Whitetail Fever

Once More, This Time With Music

2006-11-02T06:49:00.000-06:00

Every couple of years, this seems to come up -- we run across someone hunting or scouting on land we leased, without permission from the landowner. Most are sheepish when caught (and leave), some get belligerent. That good ol' sense of entitlement kicks in: "I want to hunt here, so I should be able to and I shouldn't have to get permission, much less pay for the privilege." These are the same people who wonder why more and more land gets posted off completely.

We enforce a code of ethics on our own hunters: Do not enter another's property without permission, under any circumstance. If you find you have accidentally entered another's property, leave immediately.

It's a pretty simple concept, so sing along with me:

This land is your land,

This land is my land,

We have a lease, so please respect it

From the redwood forest to the gulfstream waters,

Fence laws were made for you and me.

As I was walking

a ribbon of fenceline

I saw above me

an illegal hunter

I called DNR.....

and then pressed charges,

Fence laws were made for you and me.

One more time.....

-- Hunting Widow, signing off.

Round 2 Ends. Deer Kicking Butt

2006-10-29T07:29:00.000-06:00

Another hunting week has ended here and we're getting beat up pretty bad by the deer.

Joe put the current big doe leader in the shed the other night with a shot that stopped her in her tracks. I have my doubts as to whether or not she'll hold out as the winner. But the way things have been going she could be. After that we just couldn't get him on much.

Jason put a nice shot on a doe the other day but 10 hours of steady tracking failed to locate her. We had a good trail for what turned out to be miles but just couldn't complete the deal.

Art and Rich had to leave early this week due to a family emergency but hope to be back to finish their week right before gun season. Hope they can get back.

Scott saw a great buck but not close enough. And Nick continued to see a lot of deer including good bucks through the whole week.

On the up side, another week begins today and now that we're rested up we'll try it again. The guys from PA role in today. Gary and the boys are always a hoot to be around and we have a great time during the week that they're here.

Dad rolled in on the train last night for the poker and will be with us for the next couple of weeks. He's been pumping iron and is ready to get some work done out here.

It looks like a good week weatherwise. Slight chance of a few showers tomorrow but otherwise dry and cold after that. Maybe that will get them a llittle more active during shooting hours.

In any case, stay with us.

I'll see you back at the lodge.

No Deer Yet. Inquiry Held by Lodge Tribunal

2006-10-25T08:10:00.000-05:00

Deer Count Yesterday:

Rich: 2 (Inquest held. Moved to new location)
Art: 5 (Released after questioning. Warned not to leave the area.)
Jason: 3 At 20 yds (Tree limb goes on trial this morning)
Joe: 0 (Transferred, placed on probation.)
Scott: 15, 10 at 15 yds (Tree limb summarily executed)
Nick: Couldn't count them all. (They got under him before he had gotten comfortable, or felt like hunting, or finished his coffee, or just plain too startled by so many chances that he just said forget it and didn't shoot nothin'. Nick nearly executed. Last minute stay granted by Lodge Tribunal)

We have adjusted Nick's medication and he's promised to do better today.

He probably better and so should the other guys. Rain is due in this evening and is suppose to stay with us through Friday morning.

I'll be encouraging everyone to get back out as early as they can today and stay all day if they can. I can't help but think that there'll be a huge deer feeding frenzy ahead of this extended storm. With any luck we'll have a deer feeding frenzy inside the lodge tonight as well.

Grab a knife and fork...

And I'll see you back at the lodge.

Update on the Guys From Up North

2006-10-23T21:14:00.000-05:00

Not a bad day all in all. Everybody but Joe saw deer today either this morning or tonight. Guess we'll have to try to help Joe tomorrow. He's going to try a different spot in the morning.

Nick was the winner of the big show tonight having a ringside seat to a great buck fight. He saw a total of 13 deer tonight but ofcourse nothing close enough to throw an arrow at. He was pretty pumped up when he came in.

Rich and Art are having a great time and seeing plenty of deer. I think Art is leading in numbers seen but Rich is as enthusiastic as anybody we get here. He's concentrating and should score pretty soon.

We'll be moving a couple of the guys tomorrow and I sure do hope we can change their luck. Guess Jason is serious about taking deer home this year. It's the only reason I can think of for that blanket on the floor in the back of his SUV.

More tomorrow I hope. If for some reason I don't get to this tomorrow I beg Amy's forgiveness and understanding. By the way Amy, why don't you come out next year and try your luck? Then I really will

See you back at the lodge.

They was everywhere

2006-10-22T22:00:00.000-05:00

Everybody saw deer tonight. Jason had a little spike bed down about 20 yards away and spend the evening with him.Nick, Scott, Joe, Rich, and Art all saw a deer or 6 tonight.

Just had to get that up here tonight so Jason's wife didn't come down here and kick my butt. I'll get more details up in the morning. Gotta get to bed now.

See you back at the lodge.

It Just Wasn't In The Cards

2006-10-22T07:09:00.000-05:00

Well, Mike and Richie left yesterday morning with a pretty fair 8 point in the cooler. Nothing much moved all week except for the one night.

If not for the coon and flock of turkeys Mike might not have taken his buck. He suspects that they were making so much racket over the buck's bed that he decided he'd move to get some peace and quiet. Unfornuately for him and fortunately for Mike that meant walking by Mike at about 7 yards.

He's not the biggest guy in the woods but when they stop that close and its Friday morning... Well you guys that have been here know how that feels. He was a nice 2 1/2 year old that dressed out at 140lbs.

I hope that next year will be better for them.

Jason and the gang are due from Mich. in a couple of hours as well as Art and Rich from Min. The weather this week is suppose to be pretty cool and dry so I hope they have some better luck.

I'll try to keep you updated as best I can so check in now and then. Until then...

I'll see you back at the lodge.

Nick's First Deer -- The Video

2006-10-19T12:17:00.000-05:00

Here's the video of Nick's first archery deer. Double - Click on the arrow to play the video. If you want to view this full screen (recommended), click on the "youtube" icon in the lower right corner. That will take you to the main site, and then you can select the option to view full screen.

I'm sure Chris will have some commentary to add here later.

Hunting Widow out.

Big Buck! Big Buck! Big Buck!

2006-10-19T06:36:00.000-05:00

That was Cole the Guide.

Mike: "WHAT?"

Cole: (pointing)

Mike: "*&*%^!"

That's how it went as Mike was getting ready to go into the woods last night. They watched as, what Mike called the biggest deer he's ever seen in his life, got up from his bed in the beans right in front of them and calmly trotted off.

Cole says it was a 140 - 150 class but Mike thinks it might have been bigger than that. He said it was bigger than what you usually see on the hunting videos.

Want to guess where he and Richie are going tonight?

Richie just saw one deer last night. He thinks it was a deer anyway. Said it came by so fast he couldn't even tell if it was a buck or doe. Being sure it was being chased by the biggest deer in the state, he readied himself but it must have just been a ghost cause there wasn't anything else.

The weather is improving and I sure hope they hit a lucky streak today. Its getting a little late in the game but these guys are good and a huge come back victory on their part is expected.

They Had Us Surrounded!

2006-10-18T15:51:00.000-05:00

It was a slow evening for the most part. We only counted 49 deer after noon yesterday.

Unfortunately most of those were seen by the guides while waiting for the dynamic duo to come out of their stands. Mike did see quite a few deer including a probable shooter that went by through the brush about 55 yds away. Naturally he was much happier with this new stand site and couldn't wait to sit it today or move a little closer to the trail he'd seen the big one on. Then the morning came. The wind has come around 180 degrees and is just flat wrong for that spot. Rather than pushing his luck he's someplace else right now and not very happy about it. Wish I could Change it for him. He had a little doe under him this morning but let her walk.

Richie had a small 5 point come in under him last night and saw some other deer out on the field edge quite a ways away. The buck came into a scrape near the stand and nearly lost his mind when he took a sniff. Richie said he bristled up and started looking around. If a deer can look worried I guess this one did. Richie is pretty sure it was something bigger than that 5 that must have made the scrape.

He saw two medium bucks this morning and is hoping that they keep getting bigger with each sit in the stand. I hope he's right. Maybe tonight will be the night.

The weather is pretty bad out there right now. Temp is about 45 and dropping and the wind is out of the north and northwest at 15 - 20 mph. Did I mention the drizzle that's blowing around in it? Small detail I know but it's sure to impact our brave heroes.

I gotta get back to some other guidy stuff so...

I'll see you back at the lodge.

And They're Off

2006-10-17T16:06:00.000-05:00

Mike and Richie are here with us this week From New Jersey. Many of you already knew that but I thought I'd mention it anyway. That may in fact be the most interesting thing about their trip so far.

The weather has been the pits since they got here. This morning was the first hunt that things looked pretty good. On a morning I figured there would be deer running and frolicing in every open space there wasn't much to write home about. Mike saw a button up where Jimmy took his Buck last year and Richie didn't see a deer. He did see 3 turkeys. But let's face it, that's not what they're looking for.

We did a little scouting today that brightened the faces of our intrepid duo. Richie is back in the area he hunted last year. He almost got to take a doe while we were scouting around. He's set up now near a crossing on a creek between a feeding area and a bedding area. There's a good rub line through there and a couple of scrapes that seemed to lift his spirits. Actually we couldn't get him back to the lodge quick enough o get changed and back in the stand.

Mike and Cole (one of our new guides this year) found a great spot where a bunch of trails come together and then dump out onto a cut corn field. They found a huge rub or , if you prefer, a rub on a big tree. I should probably mention the good looking buck that they saw in there as well.

So, as I write they are both sitting patiently in there spots and I await there frantic phone calls about the big one that they saw drop. I hope that's how it goes anyway. Last year Richie put us out on a track that I thought would never end.

The weather for the rest of the week seems to change by the hour and by the forecaster. The only thing they all agree on is that a cold front will move through late tomorrow and cool things down. Long as the wind don't blow any more this week I'm fine with that.

I gotta get on some of that guidy kinda paperwork stuff so I guess

I'll see you back at the lodge.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

2006-10-15T08:11:00.000-05:00

Mike and Richie are due in in just a couple of huors and wouldn't you know it, its raining. You'd think it was me that was going to hunt.

I guess I should be glad I'm not the only one this happens to but I was hoping for a little nicer start to our season here. Forecast is calling for quite a bit of rain this week but not much in the way of wind. Temps should be real good for hunting too.

I guess I shouldn't fret too much. There's a great story in this month's North American Whitetail about a guy that gets the buck of a lifetime in the rain. Sure makes for a worriesome track though.

Not much has gone on this week since Nick went home. Been trying to help get the farm ready for my extended absence during working hours. Have to loosen all the lids and change all the light bulbs so the hunting widow won't have too much of a hassle while I'm out.

We ordered the magic cable to get the video of Nick's hunt up on the web. Should be here Tuesday or Wednesday. Hopefully it won't take too long after that to get it up here.

Well, I better get after that last minute stuff. Always something that I forget until now. And since I'll be there for the next 5 - 6 weeks....

I'll see you back at the lodge.

And Now, Back to Our Heroes

2006-10-11T16:29:00.000-05:00

What a great week! I just spent a week hunting with my kids, Nicholas and Katie.

Nick managed to shoot two does this last week. We found one of them but lost the other. Katie shot a good doe on Saturday during the youth gun season and then gave us a lesson in tracking.

As previously reported Nick laid hands on his first deer with a bow on Thursday night and then on Friday night stuck his second one. We were able to track her for quite a ways but lost her right after she crossed Long Creek. She had already traveled quite a distance by that point so I have to assume it was a non fatal shot. Sure sounded like agood one to me. I was hunting about a hundred yards away and heard the whack when the arrow hit. We finally found the arrow yesterday morning. We must have walked past it half a dozen times looking for it. Had good blood on it but an awful ot of fat too. Nick thought it was a good shot but slightly quartering towards him. I don't know what went wrong but she's still out there somewhere. He had one in the ice chest when he boarded the plane today though so it was a successful as well as fulfilling week for both of us.

Katie put a great shot on a doe Saturday night. Put it right behind the shoulder where the twelve ring sits. She's turning into quite the tracker. She crawls through those little tiny holes in the brush that I just cringe at. After about 200 - 250 yards she walked up on it. We had just lost blood trail at the intersection of a couple of trails when she decided, "I think she went this way. I smell something". Sure enough 3-4 steps later she announced, "There she lay". Going to get her some brush pants and take her with me on some of those tracks you guys put me through. Maybe I can get to bed a little earlier in the evening.

The weather here has taken a big turn. First freeze of the season is expected tonight with 20-30 mph winds to go with it. We had half an inch of rain last night and today and the moon is starting to head toward new. Its hunting season and it doesn't get much better than this to get 'em moving around.

The first clients are due in this weekend. Looking forward to Mike and Richie's return. Both took bucks last year with Richie's being quite an adventure.

I'll try to get some scouting and reporting in in the next couple of days to keep you pumped for the season. So until next time....

I'll see you back at the lodge.

I know, I know....

2006-10-07T11:09:00.000-05:00

So much for the every day blogging. My son Nick came to town on Wednesday and we've been hunting ever since.

He took a doe Thursday night on his first day of hunting. Pictures will be up soon on that. I got video of the hunt and the hunting widow is studying up on how to get the video on the web. Like I said, I should have my own show. It was way cool.

This was Nick's first deer with the bow and we're both pretty pumped up about it.

He shot another doe last night but we weren't able to recover that one. Left a great trail and then it just went dry. Searched this morning for blood and the body but no luck.

My daughter Katie is hunting this weekend for the Illinois youth gun season. The deer beat us to the spot this morning and then the coyotes were roaming around us so we just hung it up and went looking for Nick's deer.

We've come home for lunch and a nap and then back out to the woods for more family hunting.

Hunting with the kids is just great. I like the guys that come out every year, but this is almost heaven.

I'll work on the pictures and the video. Hope to have them up soon. And I'll get you updates on the family hunt as they become available. Until then....

I'll see you back at the lodge.

I Should Have My Own Hunting Show

2006-10-03T10:07:00.000-05:00

Never did get out yesterday. 92 degrees in the afternoon and the wind was blowing 20 mph. Tried mowing the lawn but the blades are so dull all I managed to do was get sweaty and make the lawn look odd at best.

But the deer missed me. Just after sundown my intrepid hunting beagle cut loose outside just a howling. In my effort to promote neighborhood harmony I went to shut her up and there they stand. Two does standing right across the road saying, "Hey, aren't you coming out to play? We know you're in there". Only Drew can know the frustration I go through every season. He's had a lot of practice laughing at me or doing a play by play from the stands.

Now, to the reason I have titled this as I have.

I was watching deer porn on the Men's Channel this morning. These are the shows that haven't made ESPN2 or the Outdoor Channel yet. Some of them never will and here's why.

"The wind isn't right for where we want to be so let's just make do. We'll set up down wind looking into a rising sun in a tree that doesn't offer the cover we really need for the dozen or so camera, sound guys, producers, advertisers, and others that we need to put on this show." Okay, they didn't really say that but it became obvious from the other patter that was going on.

Out steps Charlie Racker walking slowly toward the stand from waaaaaaaaay down the field. He knows they're there. He's got the perfect view looking down sun. He walks toward the stand with that stiff legged gait that says, "I know you're there. I just haven't winded you yet".

Charlie doesn't get the chance to offer a decent target. In fact he stays head on through the entire approach. Suddenly the background music stops and the shot rings out. Charlie takes off as fast as he can considering the non-fatal wound Zippy the Hunter has inflicted.

Zippy, in his effort to save the show, calmly explains "we're going to give this buck quite a bit of time. I think I got a good hit on him but etc, etc".

Not!

Don't let me catch any of you doing this with that big one out here. I spend enough time tracking to get me through the year. For your sake, my sake, and the deer's sake, let's wait for the right shot and make those shots good ones.

Makes for better TV anyway.

That said, I'll see you back at the lodge.

The Trophy Doe

2006-10-02T13:04:00.000-05:00

As I said yesterday, yesterday for all you yahoos that are blog addicted, I went in search of that trophy doe that all of you want for next year.

The weather was terrible. Temp was in the high 80's and the wind was blowing. Seemed like summer again. Even though the wind was blowing a steady 10 - 20 MPH it was a swirlin' down in the bottoms.

I saw 4 does during the afternnoon but all were to far away or in the brush to take a shot at. I think the wind was letting them all know I was around. The trophy wasn't there but I could hear my freezer moaning as they went by. It has an echo now when I open it.

Didn't hunt this morning. The wind was still blowing and all wrong for the spot I was planning on. Besides, when the alarm went off I was all snuggled up with the hunting widow and just couldn't stand the thought of moving right then. I'll do better during you guy's season, I promise.

Still hot and windy out there with temps near 90 today and tomorrow. Looking for some rain on Wednesday to cool things down a little. Hope so anyway, that's when my son, Nick, gets here. Hoping to take his first deer with the bow over the next week. If not that then his first 5 pound bass in the middle of the day.

Some news from our hunters - Rich, who took a nice buck last year, and a nice bear as well (somewhere else), scored another bear this year. He has promised me pictures one of these days so I'll get them up here when I get them.

Scott says the Louisiana Boys had an underwhelming trip elk hunting this year. I don't think they've ever said anything good about that trip. Wish they'd just save that money and spend an extra week here. I bet we have a lot more fun here anyway. Scott says the marsh has recovered from Katrina so I'm planning to get down there and duck hunt with them this year. They've offered for years but I think I might make it down this time. Ducks in the morning and red fish in the afternoon is what they tell me. Stay tuned, I'll let you know how it goes. I may be branching out if its as good as they claim.

That's it for today. I'll get back to you as soon as I get out again or something equally important comes up. If neither happens I'll just let you know tomorrow. In the mean time...

I'll see you back at the lodge.

