2026 SC Deer Hunt Day 5 - The Longest Two Hours

I was back at the Powell farm a solid hour before shooting light.  I love the magic of the morning.  I sat back and took in my last full day in South Carolina.

Nothing was on the corn as it got light, but it didn't take long before deer started to come out.  One pretty big deer came out, but I didn't think it would meet the minimum standards.  I texted Rick back and forth a few times.  We figured out it was the deer with the small G3s (in the dim light, I couldn't see them at all).  

As it got brighter, deer kept walking into and out of the area.  There was tons of activity, and the bucks were definitely moving.

A doe popped out about 50 yards in front of me.  This deer was followed by an antlered deer.  He was big.  I looked closer ... is that the funky deer from the previous evening?  He turned to go back the other way and I saw that huge spike.  It was him.

My gun was up already so I looked through the scope.  At 50 yards, it wasn't - or shouldn't have been - difficult.

Boom.

The deer ran to the right.  I split second later I saw an antlered buck run to the left.  Was that him?  Several more deer were running.  I saw more antlers go to the right.

I waited a few seconds and texted Rick.  This was followed by:  Do I gotta wait until 10:00?

Yep.  lol

I had two LLLLOOONNNGGGG hours to overthink the situation.  In my head, it got worse and worse.

Clean miss at 50 yards?

NOT the funky deer?

That other deer was NOT another deer?

Deer got smaller?

Antlers got tiny and super narrow?

It became a doe?

Wounded never to be found?

Funky deer walks out in front of me again? 

Despite my negativity and doom 'n gloom, it was still a good morning.  Surprisingly, even after shooting, there probably was less than 3 minutes that deer were not in front of me.

Time crept along but it did move.  Eventually I heard Rick's truck behind me.  We drove up to where the buck was and got out to look.  Moose found the blood first - good boy!!!!

We let Moose track and following blood (low level color blindness makes blood tracking difficult for me).  Not too far into the woods, Brandon points ahead, "There he is."  I was relieved and happy.  I was humbled to have been able to have a second chance at this mature and very unique whitetail.

We loaded up the deer and went to leave.  

At that moment, a game warden happened to be going down the highway.  He slowed to turn around and Rick backed up.  It was the first time I've had a license checked in over 30 years.  I was good.  Brandon ... was not.  His Big Game tag was expired (two days).  The fish cop was very reasonable and gave him a written warning.  Doug and I had both shot really nice deer and Brandon got a ticket.  This made the mood in the truck even funnier.

We dropped off the deer at the processor.  I'll have to do meat swap-out to be able to leave on time in the morning; this is a great service for those of us out of state.

We had breakfast at the lodge and a bit of downtime.

Soon enough it was time to head out for the afternoon hunt, my last sit in South Carolina.  I asked Rick to put me in a spot for hogs.  With a deer in the bag, I'll always choose hog meat.  Doug and I went to Nelson Green's.  I had sat at this stand previously and seen a deer with only three legs.

The stand was at a bit of an angle which didn't help comfort much.  It was also not easy to find a spot for the larger bag I'm now using.  But once situated, it was adequate.

Time passed and I thought back to the previous few days.  These kinds of trips always end up feeling longer than they are - in a good way.  Weather was warm with absolutely no wind at all.  Nothing was moving so every time I moved I felt like King Kong banging on the Empire States Building.  The blessing and curse of hunting on calm days.

I ended up seeing two bucks and two does.  Some of the deer passed right by me.  I was a bit surprised by this given that my clothes probably smell a bit like the cooking in the lodge at this point.

But there were no pigs.  I never push the darkness on my last day, so I packed up and we headed out.

(Note: the way my phone processed the pics of this deer all look like AI.  They are not - just the phone trying to be too smart for its own good.)

I still had to deal with my deer meat.  So after Lisa's amazing Taco Pie, I went into town.  The ATM would not recognize my card, so I called Rick and he arranged to have my deer processing put on his tab.  I'll pay him later and I sure do appreciate this.  I drove to the processor and got my deer meat.  It was cold but not completely frozen, so I stopped for ice on the way back to the lodge.

I was ready to be home.  I packed the truck, said goodbyes and called it a day.

2026 SC Deer Hunt Day 4 - Missed Loophole

The day started a little warmer than the previous and with much lower winds forecast.  After the previous night's activity, I assumed I was going to the same spot, but Rick took me to the Powell farm instead.  This was fine.  I've hunted it before and really like it.

I almost got turned around walking in the pitch black to the stand but found it easily enough.  It still took a minute to get situated in the darkness.

I really like the stand, but there is considerable road noise from the nearby highway.  The amount of cars which hit the warning strips on the road is shocking.  Stay in your lane, People!

Daylight came with a buck on the corn.  It was almost a shooter and I had to have a quick conversation with Rick to be sure I wasn't misjudging it.  It went on its way to live another day.

As it got light, more deer started popping out all over the place.  Many didn't even go down to the corn, but just meandered or went across the road.  A few of the deer popped out right in front of the blind, but didn't seem to display any care.  This included a doe with a spotted fawn.  Seeing a small yearling is not unusual.  Seeing a deer that still had bright spots did seem a bit unusual so late in the year.

Deer kept popping in and out until the morning ended with two big does and 5 yearlings on the corn.  They looked nervous enough that I was hoping something else was in the area.  Hope increased when they high-tailed it away.  But that was how the morning ended as Rick picked me up a short time later.

We fed several other stands in the area before heading back to the lodge.  I had just enough time to take Moose for a walk down to the river.  Walking a puppy Labrador is a different experience than walking a beagle who walks miles almost every day.  But Moose did well for such a young dog.

After a bit of time in the lodge, it was time to head out.  Doug had come in from Georgia and Brandon from West Virginia.  Rick had a lot of people to put into stands, so Will took me back to the Powell farm stand.

It didn't take long in the blind until deer started coming out.  For the first 90 minutes, deer were constantly coming into and going out of the area.  There were no big bucks, but the activity was fun to watch.

At one point a huge bodied deer came out I brought my gun up only to see that while his left antler was a decent 8-point, his right side was just a huge spike.  I kind of wanted to shoot him anyway, but he didn't meet minimum requirements.

With that much activity, I was hopeful the evening would be really bonkers.  But the opposite happened as activity died down quickly.

There was still activity through the evening, but it was slower.  A few times the does on the corn looked nervous and took off.  I was, once again, hopeful.  Once again, those hopes were dashed.

