2023 Pig Hunt Day 5 - Hunting Stink Bugs

Claude and I went to feed stands with Rick while Denis stayed back at the lodge to work - poor guy.

Feeding stands didn't take too long, and this was followed by getting Rick's tractor from the duck club.  This sounds simple, but nothing ever is.  Between poor directions and my inability to follow them, it took forever to on the road.  We had to go pick up Rick's harrow but once we got there, Rick was concerned about fuel for the tractor.  So Rick headed down to the farm while Claude and I went to get diesel.  We had to go to 3 gas stations until we found diesel and then follow a Google pin Rick dropped to me to the farm location.  When we finally got to where the pin was dropped, I was almost positive of where - exactly - I needed to go.  But it was a little different than described and I couldn't see Rick anywhere.  I was quite apprehensive to appear as a Northerner and a Frenchman, headed back to the wrong farm with a big bin of corn and potentially needing to explain that to the law (or South Carolina's worst).  At one point a car annoying blared its horn at me and I thought, "What a (explative)."  I wasn't even that close to the road.  I found out later it was a friend of Rick's joking with him, not knowing it wasn't Rick in the truck.

Eventually we did figure it out, and I was in the right place, but between the heating afternoon and everything else, it wasn't terribly comfortable.

Then Rick's recently repaired harrow broke...

So by the time we did get back to the lodge, it was a mad scramble to get ready and head out for hunting.

Rick dropped me off at a huge open box blind with high walls.  It took a bit of time to get situated, but once I did it was very comfortable for the afternoon.

Temperatures were almost hot - in the upper 70's.  Winds were blustery and the branches around the blind rubbing and banging into it were noisy to the point that I felt like I could have done jumping jacks without affecting my hunting (I didn't).

What I didn't know was that the stand was already occupied.  Not long after getting settled, the largest stink bug I have ever seen came walking by.  We had a short conversation before it continued on its way - intent on doing whatever stink bugs like to to.

And I was glad I was comfortable since for most of the afternoon, the most interesting things I could see were squirrels.  I let my mind wander and with the high sides of the blind I poked around on my phone some.  Right as dark was approaching, three does came out and fed on the corn pile which was all I saw (except the stink bug which was almost as big as the deer).

Back in the truck nobody saw any pigs so it was a bust all around.

Denis and Claude were most gracious in sharing their roast for dinner as we told lies for a while before the night ended.

2023 Pig Hunt Day 4 - Ducks 'n Pigs 'n Deer

I finished reading BJ Hollars' From the Mouths of Dogs in the morning.  It was good - not Midwestern Strange good - but good.  I was glad I was alone towards the end of the book when he talks about dogs' death, since I'm still not sure if I'm fully recovered from last year's dogtastrophe.  Right towards the end SO texted me a picture of our new dog being brave and getting off the safety of her couch.  This made me feel a bit better.

"But the God I know rarely speaks with such booming-voice clarity, and never to tell me I’m right.  Rather, he seems to like to keep me guessing, forcing me to mull over my choices in the hope that free will might guide me." - BJ Hollars

Denis and Rick had gone duck hunting in the morning.  I knew Rick didn't eat much in the way of ducks, so I had (half joking) asked him the previous evening if he was going to bring me any ducks.  He and Denis delivered with six nice woody ducks.  Of course that also means I had to clean six ducks, and cleaning ducks is not something I'm terribly adept at.  Claude stepped in to help, making much quicker work of them than I did.  I ended up with 4 of them breasted out and 2 whole ducks.  I've never cleaned wood ducks before - I was surprised both how much smaller they were than mallards as well as how little fat they had in comparison.  I'll be especially looking forward to trying to smoke the whole ducks on some future date.

After cleaning up from the duck-gut smell, there was still time for a walk down to the river.  I think this pretty Spanish moss covered tree with a sandy agricultural field in the background says "Low Country" as much as anything.  After Ohio's cold spell, it felt nice to be out in a warm sunny afternoon.

Rick dropped me off at a stand that I had remarked was an odd setup since the stand set in a group of baby pines, but the corn was in the middle of much larger pines.  This made for weird lighting which affected how things looked from the stand.