Opening Day

2006-10-01T10:33:00.000-05:00

Its opening day here in Illinois so I thought it appropriate to open the blog season as well. That and I've been beat up by so many of you for slacking off on it.

Have been scouting, hanging stands and hunted this morning. I won't go into many details as to location on these things because you all want to hunt where the biggest deer is. Believe me, I want you to hunt there too. I don't put you guys anywhere that I don't think there's a shooter lurking about.

Wednesday night I was out for a little sunset look and sighted three bucks traveling together. The first was big, the second was a shooter and the third will be someday. They didn't come out until right at dark so no pictures. That they were about 500 yds away is another reason.

Last night I saw two shooters, one of which was a very, VERY nice 10 point and the other a shooter 8. The 10 came out first, did a little scraping and then he and the 8 point did a little soft sparring out in the field for me. I know, I know, where are the pictures. Seems as I get older the the camera shakes quite a bit more and at maximum zoom all I seem to get maximum fuzzy. I need to put the tripod in the truck I guess.

I've been seeing does by the truck load. Should be a hell of a rut with that many of them out there. But since that's what I was looking for from the treestand this morning they weren't around.

I did see 3 bucks this morning. The first was on me and past right before I could see my pins. (no, I wasn't going to shoot) I'm pretty sure he's a shooter but it was still pretty dark. The second was a smallish 8. Should be a shooter next year and thereafter. The third was a spike. I did consider him for a minute but his body said, "I'm really young. Give me a chance, I'll get bigger".

Its going to be in the mid 80's today but I'm going to try again this evening. I have to get mine in before you Yahoos get here and my hunting days are over.

Couple of quick notes:

My son Nick is coming out this week to doe hunt for a few days. He's not taken a deer with the bow yet so we're looking forward to a great time.

Dad is coming out again this year but needs to know who wants some poker lesssons so we can plan his arrival.

Last, and most importantly, today is my Mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom. She's... well lets just say older than me. I miss her.

That's it for today I guess. Maybe I can tell you about my trophy doe hunt next time.

See you back at the lodge

You Still Have a Shot at Tags

2006-08-14T09:28:00.000-05:00

Illinois DNR has non resident archery tags left for this coming season. About 1500 tags will come available on a first come-first served basis on Aug 21st. If you haven't gotten your tags yet (Doc) make sure you hit the DNR web site and know what you need to do on the 21st.

Well, the antlers are coming out and so are the game cams. We hope to have some pictures to put up of this years hopefuls in the next few days. Have seen a few that are already outside their ears and still growing. While I haven't seen the numbers of past years I'm not bothered much. I never have been out here scouting this early either.

We've been getting a little rain to ease the drought the last couple of weeks. Creeks are flowing and there is still plenty of water in the ponds. Crops around the area have been good in some places and disasters in others because the rain has been very patchy. As an example, I live 5 miles south of Carthage and got just a shade under 0.3 of an inch on Thursday morning. A fishing buddy in town got 2.6 inches at the same time. The Good Lord makes it rain on the just and the unjust alike as my neighbor would say.

We have a lot of returning hunters this year as you'll see if you keep up with us this year. Gary and Richard (The Pennsylvania Boys), Scott and the Louisiana Boys, Jason and the Gang... I'm really looking forward to it.

Dad will be back again this year. Mom says he's been working out to get ready. He golfs 3 times a week and gets frequent naps. In all seriousness, I hear he's doing great and pretty excited about being here again. Says he'll pay his own way this year if I'll let him keep the poker money.

Everybody here is doing fine and looking forward to another great season and a lot of fun. I'll try to start updating on a semi-regular basis from here on out so we can start getting you pumped up for the season. Meanwhile...

I'll see you back at the lodge.

Illinois Archery Season Applications Are Open

2006-06-01T20:09:00.000-05:00

We're in the process of contacting all of our hunters for the upcoming season: Illinois DNR is now accepting applications for the 2006 non-resident archery tags. The window for applications closes June 30th.

Hunters can apply online here at Illinois DNR. We don't anticipate a shortage of tags, as there was a surplus last year. However, it doesn't pay to tempt fate. If you need any help making your application, give us a call.

We're anticipating a good season -- lots of healthy looking deer running through the fields. No antlers visible yet.

The Hunting Widow has started a quilt repair & restoration business, and with it comes her own blog for pontificating about the business, life in the Midwest, and being a Hunting Widow: Force Majeure Farm. No more pictures of deer wearing wedding dresses on Whitetail Fever, at least for a while.

Meanwhile, be sure to check out our blogroll of hunting sites that we check into regularly -- lots of good articles and stories.

Buck Stops Here V2.5

2006-03-18T09:15:00.000-06:00

Greetings again from the Hunting Widow!
This week's theme is taxidermy, which can be so....limiting... to one's decor. After all, one can only do so much with a mount: turn the head left or right, up or down. Maybe string Christmas lights in the antlers for the holidays. When Chris was at sea, and the nights were long, I could swear that his goat used to look at me. And not in a nice way. So I put a sunbonnet on him to make him a little friendlier looking. That didn’t go over so well when the big guy came home. Anyway, just when we hunting widows have reached the end of the bottom of the inspiration barrel, along comes Gordon Wilding with some great displays to liven up the lodge

Vocabulary word of the week: crypto-taxidermy, which is the creation of stuffed animals that do not have real, live counterparts. For hunters, the most commonly seen type of crypto-taxidermy is the jackalope, which, you may be amazed to discover, actually has some basis in fact.
(There, you see, reading this blog is not the waste of time your spouse or employer is thinking -- it is EDUCATIONAL.) For more fun with crypto-taxidermy, visit the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists. Be sure to try the Beast Blender. This is what happens when winters are long and dark.

“Probably, nobody will remember anything I've done when I'm gone, except the folks who brought me an old set of horns with which I created something beautiful.” In Find Something You Like To Do, Articman tells a great story about how he got into doing taxidermy.

Apparently taxidermy is an expanding field. Perhaps they can team up with a veterinarian -- their motto could be "No Matter What Happens - You Get Your Pet Back!" You have to wonder, too, what the new (living) pet that you bring home is thinking about that stuffed cat in the corner. Makes me think of the naughty parrot joke.

Haven’t gotten a buck worth mounting yet? Never fear, the mass merchandisers of America have brought you Buck, the Singing Deer. And if you didn’t see him at Christmas, then you don’t shop at Walmart. Be sure to turn on your audio.

Taxidermy figured into one of the best (and unintentional) practical jokes Chris and I have ever pulled.

It all started back in 1981, the summer after my junior year in high school. I signed up for an anatomy class at the local community college, including anatomy. The class included dissection of various animals, including cats. The professor needed a volunteer to skin the cats in preparation for dissection, so I took on the job. Being curious, I checked out a book on taxidermy from the library and decided to try it out on a couple of the cat skins. (Yes, I know, most teenage girls have other things on their mind for summer vacation. Yes, I’ve always been this way.) Having been soaked in formaldehyde, the skins came out a little stiff but were presentable. I even lined the best one with felt and hung it up.

Fast forward to 1988. I’m in the Coast Guard, married to a Coastie, and newly transferred to Headquarters. And we had this cat…..it had seemed like such a nice cat when we got it. As the weeks progressed though, this cat became increasingly cold to us. If we entered the room, it left. If we tried to pet it, it walked away. Not only that, but the ghost in the house didn’t like it and started throwing things at it. (No, we did not believe in ghosts until it happened to us, and besides that is a completely different story.) We had a long list of charges against that cat and it did absolutely nothing to otherwise endear itself to us.

Chris would go into work each Monday and regale his co-workers with the latest outrages the cat had committed. He started offering it for sale at our cost, but each week the price went up – first it was the adoption fee, then it was the vaccinations, and then the cat got sick. Chris’ griping about that cat made for great office entertainment.

Meanwhile, we were unpacking the last of a few boxes that had been unopened since before we were married. As I unloaded a book box, from behind me I heard Chris say, “WHAT is THIS?!?” I turned to find him holding the cat skin. As I explained the provenance of the skin, a light began to gleam in his eye (Chris, not the cat.) What better way to bring the weekly cat gripe to a head than to bring in a skin? We figured everyone would have a good laugh and move on.

Monday morning: Not everybody is laughing. Chris called me mid-morning to tell me that everyone was actually believing that this was the hide of the cat, and that his boss was furious with him.

Chris had come into the office he shared with a Lieutenant (Paul) and a Gunnersmate, poured his coffee, retrieved the cat skin from his briefcase and hung it from the bookcase over his desk. His nearest neighbor, Paul, asked him what that was:

Chris: I’d had it with that cat, so I killed it and skinned it.

Paul: Wow. What did Kim say?

Chris: Oh, you can’t say anything to Kim about it. I did it while she was out shopping with her mother and I told her it ran away.

(Crowd gathers, Chris repeats his story. General reactions run along the lines of “what if your wife finds out?” Then, enter the Commander (Butch), everyone’s boss.)

Butch: What’s that?

Chris: It’s the cat. I finally killed it and then I tanned it’s hide.

Butch (outraged): How could you do that?

Chris: It was easy – just a little tap between the eyes with my hammer!

Butch retreats in spluttering outrage. Now Chris is calling me. He never believed the entire office would be so gullible, and he’s also starting to get worried that Butch is about to call the ASPCA on him. However, this is way to much fun to just holler April Fool and move on – so we hatch a plan….

It’s 11:00 – time for lunch. Usually, Chris meets me in the passageway to go to lunch, but he’s “running late” and still at his desk. I enter the vault, sign in at the desk and chat with the secretary a bit. Everyone in the vicinity is visibly nervous and retreating back to their desks or other strategic viewing spots. I make my way toward Chris, who has his back turned to me and is talking to the Gunnersmate. Chris knows I’m approaching me, because Gunner’s eyes are getting huge and his face is turning bright red.

I stop behind Chris, glance up at the bookcase and spy the skin. I take it down and look at it with a dawning look of horror. Chris turns slightly and I throw the skin at him: “Murderer!” and storm out of the office. Shocked silence.

As soon as the door slams shut, Chris is surrounded by sympathetic co-workers offering couches to sleep on and the names of good divorce attorneys. Butch launches another tirade about cat killing, and Gunner is still watching all this in amazement.

I walk back in, and everyone gets quite again. Chris says, “I have just one thing to say to everybody.” And together we say, “April Fool!”

Butch pokes his head out of his office, “Awww, I knew it was a joke the whole time, I was going along with it….” Right.

Years later, Butch made Captain and took command of my unit. When the time came to transfer out, we looked and looked for that cat skin so that we could give it to him as a memento, but it had long since disappeared. I made a new one out of fake fur and glass eyes, but it just wasn’t the same.

Butch, wherever you are, thanks for being such a good sport.

I'm off to a quilt restoration seminar next week, so you'll just have to do without me. Until next time,

The Hunting Widow

[taxidermy]
[crypto-taxidermy]

The Buck Stops Here V2.4

2006-03-10T19:35:00.000-06:00

Greetings! I did such a good job last week, Chris asked me to write this week's entry. Or, maybe he realized that no one is saying anything remotely interesting about deer hunting this week. However, being the avid blog reader that I am, I have plenty of off-topic recommendations to make. (Chris would make the argument that I’m always a good source of off-topic and esoteric information. Hazard of my former occupation, I guess).

But first, the near and deer:

Here’s a primer on How to Age Your Deer.
Study hard, there’ll be a test this fall.

Genesis of a Duck Cop: Terry Grosz was a conservation law enforcement officer for more than 30 years, first for the State of California, and then with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For the last 18 years of his career he was based in Denver as Assistant Regional Director for Law Enforcement. In 2004, a movie based on his stories, entitled Wildlife Wars, was shown on Animal Planet. He’s also a prolific writer, with five other books listed on Amazon.com’s website. While you’re visiting, check out Proven Whitetail Tactics by Greg Miller, Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails by John and Chris Ebereart, and John Weiss’s updated Guide to Planting Food Plots for Deer and Other Wildlife

In a note from the inlaws last week: My uncle Joe and his best buddy, Bubba, went hunting a couple of weeks ago. Somehow they got lost. Uncle Joe reassured his buddy, though. "Don't worry. All we have to do is shoot into the air three times, stay where we are, and someone will find us." They shot in the air three times, but no one came. After a while, they tried it again. Still no response. When they decided to try once more, Bubba said, "It better work this time. We're down to our last three arrows."

That’s the deer recap for this week. If you’re interested in broadening your horizons, here are a few recommendations:

Tales of A Wandering Mind – written by a law enforcement officer who posts on all sorts of topics, and generally has something intelligent to say when he does. And, he likes brunettes!

Copper’s Blog is written by a British police officer with an acerbic wit. Lots of good links to other Law Enforcement blogs.

Michael Yon is a journalist in Iraq doing real reporting, as opposed to opinionating. Go see.

The Intelligence Summit. Because, some days, the Drudge Report is too heavy on aliens and celebrities. Then go visit The Counterterrorism Blog for some further analysis. Then, just to see what the other guys are thinking, visit the English language version of Al Jazeera. Unfortunately, The Diplomad is a dead blog; it’s still worth scrolling (all the way) down to the bottom and looking at the archives for an honest look at how the UN REALLY responds to a disaster.

Operation Eden – a post-Katrina documentary, in words and moving photographs, whether you agree with the opinions expressed or not. Also see, Vincent Laforet’s photo-log of Hurricane Katrina (go to the main page, select index, select “editorial 2”, then select “Katrina.”) Eye of the Storm is also an excellent post-Katrina photo blog.

Waiter Rant – What your waiter is thinking.

Medical blogs – I’m addicted to them. Start with the weekly “best of” summary entitled Grand Rounds, and then take a closer look at these: The Examining Room of Dr. Charles, Information is Free, GruntDoc, and Ah, Yes, Medical School. Pissed Off Student Nurses is another dead blog that’s still fun to read. Pity, I love the title. By the time you’re done looking at these (and the other blogs they link to) you’ll either be thoroughly hooked, or thoroughly grossed out.

Missed your favorite TV show? Get the recap at Television Without Pity. “Spare the snark, spoil the network...”

Individual Items of Random Interest:

Feel the Coast Guard. Go ahead, you’ll like it.

Caring for your introvert. Just leave us alone, already!

How To Kill Rats and Mice. Because if you live in the country, you’ll need to know. I’m thinking about buying the rat rock. I’d buy the bazooka if they had one. We had a mouse in the attic this winter and it nearly drove me insane. And if mama ain’t happy……

Demotivators. Or, as I like to call it: Reality.

Notable Quotables – Quote of the Year. Speaking of reality, Dan Rather and Mary Mapes have lost their grasp on it.

Looney Toons Opera. Because you just never know when you might need to break into song.

For those of you who think rivers are “peaceful” and “lazy,” take a look at this towboat’s encounter with the current..

STILL looking for something to do? Go play Runescape.

-- The Hunting Widow

[deer]
[hunting]
[whitetail fever]
[deer hunting]

The Buck Stops Here V2.3

2006-02-27T15:40:00.000-06:00

Ah, spring is coming, we can feel it in our bones, and a young man’s thoughts turn towards…..building horse stalls, and cutting down trees, and tattooing calves, and moving dirt around with a tractor. Therefore, this edition of the Buck Stops Here is brought to you by the Hunting Widow.

First off, a quick note to our visitors on active duty or otherwise engaged in the War on Terror. Several of you have inquired about hunting with us and expressed your concerns that you cannot commit to a certain hunt date because of the uncertainty of your deployment schedule. Be assured, we value your service and will do everything within our power to be flexible and accommodating. In addition, hunting deposits will not be forfeited if the cancellation is due to involuntary recall or a change in deployment schedule. Contact us directly for further information.

I came across the 2001 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released its latest report on Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. According to the report:
· hunting was a $20.6 billion industry in 2001, with hunters spending 30% more on the sport than in 1991.
· Hunters as a percentage of the population began to decline around 1984, but the sub-category of big game hunters maintained its population. Small game and fowl hunting numbers dropped considerably.
· Trip costs (food, lodging, fuel) consume about 25% of a hunter’s expenses per year, and well over half of hunters are also hunting on private lands (either by lease or through hunting lodges).
What I get out of this is that hunting is expensive, and perhaps the continued attraction of big game hunting is that it puts more meat per dollar on the table than a bird or a rabbit. There’s plenty of additional detail on spending, demographics, and geography in the full report, and there are worse ways to spend your coffee break. The next census survey on hunting takes place this year.

Two does, one slug. And the hunter was ten years old. I don’t want to hear any whining this fall.

PETA says that Hunting Belongs In History’s Dustbin. It’s an article loaded with illogic (and a bit of hysteria). There’s an email address at the end, if you’d like to share your thoughts with the author. As for me, all I’ve got to say in response is this:

And finally, a cautionary tale:

The deer took the runner out, saying, “he smells much better than most critters we get going through here.” It wasn’t long before the couple was in a rush to the altar, wishing to avoid a moral hazard. The Bride wore camo, and all were inspired by the appearance of a another deer outside the chapel. There could be no other possible explanation for the sudden appearance of this deer other than it being the reincarnation of the bride’s former husband giving his blessing to the marriage. The couple moved in to a small cottage and several years passed in peace. The mooching of the groom's deadbeat friends became too much for the bride to bear, and they soon divorced. The forlorn ex moved to a home next door, separated by a fence. Chortled the deer, ““My ex-husband lives on the other side. They are eating HIS stuff.” The attraction remained, however, and ultimately proved fatal: They died together, locked in an angry, apparently unbreakable embrace.

Photo provided by Marc Gould to the South Bend Tribune.

(Please do not send me your Brokeback Deer jokes.)