The sun eventually set (it always does), and it got dark.  I met Will for the ride home.  I told him about the big deer with the funky rack - apparently they've been wanting to drop him.  So I could have shot him.  But that moment had passed; so it goes.

Back at the lodge Aaron and Evan decided to leave which made the situation much more comfortable for those of us still there for the night.

2026 SC Deer Hunt Day 3 - Mockingbird

Up at my normal time, my head was still pounding.  I had a bit too much coffee, which finally did the trick.  I felt almost human as we went out for deer.  

Rick dropped me off at the same stand as the previous evening.  I methodically made my way to the stand and got settled.  I had about an hour before shooting light.  I thought back to my first year or two of hunting.  It's crazy how much has changed since those college days.  I recall making a ground blind on public land for opening day of gun season.  I ended up not using it since I got access to private land.  My neighbor ended up using it (or tried to), but some jack-wad had taken dump in my blind.  I'm not sure why I thought about that.  Sometimes I'm not in charge of my brain.  People suck.  I enjoy coming down to South Carolina.

Weather was between cool and cold.  I was treated to a pretty sunrise.

Even with a nice start, it was a slow morning.  Almost nothing was moving.

Right towards the end of the morning, a doe came out half-way between myself and the corn.  

A small buck, I think the same 4-point from the previous evening, came out for a short time.  And my morning hunt ended.

I had enough down time at the lodge to take a walk to the river.  I thought about asking Rick if Moose needed a walk.  Walking with a dog is (almost) always better.

Rick pushed me to tell him where I was going to sit.  I don't play that game well - don't guide the guide.  Although in this situation, it is a bit different.  We did talk about it and I went back to the same stand which I was 100% OK with.

There was a small buck on the corn when I got out there.  I made it into the stand without spooking him, which I was slightly proud of.

Weather was hot and breezy.  I had a hard time getting comfortable.  My butt was getting tired from sitting so much.  A headache behind my eye was starting to come back.  But it was still a really nice afternoon so I was making the best of it.

A few deer came in throughout the afternoon.  Oddly, all of them were bucks.  At one point I had crows, turkeys and deer all on the pile at the same time.  The turkeys were harassing the crows which was funny to watch.

Late in the afternoon a really large 6-point came out.  He as big enough that I wanted to send a bullet at him, but he would be under the Rick legal limit.  He kept looking towards the right and stayed behind the brush off to the right for some of the time until he and another deer made a raucous and raced off to the left with one of the few does I saw.

A short time later I saw more deer to the left as several bucks and at least a couple does milled around the clear-cut area.  Through the binos, one of the bucks looked really nice - probably the target buck Rick had showed me.  Setting the binos down, I found him in the scope ... wait ... that was a small buck.  Where'd he go????

This set off a very confusing 15 minutes when deer were milling around, but I could never get a clear view of what I knew was the big deer and not have his vitals obscured by brush.  It was both exciting and frustrating until the deer simply vanished.  One doe did walk across the 2-track.  I was hoping the other deer would as well which would make it a game-over, but that didn't happen.

At dark-dark, I got out and made my way to the gate.  Rick and I compared notes on the late part of the hunt.  What I saw was distinctly different than we he saw.  The time stamps on these pics is three minutes apart.

Me:

Rick's Cell Camera:

Perspective is everything.  In deer hunting and in life.

2026 SC Deer Hunt Day 2 - Lots of (the wrong) Deer

I woke up with a headache (of course).  A shower and some coffee helped but only so much.

The weather was spitting rain and would keep doing so through the morning.  It was muggy and kind of gross.  Evan was staying in and Aaron was driving himself, so Rick dropped me off at the Ray Road Front Stand.  At least I had a shooting house to keep me clear from the light rain.

I had about an hour until shooting light.  Sitting in the box blind, it was pretty nice.  Right at daylight, I could see a few does come in.  They milled around a bit before a small buck came in.

I had to get a new phone when I cooked my old one in my dry bag while kayaking.  The new phone is pretty good, but the pictures of the deer weren't as good as the pixel, whether through the binos or not.  I'll have a chance to try later in the week when there is more light.

The deer spent the morning milling around.  The does were really being harassed by the bucks, at least at first.  Eventually they seemed to give up and just feed.

All the deer left about an hour before the end of the morning hunt.  One small spike did come in far off down the 2-track, but he never came into the corn.

Eventually I texted Rick and he said to meet back by the gate.  Don had shot a boar hog, but he wasn't confident in the shot and they hadn't looked for it yet.

Back at the lodge we had breakfast.  Don and Rick went to look for Don's hog and found it about 60 yards into the woods.  The shot may have been a bit far back, but it did work.

We had some down time at the lodge before going out for the afternoon.  Rain was over, but it was still muggy and somewhat uncomfortable.

Afternoon came and Rick took most of us out while Aaron drove himself to his spot.  I'm not exactly sure where I was, but it was a big comfortable tripod stand overlooking a low spot.  I wasn't in the stand too long when a small 4-point came out.  It fed for a while before running away; I was hoping something else was coming out, but nothing else did.  A crow screamed nearby.

I spent the time letting my mind wander.  Temperatures were nice, but it was still muggy and there was a bit of mist from time to time.  As it got dark, deer started to come in and go out.  First it was a doe, followed by a small buck.  Then came several does and a few more bucks.  None of the bucks were huge, but they were headed in the right direction size-wise.

At one point the mosquitoes started to come in.  It reminded me of my bear hunt a few weeks previous where my Thermacell quit while I was watching my bear.  With such a short amount of time left in the evening, I didn't bother turning it on.  Exactly what is the evolutionary need for mosquitoes?

As it started to get dark there were several deer on the corn.  While I was in an open field, the hole the deer were in got dark quickly.  I didn't run out of shooting light so much as I ran out of enough light to judge antlers.

I was also nursing an increasingly throbbing headache.  My 50s have not been kind to me.

I got out of the stand and worked my way back to the gate.  Rick was there almost immediately.  Don had shot a pretty decent buck which was on the back.

Rick immediately started in about getting out of the stand too early and too noisily.  I just wanted a bit of food and sleep.  Don was all cleaned up back at the lodge playing cards with his wife.  Lisa was just finishing cooking.  I nursed my head.

Once food was ready I quickly ate and turned in.  I had seen a zillion deer on my first day of hunting.  There were no shooters, but I still had a few days.  Despite the still pounding headache, I was hopeful.

