Now that deer season has begun, my body will be making some changes. Hiking through the Adirondack woods will clear some of the cobwebs out of my body and mind.
The area I hunt in is littered with large stones left by the last ice age. Twisting an ankle is a very real possibility. A mile back in the woods is no place to be injured.
When I sit in a stand or just stand on the ground, I am always at full alert. I want to see the deer before it knows of my presence.
Observing at one hundred percent I see many other things. It’s not just the harvest of the winter venison that makes a trip to the woods enjoyable. Actually bringing home deer meat doesn’t happen very often. Today I watched two young red squirrels chasing each other all over the woods. I watched a grouse pass through the area, thousands of Canadian geese flew over, low enough their flapping wings could be heard. One lone goose sounded like he was hoarse, his honk sounded more like a wheeze.
My stand is located in a small group of beach trees. Blue jays were causing a commotion at the very tops. They would feed on the beach nuts in the sunlight. The sound of the nuts falling down through the dry leaves sounded like large drops of rain. At times, between the geese, blue jays and squirrels, I couldn’t have heard a deer if it was right under my stand. Last night two raccoons walked by just three yards in front of my stand. One of them climbed a beech tree and fed on nuts. He was still there when I called it a night and went home.
Hunting isn’t just for the kill, it’s about all the other things you experience while you are out there.