Til next time,

The Hunting Widow

[deer]
[hunting]
[whitetail fever]
[deer hunting]

The Buck Stops Here V2.2

2006-01-26T19:08:00.000-06:00

What’s next, leashes? Hunting preserves are the subject of some controversy, and it looks like Indiana is about to join 11 other states in restricting the methods by which deer in those preserves are taken. In our humble opinion, there’s a reason it’s called “hunting” and not “grocery shopping.” In a blog entry about hunting in that other preserve we call “suburbia,” Greg Alan Store discusses the results of an urban deer population control hunt in Cedar Rapids. Somewhere, there has got to be a study about where the point is in deer populations that they go from “cute” to “annoying” to “dangerous” (because of frequent vehicle accidents). Greg puts forward a pretty cogent synopsis on the safety and effectiveness of urban deer hunts.

What the heck is an atlatal, you ask? If you live in Pennsylvania, you may be about to find out. We Googled and found this picture at the University of Louisiana:

More women are taking up deer hunting, a fact noted in solid statistics by the state of Missouri. Women are closing in on making up 20% of the hunter population. We noted this fact several years ago when we were getting ready to open Long Creek Adventures, and we took care during the farmhouse remodel to ensure that we can assure comfort and privacy for our female guests. It’s no surprise that many of these women take up the sport because of the love that a father or husband has for hunting. Hunting is an incredible bonding experience. The day the Little Admiral took her buck was certainly a big milestone in our family. This hunting family in Connecticut shares its traditions and inculcates proper respect for firearms at an early age. Yeah, but do they use an atlatal?

Poaching is a crime. Poaching is a crime. Poaching is a crime. Yes, we feel very strongly about that. Here’s a touching story about a father-son duo who have, among other penalties, been dealt a lifetime ban against hunting. They’ve already done plenty of damage. In a sign of fatherly love, Dad complained that his sentence was too severe, given that it was his son that did “most” of the poaching.

In further news of the strange and unusual, all we can say about THIS is, well, wow. Hat tip to Greg Alan Store. And, just in case you thought this might be a singular incident, here’s a summary of other attacks. It just may be that it will be up to the squirrels to defend the unsuspecting among us.

Lastly, just for fun, visit The Other Side blog and tell us: how many deer do you see?

We’ll see you back at the lodge!

[deer]
[hunting]
[whitetail fever]
[deer hunting]

The Buck Stops Here v2.1

2006-01-18T07:41:00.000-06:00

Our friend Greg, who's serving overseas, sent us this video clip from Break.com of one very stupid but lucky buck. You can also check out this video of two bucks battling it out. They appear to be in velvet, which would explain why they're not using their antlers (when in velvet, antlers are softer and easily damaged).

Have you ever wondered about the stages of antler growth? Texas State Parks and Wildlife has a photo log showing antler growth for one buck from March 99-Sep 99.

Since many of our hunters are from Pennsylvania, we thought that this article about the debate over whether the state’s deer population is over-hunted (a two-week firearm season?!?!?!) was pretty interesting.

As bucks age, they become increasingly nocturnal. North American Whitetail has a great article “When Bucks Go Over the Hill” that discusses this and other age-related changes, and how they affect your hunt. While you’re visiting that site, take a moment to read Getting the Most From Your Stand. It has some important advice about what to do – and not do – in order to avoid educating the herd about your location.

[deer]
[hunting]
[whitetail fever]
[deer hunting]

The Buck Stops Here v1.3

2006-01-03T10:30:00.000-06:00

It was a thin week for articles on deer hunting this week. Must be that time of year, as Dave Richey, notes in Time Is Winding Down For Deer Hunters. Ah, well, now’s the time to be creating all those great venison recipes. Venison is a healthy, low-fat addition to the menu, and the corn-fed deer we harvest here in Illinois are tender and not at all gamey or bitter, (which can happen when deer have been eating landscaping rather than their natural forage). If the chief cook is looking for inspiration, Recipeland.com has a number of intriguing venison recipes.

Do you know a woman who hunts? If so, she may be interested in reading Woman The Hunter by Mary Zeiss Stange, a professor at Skidmore College. She recently wrote an editorial in USA Today on Why Deer Hunts Can Be Humane. Blogger Jim Freeman further expounds upon the costs of deer overpopulation in Taking A Bead On Bambi.

Happy New Year, everyone. We’ll see you next year, back at the lodge.

[deer]
[hunting]
[whitetail fever]
[deer hunting]

The Buck Stops Here v1.2

2005-12-23T18:13:00.000-06:00

This weeks round up of deer hunting articles has some pretty interesting stuff. Be sure to check it all out. Just click on the links!

You have got to see this one! We’ve had some pretty good days at Long Creek but…..

This photo brought to you courtesy of blogger Conniemia. She writes: "Apparently, when dad was in town registering the deer, people were actually getting out of their cars and taking pictures of this. I don't care how townie you are, THIS is impressive. Not just the number of deer, or BUCKS for that matter, but the fact that they got them all on one short-bed pick-up truck. .... yep, this is my life. " Connie tells us that there are seven bucks and four does in the back of the truck, all culled during Thanksgiving weekend at the family hunt camp, Porkey Creek Lodge, in Wisconsin.

This past year, several of the hunters at Long Creek donated their meat – some went to Hunters for the Hungry, some went to people who we knew personally that could use it. It was greatly appreciated by the recipients. Similar opportunities to feed the hungry exist in just about every community. Let’s make every deer count for those that need them.

Archery hunting has grown in the last 30 years according to the Illinois DNR. But elsewhere, development encroaches on traditional hunting and feeding grounds. When new rural homeowners regard deer as pets, it follows that Deer May Roam, But Hunters May Not Tread.

Two safety articles to post this week: First, the article doesn’t say it outright, but the judge’s sentence implies that alcohol was involved: Man Gets 10 Years On Probation For Hunting Death . Second, wear your safety harness, and wear it properly.

Dave Richey, an outdoor writer, muses on whether deer can sense danger. Meanwhile, when the tables get turned on some poachers, it turns out that their sense of danger is less attuned.

Lastly, here’s an awesome photo blog of some deer hunting in New Zealand. These appear to be red stag. Wouldn’t they make for a great hunt?

We’ll see you back at the lodge!

[deer]
[hunting]
[whitetail fever]
[hunting safety]

Christmas Cheer From Long Creek

2005-12-19T19:38:00.000-06:00

Buck Fever? No, not us!

The Buck Stops Here v1.1

2005-12-12T19:04:00.000-06:00

We’re beginning a weekly round-up of articles and weblog journal entries about deer hunting. Since this is our inaugural issue of the Whitetail Food Plot, we’re going back a little further in time to showcase some articles we think are worth reading.

Illinois DNR is reporting that bad weather during the second gun season kept harvest levels below last year’s record setting total. WJBDRadio in Salem, IL has the story: Firearm Deer Hunting Totals Down in Most Area Counties. Missouri’s hunting stats are similar. However, Daniel D. Lamoreux, of Illinois Game and Fish, points out that late season hunting offers plenty of opportunity to fill the freezer.

There could be a new record buck in Indiana, but as Jeff Gambill of the Terre Haute Tribune-Star writes, the rumored buck and the hunter who took him are choosing to remain anonymous, perhaps for good reason.

Transplanted New Yorker Rachel Leifer goes hunting for the first time in Mississipi and discoveres that “The odd camping trip or dip in a lake is visiting the wild, but hunting is participating in it.”

In Deer hunting does have downsides, Brent Wheat of the Crawfordsville Journal Review warns about medical conditions that can crop up the tree stand.

The Los Angeles Times has produced a piece on hunting in the forbidding San Gabriel Mountains, where reportedly one of the hazards is “getting poked by nettles.” Heck, you can come here to Long Creek Adventures for that – we’ll do it for free!

Richard Simms reflects on a missed shot in Deer Hunting: The Agony and the Ecstacy.

The number of hunters nation-wide is declining. Cindi Lash, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, reports on the reasons in Game officials worry about hunting's lagging popularity. Bill Cochran, in Roanoke, is a 40-year hunter and offers his perspective on how hunting has changed in Deer hunting: What's in and what's out – Part I, and Deer hunting: What's in and what's out -- Part II. We use 4-wheelers at Long Creek – it’s a practical way of getting folks quickly to the right stand. Dennis Jensen, though, doesn’t like them: ATVs are taking the 'hunt' out of hunting

Poaching is a crime, not a harmless skylark: Man charged with several deer hunting violations in Clark County It is certainly not on the approved list of father-son bonding experiences: Five Jailed On Deer Hunting Charges. It is not encouraged by local tourism agencies, either: Arkansas men fined $22,000 for illegal deer hunting.

Unless you're the deer, hunting is a safe sport. For bow hunters, one of the biggest safety considerations is a quality deer stand, and the use of safety straps. Gun season requires additional precautions, which are neatly summarized in Ten simple rules for safe deer hunting. To that list, I’ll add two more rules: if you can’t actually see it, don’t shoot at it; and don’t let buck fever cloud your judgment. Some tragic examples from this past season:
Man shot by fellow gun club member while deer hunting
Teen shoots friend while hunting deer
Man shot in deer hunting accident
Man Shot While Deer Hunting
Boy kills brother in deer-hunting mishap
North Liberty man killed in deer hunting accident
Boy shot to death while hunting with brother

That's it for this week. See you back at the lodge.

[whitetail]
[hunting safety]
[whitetail fever]

Seth's Buck -- Not Your Typical

2005-11-26T18:06:00.000-06:00

This is a 17 point atypical buck taken by a local hunter I do some work with. He took it during first gun season and is justafiably proud of it. If you click on the picture, you'll be able to take a closer look.

According to the taxidermist who took a close look at it, this is an old deer that probably would not have lasted another season. Note how grey its muzzle is. He's a handsome fella, and will make a nice mount on Seth's wall. Congratulations!

Kim

Thaksgiving Day

2005-11-24T17:22:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you from all of us at Long Creek Adventures.

We hope your's was as good as ours here.

If you are overseas serving us a special "Thanks". Please send me an email (longcreek@earthlink.net) if you're overseas. Let me know where you are and what you might be up to if you can. If there is anything we can do for you or there is anything you need please let me know. I'll do everything I can to get you those things that might make your life a little more liveable. That includes everything from cigars to flea collars. Those of you that aren't there don't be laughing about the flea collars. I hear they keep the fleas out of their sleeping quarters.

To those of you away from home, God bless you. I know what its like and would like the chance to make it just a little easier.

For those of you that aren't, let me know if you're interested in helping and we'll put together some kind of care package for our folks.

I'll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

Post Season (Almost) Recap

2005-11-23T12:26:00.000-06:00

Well, First Gun Season is in the books as they say (whoever "they" are) and it was a busy one.

The first day saw 4 deer in the shed as most of you that follow us already know. The second day also saw 4 more hanging. Merlin and I both took smallish bucks, John tagged out with a doe and Bill had a "mercy" taking of a small buck that was suffering from mutiple wounds of which none were immediately fatal.

On Sunday we did quite a bit of driving with very little result. Bob would beg to differ as he tagged out with a doe in the morning and a buck in the afternoon. Other than that it was pretty slow.

I could go off on a rant about poaching and tresspassing but I'm not going to. But if you're the ones hunting down on Jetty's without permission keep looking behind you. Its only a matter of time. Oh, and smile for the cameras.

Only 2 in for second gun this year. You'll remember Drew and Ron from last year. I hope I can keep up with their goings on a little better than I did with Mark and Kim and them.

All in all it has been a good season. A great season if we just talk about the folks we had hunting with us. We took some very good deer this year but just couldn't seem to get the monsters in close. Seems to be the case with a lot of folks around here this year. There have been some exceptions but as a rule the number of monster bucks wan't as high this year according to my local sources.

Dennis over at D&E Archery did tell me this morning of a trio of "Booners" brought in on Thursday. Respective scores were 182, 184, and 187. Now, those are monster deer. Dennis does have a couple of pictures at the bow shop if you'd like to drop in to see them. Wouldn't do to almost wrap up the season without one last thanks to Dennis for keeping our guys in the trees this year. Great work Dennis!

That's going to be it for now I guess. We'll have extra pictures up in the photo albums very soon for you all to look at.

For those of you that left stuff with us this year, please give me a call to let me know what belongs to who and I'll get it sent out to you. There's somebody out there with an API climber that can't be very steady.

If you want to leave your stuff til next year, well, like me, it'll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

First Deer: If She Hadn't Been Tied To The Stand, She Might Have Fallen Out Of It

2005-11-18T21:20:00.000-06:00

The Little Admiral went hunting for the first time today, under instruction from her father. She's proven herself to be a good shot at the range, but we prepared her for the possibility that she might not even see a deer today -- the risk that any hunter takes. Sitting up in a two-man stand, they saw six deer stroll by just out of range before coming in to warm up and get some lunch. They went out again this afternoon, and were mightily bored for two hours. A doe came running past about 4 p.m., moving too quickly for a shot. A half-hour later, out came the six-point on the hunt, weaving back and forth looking for the scent trail. The Admiral raised her shotgun and, with the help of a few grunts from Dad to stop the buck in his tracks, took the shot. The buck went about 100 yards and dropped on the edge of the field, after a quick flash of the tail, making for an easy retrieval despite the lack of a blood trail.

After taking the shot, she couldn't remember hearing or feeling the gun go off, but she knew she'd pulled the trigger. She also got the post-kill shakes so bad that her Dad wouldn't let her try to climb down the stand right away, and took custody of her gun. After taking a few moment to catch their breath, they made a quick phone call to the Hunting Widow and headed for the field.

Having been up since 3 a.m., she's still waltzing around on the adrenaline. Oh, and she's named the buck "Roger." Get it?

Not bad for a rookie!

[whitetail]
[hunting safety]
[whitetail fever]
[first deer]

First Gun Season: First Night's Harvest

2005-11-18T20:27:00.000-06:00

The first day of gun season was a productive one: three bucks and one doe in the shed. Kim M. and John took nice bucks this morning, and Kim's husband Mark took a doe to fill up the freezer.

John's was the biggest buck he'd ever taken; we haven't weighed any of the deer yet and will update this entry once we do.

Sorry Gary. Donny Takes The Big One

2005-11-14T18:47:00.000-06:00

To recap the week, well, it was about as slow as I've been in updating the blog.

Donny was the big doe slayer this week. He put two in the shed with the biggest coming in at 122 lbs. That makes him the winner of our contest this year. Donny will be coming back at half price next year. Donny had some tough luck in the stand this week. He just wasn't able to get that big buck in close this year. He did see lots of deer (and a few other hunters) and had a pretty good time.

Rick took a smaller doe this week after losing one to a short shot. He did see a few bucks one of which was a shooter for sure. He was a hoot to have in camp this week. Not much bothered him and he stayed in on all of the busting going on. Looking forward to having him in camp again.

Wayne came through again this year by putting the only button of the season in the shed Saturday morning. Wouldn't be much of a season if we couldn't count on Wayne for that one. Wayne had a tough week finding deer. Didn't seem to matter where he went, the deer just moved away from him. Gotta be his year next year.

Jon put a doe in the shed this week as well but she just didn't measure up to Donny's. He had kind of a tough break as well since the doe went bad after laying over night. She should've been OK given the nights temps but no dice. Jon did get a shot at a good buck but didn't hit it. Jon is off to Kansas now to hunt the big ones out there.

What is there to say about Scott? Scott had deer all around him all week but couldn't seem to get a shot in. He suffered a tragic release failure while trying to get a shot in and things just never fell into place for him. He missed another shot on Saturday morning due to the same release problem. Bet he brings a new one next year.

Trey was the big scorer of the week tagging out in 15 minutes on Saturday morning. There I was hanging from the top of a mighty oak taking down his nose bleed stand when my cell phone rings. "Hey, man. I just tagged out." What am I suppose to do from there? He'd already found both of them and thanks to Lance and a 4-wheeler we had both back to camp in short order. Trey took that nice buck that you saw posted last night. For those of you that remember Doc from last year, Trey was his replacement for this year's hunt. Trey stayed patient all week and was careful to identify the differences between the buttons and the does.

Weather was a big factor this last week. Temperatures were high and the wind howled almost all week. Seemed like most of the movement was taking place at night Guess we'll try it again next year.

Gun hunters will be coming in the end of the week. So will the great weather. Highs in the mid forties and lows in the twenties for the whole weekend. Here's hoping that will get us a chance at some of those big bucks still walking around.

That's it for the bow hunters this year but we're not done huntin' yet.

I'll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

Uh, Chris.... I Just Tagged Out!

2005-11-13T19:47:00.000-06:00

Trey got this buck on Saturday morning, after taking his doe fifteen minutes earlier. After such a slow week, it was a relief have somebody bring some deer into the shed. But I've never seen someone take two deer by archery in such close succession. After he climbed into his stand, at about 7:30, three does came in, the biggest of which might have been a winner but didn't present a shot. Trey decided not to risk it, and took one of the smaller ones. Fifteen minutes later, in came this nice 8 point, which kindly bracketed his breadbasket between two trees, giving Trey the perfect shot. It dressed out at 145 pounds, and as you can see, has a very nice symmetrical rack. Doc's replacement this year really showed 'em how it's done.

Great Weather.....If You're On Vacation In Miami

2005-11-09T12:34:00.000-06:00

The weather has been unfavorable, however, for hunting -- warm (mid-70's) and blustery. The rut is trying to start -- the bucks are starting to move does -- but the temps are not conducive for a lot of activity during shooting times.

Most hunters have seen deer this week, mostly at a distance. Don took a doe on Monday afternoon (105 pounds dressed). He also took another doe down in the field this morning (no weight on that yet). Rich also shot a doe this morning but the track was unsuccessful -- the shot was most likely low and back.

Weather is supposed to cool tonight after predicted thunderstorms, with the rest of the week much cooler with lows around freezing at night. High winds are expected through tomorrow, which will make for tough hunting. Friday looks to be the best hunting day of the week.

Kim

This Is Not A Deer

2005-11-06T14:53:00.000-06:00

The Louisiana boys are here. While we're waiting for them to do something interesting, take a look at some pics Drew sent in a few days ago from a recent hunt out west. Drew & Co are coming out for gun season, and we expect him to continue his record of success at Long Creek.