2026 SC Deer Hunt Day 1 - Drive Day

My big plan was to do minimal work Saturday so I could have some down time.  It was not to be; the lawn NEEDED to be mowed.  S/O was so wonderful to help, so it only took a few hours.

But while packing up, I could not find my light hunting jacket.  I searched and searched and searched some more.  I must conclude I left it up in Canada somehow.  Is it in Carter's truck?  Based on pictures I don't think so.  In a boat?  Highly unlikely.  Did I leave it in the treestand or nearby?  That would not be like me.  But losing something like a jacket is not like me.  This thought plagues me as I packed and drove south.  Neither the jacket (nor a flashlight which I also lost) is a high dollar item, but that isn't the point.  I know I can obsess about small things; this did not feel like a small thing.

Regardless if I'm losing it or not, Sunday came bright and early.  I took care of the dogs, got ready and hit the road around 3:30.  It was dark, cool and dry.  It was a beautiful morning to be on the road.

For the first time in my life I stopped at a Buc-ees.  I figured early morning was relatively safe.  I don't get the allure and the coffee was only adequate.  I would not want to stop on a busy afternoon.  At least I can say I've tried to experience this cultural milestone.

Traffic stayed light in the darkness.  I made my way south, getting off the interstate to avoid the mayhem that is Knoxville.

I was listening to What the Bears Know by Steve Searles.  It was either phenomenally good, or it was the right book at the right time.  Or it was both.  I might quibble with a bit of what he said.  If nothing else, he is wrong on what he says about bear meat (I had a bear burger the previous night).  He admits to anthropomorphizing bears a bit too much - at least that is how I interpret what he says about it.  But I thoroughly enjoyed the book.  Parts of it were extremely funny.  Parts were very hard to listen to.  Much of it was introspective in a way I could really appreciate.  Now I have to decide if I should recommend it to anyone?

Once back on Interstate 40, traffic was very heavy for a Sunday.  It stayed this way for much of the rest of the drive.  But leaving early, I was in no hurry, so I continued on at my own pace.

I continued to make my way, getting to Rick's in the early afternoon.  Aaron and Evan, who I hunted with the previous year were there.  We talked a bit, but I was somewhat foggy from the trip.

Rick came back and we all told lies for a bit.  Evan and I took a quick trip to the river, but instead of my usual walk, we took Rick's 3-wheelers.

Moose made me miss my dogs back home.

There was no dinner, but I was stuffed from eating the whole trip down.  I turned in as soon as I thought it would be acceptable.  I went to sleep, still wondering if I'm losing it.  I'll have plenty of time over the next few days to ponder this.

2026 Hog Hunt Day 6 & 7 - Letting Him Walk

Rick and I went out to feed on a very cold low-country South Carolina morning.  When we got to Fish Snatch, Rick looks at me and says, "Take a look.  Don't get lost."  I wasn't too happy that he wasn't going to help since I'm just colorblind enough that finding blood trails is a challenge, let alone dry blood trails.  I understood the pig is likely still running around, and even if not, the chance to find it is remote given the pig's reaction after the shot, but respect for the animal requires a good faith effort.

I spent a chunk of time looking for blood, then following what looked like a scurrying-type path and general small-grid searching.  I would have liked to have spent about 10 times the amount I did, but there were places where it was so thick that a hog could be 10 feet from me and I wouldn't see it; the unrealistic part of me was hoping it would be in one of the open areas.  After a while, I realized it was futile.  

I was surprised that there were a couple of dead hogs in the form of old scattered bones - I know locals often shoot and leave lie since they don't care about hogs (I strongly disagree with this), but there are other interpretations.  I grabbed an old lower jaw bone off the ground and told Rick that it was all that was left of my hog.

With a mix of new people coming in, I moved my stuff around once back in the lodge and had the usual down-time.  Then it was time to head out for the last night of hunting.

I was dropped off on the Zombie Hog Stand.  It was another gorgeous blue-bird day - cool with a biting breeze; I  was dressed well for it.

As I sat down and got situated, I began to have a confidence crisis due to my miss the previous evening.  Part of me was almost hoping not to see anything.  I tend to overthink everything; I swear my brain needs a good therapist more than anything.  I have definitely been overthinking my shooting recently.  And while I had shot hogs at this stand more than once, the distance felt oddly long.

For most of the afternoon, absolutely nothing was moving.  It was a nice afternoon and I was just enjoying the afternoon.

As it started to get dark, movement on the left turned into a boar walking out to the corn.  What to do???  With my setup, I was rock-solid and I did have enough light.  But shooting while a bit unsure of myself???  I put the cross hairs on the pig's head, then backed off, on, off, on, off.

I was not in the right frame of mind.  At some point indecision becomes a decision.  I settled for a picture.

(and yes, I realize this isn't a clean head shot, but gimme a break - lining up the rifle and camera while not dropping either is a bit challenging)

Ethically this felt like 100% the right thing to do; I was at peace with this as darkness claimed the situation.

I was going home with a good chunk of hog meat (room in the freezer at home remains a question).

Some deer came in a chased off the hog which ended my 2026 hunt.  Back in the truck, Claude hadn't seen any pigs.  Denis had seen a bunch, but was holding out for a big boar.

Back in the lodge, Rich and Rich were in camp from Ohio.  They seemed pretty nice, but I only had a chance to talk to them for a short time before Rick and I went to Denis' house for dinner.  It was fun having all of us there to BS and talk about the week (and just about everything else in life).  Denis got a bit distracted and the ribeyes were, ummm, extra, extra well-done.  We all made the best of it.

As I was getting ready to go to sleep, I remembered Rick had not cut my shirt tail.  This may come back to bite me at some point in the future.  Karma is a bitch.

_____________________

I was awake early and ready to be home.  A quick shower and I was out the door.  One of the Rich's was sleeping on the couch so I tried to be extra quiet as I scooted out.

The interior of the Maverick had the lingering smell of smoke from my hunting clothes.  And it wasn't a good smoke smell - a serious cleaning and deodorizing was going to be needed for my camo.

I was glad to be on the road.  I had the roads to myself for several hours.  Bridges and roads appeared to have been pretreated for snow even if the forecast had changed to make freezing precipitation unlikely.

