September 27th, 2010

The 2010 opening weekend of duck season came and went with limited success in terms of duck numbers. Spent Saturday morning ,in as marsh with my brother and a great lab. Harvested a couple of drake wood ducks, enjoyed some strong coffee and listened to the sounds of opening day, that is, a lot of gunfire out on the open water. We've had better opening mornings, and we've had worse. Blessed to have had great weather and a wingman that owns the dog.


For the afternoon, we set up a field that is normally reliable and waited for the mallards to arrive. My father joined us for the hunt, making it two generations of Joneses in the field Saturday afternoon. First to arrive was a lone goose. He locked up and committed...needless to say, he didn't escape alive. Shortly after, a few mallards began to arrive in small groups, and together we managed to shoot about as poorly as a group of guys can. Ducks were called in, shots were fired, and only two birds were on the ground when all was said and done. Two mallards and a goose.

Finished the weekend with an evening sit in the bow stand. Much like the last time I went out, the weather was great, the evening still, and not a deer was spotted. At final light, the woods appeared to be ready to come alive, and it sounded like there were deer in the area, but the sun set before any opportunity presented itself. Early in the season, my plan had been to pass on a few deer to wait it out for the right opportunity. Given what I'm seeing out there, it may be time to amend that plan and take the next opportunity that presents itself.

Until next weekend...cheers.

September 19th, 2010

Another great evening in the bow-stand tonight. Weather was perfect. Spent 2 1/2 hours in the tree and failed to see a deer. That said, the squirrels were extremely active and kept me entertained, and my downy woodpecker was back and active as well. Two moments worth mentioning tonight.

One, on a perfectly calm night, a large tree fell somewhere to the south of me. I didn't see it happen, but I'm guessing "large" tree by the thunderous crash that I heard. Thus, it is confirmed, when a tree falls in the woods it makes a large sound. Here's what i cannot figure out...perfectly calm evening. Yesterday was breezy, and in the last week we've had some downright windy days. Why did it stay standing on those days? Why did it fall today? How long had it been this close to falling, and what was it that made it fall, today of all days?

How close are you to falling apart? How tenuous is that one area of your life where you are most at risk? Will you fall apart when everyone expects it, when external circumstances would predict it? Or, like the tree this evening, will you fall when least expected because you simply cannot hold on any longer....because the very last thread holding things together can hold you together no longer

Two, I heard my least favorite sound of the forest this evening. If you've never heard a rabbit lose its life, whether to a coyote or bird of prey, it is a truly uncomfortable sound. The challenge, of course, is that you never hear a rabbit when things are fine. What sound does a rabbit make when they're simply content? I've never heard it. But when they are struggling to stay alive in the jaws of a predator....whew....nothing you will want to hear often.

That was it tonight. Great solitude. Great peaks into the will of the Father. Some prayers to become a better husband and a better father. Pretty sure there are those out there that pray for the big buck, or that limit of ducks. No judgements here, but I can't see praying for such things. Rather, I pray for more breaths of fresh air and the health and opportunity to stroll the woods.

So, it's back to work for a few days this week, and then the Wisconsin Duck Hunting Opener is next weekend. Won't likely be much to report this week, but next weekend is sure to hold more adventure.

Cheers.

September 18th, 2010

Another fall is upon us and it's time to hit the marshes, lakes and woods. As a fledgling outdoorsman, I knew I wanted to begin journaling my adventures this year. Both to keep a record of successes and failures based on conditions, but also to ensure appreciation for the experiences beyond just the scores and limits. You'll notice the tag-line finding the extraordinary in ordinary adventures. That's it for me....time spent in the woods or on the marsh is always time well-spent.

To be clear, I'm not a conservationist in the tradition of Muir or Leopold, nor can I write with the eloquence of Emerson or Thoreau. Rather, I'm a simple husband and a father and a hard-worker, and when I can, I choose to spend me time the woods. I watch the Outdoor Channel frequently, and while I enjoy watching highly successful hunts, it is rarely consistent with my experience. In fact, we often don't even share the same definition of success. Their definition of success: rack scores, full limits, and blood on the decoys. Mine: Fresh air, sunrises on the march, sunsets in the woods, memories with friends, and watching the will of the Father unfold before my eyes. That, more than anything else, is the spirit I would like to capture here.

Take today for example. Opening day of bow season in Wisconsin. 62 degrees and a calm NW wind. Couldn't ask for better conditions on an opening day in Outagamie County. I arrived at my tree under the cover of night and settled in for a morning sit. Temperatures were comfortable, mosquitoes were present but manageable, and the sky began to fade to gray. If you have never spent a morning in the woods, and guessed minute by minute when your eyes would begin seeing in color vs. black and white, you're missing one of God's gifts. Priceless.

Right at legal shooting time this morning, right as I'm beginning to be able to identify game, a small doe appears along the creek bottom I hunt. For the next five minutes, she meanders along the creek, turns my direction and walks directly under my stand, only to disappear behind me as quietly as she came. I am always amazed at how silent the woods are in early season, with no fallen leaves to crunch and no frost crackling underfoot. Later this season, I may take that shot to put some meet in the freezer, but for now, there is plenty of time to be patient and enjoy the show.

I did not see another deer today, but I did listen to an owl ring greetings to the morning. There may be no greater sound in the woods than the hoot of an owl...at least from my perspective. Later this morning, three raccoon siblings made their way down the creek bottom, playing all the way. They wrestled, they splashed, jumped and swam in what appeared to more about having fun that serving a function. Reminded me of my brother and I as young boys. Geese flew overheard, quite vocal about their presence, and my morning concluded with the soft knocking of a woodpecker whose feathers were painted in white, black and red (I'll need to look this one up).

Successful first day of the season...absolutely.

More to come with future posts, and I'll do my best to begin capturing images worth sharing as well.

Cheers.