Score Three For Team New Jersey

2005-11-05T18:57:00.000-06:00

Rich took a 9 point buck this morning. It was a tough track, but they finally found him. Rich also took a doe (113 lbs dressed) on Thursday. Paul took a seven pointer on Friday -- so that's score three for Team New Jersey!

Ready To Come About -- Stand By For Heavy Rolls

2005-11-03T09:54:00.000-06:00

Folks, as is probably pretty obvious to you, I haven't done a serious update to the website in the last couple of years. I've been a little busy.
Now that I have some free time, it's time to bring the site up to date. I'll be making changes iteratively (for you boatswain's mates out there, that means that I'll be loading new pages to the server as I make significant alterantions, rather than changing everything all at once).

One of the most significant changes that you'll see right away is that if you come to visit us through a link on the website, the blog and photo albums will load within a frame on the website itself.

Based on some of the questions that we get about packages and pricing that the website is not as intuitive as I had thought. So I'll be fooling around with the content as well.

Send your constructive suggestions to me at sassenach (at) frontiernet.net.

Once I'm done with the website update, I'll be launching a new feature for the blog. More on that later.

The Hunting Widow

Mike's Buck

2005-11-01T14:43:00.000-06:00

The other member of Team S, Mike, scored Monday afternoon with a nice 8 pointer that dressed at 165 lbs. While his hunt as dramatic (or traumatic) as Jim's, he has a nice buck to take him to remind him of his visit. A tip of the hat to Mike's wife, who must love him very much as this is the second buck he'll have mounted this year. Mike also had another big buck under him Monday morning that would just not let him have a shot, no matter where it stopped.

Rich and Brian, of Team New Jersey, are seeing plenty of deer. Brian has seen the one that he wants but has been neither of them have been close enough on their hunts to get a shot.

As for Team Tobacco -- Will has seen nothing but bucks, but none have come close since the 10 point he rattled under his stand Sunday night. Unfortunately, it came in so fast to the rattle that it was impossible for him to prepare for the shot. Paul, however, is snake bit. We moved him this afternoon to the hollow between the lodge and Merlin's in hopes of giving him at least a whiff.

Dennis at D & E Archery has come through again! We had a catastrophic bow failure yesterday afternoon while the shop was closed. Dennis came in on his own time early this morning to make repairs and got the bow back in our hunter's hands for this afternoon's hunt.

Jim's Story -- Nerves of Steel

2005-11-01T13:40:00.000-06:00

On Monday morning, up in the stand, Jim heard a twig snap off to his right. When he looked over, he saw a doe standing just out of range. A few moments later, a buck with a nice, wide rack came up from behind her, circled around, and passed to the left in front of Jim's stand. Jim came up to full draw as it approached, but never got a good shot at it. Heartbreak. Then the doe, which was a nice size, came down the same path that the buck had taken, but Jim couldn't get a good angle on it, either. More heartbreak.

Jim was hoping to draw their attention back to the vicinity of the stand, and that's when he realized that he'd left his grunt in his pack underneath the seat of the stand. Even more heartbreak. Not wanting to spook the dear with any noise retrieving the grunt might make, he instead picked up his antlers and rattled them slightly. No luck...... That's when the second, larger buck appeared back off to the right, apparently wondering what the first buck had tangled with. This buck came in at a closer angle, and Jim took his shot. The arrow flew straight and true: and landed right under the buck's belly. The buck paused uncertainly, giving Jim just enough time to reload and take a second shot. As he drew back, the arrow squeaked (yes, squeaked!) against the rest and the buck startled slightly. Fortunately, Jim had practiced the 38-40 yard shot, and the arrow entered the front shoulder and went through the heart.

But the story does not end there! The buck took flight and Jim took some time to let the buck lay down. After about twenty minutes, he began to follow the trail and found his arrow, broken off at about the two-thirds mark. Shortly after, he jumped the buck and it took off again. Jim returned to his stand for another twenty minutes before resuming his track. He retrieved the first arrow and confirmed that it had been a clean miss. Jim began to follow the track again, which led down an incline towards Long Creek .... and then up again toward a corn field. He saw a clump of tall grass along the edge of the cornfield and guessed that the buck was probably laying in it. He was correct, as the buck jumped up in front of him; Jim put a snap shot right through the chest. The buck dropped almost immediately, having run 500 yards with a shot through the heart.

This buck weighed 200 lbs field dressed, and is beautifully shaped. The rack is smaller than the first buck's, but the body is considerably larger. As you can see from the photograph, the rack has great symmetry and is going to make a nice mount.

There's something else a little unusual about this buck -- on the right rear hoove, there are three toes. While we'd heard of this kind of abnormaility, none of us had ever seen one before. So, for your edification, here's what it looks like:

Jim had a great hunt, and his experience demonstrates the value of maintaining situational awareness (even with two deer dancing under your stand), practicing with your bow during the off season, and keeping your cool even after missing a shot. If Jim had not been working this summer on getting an accurate shot at 40 yards, he would never have taken this buck. A tip of the hat to Jim!

Jim Scores for Team S

2005-10-31T12:38:00.000-06:00

Jim scored an 8 point buck , 200 lbs dressed out. Pictures and story to be posted by tonight -- I'm told it's a great story.

Update: There's something a little unusual about this deer, and the story is indeed a good one. More to follow. In the meantime, enjoy this picture:

The Hunting Widow

'Tis Foggy This Morning

2005-10-31T09:57:00.000-06:00

Wrap Up For Week of 23 October

2005-10-30T14:00:00.000-06:00

The guys said they like it when the Hunting Widow does the write up because I'm kinder. So this week's wrap up will be of the kinder, gentler variety.

The week ended with a whimper, but not for lack of effort nor for lack of deer to be seen. Rich and Sam each shot bucks at the end of the week; neither shot was under the best of circumstances and the deer were not recovered. Sam's arrow hit a small twig, which deflected the arrow just enough to turn a solid shoulder shot into a neck wound. Minnesota Rich's arrow passed through meat and fat, but left almost no blood trail to follow. Pennsylvania Richard had a nice shot at a big ten point, but missed cleanly.

The weather was perfect all week, and by the end of the week we saw clear sign of the start of rut. The deer are moving earlier and the bucks are spending much more time following the does. The bucks are singled up, rubbing and scraping activity has increased greatly, and it seems like the "stupid season" could explode any minute.

This was the third year for the Pennsylvania boys; the first for Rich and Art from Minnesota. All had a good time and are planning to come back next year. We're looking forward to seeing them all, too -- they were (are) a great group of guys. In between the hunting, the men had some great poker games and exchanged only the highest quality lies about past hunts.

This was Dad's last week in camp for the year. He's alway great help in getting the season into gear, and he loves to get a poker game started. Thanks to the blog, as well as repeat hunters in the same weeks, he can no longer put on his innocent face and ask if anyone can teach him to play. Instead, he's sharing tips from many years worth of lessons learned in the poker rooms of Boomtown and Reno, NV. He's headed for home now, and we're all going to miss him.

The hunters for the week of Oct 30 are split up into 3 teams for a little friendly competition amongst themselves -- Team S (Mike and Jim from Pennsylvania), Team Tobacco (Paul and Will) also from Pennsylvania, and Team New Jersey (Richard and Brian). One of them must be a private investigator, as they located Chris at church and were waiting impatiently by his truck when he came out to the parking lot. They're all out in stands this afternoon for an initial look-see. Judging by the behavior of the deer beginning late last week, they may have hit this year's sweet spot. Time will tell, meanwhile, maybe with the time change I'll get to see a little of my husband this week.

See ya'll at the lodge,
The Hunting Widow

Wednesday Hunting Update

2005-10-26T11:24:00.000-05:00

Just when it starts to get exciting around here, we get too busy to tell you what's going on! Here's the score so far:

Gary took one doe Sunday night; he also took a buck last night, weighing in at 150lbs dressed out. Unfortunately, the photographer missed his shot at this buck and we have no image of it to upload today.

Art took his buck Tuesday morning. Larry stuck a doe Tuesday morning, but the track ended abruptly when he and Bud lost the trail. Rich, from Minnesota, has been watching a big buck and patterning it for an evening shot. He hunted a different morning location today and saw several deer. He took two shots this morning, the first a clean near miss on a doe at about 30 yards and the second on a buck that hit a twig instead and sheared off. Richard from Pennsylvania has been seeing deer; he and Gary are team hunting and we expect that Richard will be in with a nice deer any time. Sam is hunting hard as always, seeing several deer and has passed a couple of bucks, waiting for the right one.

Again this year, Dennis over at D&E archery in Carthage has proved himself invaluable with full tune-ups of Rich and Art's bows during the afternoon yesterday, dramatically improving their marksmanship. Along with the tune-up came some excellent coaching on archery technique. If you're coming to Long Creek this year and new archery services from a true professional, Dennis is your man.

Gary Takes A Doe

2005-10-26T11:10:00.000-05:00

Gary took this doe Sunday night south of town. He made the perfect chest cavity shot on her and she went about 100 yards, half of which was downhill, before she dropped. Total weight, dressed out, was 117 pounds. Dad is standing next to her in the picture to give some idea of her size.

Gary is our current leader in the big doe contest. He's out looking for a bigger one to secure his position on the leader board. He's using a second doe tag paid for by Long Creek as part of our deer management program. Last year's big doe winner weighed 134 pounds.

Art's First Archery Deer - 185lb Buck * Updated

2005-10-25T23:45:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Art, who took his first archery deer on Tuesday. It's a 185lb buck with a nice rack to go with it.

Art had watched several deer in the morning and initially suspected that this one was a little spike who had been in the area. The buck initially presented with a shot through a very small opening that Art was not confident with and he waited to see if it would present a better shot. At 30 yds the buck turned, quartering away, but turned it's head just as Art released to look at him (No doubt thinking, "What's that tree doing standing up?"). As he released and the deer turned, the shot resulted in a neck shot that was fatal after 150 yards. Naturally, that 150 yards ended up at the bottom of a steep embankment. The four (Dad, Bud, Art, and Chris) along with the four-wheeler were able to retrieve it without too much difficulty. Good thing they got to it when they did, because the coyotes had just broken for brunch.

This nice 9 pointer was Art's first deer with a bow, one of several first archery deer taken at Long Creek. It's always fun to help a hunter bring a deer in, but nothing beats the excitement of the first successful bow hunt!

Gary Scores

2005-10-24T18:02:00.000-05:00

....a 117lb doe, dressed. Everyone else is still out in the field.
More tomorrow....

Weekend Update

2005-10-24T08:33:00.000-05:00

We said a fond, but regretful farewell to Nick and Jason Saturday morning. With no luck Friday night (windy and fast dropping temps) they went out for one last try Saturday morning. They each saw a deer (including Nick's nemesis, chasing 6 doe across the corn field) but neither got a shot. They plan on coming back same time next year, as they enjoy getting an early start on the season. Our thanks to Tara and Amy for their faithful readership and allowing the guys to come for week. We sure enjoyed having them, and are looking forward to having them back!

Gary, Richard, Larry, Sam, Art, and Rich arrived yesterday afternoon and hit the stands right away. Gary, Richard, and Sasm are veterans from last year. Weather was cold and blustery all day, with some rain in the evening, but everyone saw at least one deer. Rich would have seen more, but decided a nap in the stand was more important. He awoke in time to get a glimpse of what he thinks may be Charlie. He had him coming to a doe bleat when (alleged) Charlie crossed the trail of a couple of does and followed it into the woods.

Gary and Richard found a rub on their property that may have been made by a moose. The tree itself is big enough to put a stand in and is torn to pieces from 3 feet to 6 feet high.

When we woke up this morning, temps are about the same but the wind has died down considerably. We'll be setting most folk's personal stands today to settle in for the week. Weather should continue to be cool, dry, and perfect to keep the deer moving.

On Your Six

2005-10-21T09:05:00.000-05:00

Fighter pilots call it target fixation. A dangerous situation where one becomes so fixated on the target ahead of him, he doesn't see the enemy come in behind until it's too late. Nick fell victim to this trap last night.

It rained again yesterday afternoon -- hard. And then the wind blew -- hard. Nick didn't hunt in the morning because of the forecast heavy thunderstorms and wind. Jason decided to chance it in a ground blind west of the lodge. He saw one deer early on, but it didn't come into range. He was in a good spot, but once that rain started, it was all over for the morning. He went to a stand that afternoon, but came in when additional, unexpected thunderstorms developed towards dusk.

Nich chose not to hunt that morning. He went out in the afternoon back to the north 80 stand. When the thunderstorms started, Chris called him to tell him he was on his way to pick him up, and Nick climbed down and started to head out toward the pick up location. As Chris was waiting at that location, he saw two deer cross the road in front of a passing truck, heading into the cornfield where Nick was. Chris called Nick on the hand-held radio to warn him, and Nick quickly took a knee in some brush. Almost immedieately, one doe came straight for him. As he started to draw for the shot, the enemy got him from behind: another deer about 5 yards behind him blew. The first deer jumped four feet into the air and shot off in another direction. Nick may have jumped even higher than the deer.

This morning it's cold and breezy with overcast skies. Both hunters are out this morning. Dad and Chris are huddled by the radio awaiting word.

The Hunting Widow

Pinned Ya! Pinned Ya Again!

2005-10-20T16:47:00.000-05:00

Nick is having a heck of a time. For the last two nights he's been pinned in the stand at the end of shooting time by deer that won't come close enough to shoot but won't go far enough away for him to sneak out. The massive buck he sighted on Monday night has been in the field the last two nights with the does, but still refuses to offer a second chance.

Jason, on the other hand, couldn't buy a picture of a deer in a Cabelas. He did catch sight of one deer this morning from a ground blind below the lodge. He still is as confident as the day he got here, and expects to take a big buck home this year.

It's been cold and rainy all day, with heavy rains this morning including thunderstorms. The rain is stopped, so we're expecting that the cooler weather and diminished winds will get the deer moving this evening. Cool cloudy weather is expected for the rest of their hunt and we all feel this will add to their chances of scoring. They're both out braving the elements now and we're sure they'll be seeing the big ones tonight within shooting range.

Last night, the coyotes started howling on the back 200 around 6:30 p.m. By the sound of the different voices, there were at least six of them enjoying their evening meal. It's interesting to listen to from the lodge; when you're up a tree and it's dark, the old "fight or flight" adrenaline starts pumping.

I was taking the Little Admiral home later that evening, and saw a large buck and six does in a field west of the lodge. They were drawing a bit of a crowd, as they were standing just off the roadway. I drove home slowly after that, not wanting to take a deer with the car. Though there is no bag limit with a car, there are limits to the insurance company's patience.

If you're coming next week, plan on dressing warm and --
we'll see you back at the lodge.
The Hunting Widow

P.S. Scott, got your e-mail. Don't worry -- after working around sailors for the last twenty years, I doubt there's anything you guys can throw my way that I can't throw right back at ya. :-)

Bad Hunting Widow. BAD!

2005-10-20T09:06:00.000-05:00

Folks, we've taken a short commercial break for the newly-retired hunting widow to catch up on laundry, grocery shopping, shuttling the Little Admiral to after-school activities, poisoning mice and unclogging drains. Unfortunately, updated the blog fell off the radar.

Quick update teaser: Nick has been pinned twice, Jason has moved, the coyotes are howling, and a monster was sighted in a field along with 6 does.

I'll give you the full story later this afternoon. I promise.

The Hunting Widow

Who's Your Daddy?

2005-10-18T08:06:00.000-05:00

Nick had another great night in the stand yesterday. He was studying the area that the bucks had come out the night before and decided to pull his bow off the hook so he'd be ready when they showed again. As he did so, he looked to his right and that's when he saw what he knew was a shooter buck step out of the woods about 80 yards away. The buck turned and started walking toward the stand almost immediately. As it got closer, Nick realized that this buck is a real heart-stopper. It looked like it was going to come in the trail right underneath the stand, but turned at the last minute and moved into a brushy area about 25 yards from the stand, heading toward the creek bed and coming closer at an oblique angle. By this time, Nick was at full draw. A quick grunt stopped the buck in a shooting window, but only its hindquarters were visible. The buck contined to move toward the creek with Nick tracking at full draw until the tree his stand was in blocked him. He quietly let down his draw and did a tiny pixie dance on the stand, turning toward the other side of the tree and again came to full draw. At this point the buck presented his only possible shot, but it would have been a Texas heart shot that Nick was not comfortable in risking. The buck moved down into the creek where Nick coiuld watch it water, but he was unable to get another shot.

This massive 10 pointer never knew Nick was there and we expect to see him in the area again sometime later in the week. Nick was nearly speechless most of the evening, in awe of the size and symmetry of the rack. He estimates it to be 18 inches high and twenty inches wide, with 6-8 inch brow tines. Nick's basic description was, "This may be Yorik's Daddy."

We were unable to recover Jason's deer from Sunday, and that kind of luck stayed with him through the day as he didn't see anything from his stand last night. Both men are back in the same stands today, with Jason still confident with his location -- and it would take an act of God to get Nick out of the north 80 right now.

I saw a little spike out last night by the Hundred Dollar Hole, but he's not the one digging the huge scrape just north of that. By the looks of the scrape and the rubs I'm seeing, Charlie is still active in the area.

The weather today remains warm and dry, with thunderstorms forecast for tomorrow, ushering in cooler weather for the next several days. This is good news for Nick and Jason, as well as next week's hunters as this weather pattern should make the deer more active.

We'll see you back at the lodge,
Chris

Take the Hunting Widow To Work Day

2005-10-17T21:22:00.000-05:00

Chris took me to the office Friday -- it's a lot different from the cubicle farm I'd been working in the past few years! We visited a couple of stands to check the sightlines and clear away obstructions. My job was to be the safety observer so that if Chris fell and killed himself somebody would know where to recover the body. I published a couple of pictures in the 2005 Webshots album.