I was listening to River Man by Ben McGrath for most of the ride home.  It was an OK book, but definitely not as good as the review I had previously read about it.  I didn't find Dick Conant (who it is about) as even remotely compelling.  And while McGrath is a good writer, the tone of the book was like that of someone who had worked in New York for far too long and had only recently discovered that there exists people, places and things in flyover country.  As a journalist, McGrath didn't call out as even potential-BS some of what was shared in the book.  I can't believe he hasn't talked to enough people to see this?  I've certainly met my share of characters on some of my epic road trips enough to nod my head at the main-character syndrome half-truths (or sometimes less than half).  The book may factually represent what McGrath saw and heard, but should have been a bit more careful in bleeding reality out of it.

As the book ended, I did reflect a bit more on Dick Conant.  Society is very quick to celebrate eccentric people who throw off the shackles of work-a-day life and travel the world in a canoe.  But we don't often acknowledge that the higher likelihood is eventual tragedy like what almost certainly happened to Conant.

He had saved [100,000 straightened] nails and wasted life. - Donald Hall

And yet (there is always an "and yet"), whether we are talking about Dick Conant, Hall's Washington Woodward, myself, or Ben McGrath, I'm not sure it is fair to call a life wasted if it is/was lived deliberately.

I continued motoring on.  The Saturday traffic was highly tolerable all day.  I was home before 2:00.

S/O and I took care of the pigs shortly after I got home.  Loins were packaged for the grill, all eight quarters will be dynamite on the smoker, and there was enough good trimmings for eight burgers.

Until next year, I'll have some reflection to do after this year's hunt.  Two pigs with one shot.  A miss.  Maybe the first time I've let a pig walk...

2026 Hog Hunt Day 5 - Patience and Hope

Bob and I went with Rick to feed stands.  We also had to get his cellular trail cameras working which involved a rather long and precise hard reset procedure.  I'm not saying the analog world was better (the problems were just different) or that we should or can go back (I may be luddite, but I'm not an atavist), but the frustrations of the digital world are real.

The camera issues were solved throughout the morning.

Back at the lodge, we had a bit of down time before heading out again for the afternoon.  I was once again on the Fish Snatch stand.  Weather was cool and windy but gloriously sunny.  The conditions - mostly the wind - did make me glad I was in a box blind even in my heavier clothes.  

Almost immediately after getting into the blind, a buck walks out.  This had me hopeful that the cool conditions meant animals were moving early and well.  The buck stayed for a while and was joined a bit later by a very large group of deer.  

Deer milled around and worked their way in and out.  In contrast to the first night, I was finding it very easy to stay settled and still.  I felt like I was in my happy place.

It never ceases to amaze me that even when the deer don't know I'm there, they have the ability to look through me.

At around 5:00 all the deer bolted away.  This had me hopeful that something else was coming in.  And it did.  A large boar hog lumbered onto the corn.  But what to do?  He stayed behind the fence that is there for deer season to keep hogs out of bait.  I was not comfortable shooting through the fence as any contact would surely push the bullet on an erratic path.  I had two pigs in the cooler; I had patience.  I watched; adrenaline subsided.

The situation was similar to my 2025 Bear Hunt, where I watched the bear for a very long period of time.  Although it was also different since the question now was a good shot opportunity as opposed to the question of if it was the right animal.

After about 20 minutes, deer came out and were hanging out between me and the boar.  This was when the boar was nearing the edge of the fencing.  The situation was a multi-species Mexican standoff with the boar holding almost all the cards.  The deer became an additional barrier for me.  Patience Beagle...

The deer moved to the far right of the lane and the boar finally cleared the fence.  I still took my time and carefully waited for a clear head shot.  At the shot, the pig dropped and rolled - it looked good.  As I was chambering another round, he got his feet under him and scooted off to the left.  I stared in disbelief and said a few expletives to myself.

I texted Rick; I knew this was not going to make him very happy.

Oddly, the deer were back on the corn within minutes.  They seemed to care less about a 30.06 bullet zipping around and were just appreciative that I ran the boar off.  It was nearing dark, but it was still a long wait, made even longer by the situation.

Rick texted me to come back to the gate.  The unfriendly situation suggests looking in the morning during daylight made more sense.  Temperatures were expected to get down into the upper teens, so the hog would be OK (and it was probably a big enough boar that edibility would be a question).

If I was thinking about Aesop the previous morning, I was now back to Pandora and what remained in her jar - hopeful that the deer I saw staring off to the left at dark was looking at something.  But hope is just as evil as everything else unleashed by Pandora.  Humans just hold on to it...

Bob and Claude had seen only deer; Denis had sat out the night again. 

Denis and Claude were once again gracious and shared their wild pig sausage dinner with me.  Bob was done hunting and had left, so alone in the lodge I went to sleep - overthinking everything.  EVERYTHING!

In the morning, I would either have a hog, or I would get my shirt tail cut.

2026 Hog Hunt Day 4 - Pre-Smoking Pigs

In the strange, terrible wilderness that is my brain, I woke up in the morning thinking about Aesop's fable of the ant and the grasshopper.  The grasshopper spends all summer singing and playing, seemingly whiling away his days.  The ant works hard all summer, storing food for the winter.  In the fall, the grasshopper begs the ant for food.  The ant snuffs at the grasshopper's laziness and says, "No."

The lesson of this is that hard work now pays off later.  Having grown up in a fairly strict Calvinist family, this was a constant lesson.

There are alternative interpretations that the ant is heartless.

This week I'm a grasshopper ... er ... wait ...  I'm bringing home free range pork, so I'm an ant?  Hmmmm...

And I think there needs to be a third insect, since working for the future and living for today are both important.  So maybe we should all be beetles.

After an early morning putzing around the lodge, Rick, Claude and I went out to feed stands.  It was a good time and as usual, almost all the stands were hit.

Back at the lodge, Bob from New Jersey came in.  We talked a bit; he had never hunted hogs before, but had done several other adventurous hunts.  Then it was time to head out for the afternoon.  Denis' back was hurting him to the point he opted to stay home.

Claude and I were dropped off by Kyle's house.  I was in a plastic porta-potty blind behind the small house.  I was pretty sure I had been at this spot twice - I clearly recall once when in a world-famous blind when it was raining sweet gum pods on me and another when two deer came walking down the 2-track right beside me.  I also seem to recall once when pigs came into the field, but stayed far away and never actual came to the corn?  But I was unable to find if that was this stand or I'm thinking of something totally different.

This time was very different.  There had been a controlled burn and it was still smoldering making the area very smokey.  Right behind me was a small spot that was doing more than smoldering as one time I saw flames.  A brief shower did come through, but it was minor enough that it did nothing to the smoldering.  The smell was a bit much, but I guess I didn't have to worry too much about human odor.  Although when the wind blew in the wrong direction it got 100% annoying.  I didn't like it ... at all...

