebbe we c'd meet up an' talk about huntin' some time? Although ah's sho'nuff yer already spoken fo', right?
Thunks Sefunneh Lee-a, fur a vell vreettee und thuooghtffool deesserteshun oon vhy yuoo leeke-a tu hoont. Um de hur de hur de hur. I fuoond it inffurmeteefe-a, thuooght-prufukeeng und freeendly. Bork bork bork! I luuk furverd tu footoore-a cumments frum yuu. Hurty flurty schnipp schnipp!
ah warn't talkin' t'yo' Swedish Chef.... ah was tryin' t'talk t'File Fella. But thanks fo' lettin' me knows mah comment was info'mative. Do yo' hunt?
Hey File Fella... Do yo' evah hoof it coon huntin'? ah make a pow'ful tasty coon stew. Puffick fo' them cold snowy days (an' nights, eff'n yo' knows whut ah mean) yer allus talkin' about! Fry mah hide!
Coon hunt? Wal fry mah gizard! Fry mah hide! Of course ah coon hunt (does th' pope haf ships?). Glad t'hear thet ah's not th' only one. ah ain't been able t'git enny coons so far, but mebbe this hyar is th' year. Eff'n ah git one, mebbe yo' kin supply a recipe ah can use.
ah w'd be happy t'give yo' a recipe fo' coon stew. In fack I'll try an' dig one out tonight... Better yet, yo' supply th' coons an' I'll supply th' Peels. Nothin' goes better wif coon stew thet a nice cold kin of beer.
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