As we moved between stands on the four wheeler, he pointed out all the signs of deer movement. I was impressed -- he can quickly spot mud on a fence from a deer's hooves, or a single strand of hair caught on a barb. When I look, all I see are leaves. It reminds me of the time I was taking a joint military course and we took a field trip to Gettysburg. We went and stood in a big field and the instructor asked one of the Army Captains to do an intelligence preparation of the battlefield. The first thing he talked about was geography and how it defined where opposing forces were most likely to meet and who had the advantage. It was a "learning moment" for the sailors in the class, because until that point land was just something you had to get across to reach the water. The sea has similar "sign" and now I'm getting to learn hunting has it's own geography as well.

But even as a rookie in the geography of deer hunting, there was plenty of sign that even I could recognize: on the North 80, there's a ton of hoofprints and it looks like there's an intersection of several trails near the stand. There's even a bed under one of the stands Chris placed a few weeks ago. In many of the places we went, we also saw quite a few acorns that have been nibbled on, though not much since corn and beans are still plentiful forage. There's also plenty of water available, so despite the drought the deer don't appear to be suffering. Coming home from the lodge the other night, a doe crossed the road in front of us and took her sweet time jumping over the fence. She was round and plump and all I could think of was, "mmmm, backstraps......"

All in all, I enjoyed my day at the office and I look forward to visiting again soon.

-- The Hunting Widow

A Good First Night

2005-10-17T08:12:00.000-05:00

Nick and Jason arrived yesterday for Long Creek Adventures' opening week and hustled right out to the stands. As regular readers may recall, Nick is the winner of last year's big doe contest, for which he won a half-price hunt this year.

I put Nick out on the north 80, where he saw three bucks. Two were Thursday shots, but one was big enough to justify a Sunday shot if it had gotten within range -- possibly the owner of this hoofprint, published in our webshots album. We're having some difficulty loading images today, which the hunting widow is taking up with Blogger. Meanwhile, you can visit our webshots albums to see all of the pictures we're taking.

Jason hunted a location just west of the lodge and was surrounded by deer from about 5:30 onward, one buck and a herd of good size does. Jason took a good shot at one of the does -- there was a fair amount of blood on the arrow -- but there was very little sign to follow despite extensive searching. We're going back out again this morning to look again.

The weather was hot all day, but cooled quickly around 5 p.m. and got the deer moving. Temps today will be close to 80, again cooling off to around 50 tonight. The forecast for the rest of this week is highs in the 70's and lows in the 50's, with a cooling trend toward the end of the week.

Dad's here this week and next, so the coffee's on early at the lodge. I'll meet you there!

Chris

Ashton's Doe

2005-10-17T07:57:00.000-05:00

A picture of Ashton and friends with his first archery doe is up in our Webshots 2005 Hunting Season Album.

And Awaaaaaaayeeeeeee We Go

2005-10-15T06:25:00.000-05:00

I always loved it when Jackie Gleason did that at the beginning of the show. And our show is about to start.

The first hunters of the season, Jason and Nick, are due in tomorrow. Dad is due in on the train today to help around the lodge (and supplement his social security with the odd poker game). If you remember, Nick is the returning Big Doe Champion. Jason says they've been sleeping in a packed truck for the last few days waiting for time to leave.

Out for a scout yesterday with the hunting widow. Lots of scraping going on around here now. Found a couple of damp scrapes yesterday. With the weather staying relatively cool I think we can expect a lot of activity and movement during shooting hours. Plenty of rubs to lead us to the active trails too.

Have stand hung for the first 2 weeks and will be watching for changes in patterns as the harvest progresses. We saw an increase in activity where there are heavy concentrations of acorns right now. Hadn't seen much sign of acorn addictions until the last few days. But then it took right off.

We have some great news form the Gronewold family on a couple of fronts for those of you that follow them. Ashton set a new school record for touchdowns in one game down at UMR with 4 last game. He is currently ranked 13th in the nation in receiving in NCAA Div II. More importantly, he took his first deer with the bow this last weekend.

He brought some friends home from school to see how great life is here in Illinois, took them to the woods, and showed 'em how its done. His first one is a doe at 14 yards and more excitement than those Louisiana boys when they take that big button. We have a picture and as soon as I can figure out this scanner thingy I'll get it posted.

Lucky for me the hunting widow is a technical wiz and is here to help me this year.

A quick update on those Louisiana boys. All of them came through the hurricane not much worse for the wear. Scott said it was a real nightmare though. Scott also reports the duck camp survived with only minor damage. They were the only survivors in their area. Most other duck camps were completely wiped out. Even a hurricane is afraid of a lawyer like Scott.

Our phone problem has been fixed and we're able to get those calls we've been missing for the last while. Phone company says it was a security thing. I think they were just jealous that we're all going hunting and they're not.

The Hunting Report should be getting updated pretty much daily from here on out through the season. If I can't get at it cause we're dragging so many deer I'm dragging, the hunting widow will get it on here for me.

I'm excited. I'm pumped. And if my emails are any indication, so are you. If you're coming hunting with us get ready! If you're not, stay tuned and we'll keep you up on what everybody's seeing and taking. In either case...

I'll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

Phone Trouble

2005-10-07T07:48:00.000-05:00

We're experiencing some difficulty with our voice mail these days but the phone company is on it and it should be fixed in the next day or so. Please be patient.

Have stands up for the next couple of weeks and ready to have some fun and find the big ones.

The last pictures I've taken haven't come out at all for some reason so there aren't any new ones of late. Scraping activity is continuing to increase as well as the rubs. I have not seen 2 bucks together in a few days so it's finally starting to look like hunting season around here.

Weather has cooled dramatically the last couple of days and we've had a few showers. If we don't get another big heat wave through here I expect that it will be a great year.

Kim is retiring on Tuesday and will be with me for the entire season this year. The hunting widow doesn't intend to be a long distance widow any more. She's taking her hunter safety course this year and will be around to lend a hand if needed.

Gotta run. If you're heading out to the woods, let's be careful out there. I'll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

Lookin' Good

2005-09-28T13:22:00.000-05:00

Things are starting to look a lot better around here these days. The weather has started cooling down, the farmers are getting some of those pesky crops out of the way and the deer are starting to move quite a bit more.

We've had rain off and on here for the last week making it much easier to track movements and letting them get out and move around quite a bit more. I've been seeing more deer and more deer sign each day I get out.

The bucks are starting to make their scrapes already. I haven't seen them as grouped up this year either. The tracks tell me they're out there but I don't seem to see anything but singles most of the time.

Things are rockin up on Gobbler"s Knob. Some real nice trails in and out. And the North 80 has some pretty good sized rubs and a scrape or two. Merlin is just getting the corn out of there and the deer seem to want to take advantage before the majority of it is gone.

The $100 hole looks as sweet as it ever did. The does still file on past. By the way, Charlie lives. I got a look at Charlie right before dark the other night and he's looking sweet. He was a long way down the field but I'm pretty sure it was him. If it wasn't him it was certainly one of his sons. The rack looked very familiar. Saw 10 nice turkeys as I pulled up to glass the field too.

I'm having trouble getting good shots of some of the deer because of the distance and my hands shaking but I'll keep after it. There are a few new pictures that will be up this afternoon but you'll just have to trust me when I say there are some real good ones out there.

All of the drivers need to give me a call before you come out as the main road out to the lodge is closed for construction. If you remember how to get there from the old check station you can still come that way. If you haven't been with us before give me a call so we can make arrangements to meet when you get to town and you can follow me out.

I'll get those pictures up in the album this afternoon so be sure to check them out.

I haven't heard a word from the Louisiana Boys since the hurricane but I'm hoping everything came out all right down there for them.

Feel free to comment on any of the entries here or about the pictures. I got one comment from an astute observer that Yorick's brother looks an awful lot like a nice buck that Greg took a couple of years ago. I had mentioned that to the hunting widow the night before so it was nice to hear that others have been looking at all the pictures and keeping tabs on us.

Put in your comments and let me know how I'm doing or tell me what I'm missing. I'd appreciate hearing from you.

In the mean time, I'll see you all back at the lodge.

Chris

Yorik's Buddy

2005-09-21T15:31:00.000-05:00

Did one of you guys from last year do this? I'll get you for that. Not sure what got this one, but it was obviously late in the season as there is still a lot of hair and sinew on the skull. He's a nice one and about 3 1/2 years old. Or as Katie would say, "As old as he's gonna get."

Been out quite a bit the last couple of days and have seen a lot of rubs and even a few scrapes. Pictures of the biggest ones are posted in the 2005 season folder that you can click on over on the right under my picture.

There has been quite a bit of movement the last few days. The heavy rain we had the other day makes it very obvious. New rubs and scrapes are popping up every day. There is plenty of food in the fields yet and a lot of acorns are starting to hit the ground. I haven't seen any evidence at all that the deer are paying attention to the acorns but you can see from one of the pictures that they do like the corn. Did you know that a deer will only eat the corn off one side of the cob? That's how you can tell if it was deer feeding or another animal. Most times the tracks will give it away too. Its the truth though. Deer won't roll that cob over if there is anything else in the vicinity to eat. We had a couple of guys in camp like that last year.

As for the picture of the recovered skull, Ashton found this one about 30-40 feet away from the older and larger one. They obviously died at different times. Don't worry about being put in this vicinity, there are plenty of signs that there are more big deer in there. And no sign the area is cursed or anything like that.

I'm playing the single dad these days so have to get to other chores. I hope you enjoy the pictures and....

I'll see you back at the Lodge.

Chris

You Could Bring a Fishing Rod to This Stand

2005-09-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Had a nice little walk out in the woods. Wasn't disappointed with the deer population either.

I saw a couple of does that popped out of their beds ahead of me. I saw the body of what had to be a 250 lb. deer but its head was already in the corn stalks when I saw it. I'm sure it was a buck based on it's size but There was also what looked to be a spike buck right there with it that went down the side of the corn field instead of into it. I don't figure he'd be hanging with a doe this time of year. He could be but that would be pretty unusual.

Rubs are starting to be seen more often and I got a picture of a couple up in the 2005 album. You can click on it from the column under my picture to see everything I've got so far this year. Its not much yet but should start growing by leaps and bounds.

There are also some pictures of a pond that one of our lucky clients will be hunting near this year.

Several trails come into this pond area that is surrounded by crop fields and has 2 small wooded draws feeding into it. A couple of trees in this spot will give the hunter the ability to shoot to any location around the pond. The longest shot I could conceive of was 23 yds on my rangefinder,

There were plenty of fresh tracks around the pond from several trails. We had a pretty good rain the other day and the pond was up a little but there was still plenty of room to get around it.

Harvest is just getting started here with the earliest corn starting to come down. This will give us a better opportunity to get into some areas and to better observe movement without getting in and changing deer patterns before the hunt.

Stay tuned. More soon.

I'll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

Alas, Poor Yorik...

2005-09-13T18:55:00.000-05:00

Got some new pictures up today of a nice rack that didn't make it through the season last year. Still has signs of velvet on it. I scored this one at 172 and change before deductions.

Did just a little walking this morning in the botom below the lodge. That's between the Lodge and Merlin's house. Big old oak tree down across the road from the storm the other day. Have to get down there with a chainsaw very soon so we can get through there to the other areas.

Hasn't stopped the deer traffic in there though. Lots and lots of tracks down in there and tons and tons of acorns. Doesn't look like the drought has hurt the acorn crop any. There is still water down in the little creek and lots of trails running through the area.

We got a little rain this afternoon but not much. It has cooled of about 10 degrees since it started raining and temps are suppose to be down 10 - 15 degrees for the next several days. Looking forward to being able to spend a little more time in the woods without it feeling like a sauna.

Got an email from Scott in Louisiana regarding their elk hunt out west and a little info on their hurricane status:

"We had a good hunt despite adverse conditions. The weather was hot and
south wind blew all week. Not Good. The elk were bugling but not
responsive to calling until end of the hunt. Don killed a calf, John a 5x5
bull. I shot a nice bull but did not recover. Shot was a little back and
high, but after the shot Don and I thought it was lethal. Moral of the
story is do not shoot at a moving target. Things have settled here
somewhat. Looters are not being sent to Ft. Polk after all. Baton Rouge is
a mess with all the people and traffic. So bad that LSU may have to play
home games in Shreveport. It is dry here too. Wayne and I are going teal
hunting this weekend and bow season opens also. Illinois is two months.
Can't wait."

That will do it for tonight.

I'll see you back at the Lodge.

Down by the waterin' hole

2005-09-12T15:19:00.000-05:00

Scouted a little this morning on a new property. It has 2 ponds on it that are still holding water. Levels are low but that made it easy to see the tracks around it. What a beauty! A real nice large and nicely placed willow makes it possible to cover the entire small pond if you're any kind of a shot at all. A lot of tracks and trails are coming in and the small willows are showing rubs. It should be pretty easy to get in real quiet. This patch of timber has corn field to the south and alfalfa to the north. I'll get in there tomorrow with a camera and get some shots posted. Was mighty tempted to keep that spot for myself.

Looked at a couple of other pieces of ground, too, that look pretty promising. They have large timber patches with ponds and creeks in them.

These places all show signs of fresh bedding area near the watering holes. Guess I can understand that with this heat.

Still dry here but we're expecting rain on Wednesday evening and a cooling trend through the weekend. I'm looking forward to that so I'm not such a mess after just a few minutes of walking.

Some of you have called about your tags. You should be getting them this week or next according to the DNR web site. There are still some shotgun and muzzleloader tags available as well if you'd like to come but weren't aware those tags were available.

Please try to be patient with DNR this year. They've made a lot of changes and are in the hurry up mode to get everything done. I called down there about both the gun and bow tags and they assure me that everyone will get them in plenty of time.

I think we're going to have a real good season this year in spite of the drought. There are plenty of crops in the field and, although they're low, the creeks and ponds are still holding plenty of water for the herd. We have some new properties that we'll be using this year that show some tremendous promise and I think you will enjoy hunting them.

Until next time...

I'll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

It's hot. It's like Africa hot!

2005-09-10T15:55:00.000-05:00

It's hot and dusty here in Illinois. The ground is so hard only a water buffalo would leave a track. People sure don't.

Merlin and I went for a short walk the other day to scout a property. The only part of the ground soft enough to take a track was the sandy area of the small creek bed. There were some good sized tracks in there but very few. We found some fresh beds in the grass just off the corn field and a small rub. Its the first rub I've seen this year. It was a small tree and pretty low to the ground but its a sign the bucks are getting out of velvet.

Dan and I took a walk around on the 1st of September to see if we could jump a dove or 2. We didn't see any doves but it was good to get out in the field again. And it was hot and dry with very little sign of movement. We walked down to the northern crossing of Long Creek. Some of you will remember it as the spot we were nearly carried down stream on the 4 wheeler. You can step across it today without getting your boots wet.

The corn and beans are still in and it's hard to see much as I drive around the countryside. Farmers are starting to shell corn planted in early April and the other corn and the beans are changing fast now. Harvest should be in full swing in just a few weeks. If we get a little rain and the temps cool off we should start seeing a lot more movement or at least signs of it. I'm reluctant to get deep in the woods and disturb the normal bedding areas but will be spending much more time scouting the travel lanes and feeding areas starting this week.

As a reminder, the mosquitoes haven't been bad this year because of the drought but the ticks and chiggers are plentiful. Keep this in mind when you plan your equipment list. Those of you coming early will definitely want to consider some type of bug suit. I have also used camo duct tape around my pant cuffs to keep out chiggers and ticks. If you know of any other tricks let me know and I'll post them so others can benefit.

That's it from here on the farm today. Try to keep cool and -

I'll see you back at the lodge.

Some word from Louisiana

2005-09-01T16:09:00.000-05:00

Got a note from Scott:
"We are on the extreme west side of the state and did not even get a drop of
rain from the hurricane. The wind was high that day but caused no damage
here. Can't say the same for those in Baton Rouge and eastward. We leave
to go elk hunting tomorrow and feel a little guilty about going under the
circumstances. Disaster like this shows a person what is really important,
even bowhunting. We are all fine and look forward to seeing yall in
November. Please ask everyone to donate something for the flood/hurricane
victims. The need greatly exceeds that of 9-11. Not near the loss of life,
but people lost everything. EVERYTHING!"

We received a follow-up this morning: "Our area is receiving more people
from N.O. every day. It is estimated that 3000 will arrive in the next few
days. It has been rumored that the looters will be detained at Ft. Polk,
which is our major employer in our parish. The concern is that they have no
real detention facility and that they will be released into our community.
The Red Cross is telling people to get jobs and enroll their children in
schools. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. The Louisiana boys all hope
you enjoy your new home. God Bless."

The advice from the Red Cross "get a local job and enroll your children in school" is telling -- there will be no jobs, and no schools, from whence the refugees came for quite some time. This is not going to be a "disaster of the week" story and the long term social, economic, and political consequences have not even begun to play out.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

2005-08-30T09:47:00.000-05:00

The Nettles have finally taken root in one place and it is good. For those of you that don't know, we've been moving with the Coast Guard for years and are finally finishing up.

We now live in Basco IL, about 5 miles south of Carthage. Year round scouting reports and reports on all the wildlife happenings in the area will now be possible.

The first morning on our little farm we were treated to the antics of 2 fawns tearing through the pasture jumping and playing. What a treat for someone like me. They've been back almost every day since. Mama doe seems to think our south pasture makes a great play pen and herds them in in the morning for a romp, while she vaults over the fence to visit the corn field. Life is good.

All I've heard since arriving last week is how many deer there are. The farmers report what they say may be record numbers. I have no way of telling about that but its encouraging to hear.