But I toughed it out and figured any pigs that might come in would be already pre-smoked and ready to eat.  I did wonder if I was going to have to invest in an ozone generator when I got home; this is something I've thought about anyway.

There were turkeys in the area when I first got there.  They milled around for a while, but only came into the corn very briefly.

Sadly that was the only animals I saw all night.  Other than the smoke, at least the stand and seat were quite comfortable.

Back at the lodge, I walked down to Denis' house where he and Claude graciously fed me mule deer roast.

The weather is forecast to turn colder which will hopefully bump animal movement up a bit.

2026 Hog Hunt Day 3 - TwoFer

After dropping kids off at school, Rick and I once again went to feed stands.  Almost all of them were hit well and some of the fields had fresh rooting as well.

Back at the lodge I had some down time where I slept a bit and poked around on the computer.  I don't lollygag very well, so being forced to once in a while is not a bad thing.

Soon enough, I was ready for hunting.  Claude and Denis showed up and Rick took all of us out.

Claude and I were dropped off on nearby stands on opposite sides of the road.  I was at the Pet Cemetery stand, passing by it as I quietly made my way in.

The stand was a box blind about five feet off the ground.  To get in was something which was not quite a ladder and not steps, being somehow worse than both.  It was not confidence inspiring while carrying all my hunting crap.  But once inside, I was able to get situated and comfortable very easily.

It was an absolutely bluebird of an afternoon with bright sun, cool temperatures and a bit breezy.  There was lots of noise from critters scurrying about; I'm quite sure most were small birds and squirrels, but gosh they can make a lot of noise sometimes.

At some point I noticed two small deer way over to the left.  I watched them as they milled around.  What were they doing over there?

The went back into the pines and came out a few times as the afternoon went on, always staying far away.

As the sun started to sink lower, it became kind of annoying since it was so bright and the stand faced southwest.  I had to adjust myself and the camo fabric to not be blinded.

The deer started to make their way over to the corn.  At almost the same time, I started to hear pigs to my right in the trees.  I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen; who would blink first.

The two deer got to the corn and several more deer came out to join them in munching.  The sun started to slip below the treeline - a blessing, but also this meant shooting light was sinking quickly.

I heard noise to my right and saw three pigs right on the edge of the field.  They weren't huge and no shot - at least not anything I was willing to take.  The pigs blinked and ran back into the woods.  They must have gathered reinforcements since a few minutes later a few different pigs came out.  These pigs pushed the deer off the corn, running a wide circle around them.

"Good," I said to myself.  I brought my gun up.  Almost instantly a whole wad of pigs ran onto the corn.  "Crap," too many.  With all the pigs in a big wad there was no way to get a clean shot at the head of just one.

I left my gun up, trying to figure out what to do.  Sunset.  Thirty minutes of shooting light left.  Facing the remaining light there was some glare in the scope complicating the picture.  I kept watching through the scope.  The hogs weren't monsters, but were a tender eating size.  I had briefly seen a larger one and heard more pigs to the right, further complicating any decision.

Every once in a while a pig would separate, but pigs constantly dance - too fast for a slow human.  The minutes ticked down; I had memories of the previous year where this same issue meant no shot.

This was a very long (at least 20 minutes) time watching and waiting to get a clean shot.  Finally one out front was facing to the left and I saw a clean head with nothing behind it.  I was rock steady and squeezed the trigger.  At the shot the pigs scattered, running a wide circle close in front of me.

I said a small prayer and looked through the dim light back through the scope.  I saw not one, but two pigs doing the 100-yard dash on the ground.  Uh Oh...

I kept watching.  If the "back" pig wasn't hit great it might get its feet under and skedaddle.  Within a short amount of time, both stopped moving.  At least they didn't die alone...

I texted Rick and watched and waited.  It was too dark to see, and I second-guessed if there were really two pigs?  If I overthink before shooting (I do), I'll do so again after (I will).

Sitting there in the dark, I heard noise.  The pigs came back.  They were indifferent to their friends, now quietly sleeping on the corn.  They noisily ate corn.  

Rick texted me to slip out so we could bump them off quietly by driving in.  I went back to the pet cemetery and waited what felt like a really long time.  I heard several groups of hogs while waiting there in the dark.  There were at least a few different groups of them nearby.

We drove up and Rick and I quickly loaded up two pigs.  Both were under 100 pounds, but would be great quarters for the smoker.  I was a bit surprised that both were fairly clean head shots; the hogs must have been lined up with the back pig also with a messed up lower leg.  No doubt the bullet had broken up by that point in its travels.

Back at the lodge, Rick cleaned and quartered the pigs.  I drove to Dollar General and got a few bags of ice, then went to Denis' house where he and Claude graciously shared their chili.  I felt bad for leaving shortly after, but I was losing steam quickly.

Quite a day.

2026 Hog Hunt Day 2 - Settling In

After an early morning spent putzing around on the computer, I went with Rick to drop off kids for school.  Then after running some Rick errands, we fed up stands.  All but one had been hit well.  It was fun seeing all the stands and one cow pasture had several hogs in it.

There had been a rather grisly murder the previous night in a nearby township the previous night.  And one of Rick's neighbors had got stuck in a ditch while going out to assist the family.  We pulled him out - although I was concerned that Rick might pull the car apart given its state of disrepair.  But all was well.

As an aside, the murder - which was originally believed to be a robbery-gone-wrong - was more likely due to the spouse who also shot himself in the gut in the process.  The world can be a terrible place sometimes.

There was a scheduling mix-up with the other guy coming in to camp, meaning I would likely have the lodge to myself for the week with Denis and Claude staying at Denis' house.  This works just fine for me.

I had some down time at the lodge which allowed me to get a pseudo-nap in.  Then it was off to hunt hogs.

I was dropped off at the Fish Snatch stand.  This stand had treated me well previously so I was hopeful it would again.  I was glad it was a big box blind since I had a hard time sitting still at first.  The air was cool and dry and there was absolutely no wind making the afternoon breathlessly still.  This did force me to calm down and just settle in the for the afternoon since every movement felt unbelievably loud in the still air.

After sitting for a while three bucks popped out onto the corn.  They were followed about 10 minutes later by a whole bunch of does.

The deer milled around the area for a while.  A turkey came walking down the 2-track, and while this same turkey had been nearby when the deer first came out, the deer now seemed bothered by it.  The deer bolted away.