Temperatures were warm (around 70F) and sunny.  I had to shed a few layers of clothes since the box blind felt a little like I was in an EasyBake over - if it had been built by George Utley.  The chair was also a bit low for the shooting window.  Thankfully I had borrowed a cushion from Denis after the previous evening's cheese grater and this made the height just about perfect for me.

Once settled in, it was very quiet - almost too quiet.  But this was also quite enjoyable.

Around 4:00 I looked up only to see something on the pile.  I've tried to start wearing my glasses more while hunting and I wish I had done this sooner.  There were definitely two pigs on the pile, but they looked really small.  It was a bit hard to tell in the unusual lighting so after a few minutes I texted Rick a picture of them through the scope to confirm they were ~35 pounders.  There was a similar incident several years ago when I passed on a group I thought was small, but Rick later said they were all around 85 pounds; I didn't want to repeat that.  Rick confirmed my size suspicion. 

(And in the picture the pig in front has just the remnants of baby-stripes still.)

The pigs hung around for about an hour.  At first I was sure more had to come out since these toddlers rarely travel alone, but after around 15 minutes I put my gun down since I can't wait on red-alert indefinitely.  Nothing else showed up.

Around 5:00 two deer popped out right in front of me.  They peered down toward the pile and cautiously at first, walked toward the pigs.  The small pigs wanted nothing to do with the deer and the pigs took off.

I actually think this picture is pretty funny with the deer staring down towards the pigs which can just barely be seen.

Around 5:30 the deer bolted away and I was almost 100% sure that meant bigger pig(s) were headed in.  But the pile stayed empty for 10 minutes or so until the deer came back out and stayed until dark.  

I had to pack up with quite a bit of light since the pile was so much darker than the area the stand was in.  I was actually a little bit grateful to be done since the mosquitoes had gotten violently arrogant in the warm late afternoon.  Waiting in the pitch black to be picked up it felt almost like an early summer evening - warm, little wind and noticeable humidity.

Once the truck showed up Denis had shot a big, stinky and wooly boar that was covered in mud.  Claude had seen only deer and turkeys.

Denis treated us all to Ribeye steaks which was most awesome.  It ended up being a bit of a later night as we talked before calling it for the day.

2023 Pig Hunt Day 3 - Hunting with Lucy

After getting up in the morning, I finished reading Brothers - which was good, a few essays were shocking.  But it wasn't great.  I read the first half in Canada while hunting black bear.  I may go back and reread a few at some point.

There was lots of lollygagging until Rick and I went out to feed stands.  It went pretty fast since we got a late start but still got back to the lodge with enough time for a lunch nap.

Forecast was for a bit of rain, so I wore my rain gear.  Rick dropped me off at the L-field.  I think this is the same field where I almost shot really-really late at some pigs that came out to my right, but I may be confusing that with another stand.

Weather was warm and a bit breezy.  Weather was quite comfortable and I was hoping I was going to dodge the rain.

At one point a buzzard flew down onto the corn pile and almost looked like it was eating corn.  But I suspect it was just eating grit.

Time passed slowly at first.  The stand wasn't very comfortable with no back and a waffle-slatted seat which made it at time feel like I was sitting on a cheese grater.  The stand also had a large wooden board above it - I can only assume this was some kind of sun shade.

All I could think though was that with the board, it felt like I was sitting in Lucy VanPelt's psychiatry stand.  Maybe Lucy was a pig hunter too?

Quite obviously, if I'm taking pictures of buzzards and thinking about Peanuts characters, my mind was wandering at a frantic pace.  This doesn't always help the time pass.

There were a few sprinkles through the afternoon, but not much more than that.  About an hour before it got dark, I saw movement at the far end of the field.  Light was fading so it took a bit before I saw it was from a deer.  She made her way to the corn pile along with a second deer.  These two deer were absolutely tiny.  Combined I doubt they weighed 100 pounds.  

They hung around for a little over a half an hour before they bolted.  Another deer wheezed at them and it made its way to the corn.

As it got dark, the rain started a little harder.  It wasn't a downpour, but more than sprinkles.  

Back in the truck nobody had seen any pigs, so it was quiet all around.

Denis and Claude were gracious and let me join them in their chicken and rice - which was a good way to end another day of pig hunting.