The drought doesn't seem t have hurt the herd in any way that I can tell. There is still plenty of food in the bean and corn fields and water is readily available in most farm ponds and drainages. I know many of you were as concerned as I was about the drought but it seems everything is coming out good for hunting.

The farmers are a different story altogether. It looks like they will be taking quite a hit this year. The beans don't look too bad but the corn is pretty weak.

To those of you in the path or aftermath of the hurricane, know that we're thinking of you. Let us know what it was like where you were and I'll try to get it up here so that others can get a first hand report.

I'll post again soon. See you back at the lodge.

It's Not To Soon To Start Getting Ready - A Weather Forecast

2005-08-13T19:07:00.000-05:00

Hunting season starts October 1st, and the long term weather forecast is calling for some pretty warm weather -- and that means mosquitos and ticks in abundance. I mentioned (actually griped about) that to the Hunting Widow a few weeks ago -- bless her heart, a package arrived last week from the happiest place on earth containing a Cabelas 3-D Leafy Bug Suit.

The Bug Suit is made of fine mesh, small enough to block no-see-um's, and has leaf shaped strips to break up the outline. It doesn't come in tall sizes, so the Hunting Widow ordered a 2XL. As a result, the pants are a little shorter in the seat than I'd prefer, but the suit covers the length of my legs (I'm a 34-35 in. inseam) and there's no gap between the pants and the jacket. The jacket has an adjustable hood with a black mesh shield to completly cover the face -- but it didn't block my vision at all. I haven't shot my bow wearing it yet but my initial take is that it shouldn't be a problem. The suit fits as well as regular camo clothing.

As you can see from the pictures, the Bug Suit blends into the forest real well (I put my hand out in the second picture for contrast) and you can wear just a regular t-shirt and lightweight pants underneath it. Scent control in those conditions (t-shirt and pants) will be tricky but playing the wind will keep you cool as well as hidden.

I plan to get it out in the woods very soon to evaluate its bug protection as well as its wearability and durability. I'll let you know how it shakes out.

Big thanks to the hunting widow (my beloved wife) for a great gift!

See you back at the lodge...

Chris

The Results Are In!

2005-08-02T05:27:00.000-05:00

Illinois DNR has posted on their web site that everyone that applied for an archery tags will be receiving them. I suspect that is due to a lower number of applicants than was expected. Good news for all of us.

Now if we can just do as well with the Firearm tags everyone should be happy. I'll post more on these as I get information.

And it is with great joy and anticipation that I say...

I'll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

Busman's Holiday

2005-07-21T15:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know it's been a while. Sorry about that. Seems summer doesn't leave much to write about. But I have a couple of very important things to let everyone know about.

First, Illinois DNR reported that only ~ 13,800 applications have been received as of yesterday morning for non resident archery tags. As I've mentioned before, there will be 20,000 available. Things are looking good for your chances so far.

If you haven't applied yet because you don't have a place to hunt give me a call. We still have late season hunts open for this season.

You have to here about the vacation our family took last week. You have to keep reading.

Last week Kim, Katie, and I went to the Malibu Ranch in Milford, PA. If this wasn't the best vacation I've ever had it ties for it.

The ranch offers horsback riding, fishing, swimming, shooting, archery and so many other things to do that you can't do it all in a week. We tried to get as much in as we could and had a blast.

We rode horses every day, usually 2-3 times. We fished, we swam, we shot, we played in the game room, and rode and rode and rode. The horses and the wranglers are top notch and friendly as they can be. These are not those head to tail pony rides that last 20 minutes. You'll get to trot and lope for a while if you're up to it. And if you think you're pretty good Rob will send you out with a wrangler and orders to "Bring 'em back muddy or don't bring 'em back at all". If Joe and Rob can't put you on to a good time on horses it probably can't be done. Our deepest appreciation to everybody down at the barn.

Did I mention the food? Its included in the price of admission and it is great. Chris is a whiz in the kitchen and a real hoot if you can get him to break out his guitar and bring it up to the bar. Ask to see his zoo while you're there too.

There are several lodging options there at Malibu from the main lodge to individual cabins and in between. The accomodations are rustic but very comfortable and add to the atmosphere of Malibu.

If you can get away or are looking for a place for the whole family to have a great time at a better than great price, you have to try this place out. Short of hunting with us at Long Creek it's the first place I would recommend to anybody that needs a great vacation. Believe me, Disneyland has nothing on the Malibu Ranch.

Here's the web site:
http://www.malibududeranch.com/

Many thanks again to everyone at Malibu for the time of our lives.

I'll try to start getting more info on this season's outlook on here more often. Until then...

I'll see you back at the lodge

Non Resident Archery Deer Tags

2005-06-14T15:28:00.000-05:00

Applications will be taken starting tomorrow for your archery tags. Illinois DNR has the latest. Here is the link with all of the information that is currently available:

If you're one of our clients give me a call and I'll give you the secret code for your application.

If you're not one of ours, but would like to be, call 1-866-357-6766.

Looking forward to hearing from everyone and seeing you back at the lodge.

Chris

Non Resident Archery Tag Update

2005-06-10T13:39:00.000-05:00

The bill has finally been passed by both houses and signed by the governor. There will be 20,000 archery tags available for non residents this year but the price will increase to $325.00 plus processing fees.

I'll be calling everyone as soon as I know for sure, but I don't think I'll be able to buy tags for you this year. The proposal is for groups of 6 to apply together.

The IL DNR web page has an announcement about this and I have included a link for that page.

What the announcement does not address is preference for clients of outfitters. I talked with DNR about this today and was told that it is still part of the plan but it must be approved by the DNR administrative board.

If approved this would give preference in an early lottery to persons who have booked with outfitters. If for some reason there weren't enough tags to go around the first lottery, applicants would be given a second chance in the non outfitter lottery.

I hope this means that we're all going to be in pretty good shape for this year and years on out. I know the increase in price is not very welcome but at least everyone should get a fair opportunity for a tag.

I'll let you know what I know as soon as I know it.

Stay with me. I'll see you back at the lodge.

Archery Tag News

2005-05-25T14:46:00.000-05:00

As of 3:30 today the measure has been approved by the senate and has been through all of the house hoops required for a vote. It passed out of the rules committee this afternoon and should be approved by the house and sent to the Governor any day now.

As I mentioned before, this bill would allow for over 7,000 more tags than in previous years but the price will be raised to $300 for this coming season. If DNR maintains their current philosophy there should be 10,000 tags available for hunters booked with outfitters.

As soon as I have word that the measure has passed I will get the info posted. I was assured by my senator that the measure will be completed this week. How long it will sit in front of the governor I have no way of knowing.

Stay with me. I'll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

Non Resident Archery Deer Tags

2005-05-18T15:09:00.000-05:00

Nothing new or earth shattering as yet. The latest Senate Amendment which would increase the total number of tags available to not less than 20,000 and limit the tag fee to $300 has been recommended for adoption by the Agriculture and Conservation Committee. I would expect a vote by the full Senate in the next couple of days.

Just how all this will shake out is still up in the air. I am optimistic that there will be plenty of tags to go around and there won't be a huge increase in the prices this year.

Keep watching. I'll do my best to let you know what I do.

See you back at the lodge.

Chris

New Archery Tag Process

2005-05-16T10:26:00.000-05:00

I know its been a long time since my last post and for that I am very, very sorry. But this topic is too important not to get out to the public.

That said make sure you read this whole blog before you go ballistic about all of this.

DNR's proposed administrative rule for the 2005 season proposes a lottery for all non resident archery deer tags. They are proposing a cap on tags at 15,000 with the first 7,500 going to applicants that have booked with outfitters. Applicants will be required to give an ID number from the outfitter at the time of application. Any person that does not draw in the outfitter lottery will have a second chance to draw during the second lottery for all other non residents. The price of tags is not specified except that it will be the maximum allowed by statute. Its always like that. You have been paying the maximum in the past.

The Illinois legislature is currently processing a statute to increase the number of non resident archery tags to not lesss than 20,000 and increasing the cost of the tags over the next few years. The cost increase will also apply to firearm tags. There is no mention in this legislation referencing the lottery or outfitters in any way. I suspect that issue will be left up to DNR to administer and the lottery will go into effect.

It is worth mentioniing that the DNR proposed 7,500 outfitter tags is roughly twice the number of hunters reported by outfitters last year. Frankly that number is suspicious to me.

I'm not sure that I can answer many of your questions since nothing has been finalized but I will try if you want to give me a call or email. I am also attaching the links to the Illinois House Bill as ammended by both House and Senate as well as the DNR proposed Administrative Rule.

This is the link to Illinois House Bill 1074:

This is the link to DNR's Proposed Administrative Rule:
http://dnr.state.il.us/legal/Proposed/670-Proposed.htm

I will update this as I get information. I'm trying to stay on top of this daily for you.

On a more happy note, I've heard that a couple of pretty nice racks have been found this spring and as soon as I have pictures I'll get them on here.

Kim, Katie, and I spent this last weekend in Gettysburg, PA at Cornerstone Farm. John and Alice have a really first class Bed and Breakfast there and offer horseback tours of the Gettysburg Battlefield. If you get the chance you HAVE to do this. It is an incredible place to stay and the ride is first class. My deepest thanks to John and Alice.

That will do it for today.

See you back at the lodge.

Chris

Great Buck

2004-12-15T19:23:00.000-06:00

Tough Tracking

2004-11-11T10:38:00.000-06:00

It was a pretty slow day here at Long Creek yesterday. The hunters reported very little movement in the morning and only a little better for the evening hunt.
We tracked Pops’ doe for a long ways before she finally made us give up. Again, we had a real good trail to start on and I was sure after a short period that we would successfully recover her but I was wrong. We’ve had some long tough tracks this year and I guess it says something about the stamina and will of these deer. It takes just the right shot to bring them to the shed.
The wind is high this morning and the temperatures are low. That wind is blowing 20-30 mph and the temp is hovering around 40 degrees. I really don’t expect to hear much in the way of sightings but I have to give these guys credit, they’re out there giving it a try.
Don and Doc left this morning with a big buck and a button in the ice chest. Doc’s son has his first high school football playoff game tomorrow so he wants to be there for that. Don figured since he had his buck he’d give Doc a hand driving back. I sure do look forward to having them back next year.
Not much else to say today. Just sitting here waiting to find out about the morning hunts. I’ll let you know about them soon. Hope you enjoyed the new pictures.
Love you Katie, Kim, Jenn, Nick and Amber, mom and dad.
I’ll see you back at the Lodge.Chris

Don Scores

2004-11-10T17:40:00.000-06:00

T’was another fun filled day at Long Creek yesterday with a couple of good tracks and a couple of deer ending up out in the shed. Tracking could have gone better but we didn’t get skunked.
Wayne was the first to score yesterday filling his antlerless tag by 7:30 in the morning. He’s not in the hunt for the big doe but he’s got meat in the freezer. The trail on the buck he shot the night before went cold on us which was a real disappointment. Wayne team hunted with Scott last night but didn’t see anything noteworthy.
Doc also scored yesterday against his antlerless tag, but again not in the running for the big doe. Doc and Don saw some good deer early as they were getting ready to go in for the afternoon hunt. Unfortunately they were right in the path they had to take to the stand. Having to ask them to wait while you get in your stand will severely limit your chances later in the afternoon.
Pops is seeing a lot of deer and has had a few smaller bucks in close but he’s a patient man. He’s got his eye on a big boy he’s seen out there close by. He’s also been pretty close to some does but wants to wait. Hope his luck holds out toward the end of the week.
Don has been pretty much stone cold so far this week. He’s seen a few deer but nothing that he’s been too impressed with. Last year he hunted a short week due to some family business but had deer all over him while he was here. He’s a gamer though and will probably score well by the end of the week.
Scott put the moves on yesterday and has put up his climber where he’s been seeing a lot of doe traffic. Had a real nice buck at about 60 yds last night but it headed the wrong way down the trail once he saw the does. Scott thinks the buck may have winded him since he took off across the field at warp speed moments later. He’s still in the game though and confident about the rest of the week.
Jon sat in the $100 Hole last night after the track on his buck proved fruitless. We stayed on the trail for quite sometime but never found a bed and were more lucky than good about cutting what trail the buck was leaving. Jon had a good buck right in front of him last night right near dark and tried to put a good lick on him. Unfortunately one of the hunting gods disguised as some tall grass reached up and snatched his arrow out of the air before it could reach it’s intended target. He’s back out in the middle of them this morning so we’ll see how angry the hunting gods really are with him.
The weather is great for hunting. Clear this morning and right at freezing. We’re looking for a high around 60 today and then it’s suppose to really cool of. Rain and snow are forecast for Wednesday night or Thursday with the low temp on Thursday night around 18.
That’s it for this morning. Lance, Dan, and I have to get out there and do some more of that huntin’ stuff.
See you back at the lodge.
Chris

Tuesday's Entry on Wednesday

2004-11-10T17:33:00.000-06:00

Louisiana's Turn

2004-11-08T15:03:00.000-06:00

It’s a new week and we’re starting it off quick. First night the boys from Louisiana started it off right. Jon stuck a buck that he says is better than the one he took last year and Wayne says he stuck one that is bigger than Scott’s from last year. We’ll see who’s right after the sun comes up this morning.
We chose to wait until day light to track these deer. We have good blood trails that seem to be getting long. Jon and Lance tracked Jon’s for about 200 yds and lost blood so they came right out without spending much time in the woods. Wayne, Scott, and I tracked Wayne’s deer for 100yds or so and decided to back out because of a thin blood trail and Wayne’s belief that his shot might have been slightly back and low.
Don and Doc didn’t see much last night. Doc saw a doe and Don didn’t see anything. They’re going to do some scouting and moving after this mornings hunt. They’re in a good area they just need to fine tune their stand sites.
Scott had deer all around him last night. He saw quite a few does and heard some deer chasing through the timber around him. He’s in the same area he took that good buck of his last year. He’ll score big again this year; it’s just a matter of time.
Pops (Phil) saw a bunch of does and had a 6 point come in and bed right in behind him. He had a lot of fun watch it all and is looking forward to a great hunt. Pops didn’t get to come out last year because of a family emergency so I’m hoping this year will be real good for him.
The next couple of days are going to be great for hunting. The weather is really cooperating. Sunny to partly cloudy skies are called for with lows in the 30’s and highs in the low 50’s through Tuesday night. Wednesday things are suppose to fall apart as rain and snow move into the area for Wednesday night and Thursday. Hopefully we’ll have quite a few hanging in the shed by then.
‘Bout time to get out there and start tracking.
Love you Katie, Kim, Jenn, Nick and Amber, mom and dad.
I’ll see you back at the Lodge.
Chris

Farewell to the Pennsylvania Boys - The Week's Wrap Up

2004-11-06T20:25:00.000-06:00

Well, the hunting week is over and I sit here reflecting on how things went. As was the case last time they were here, we had a great time with the Pennsylvania boys. Gary, Richard, and Randall were a hoot. And Doug and Sam fit right in. I’m hoping we see them again real soon.
Gary ended the week with the doe he took on Tuesday night. He hunted hard the rest of the week but the deer just weren’t about to give him a chance. He saw a lot of deer but they were either way out in the field or over on another property.
Richard had a dog of a hunt. He ended the week with a little bit of hair and a few drops of blood as the sum total of his weeks efforts. That big buck just wouldn’t go down for him. With the blood trail we had on him, I’m amazed he didn’t. It was Gary’s turn anyway Richard.
Randall had a tough end to his week. He had a nice 8 or 10 pointer come to him on Friday morning. Unfortunately a small branch stepped out to protect the buck and gave its life that the buck might run away. A tough break for Randall but a great hunt just the same. He’ll be just that much bigger for next year.
Doug couldn’t get a doe to come anywhere near him after taking his buck early in the week. On Thursday, he and Randall went down to the $100 Hole for a team hunt and they had some fun. Well, we did watching them anyway. About 3:00 PM they agreed that the decoy they had set was in the wrong place. A little while later a wary doe confirmed their suspicions. Sooooo, Doug hunker walked out through the tall grass and “walked” the decoy into the grass and laid it down. Bud and I were just waiting for Charley Racker to come charging out of the woods to attack the decoy while Doug was trying to move it. Doug saw a great 8 pointer on Friday night about 8 yards in front of him. What a way to end the week.
Sam ended the week seeing some of the best deer he’s ever seen. Although he never got another shot after we failed to recover the buck he shot, Sam left a very happy man and plans to join us again in the future. He was pretty mad at himself for not finding his buck but he got back in the game by the end of the week.
I’m about at the end of my rope for this week.
Happy birthday to my daughter Jennifer!!
I’ll see you back at the Lodge.
Chris

Can't Track And Blog At The Same Time

2004-11-04T18:46:00.000-06:00

What a week it’s been folks. All of our hunters this week have been able to shoot a deer. Sorry I haven’t been getting this updated for you but it’s been a little busy. Bud, Dan, and I have been in the field quite a bit tracking and dragging. Now we’re just dragging.
Gary put a nice doe in the shed that came in at 117lbs. He and Richard team hunted their property the other night. Richard shot a nice buck but we lost his trail after about ¾ of a mile of tracking and crawling through some of the thickest deer cover around here. It started out as a pretty easy track and we thought he’d be near by, but no luck. Richard is team hunting for our stadium hunting crowd with Sam in the $100 hole.
Sam also shot a buck on Monday night but we were unable to recover it. Portions of the trail were quite easy to follow but it was a tough track. A visual search of the areas around the end of Sam’s and Richard’s trails the following day didn’t turn up anything much at all. We didn’t find anything new about Sam’s deer and we followed Richard’s for another ½ to ¾ of a mile more before losing it completely.
Randall shot a doe on Tuesday night in the $100 hole but it ran right down into Long Creek. The creek looks more like a raging river these days with all of the rain we’ve had and a search of the near bank yielded no results. Dan went out the next morning and located the deer in the river about 200yds from where she went in. We recovered her and Randall got her cut and wrapped up today. She weighed in at 124lbs. Not quite Randall. He’s down in the cottonwoods tonight where he took his first deer with a bow 2 yrs ago.
Doug took a seven pointer on Tuesday as well. He says it’s the biggest he’s ever taken with a bow. It came in at 171lbs live weight. He’s pretty happy with himself and has a pretty good story to go with it. He and Dan started tracking about 41/2 hours after he shot it and found the buck quite easily. That is until the buck got up and ran off. Dan and he just stared in shock as it ran off. We went back a couple of hours later and found him about 300 yards away and the buck was recovered without further incident. It turned out to be about a 600 yd drag back to the truck.
We’ve got sunny and cool weather forecast until Tuesday with highs in the 50’s and lows in the 30’s. Hope its right this time so we can get some serious hunting in.
It’s getting dark out so we need to get the guys in. Time to go do more of that huntin’ stuff.
See you back at the Lodge.
Chris