At least I think that is what happened.  I did hear a gunshot from a nearby stand, so pigs were moving and they could have been in the area as well.

About a half an hour later most of the deer came back and stayed in the area until it got too dark to see.  As the light dimmed, I shook my head about how age-related changes have hurt my low light vision; I don't suppose this will get better.

After dark, I packed up as quietly as I could and walked the 2-track back out.  While waiting to get picked up in the still dark evening, I heard a group of pigs to my right.  It is highly possible they were making their way through the pines to my bait pile.

Claude had shot a very large and healthy sow.

Denis had seen a lot of deer, but not pigs.  

The forecast was for a cold night, so after cleaning the hog, we left it hang.

I had a quick noodle bowl and was ready to turn in early.

2026 Hog Hunt Day 1 - Paper Boy

Everything seems ... unsettled.  The world, the US, work, me.  I'm not even sure my mind has grasped that the 2025 calendar has been thrown away.

I survived the first full week of work.  It wasn't terrible and things were in a good enough place.  I'm currently bossless and with the retirement of my shortest-term boss ever.  Technically I report to their boss now, but that gives me a direct reporting relationship to someone over 4300 miles away.

I've also had several subtle reminders of mortality (see - unsettled).  I've been on the edge of a migraine for several days; I'm worried the stress, even if it is "good" stress, of the trip will trigger it.

I kept myself busy on Saturday by packing up for the trip south.  My freezer doesn't have much room, but any change to that is theoretical at this point.  Winter would not be winter without a week spent in South Carolina.

Sunday came and I hit the road early after feeding the dogs and a quick shower.

The weather was cold and windy with some snow squalls, so I was hoping that any slow downs would be on empty roads.  As it was, the few snowy areas had no effect on the roads.

I did not get any kind of glorious sunrise on this trip.

I listened to the book Paper Girl by Beth Macy for almost the entire trip.  I'm not sure this was the best choice given how unsettled I felt, but it was a very engaging read.  It was part politics (at times a bit too much), part memoir, part history, part ... story of Urbana, Ohio and the surrounding area.

I found myself criticizing the author a few times for being so closed-minded and criticizing others for the same behaviors she demonstrated, but it was her story to tell and I thought it was done with honesty, integrity the way a personal memoir should be.  In the end, I think there are two lessons.  One - don't take politics so seriously!  There is NO reason to let it kill friendships or personal relationships.  It just is not that important.  And two - there are no easy answers.  None.  So see lesson one.  Hearing all the family strife, poor life decisions and upheavals in personal relationships sure made me appreciate S/O as well as my siblings.

I ended the drive listening to a recast of This American Life which was similarly unsettling.  This brings me to a third lesson, which is that I'm in South Carolina to hunt wild hogs and I need to get into that mode.

The drive was easy enough.  Traffic remained light through most of the day.  Once south of the snow I definitely wasn't in a hurry which makes the drive even that much easier.

As I got out of the mountains, the snow and cold gave way to sun and quite warm temperatures, but it was still quite windy.

Once at the lodge, I had the place to myself.  I generally farted around a bit before Rick came over.  We went to see Denis and Claude at Denis' house for a short visit before calling it a day with a plan to feed up stands in the morning.

2025 SC Deer Hunt Days 5 & 6 - Heartache and Home

Brad and Denzil ended up sleeping in the main room of the lodge so I (oddly) had the room to myself.  I was up with a cup of coffee and a shower ready to go out for my last morning of hunting.

It rained as one last insult as we got ready to leave.  But the day was an entirely new one.  Temperatures were cool and it was a bit breezy.  Compared to the heat and humidity, it was splendid.

I was dropped off again on the Powell farm.  Having sat in the blind several times, it was easy to get comfortably situated while being mouse-like quiet.  In the dark I could just make out a large deer pop out in front of me and make its way down the lane.

As it got light, deer were filtering in and out of the area.  At one point a pretty decent 8-point came in.  I tried to figure out if it was the large deer Rick had told me to take if I could.  But just about any deer would look large next to the very small doe it was with.  And I just wasn't sure if the antlers would meet his minimum requirements.

I had the crosshairs on him twice, but just didn't think it was the right deer.  I was brought back to my bear hunt only a few weeks previous when I waited to shoot until the bear started to leave.  This time, I held off and watched the deer leave.  As its butt disappeared behind some trees, my phone buzzed.  Rick texted, "That's Him"

We chatted a bit and there were some expletives.  I can't shoot something once it is gone just as I can't suck the bullet back in once it has left the barrel.  I was hoping it would come back, but I also knew that was very unlikely.  Rick "kindly" sent me a cell trail cam picture, pouring lemon juice on a growing open wound.

I did see several more deer through the morning.  Most were small bucks.  One more decent one came in which I oddly liked as it was kind of goofy with a long cow-tine on his right side.  I thought this was the "busted off" deer Rick said not to shoot so I just watched it.  Turns out, Rick would have been OK with this one as well based on body size...

I was beating myself up about not shooting and Rick didn't make it any easier - Rick likes to pour lemon juice on open wounds.  So it goes (with apologies to Kurt Vonnegut).  Other guys in camp were non-committal about whether they would have shot or not.  This did make me feel just a tiny bit better.  Maybe.

 After another good breakfast, I had a bit of down time at the lodge.  Then it was time to head out for my last hunt of the trip.

Rick dropped myself and Bradley and Denzil off and I went to the stand where he had seen the big deer while feeding two days previous.  I know I've sat at this stand before, but looking back through past deer hunts, I couldn't find when.

Temperatures were nice, but it was really hot in the sun.  I was glad when it clouded up a bit as the sun sank in the afternoon.

Time past slowly at first, not much was moving for me.  I farted around on my phone a bit to pass the time.  But I also kept a watchful eye on what was happening, seeing a small 4-point shoot across the lane at one point.

The late day presented, as I recall from the previous sit at this location, in a very similar manner.  Late in the afternoon, three does came out.  They fed for a bit until another deer popped out - possibly the same 4-point I had seen earlier.  Two does left, but one remained, seemingly unconcerned.

As it started to get dark, the doe left and the buck walked directly toward me (I definitely recall this same behavior at this stand) as I started to pack up.  It got quite close and I was curious if I could still shoot if he was close.  Affirmative...

Another deer came out, but I couldn't see it well down at the corn.  It followed the first buck giving me a chance to see antler, but very small antlers as it got close.

