Deer Camp in session. Friday night and our crew of hunters and support staff assembled from various points of the compass. Special recognition to the lad who has in the past two weeks actually transited 21 time zones to be here.
That's one of the reasons why our gathering is way short of the raucous, sodden festival that some might imagine. Get acquainted for the people who don't know each other yet. Hang the rifles in their ready positions by the door. One beer - make it a good one - and early to bed.
Off to the woods before dawn. It was a full moon.*
The woods were quiet. Until just at sunrise. Last year there was a chorus of wolves and coyotes howling all around me. This year, oddly, a flock of crows somewhere gave me the Scavengers Symphony for 2020. And then....quiet. usually there should be a fusillade of gunfire from people who were tracking deer at first light. I checked my phone....ten minutes past the permitted hour. It would turn out to be a paltry opening day.
Well it was nice enough sitting out in the woods. Warm. There were still bugs flying around on November 20th.
Eventually my youngest son "got us on the board". Serious jet lag notwithstanding he is a superb shot. Between the four of us we only saw two deer all day, as opposed to 17 for three of us a year ago. The one my world traveler spotted somehow ran twenty yards or so despite a .308 sized hole directly through its heart. Nature is tough.
Well, staff meeting tonight. The weather is probably the biggest factor and that will change. It might be time to deploy the Secret Weapon...
* The member of our party most versed in the ways of deer suggested that the full moon was a factor. He indicated that charts suggested the time of maximum deer activity after a full moon would be 12:30pm. Guess when we got our first deer...
What a beautiful morning! Good luck Sunday...
ReplyDeleteLuck!
ReplyDelete