One In the Barn, One in the Bush, One on the Loose

2004-11-02T18:19:00.000-06:00

That's the quick tally I got during today's phone call. I hear rumors of another contender for the Big Doe contest, but it's only a rumor. Chris and Bud are too busy tracking and skinning to give me all the details......so we'll all have to wait until late tomorrow.
-- The Hunting Widow

Gathering is Easier, But Hunting's More Fun

2004-11-01T07:18:00.000-06:00

Sorry it’s been a few days. Been a lot of work to get things ready for this week's hunt.
Johnny and the boys gave it one last try Saturday but had no luck. Friday night John took a shot at a real monster at 30 yds but it was right at dark and the pins were just barely visible. He missed the shot low and that’s how everything ended. I hope all of them had as good a time as I did in spite of the lack of deer. The weather and the moon just beat us to death.
Gary and the Pennsylvania Boys rolled in yesterday ready to get after it. All of them got to see deer last night. Sam and Doug got a peek at a good buck just after we dropped Doug off to walk in to his stand. He was bedded right nest to the road and took off while Doug was about 20 yds from the truck. Gary saw a few does and Richard saw three bucks the last of which was right at dark and he couldn’t get a good look to tell if he was a shooter or not. Sam saw a couple of does but couldn’t get a shot on them. Randall bumped out a couple of does going in and then saw them from his stand later on.
The weather this morning is terrible. It’s raining buckets and the wind is howling. The poker game starts in about 20 minutes.
I wanted to clarify something that was going on last week. I mentioned that Paul was hunting with a cross bow. In Illinois it is legal to hunt with a cross bow but you must have a doctor's certification to receive a permit from the state. If you need more information, write to me.
For the sake of John and Johnny I have to tell you about my experience in the $100 Hole.
I saw a total of 5 does and an incredible 6 point buck. It was the largest buck I have seen in a long time. Bud (Long Creek's newest guide) was watching from the back of the lodge and agrees he would have come in dressed at over 200 lbs. His rack was incredibly tall and well outside his ears. 62 yds was just a little to far for me. The closest doe came in to 24 yds but I couldn’t see my pins by then.
The weather for the rest of the week looks pretty good if the wind doesn’t come up to bad. Temps are forecast from the 30's to 50's so things should get a lot better.
That’s it for now. I’ll see you back at the lodge.
Chris

Dan the Turkey Man

2004-10-29T19:30:00.000-05:00

Hi there everyone.
Paul Miller didn’t let the rain slow him down at all. Paul took a 10 pointer with a nice even 13 ½ in. rack that tipped our scale at 152 lbs dressed out. He took him at 47 yards with his cross bow. The pictures have been loaded into our Webshots album.

Johnny Jr. and Jared spent the whole day in the tree yesterday and didn’t see a thing all day. They get an A for their efforts but we’re all a little confused as to where the good deer they saw early this week have gone. Let’s all hope today is the day.
Lee came down out of his tree as soon as the first thunder was heard. He must be the smartest of the bunch. He didn’t see anything in the morning and only a button head on the evening sit. Of course that doesn’t include the 30 or so turkeys that came to roost in behind him. He took Dan the Turkey Man in with him again this morning for a try and I should be hearing something from that area soon. Hopefully it will be a shotgun blast.
John got skunked yesterday morning in his new stand. But last night had 14 does come out at different times and dance around right where he couldn’t get a shot. He’s hard after it again this morning so let’s keep our fingers crossed for him.
Johnny SR came in mid morning after the rains had pretty well soaked him through. He jumped 4 does out of beds on his way in but didn’t see anything from the stand. He chose to sit out the evening hunt and shoot the breeze with us here at the lodge. Dad, you’d love this guy. He’s a lot like you in a lot of ways. He’s real sorry he didn’t get to meet you this year. I guess the guys talked about you quite a bit. Nobody could remember my name though.
I guess there hasn’t been much skunk news this week. We usually get some of that with this particular group. The skunks have taken up residence in a shed out back of the lodge and are currently living the good life on the gut piles.
Yes, that noise you just heard was the shot that dropped a 19 pound Tom. Dan and Lee scored a few minutes ago. The beard measures 10 ¾ in and he had 1 in. spurs. His coloration is just beautiful. Lee set Dan up perfectly and Dan took him just after he hit the ground coming off the roost. Congratulations to both of them for a successful hunt. Pictures are in our Webshots album.
Time for me to get out there and get busy. Gotta do some of that hunting stuff.
Love you Katie, Kim, Jenn, Nick and Amber, mom and dad.
I’ll see you back at the Lodge.
Chris

Insert Clever Title Here

2004-10-28T16:49:00.000-05:00

The weather here has gone south on us again. We’re getting heavy rain this morning with a few thunderstorms thrown in. The weather folks are saying to expect it like this the rest of today and most of tomorrow so I expect it to clear any minute. Temps are relatively warm, in the 50’s headed for high 60’s they say.

Yesterday was a pretty good day for some and pretty poor for others. For a couple it was both.

Paul located a new great spot and got a stand up in time for an evening hunt. He saw two good bucks and managed to get a shot off at one with the crossbow. Unfortunately the bolt hit a branch of some kind, deflected and missed. The impact ripped the bolt apart right at the forward end of the fletching. He’s back in there this morning with hopes that they’ll be back or the does he’s seen in there will. A tough break but I don’t know anybody that bow hunts that hasn’t heard of that happening to someone.

Lee had a similar experience but couldn’t get a shot off. He had that nice 10 point out in the field chasing does and could hear him back in the woods chasing something around. He watched him work a scrape and then got around to Lee’s right where he couldn’t get a shot. Lee’s got him pegged pretty well but with the weather the way it is he’s running out of time.
Johnny Jr. claims, “There ain’t no fish in this pond”. ‘Nough said there I think.
Sir Jared the Patient has stolen our 3-D target and pressed it into service as a decoy. All he needs now is for something to come out to see it. He’s hanging tough for a chance at the big one we’ve seen back there. I think yesterday is the first day he hasn’t seen any deer. He still has the only beaver sighting this season. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
John set a new record last night. After resetting a stand down in a flat near a creek bed, John took bow in hand and headed for the $100 Hole to break the ice for everyone. I believe that John is the first person to set in that spot and not see a deer. He has a great spot for this morning though even taking the weather into account. He would be my bet for this morning.
Johnny Sr. has to be the most patient and easy going man I have ever met. We moved him out east of town for the evening hunt last night. He did see deer out in the fields but they came out too far away for him to get a shot. He did have some turkeys go to roost behind him last night so we sent Dan out this morning. He assures us that Sr. must have been hallucinating as there wasn’t a turkey on that property. Sr. is back down in the draw west of the lodge this morning.
The rain seems to have stopped now. Wind has picked up a little but maybe the deer will take this as a feeding break and the guys will see a little action.
Everybody take care now. For those of you visiting from Fred’s Place, you should know that is the most fun I’ve ever had with my clothes on -- and that includes those foriegn port calls over 12 years of sea duty.
Love you Katie, Kim, Jenn, Nick and Amber, mom and dad.
I’ll see you back at the Lodge.
Chris

Umm, Johnny, Deer Don't Howl.....

2004-10-27T19:15:00.000-05:00

Boy did we have some lousy weather. Hard rain all afternoon kept most of the guys around the lodge most of the day. The rain stopped just before dark and should just remain cloudy for a couple of days. Its staying warm though with highs in the upper 60’s for the rest of the week. Lows at night are only in the 50’s. The wind has stayed relatively calm for us and that’s been a plus.
Johnny Jr was the first to score this week with a nice coyote that would probably come in in the 15-20 lbs range. He put a great shot on it and it only traveled about 35 yards. He also saw a very nice buck that he almost was able to call in to him. It got suspicious though at 75 yards and didn’t offer a shot. We put up a new stand for him yesterday to get a little closer and maybe he’ll get the shot today. Johnny has predicted 3 deer hanging by this evening. I sure hope he’s right.
Johnny senior got skunked yesterday. I think that was mostly due to the weather. He’s an optimistic guy though and his patience should pay off.
Jared busted up some deer getting into the stand yesterday morning and came up empty on the stand. He did get in some scouting on a beaver for us that is damming up just about everything that has a trickle of water in it. Jared got a good look at it as the beaver hot footed it for one of the barns he seems intent on flooding. Jared is playing it cool and patient this year and is seeing a lot of deer. Could this be the year of his first archery deer? Everyone here is pulling for him.
Lee continues to be surrounded by turkeys. He’s got his eye on a nice ten pointer and isn’t about to give up on him. With the better weather forecast the next few days I think his chances will go way up.
Paul spent yesterday evening in the $100 hole and had a 6 pointer almost step on him. It tried to get right in the trail he was sitting on. He also had a shot on a doe but said she was kind of smallish and just to cute to shoot. No back strap for the camp today.
John is in a new location we set up yesterday afternoon and he had some does come in behind him without offering a shot so he’s pretty hopeful for today as well. His foot has been giving him a little trouble from a recent operation but he’s toughing it out.
Miss you dad. Trying to have fun but it’s not the same here without you. Not that we aren’t having fun, but you know…
Hey, its time for me to get out there and do some more of that hunting stuff.
Love you Katie, Kim, Jenn, Nick and Amber, mom and dad.

To everyone else,

I’ll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

Great Weather For Ducks and Coasties

2004-10-26T19:44:00.000-05:00

Cloudy this morning with rain and thunderstorms due by noon. Hopefully the deer will keep moving this morning ahead of the front. It looks little better in the forecast with chances of rain through Friday.
The guys are out hitting it hard this morning after scouting and stand adjustments yesterday. Lee is trying to put the moves on that big 10 pointer he saw yesterday and everybody but John Miller saw deer yesterday. John did get a picture of a rub that is chest high and on a tree that takes both of his hands and one of Paul’s to get around. Jared had his first evening hunt without a skunk sighting in two years yesterday and is seeing deer from his stand but can’t get them in close enough.
The bucks are getting a little more insistent with the does and are responding to grunts. They seem interested but are a bit wary yet. Won’t be long before they start charging the grunt calls and rattling.
Johnny Jr. is working a morning and afternoon stand this week and his dad seems to be happy with a spot in the bottoms for his climber. It does get a lot of traffic down in that area. John and Paul finished getting set up yesterday and Paul says he’s got a great spot for his climber. He came in last night with his arms all scraped up from his tree. Meant to ask him if he’d left the top of that climber in the truck. Lee continues to be cover with turkeys but couldn’t put Dan on one yesterday morning.
All the guys know you’re following their stories this week. I hope to have some exciting news for all of you very soon.
Gotta get out there and do some more of that hunting stuff.
Love you Katie, Kim, Jenn, Nick and Amber, mom and dad.

To everyone else,

I’ll see you back at the lodge.
Chris

That Satisfying "Whack" -- The Rookie Scores

2004-10-24T13:47:00.000-05:00

Well, the Michigan guys are gone but the excitement continues here at Long Creek.
Most of you will remember Lance from one of my earlier writings. He’s the rookie bow hunter that I’ve been trying to help get his first deer with a bow. He drives a truck all week and only gets to hunt maybe one sit a weekend. Last night it all came together and he scored his first deer, a spike buck that came in at 145lbs on the hoof.
I took Lance back to the Hundred Dollar hole back behind the lodge hoping to see the same parade of deer that Sam had watched last week. Lance was sitting on a bucket and I was standing behind a tree next to him. I had my own bow so that if we did maybe I would get a chance to stick one too. We had no sooner stepped inside the wood line a little after 4:00 PM than a doe popped out across the field and started browsing toward us. It was almost painfully slow to watch her make her way to the center of the cut bean field. After about 15 minutes she suddenly looked toward the lodge (away from us) put up the white flag and headed for the woods. It would be 2 hours before we’d see anything else.
Just before 6:30 we saw the little buck come on to the field like he owned the place. His first move was to hit a scrape just off the trail he’d come in on. I started to worry that we were about to get trapped in the woods since there were only a few minutes of shooting time left. He started browsing and then moved at a steady pace, closing the 120 yards between us. Lance was ready for him. He’d turned himself on the bucket a little to get ready for the shot, had the release on and the bow up in front of him. As we watched, the buck stepped into the tall grass between the beans and the woods and looked like he might duck into the woods before he got to us.
After a slight hesitation on his part the buck continued along the grass in our direction on a track that would put him about 10 yds in front of us. As the buck moved behind the last piece of brush between us I turned to get Lance to draw but saw him just coming to full draw as I did. Watching to judge when Lance had a clear shot I grunted to stop the deer. He froze in his tracks at about 10 yds broadside and a second later I heard that satisfying “whack” we all live for. It looked to me like a perfect shot.
After spending quite a bit of time getting Lance back down to earth we gathered up our gear and stepped out to see what kind of a trail we had. It was immediately obvious that we weren’t going to have any trouble finding this deer. The arrow confirmed a good pass through and that it had likely taken a path directly through the vital area.
After getting the 4 wheeler from the lodge we started a rather quick stroll trailing Lance’s trophy. It was as easy a trail to follow as I can ever recall. After a steady walk of about 120 yds we had him tagged, photographed, loaded, and ready to go.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to thank Lance enough for the chance to be in on that experience. It’s not easy to put into words what it’s like to participate so closely in that process. It’s a lot like helping a kid catch his first fish and seeing that expression on his face.
He wasn‘t the biggest deer in the woods but to Lance and me he’ll always be a real trophy.
I’ll see you back at the lodge.
Chris

She's A Contender!!

2004-10-24T08:16:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay in updating you on our three hunters but they’ve been keeping me running through the woods until all hours of the night the end of last week. We have had quite a bit of success though.

The weather hasn’t been the greatest but the guys worked through it pretty well. We had two days of cloudy skies with temps in the 50’s that really got things moving around here. All three hunters had several deer around them most of the time and all scored does Wednesday and Thursday. Nick stuck a buck last night that left a huge trail for about 250-300 yds but it finally dwindled down to nothing and we lost it. Not so with his doe.

After a half and hour of shooting lesson from Dennis at D&E archery here in Carthage Nick’s distance shooting dramatically improved. We went in to get his sights improved and wound up leaving with the same sights but a much improved shooter. And Dennis did for us free. That’s what customer service is all about. Thanks Dennis.

Back to the story. I had put Nick where he would need to be able to make a 30 yard shot if he could. Late in the afternoon, activity started to pick up around his stand and he had several deer coming in around him. Finally, the right doe presented a shot and he took her at 29 yards. It was a perfect shot, hitting both lungs and heart. She went about 50 yds, most of it tumbling down a steep hill. Nick is now the current leader in this year’s Big Doe contest by well over 30 lbs.

I moved Jason and Pete to a new location and both of them shot does Thursday night. Jason, who has passed on probably half a dozen bucks this week, had deer all over him and finally took his doe and we recovered her quickly. Pete got his doe about the same time and we tracked her until after dark and losing the trail in a grassy area bordering a wheat field. Pete, Jason, and Dan (one of our guides) went out the next morning and located her without much difficulty
Nick saw some pretty nice bucks, including a double drop tine monster that he can’t quit talking about. Finally, near the end of shooting time, a buck came in that he described as “out past his ears” so he didn’t count the points. It looked by the early trail that he’d made a good hit on the deer but when we found the arrow about 200 yds into the track it looked like it had only gotten about 4 inches of penetration. The broadhead and insert were gone. We tracked for another 200 yds or so before losing the trail. I’m guessing that he hit shoulder blade, keeping the shot from being fatal. Once the arrow came out, the wound sealed up and we lost him. We searched again in the morning with no results.
This was a great bunch of guys, and I’m hoping they will all decide to come back and join us next year.

Love you Katie, Kim, Jenn, Nick and Amber, mom and dad.

To everyone else,

I’ll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

1 Buck and 3 Does - A Hunting Widow Report

2004-10-22T04:37:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's take was 1 Buck and 3 Does, including a strong contender for the Big Doe contest. Chris was out most of last evening tracking, and didn't get a chance to post. Stay tuned -- it sounds like a good story.
Kim

What Would Life Be Like Without The Weather

2004-10-19T22:26:00.000-05:00

If you were to read back a few days in our weather forecast you’d have thought today would be the day for some great action. You’d have been half right.

The morning brought more light rain and fog keeping the deer off their usual patterns. Although we saw several deer on the way out to the hunting grounds all 3 hunters got skunked this morning. Our partly cloudy skies and highs in the 60’s never developed. Skies stayed overcast but the wind let up and the rain stopped. The temperature topped out at about 50.

The evening hunt was a different story for some as the weather was mild enough to get the deer out feeding on a normal pattern. Jason tried a new spot tonight and saw two 6 pointers come in right under his stand. They weren’t quite what he’s looking for so for the first time in 17 years he passed on a buck that was in range. They were the first deer he’s seen this hunt so he’s in a little better mood. Pete saw 10 does tonight and had 4 within range but could get a shot. A couple got on him before he could get on them and prevented him from being able to draw his bow. He was happy to have them there but sure would have like to get an arrow off. Nick got skunked again tonight and is kind of bummed. They’ve still got a little more than half their hunt left though and we seem to be getting closer. If the weather remains stable for the next couple of days I think they’ve all got a good shot at getting one or the other of their tags filled. Long story short, we still have an empty skinning rack.