I finished packing up, my 2025 South Carolina deer hunt coming to an end.

Nobody had shot that night, but everyone had seen deer - and a few of them were just a nickel short.  Dinner was the most excellent taco pie.

___________________

I woke up really early and was able to sort of sleep a bit more before deciding I'd rather be on the road.  A quick shower and I was out the door, early by even my standards.

I came exceedingly close to smacking a deer about an hour away from the lodge - and he was a big shooter of a deer too.  I'm glad I didn't, but I'm not even sure how we didn't collide.  Grow big and strong my friend!  (and stay away from cars)

I started off listening to the book Who Ate the First Oyster.  It was interesting, but I struggled at first since I really wanted a story.  After I almost hit the deer, I turned it off for a few minutes to mentally put perspective on the week and going home without anything.  I'll be second guessing this for a while, and while hindsight should be 20/20 (it isn't always), I can't say I'd do anything differently in the stand.  And to be perfectly honest, my freezer has quite a bit of animal protein, so it isn't like I'm desperate for wild animal meat.  Maybe that is just sour grapes...

After the pause, I really liked the Oyster book.  It covered many "firsts" from before recorded history.  While a bit of it was a little corny, it was overall written in a very entertaining style.  I didn't realize it at the time, but the second book I had was written by the same author (Cody Cassidy) and it was even better.  And Then You're Dead was about what really happens during very improbably ways to die - some theoretical, some not.  It was just sciencey enough to keep me thinking, but also entertaining; a few parts were very funny.  Some of the anecdotal and factoids were really interesting.

I ended up doing the entire drive with one and only one stop for fuel and coffee.  Getting an early start meant little traffic by Columbia or Asheville.  Even the I-40 construction went very smoothly and relatively quickly.  Sometimes the drive home can be painful, but I guess I was in the right frame of mind to enjoy it.

Soon enough, I was home.  S/O was gone helping her Mom, so I had the house to myself with two dogs who were very happy to see me.

2025 SC Deer Hunt Day 4 - Rain and Muggy

Evan and Don were "no" for hunting for various reasons, so it was just Aaron and me.  Rick dropped me off at a stand looking down a timber road.  It was easy to get settled and comfortable.

Sitting waiting for daylight, the morning air was heavy and unbelievably still.  The very bright moon made it almost light enough to shoot.  Almost ... but not.  I did watch a very large deer walk across the road, closer to me than the corn.  I never could see it well enough to know if it had antlers, but it was too dark (and too early) anyway.  I did hope that was a good omen.

Daylight came and I got a better lay of the land.  The corn was farther than I thought.  

A little after sunrise, I caught movement as two does and a small spike came out.  They didn't stay long before they were replaced with another small group of deer.  It was hard to tell which ones were out, but for a little over an hour, deer were in and out.

By 9:30 things had quieted down.  I packed up my stuff to meet back up with Rick.  Aaron had passed up a decent deer and seen a whopper that he couldn't get a shot off.  It was his last hunt so I was a bit surprised he passed the one up.

After a quick breakfast, Rick and I fed stands.  Forecasts for the afternoon were all over the place for both wind and rain; deciding what to do wasn't easy.  

For me this also made deciding what to wear challenging.  I didn't want to wear my rain suit in the stifling heat, but I also didn't want to get soaking wet.

It poured rain at the lodge for a little while.  This was followed by thick, heavy air.  It was painfully muggy.  There was no way I could see wearing my rainsuit.  I ended up going out in shorts; if I got wet, long pants would be far worse than shorts.  I was able to fit a lightweight rain coat in my pack.  Ultimately, I think the shorts were the right decision, even if a bit unconventional for hunting.

Doug had come into camp and he was hunting as well.  Rick took both of us out.

There was a doe on the corn when I got to my stand.  She stayed for a bit and I just watched.  Once she left, it took a bit to get comfortably situated.

Deer were running into and out of the area for quite a while.  None of them were too impressive, but there was lots of activity.

It was actually somewhat stressful for a while.  I knew Rick could see what I saw on the cellular trail camera.  It felt a little like the sword of Damacles hanging over my head by thin thread as it robbed me of my human capacity for denial.

The deer activity abruptly stopped around 5:30.

I did see a few more deer much later.  Right at sunset an 8-point came out.  I field-judged as best I could and just didn't think it would make the cut.  I let it walk.  It got dark.  It started to rain again.

Back in the truck, Rick agreed that the last deer was not big enough.

Back in camp, Brandon, Denzil and Brad had gotten in.  We ate pork chops with a healthy dosing of banter.  I was tired and turned in early.

2025 SC Deer Hunt Day 3 - Moon Unit

I was up for deer hunting and my headache had finally fully subsided.  And it wasn't raining.  Things were looking up.

I was dropped off at the same stand I had sat at the previous morning.  But it was an entirely different day.  It wasn't raining, so it was much quieter.  I was, however, surprised how much road noise was evident inside the stand.

Temperatures were mild and it was humid.  It was a really nice morning.

As it started to get light, a few does sauntered out onto the corn.  They stayed for a bit until most of them left.  One buck came in from the left and another from the right; the does fled except for one.  It was a bit of an odd mix.  Both bucks appeared to be 6-points.  They definitely weren't huge, but for a six - the one was relatively wide.

They stayed until a little before 8:00.  Then it was deathly quiet.  I was hoping for more activity, but it wasn't to be.

Rick picked me up and we made our way to get everyone else.  After breakfast, Rick and I went to feed stands.  It's always fun to see how the various stands look.

Rick texted me a picture of a nice 8-point on the stand I was at in the morning.  Having minimal deer movement in the AM followed by mid-day movement isn't unheard of, but isn't exactly common either.  It can be frustrating.

I had a bit of down time at the lodge before heading out again in the early afternoon.

I was dropped off on the Craw field in a box blind about four feet above the ground.  It was easy to get situated although I had to move around a bit to find the best spot.  Thankfully the box blind was pretty roomy.

Temperatures were hot and humid.  It was between breezy and windy which was nice.

Not many animals were moving.  It was  s l o w .  The only thing that was moving was this reptile, but it didn't stay long enough to keep me company.

As the afternoon wore on, the wind died down until it basically stopped completely - this made it stiflingly muggy.

About an hour before dark, I saw movement as a couple deer hopped out into the 2-track.  They didn't stay long; it did start deer going into and out of the 2-track for most of the rest of the afternoon.  I kept hoping something interesting would join them, but it was just does with maybe two spikes.  

