And I was glad I did get up. The temperature had dropped considerably overnight and it was definitely feeling like a Manitoba fall. Since the air temperature was considerably below the temperature of the water, fog could be seen rolling off the lake on the unbelievably still morning. It was absolutely gorgeous.
In The Curse of Lono Hunter Thompson writes a note on a paper and puts it in a bottle, dropping it off South Point in Hawaii only to find it again the next day. In some ways, that is what today seemed to be - at least the first day from that part of the book.
After breakfast, I went fishing with Kansas guy and Dave. (Note: I've finally learned everyone's name, but since I started to ID people by where they are from I'm going to continue.) After a cold ride out to some of the fishing areas, we fished for much of the painfully slow morning. It took a while, but Kansas guy was able to bring in a few small fish. We kept some of them only because they were gill-hooked and probably wouldn't survive. I was without any fish and only one follower until well into the morning. I caught one and only one small pike on one of Kansas' lures. At least I wasn't skunked and it was enjoyable even if it got to be exhausting toward the end of the morning.
Back in camp after a cool and windy boat ride, we had a shore lunch in the lodge. The fish were really good as were the potatoes cooked with onions. I ate too much, but I guess that is what shore lunch is all about.
Then it was back out to fish. Drew took me along with the Missouri/Iowa crew out for fishing. We mostly spent time jigging for walleye, but it was even slower than the morning. Iowa City guy caught a mooneye and Missouri girl caught a perch, a mooneye and a walleye. I had one good bite, but that was about it. However, it was a great group of people on the boat so it was still a really fun afternoon. Only in a boat full of nothing but good camaraderie can a woman say, "Women are crazy bitches" - and have it be genuine if also humorous and somehow acceptable in what are arguably overly-sensitive times. More people in this world need more moments like this even if the fish are not biting. No - especially when the fish are not biting - both literally and figuratively.
We did turn back to camp early as Drew said that it was getting too painful. He was right... I put a note in a bottle and threw it into the river as we left.
After some down time, the remaining hunters started to filter in after hunting for the evening.
Kansas guy had shot a deceptively nice bear. When the boat came in the bear looked to be on the smaller side. Up on the skinning table it looked like a totally different bear and it actually measured out larger than Missouri girl's bear. But it is hard not to raise an eyebrow at some of these measurements for two reasons. One - A short, fat bear will measure out small even though they be really impressive on the hoof. Two - it is somewhat dependent on the person doing the skinning and measuring.
Actually there is a third more important reason - the numbers do not matter. The thing that matters over all else is the experience from A to Z and 1 to infinity. Hunting isn't about just sitting on the stand. It is about anticipation and preparation. It is about watching small bears chase tiny squirrels. It is about watching a big bear come in and leaving before anything happens. If it were only about the split second it takes to shoot, hunting would be a horribly boring past time. And yet, along with millions of other people including the nine others in camp this week, I keep doing it and even keep coming back to the same place since the experience can be so great.
Of course one of the ways to extend the hunting experience is to wait for the "right" animal. And after the day's fishing, that may have been a wiser choice than shooting early.
Arizona guy saw his big bear again but wasn't able to get a shot off with his bow. He was mulling succumbing to the lure of the rifle on the next day. The other Arizona guy didn't see any bears - he has the no-bear curse this week. South Dakota had only one small bear come in and it wasn't what he wanted.
The hunt is winding down as it looks like several people are leaving early due to other obligations. But the week isn't over yet.
Kansas guy had shot a deceptively nice bear. When the boat came in the bear looked to be on the smaller side. Up on the skinning table it looked like a totally different bear and it actually measured out larger than Missouri girl's bear. But it is hard not to raise an eyebrow at some of these measurements for two reasons. One - A short, fat bear will measure out small even though they be really impressive on the hoof. Two - it is somewhat dependent on the person doing the skinning and measuring.
Actually there is a third more important reason - the numbers do not matter. The thing that matters over all else is the experience from A to Z and 1 to infinity. Hunting isn't about just sitting on the stand. It is about anticipation and preparation. It is about watching small bears chase tiny squirrels. It is about watching a big bear come in and leaving before anything happens. If it were only about the split second it takes to shoot, hunting would be a horribly boring past time. And yet, along with millions of other people including the nine others in camp this week, I keep doing it and even keep coming back to the same place since the experience can be so great.
Of course one of the ways to extend the hunting experience is to wait for the "right" animal. And after the day's fishing, that may have been a wiser choice than shooting early.
Arizona guy saw his big bear again but wasn't able to get a shot off with his bow. He was mulling succumbing to the lure of the rifle on the next day. The other Arizona guy didn't see any bears - he has the no-bear curse this week. South Dakota had only one small bear come in and it wasn't what he wanted.
The hunt is winding down as it looks like several people are leaving early due to other obligations. But the week isn't over yet.
It has been a while since I read The Curse of Lono, but if memory serves me, Hunter Thompson catches a shark the next day (or maybe I'm confusing that with his book The Great Shark Hunt - but I'll assume I'm not). So if today was dropping the note in the bottle - tomorrow should be the day to catch a great fish!
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