Around the lodge and in our other travels we saw a lot of deer today. # does in the field behind the lodge this morning as well as those we saw along the road headed for the stands. This afternoon was pretty amazing as we saw groups of 3-5 does regularly and one group of 12 as we were leaving to go pick the guys up. We also saw 2 very nice bucks about 500 yds SW of the lodge in a small pasture.

Tomorrow is another day and I’m hoping for just a little more luck for these fellows. They’re working hard at it and deserve a break from the weatherman.

Sorry I haven’t called lately dad. Kim talked to mom last night and said you had your first outing to town. She made it sound like it might be a while before the folks at Boomtown see you at the table again. Like I’ve been telling Jason, Nick, and Peter just be patient. There’s plenty of time. Glad you’re feeling good.

And another day bites the dust.

Love you Katie, Kim, Jenn, Nick and Amber, mom and dad.

To everyone else, remember that follow through and -

I’ll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

Rained Out

2004-10-18T21:51:00.000-05:00

Another lousy weather day here at Long Creek. We had rain and cold wind all day. It’s suppose to clear overnight after some drizzle leaving a little fog for morning. Tomorrow is forecast to be partly cloudy with a high on the mid 60’s. Looking for the same on Wednesday. Hope it gets better for these guys. They’ve got it coming.

I want to thank Amy, Tara, and Amanda for letting me have the guys out. We’re having a pretty good time in spite of the weather. Thanks again.

Not much in the way of sightings today. Jason and Peter got skunked this morning as far as deer went but they did see some turkeys. The birds, not the guides. Nick had three does go past but they were on a mission and didn’t slow down to give him a chance to stop them for a shot.

Tonight was about the same with Jason and Nick getting skunked but Pete sighting three does out in the field quite a ways out. Both Pete and Nick got nailed on the way out by unseen stomping and blowing deer.

Its still very early in the week and we’re all still confident that they’ll score well before leaving us.

We’ll be getting ready for the next group in over the next few days as Jason and the boys try to bring down our deer population here. Always trying to emulate the deer and stay one step ahead of the hunters.

Sorry there isn’t much else to report at this point but I’m looking forward to that changing with the weather. So that’s it for tonight.

Hey Ashton, your mom says hey.

Love you Katie, Kim, Jenn, Nick and Amber, mom and dad.

To everyone else,

I’ll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

The 3 Amigos Have Arrived

2004-10-17T22:02:00.000-05:00

Our first hunting group arrived today from Michigan. Jason, Pete, and Nick seem like some pretty nice guys. I’m looking forward to a lot of good times this week.

The weather was real good for this evening’s hunt though the wind started to pick up around sun down. Forecast is for a 70% chance of rain tonight going up to 80% tomorrow. Doesn’t sound very promising but the weather guy has been wrong before. Lows tonight should be in the mid 30’s with a high tomorrow in the mid 50’s.

Everyone but Jason saw deer tonight. Nick had a 7 pointer hang around him for quite a while. He said the deer was missing a brow tine on one side and was a little lopsided in size in general. That was all he saw this evening. Pete had a 4 point go by his stand at pretty close range and saw 3 does out in the field quite a distance out. He saw a buck start to follow them but couldn’t tell much about it other than it was a buck. Poor Jason who was in what I would probably say was in the spot with the most activity evident didn’t see a thing. With all the rubs and scrapes around him though it should only be a matter of time.

Sam left today after skinning out his doe from last night donating ot to our churches food pantry. He hopes to be back in a couple of weeks to try again for a day or two.

Our new cook started off on the right foot tonight with some great beef and noodles, mashed potatoes, rolls, cauliflower salad, and a great coconut crème pie. I still miss Sally but I think we’ll be OK if tonight was any indication.

Not sure what the morning will bring to the guys but they seem prepared to give it their best shot.

For those of you are curious and to all who have written and called, dad is doing great. He’s getting a little exercise now and can’t wait until he can get over the hill to Reno for a poker game. My brothers and mom seem to be taking great care of him as does is golf buddy Gene.

It’s an early day tomorrow so that will have to do it for tonight.

Love you Katie, Kim, Jenn, Nick and Amber, mom and dad.

To everyone else,

I’ll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

WOW

2004-10-16T22:03:00.000-05:00

What a day, what a day, what a day! Where do I begin ---

Real windy and cold this morning. Temp was about 35 with a 20 mph wind. Glad I wasn’t out there. Sam, a weekend hunter from Chicago sat one of our ladders this morning and only saw a coyote. Lance on the other hand had quite an exciting morning.

Lance jumped four deer on his way into the woods and thought his hunt was probably over. But just before daylight he spotted three deer silhouetted but couldn’t see his sight pins yet. Did I mention how windy it was? Lance was hunting on the ground and had his bow hanging from a bow hook on a tree. Before he knew it three more does had come in behind him and started passing about 6 FEET to his right. Since they were traveling in a column he couldn’t get the bow and get it around without getting busted until they had traveled out of range. How many of us have had one get in behind us and not know until they bust us? Lance was pretty bummed but I think that’s just part of bow hunting.

Then things really got exciting. I put Sam back in the famous $100 hole. Bud and I backed the truck up to the fence to watch the fun. It took a little while but 3 does finally came out into the field and started browsing their way toward Sam’s position. As I watched through my binoculars, Sam put a perfect hit on her. As she turned to run I could see from 400yds that it was a great hit. As Bud and I sat and watched another doe came out and made her way directly toward Sam. Sam called on his cell to ask about other deer or whether or not he should take the second doe. We quickly decided he should hold his other tag for a buck. In the next hour Bud, Sam, and I watched 14 more deer, 4 of which were bucks, out in front of Sam. Oh, and then there were the 3 does that passed behind Bud and I across the road on the edge of the corn field. None of the bucks passed muster with Sam and will grow older. Watching all this happen right in front of me was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen. Sam’s doe is hanging nicely in the skinning shed tonight. I’ll be telling this story for a long time.

Jason, Peter, and Nicholas are due in tomorrow and I’m hoping to have stories as good as tonight’s to relate to you.

It’s been quite a day and I need to get ready for tomorrow’s adventures.

Love you Katie, Kim, Jenn, Nick and Amber, mom and dad.

To everyone else, got to go do some more of that hunting stuff.

I’ll see you back at the lodge.
Chris

And away we go! .

2004-10-15T19:08:00.000-05:00

First hunters are coming in this weekend and as usual we’re scrambling around to make sure everything is just right. Jolene has the lodge all cleaned up, the cook is ready, tree stands are hung by the trails with care, and we’ve put new lights out in the shed to hang and skin by. Luckily we have one day left to see if there is anything we’ve forgotten.

The weather is about to drive me nuts. Cold winds have been blowing out of the northwest all day. I don’t think the temps got much above 50 today and lows the next two nights are expected to be in the low 30’s. Chance of showers in the forecast for a few days next week but hopefully it won’t be anything serious.

There are deer everywhere tonight. When I left the lodge I had already counted 14 that walked right out in front of the $100 dollar hole. With this wind any one of them was an easy target. Three of the 14 were bucks only one of which might have been a shooter. He had a big body for an 8 pt and was about ear wide but not a lot of length to the tines. He did have pretty good mass. I’m guessing he might only be 21/2 years. The other 2 were a spike and a fork (possibly a 6pt). I saw 5 more does about 500 yds south of the lodge and another 3 does maybe another 500 yds up the road.

Last night 7 does out behind the lodge with a young buck that was really pressing hard on one of the does. He was head down and ears back hot on her tail. Scouted all morning and saw some incredible rubs and scrapes. Jumped up one doe that looked pretty small but she was kind of a blur going away so who knows.

As you have probably gathered from might writings thus far we have an abundance of does being sighted. I’m not awfully concerned yet about ratios because I’ve been seeing a lot of new trails this year just inside the tree line. I believe what is happening is those big bucks are traveling on those trails and not yet getting out early. I’ve placed stands accordingly so that those inside trails are covered as well as the staging trails and field edges. Don’t forget our annual big doe contest for the archers either. Plenty to chose from and the biggest one is worth a half price hunt.

My dad just called to report that he was able to walk to the mailbox this morning with mom’s help and he sounds great. He sounds better than me as I fight off a bit of a cold. Sure missing him out here this year.

Stay with me for the adventures of Jason, Peter, and Nicholas this coming week. I’m hoping it will be a great adventure. That’s it from here for tonight.

That’s it from here for tonight.

Love you Katie, Kim, Jenn, Nick and Amber, mom and dad.

To everyone else, got to go do some more of that hunting stuff.

I’ll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

2004-10-12T19:48:00.000-05:00

Rain, rain go away, I’d rather have snow any day. Our weather is the pits out here right now. Rain is in the forecast for the rest of the week. Temps are going to be in the low 30’s with highs in the mid to upper 50’s. Saturday is suppose to be partly cloudy with a high in the mid 50’s so maybe we’ll start of the first hunters on the right foot.

Sighted 13 does this afternoon within a quarter mile of the lodge. It was still pretty early and the bucks hadn’t made their appearance yet. Got a couple of pictures and will try to get them posted after the library opens tomorrow.

Placed stands today between the rain showers. We’ve got some dynamite spots picked out this year. Some are close to those used in the past and we also have some new spots that hadn’t shown much activity in the past but look red hot this year. Gets me pumped up just to be out walking around.

For those of you that have been here before and remember the wall of fame at the check station, we’re the sponsors this year. I check up on it at least once a day but there are only two bucks posted as of tonight. Not sure why except that its been raining a lot and I don’t think folks are getting out as much. There was a huge crowd at the archery shop tonight when they should have been out hunting.

The lodge is just about ready. Jolene has been cleaning like crazy out there. We have a new washing machine this year with a larger capacity and a new cook that promises to rival Sally from last year. We’re trying to get a new roof on the place but that’s going pretty slow with all of the rain.

All in all its getting pretty exciting around here and I can’t wait until Jason, Peter, and Nicholas get here this weekend. I’m looking forward to a great time again this year.

That’s it from here for tonight.

Welcome home dad. Try to take it easy on mom for a few days. She’s been through a lot. Glad you feel so good.

Love you Katie, Kim, Jenn, Nick and Amber, mom and dad.

To everyone else,

I’ll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

"How Sweet It Is"

2004-10-11T14:04:00.000-05:00

As Jackie Gleason use to say, “How sweet it is”. The bucks they are a scrapin’ and a rubbin’ to beat the band. Saturday’s scouting was a real pleasure. Signs are real good. Trails are well traveled and there seems to be some pretty good trees just about everywhere we need them to be. Gotta love it.

Roy is on the mend quite well. He’s due home tomorrow and mom is trying to get ready. He’s excited and mom is trying to get ready. We’re all pretty happy about how well he’s doing.

Weather is staying real nice but we’re looking at a chance of rain every day this week. Farmers are attacking the corn with a vengeance now so I hope to be able to get to some of the harder to reach spots.

I have to apologize for the sporadic entries here. I’m trying to squeeze the last little bit of life out of this computer. Shouldn’t be too long and I’ll have a real one here to work with. Stick with me though; I’m going to do my best.

I have been pretty surprised at the amount of buck activity we’ve seen so far. In past years I haven’t seen the scrape activity this early. It’s usually the middle of next week before we see much at all but they’re already starting to get a little more serious about it. The rubs are about everywhere you look now and some of the smaller trees are just almost torn down. We have some new trail cam pictures just in so I’ll try to get those scanned in tomorrow and getr them to you. We’re moving cameras today and hope to have more by the end of the week. As yyou might guess we’ve got a lot better idea where to put them this week.

First hunters are in this coming weekend so there’ll be more stories coming your way very soon. If your coming this year make sure your families and friends know how to find this page so they can follow along with your adventure.

That’s it for today. Love you Katie, Kim, Jenn, Nick and Amber, mom and dad.

To everyone else, got to go do some more of that hunting stuff.

I’ll see you back at the lodge.

Looking forward to great season

2004-10-07T23:32:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to all of you faithful followers of Long Creek Adventures.

First, the great news. Roy went through his surgery without a hitch and will be back with us next season. No doubt mom will be trying to push him out of the house by then. He’s already been out of bed and is willing to pay big dollars for a cup of coffee. Thanks to all of you for your prayers on his behalf.

Now, on to the business at hand.

The weather has been pretty good so far this week. Cool mornings in the upper 30’s to mid 40’s with afternoon temps climbing up to the 60’s and near 70. It began to rain after this mornings hunt as expected to continue through tomorrow. If you want to keep up with the “Official” stuff hit the link here on the blog.

Scouting yesterday morning and afternoon produced some great sign if only a couple of actual doe sightings. We’re already seeing some half-hearted scrapes and quite a few rubs. I wasn’t expecting to see the scrapes quite this early but maybe the bucks are feeling a little sorry for me and leaving me some clues to make it a little more interesting. Traffic is heavy on many of the trails that you all hunted near last year. Lots of large tracks and some of the rubs are on some good trees and don’t start anywhere near the ground.

Hunted with our hero from last time again last night and this morning. We saw what appeared to be the same 5 skin heads as last time but all stayed out of range. We had two does around us this morning hunting a different location. The first was before shooting light and the second busted us from within the standing corn and was gone before we knew she was there. She came out of that corn like a rocket. That will be a great spot when that corn comes out.

Speaking of corn, boy do we have a lot of it! One of the best crop years many of the farmers can remember. I sure wish they’d get it out of my way. With much of it planted right to the tree line scouting becomes a problem. Pretty hard to get into some of the good spots to scout without doing some damage to the crop. Its starting to come down though and things should be getting better.

We have a few new properties this year that look very promising and we hope to have some good success on them.

My main concern this year remains the poaching problem. As followers of the blog will remember from last year it was poachers and folks who “didn’t know” they were hunting on private property were in abundance. We hope that word is out now about us and that will minimize the problem.

Take care mom & dad. I love you Katie, Kim, Jenn, Nick and Amber.

To everyone else, got to go do some more of that hunting stuff.

I’ll see you back at the lodge

Chris

They're heeeere

2004-10-04T19:23:00.000-05:00

Well folks, the season is open.

Only does sighted so far by me. Saw 4 this morning all in the road, and all in a hurry to get out of the way.

Mornings are very cool. Low tonight expected to be right at freezing. Had some very light frost on Saturday morning as well. Otherwise we’re expecting fair to partly cloudy skies for the next several days. Pretty darn good hunting weather if you ask me.

I hunted on Saturday with a first time bow hunter. The morning hunt was uneventful without any sightings at all. But the evening – well…

We hunted on the ground snuggling down into a small stand of sycamores. The first 2 deer in were a pair of does that came in to about 25 yards and did a quick boxing match on their hind legs. Really cool to watch and really hard on the rookie’s adrenal gland. They never offered a good shot and spotted or winded us, leaving with the usual snorts and white flags. Within half an hour 2 small deer charged down the hill out of the woods headed for a nearby corn field. Before he could draw I told him to wait as I knew there would likely be a doe following soon. I was right and as she approached I whispered for him to draw as she went behind the last bush before the shooting lane. I intended to grunt when she stepped out to stop her. At full draw she stopped behind that bush and didn’t move. I’m not really sure why she did it as she showed no signs of alarm at all. After a few seconds I told our hero to take one of the small ones since it was offering a shot. Certainly acceptable for a first time hunter. He turned slightly and let go but the upper limb of his bow struck a low hanging branch causing the arrow to fall well short. Before he could quietly nock another arrow they were all out of range. Further waiting was fruitless but the hook had been set.

It may be a few more days before his hands stop shaking but otherwise I think he’ll recover most of his wits. It was a great experience for both of us.

I’ll try to get some new sighting info for tomorrow. I’ll also keep checking the trail cams for new pictures.

My dad is in surgery as I write this having a lung removed due to cancer. He won’t be here with me physically this year but I think of him every minute I’m out there in the field. Any of you who are inclined can offer a much appreciated prayer on his behalf. I’ll give you an update tomorrow.

That’s it for tonight. I love you Kim and Kate. You too Jenn, Nick and Amber.

Good hunting to all and…

I’ll see you back at the lodge.

Chris

Gang Member or Hunter?

2004-09-21T17:18:00.000-05:00

...the Hunting Widow Rants

Fairfax County schools sent home a flyer with students today, entitled "Protecting Our Youth From Gang Involvement." It listed indicators of possible gang involvement....that had me looking sideways at Chris.

What do you think? Hunter or Gang Member?
Using hand signs
Purchasing or desiring to buy or wear clothing of all one color or style
Wearing altered headwear
Changing appearance
Staying out later than usual
Wearing belt buckles, hats, and other clothing items worn to left or right side
Carrying weapons (THERE'S a clue)
On a serious note, this flyer is just one more reason to finish up my active duty and get back to our little town on the prairie as soon as possible.
That's all for now,
Kim

Fever Setting In A Little Early This Year? Updates From the Hunting Widow

2004-08-08T12:31:00.000-05:00

We're getting calls from fevered hunters already, which is a little early -- perhaps it's the unseasonably cool August we're having that's getting the blood flowing.

You should have your tags by now. If we ordered them for you and you haven't received them, please let us know.

I've cleaned up the weblog in preparation for the season. You can still see the 2003 hunting season pictures by clicking on the picture of the deer -- the link will take you to Webshots, where the photographs are organized by season.

Notice the new picture? It was recently taken by our game camera overlooking the Hundred Dollar Hole.

I've left Johnny's picture up, as well. He's our winner of the Big Doe contest, and is coming back for a free hunt this year. We're looking forward to seeing him again.

Happy Trails,
The Hunting Widow