One of the deer had something white on its ear.  At first I thought it was a tag, but Rick later said it was just a deer with some odd fluffballs on its ears.  Whatever it was, I hadn't seen something like that before.

The deer left as it got dark.  I was then treated with an amazing sight as the moon rose hugely directly over the 2-track.  I waited to pack up to try to get some pictures; I don't think they do the actual scene justice.

It was a pretty special way to end the day.

2025 SC Deer Hunt Day 2 - Does and Spikes

I was up in plenty of time to get ready for deer hunting, but not feeling 100%.  After coffee and a quick shower, I was better but still not good.  

As we were getting ready, Evan said something about rain, "Well, it's just wet."  Looking at the radar, rain was coming in from the east.  It didn't look terrible but didn't look good either.  I grabbed my rain suit before heading out on the porch.  Soon enough we piled into Rick's truck.  I guess a 10% chance of rain really doesn't mean 0% chance.

I was the last to be dropped off on the 48 acre Powell farm.  I found my blind easily enough and got set up.  I was glad for the covered blind since it was raining pretty hard at times.  The rain on the metal roof was quite noisy, but that was a small price to pay.  The chair was also quite comfortable.

The clouds and rain make daylight slow to make its appearance.  About an hour after daylight I saw movement as a group of four deer came in, two does and two spikes.  They milled around, in and out of the area.  They were a bit nervous, but only a bit.

Two more deer came in through the morning - another doe and another spike.  It was still a nice enough morning to start the week.

Aaron had seen one legal buck, but didn't shoot since it was too thin.  Evan and Don had seen deer, but no shooters.  Aaron had also seen hogs, but didn't shoot since they were in a direction where he wasn't sure where it was relative to the house.

Back at the lodge we had breakfast.  Still not feeling great, I tried to nap.  A walk down to the river also helped a bit.  I don't think I've ever seen the river this low.

Soon enough it was time to roll out for afternoon deer.

I was dropped off on the same stand Aaron was on in the morning.  The weather was hot and humid and the chair wasn't too comfortable - so it took a few minutes to get situated.  As I was sitting down, I saw a yearling right outside the blind.  It stayed in the area and came within a few feet of me.  It was so small that I could still faintly see spots.

The yearling left and came back a few times, but it never went near the corn which seemed a little odd.

It was a hot and breezy afternoon which did not help deer movement.  In the confines of the blind, it was almost uncomfortable with the humidity.

The afternoon progressed slowly.  Late afternoon a tall spike (maybe a 4-point) came out.  It rubbed antlers on a tree to my left, then milled around for a while.  A doe also made an appearance, but again, most of the deer showed little interest in the corn.

At one point I could hear pigs way off in the distance.  They were fighting and carrying on.  I hoped they would come in, but they didn't seem to be moving anywhere.

With time to kill, I asked Google Gemini to add a big dear to a picture from the blind.  I was surprised it did a reasonably good job - even making the deer a bit blurry fitting in with the lower light image.  I didn't dare send it to Rick, but did show him later.  I could see the steam rising for a few seconds before he realized it wasn't real.

As it got dark a group of 4-5 does came out to my left.  At last light, I saw them working toward the corn (finally).

It had been a slow night all around.  I had seen more deer than anyone, but not the right deer.

Dinner was rice and field peas, which I really like before calling it a day.

2025 SC Deer Hunt Day 1 - Ford Maverick Junked

Things are complicated as I get in my vehicle and head out.  Every time I think I'm caught up with the monstrosity of middle age, a new fiend pops it head out.  In hindsight, my 20s were all about drinking beer.  My 30s were all about wondering if I should sell everything and travel on the cheap for the next 30 years.  My 40s were all about scratching my head and both saying and asking, "This is it?"  My 50s are starting to look like lurching from one issue to the next.  But in all fairness, I won't really know what they are about until they are almost over.

S/O's Mom isn't doing too well, so we are scrambling to keep things going while her family is dealing with that; I have empathy.  I almost thought I should cancel this trip, but it sounds like things are under control (enough, for now).  I became an orphan last year.  I'm not afraid of dying, but I am terrified of the season before it.

I struggle not to drown at work.  A Quality audit coming up brings mountains of busy work and too many reminders that what is important for the audit is the Appearance of quality - the actual thing????  And yet another special project means something is rolling down hill to me.  I know I have a lot going for me.  My job is pretty good and I get to work with some phenomenal people.  And the reality is that I generally get along with my management quite well.  Having accepted that my career is over makes it easier to look at what I do as a job - all while counting down indeterminately.

I was on the road a little after 4:00 for the drive.  The early part of the trip was easy enough.  I made my way south into Kentucky.  There was unease, but I was mostly looking forward to the hunting and the trip in general.

I was listening to The Inner Life of Animals by Peter Wohlleben.  I suppose it kept me entertained enough, but I can't say I liked the book.  The "what" of animals was interesting enough and I learned a few things.  They "why" started out ok, but then got progressively weirder as the book went on.  It read more like a mix of opinion, editorializing with just enough supportable facts to keep things going.  I was glad when I hit the return button on the Libby App.

I had another beautiful sunrise nearing the KY-TN border.  Sunrise over the Cumberlands is pretty amazing.  As I was making my way towards the Cumberland Gap, my Ford Maverick became junk as I crossed 36,000 miles of the factory warranty.  It would have by time in a few weeks - so good enough.  The trucklette is now junk?  Definitely not, and anyways, the powertrain warranty still exists; I also just got a letter that my truck's half shafts are warrantied for another 100,000 miles.

About half of the miles on the Maverick are from my road trips to outdoor adventures.  No question every mile was 100% worth it.

The previous year I had to take a different route due to Hurricane Helene's impact to the Asheville area.  Interstate-40 is open now, but down to one lane.  It was interesting to see the enormous scope of the construction.  Thankfully, the slowdown wasn't too bad.

Traffic got oddly worse once onto I-26.  But I wasn't in any hurry.  I continued making my way south and east, even if the drive seemed more painful than usual.  Perhaps it was just my mood.

I finally got to Rick's.  There were two guys getting ready to head home in the morning.  We talked for a bit before Rick showed up after dropping other hunters off.  The lodge would be a bit crowded, but so it goes.  

But then the two guys decided to leave to get a head start on the drive home.  I blessedly had the lodge to myself.  It also meant I had a room to myself.

Dinner was a late cowboy stew and cornbread before calling it for the early morning.