2023 Pig Hunt Day 2 - Quiet

Denis had gotten the coffee maker ready, so when I got up I had to figure out a way to make coffee without the coffee maker.  Luckily the filter basket from a retired coffee maker was in the cabinet and I was able to make the work by heating water on the stove.  The coffee was fantastic.

I spent the morning online and subsequently reading.  The downtime may be forced, but it is nice (for at least the first couple mornings).

As it got light Rick quartered up my hog and I dropped it in the freezer.  I thought about taking it to the processor, but since I'll probably smoke the shoulders whole as well as the ribs, it seemed like an unnecessary expense.

We loaded up Rick's new-fangled corn spreader and headed out to feed stands.  Denis and Claude went with will to put out turkey feeders.  Most of the pig stands were hit well.  My stand from the previous evening was cleaned out which is a good sign.  While leaving one area there was a dead hog in the middle of the road.  It was hard to tell why since it wasn't shot anywhere and it seems a car impact would have done more visible damage than what the boar showed.

Back at the lodge there was a bit of time for lunch before heading out for the afternoon.  I was on a stand that had bobcat tracks since I've always wanted to get a bobcat.  I quietly made my way down the road to the box blind - actually a section of scaffolding which was a neat idea.  There were two deer on the corn pile when I got there.  I tried to sneak into the stand, but it was surrounded by the worlds crunchiest leaves.

Once inside it was very comfortable with two padded chairs.  I got everything situated for the long sit.  When I first got settled it was almost too hot for what I was wearing, but the evening clouded up quickly as it cooled down.

Not much was moving other than birds until about 4:40 when five deer came out.  They hung around for most of the rest of the evening.  At least they gave me something to watch.

As an aside, I like my Pixel phone, but the "NightSight" dark pictures take on an unnatural stylized look when used with any amount of zoom. 

As it got dark it got unbelievably still and quiet.  I was glad the chairs in the blind were comfortable since every movement sounded loud in comparison to the stillness.

A little after 6:00 it got too dark so I slowly packed up my stuff and made my way to the road.  Again at the road it was breathlessly still.  I enjoyed standing in the dark (although it also tells me how bad my tinnitus is getting).

Eventually Rick came by to pick me up.  Claude had missed one hog very early followed by connecting on a meat boar only a little later.  Denis had seen only deer.

2023 Pig Hunt Day 1 - Pigs Rockets & Ducks

Despite walls that let more noise through than I may have liked, I slept reasonably well.  I think my neighbor was on a Zoom call all night; she had a very unpleasant voice.  I still woke with plenty of time to get up and putz around before packing up and hitting the road on an early Sunday.  I was out the door right at 5:00 with the road to myself.

I made my way South and East toward the interstate, then it was mindless driving the rest of the day.  This is my first long trip in the Maverick and it is quite comfortable.  I keep a small pillow in the truck and as the day goes on I start moving it around to hotspots.  This has been the case with every vehicle I've owned - more so as I've gotten older.  Indicated mileage was high 20's to low 30's (actual calculated has been just barely under 30MPG) which is fantastic.

I made it to Rick's at about noon.  I had the friendliest welcoming committee ever.

Lisa was still cleaning the lodge so I tried to stay out of the way for a bit until she was gone.  I tried to get a nap, but wasn't able to so I let my mind wander to all the other trips I've had pig hunting over the years.  There have been a lot of (mis)adventures.

Since my previous year's trip was bamboozled, I was going to hunt on my first day.  Mid afternoon came soon enough and after talking for a bit, Rick and I headed out to drop me off at the church.

The church stand is now farther back from where it was and it a short tripod stand with a roof.  But it is a super easy stand to stay comfortable and quiet in.  I got settled in soon enough.  Temperatures were cool and breezy with some gusts, but with bright sunshine, it was a beautiful afternoon.

Not much was happening until a little before 5:00 a few deer came out - the first being a basket-racked 6-point followed by an extremely long-tined 3-point.  The corn pile wasn't where I thought it was so I'm glad they let me know where it was.  They milled around for a while before bolting out of the area.

Shortly after the deer left it get deathly still.  The wind totally stopped while the sun sank behind the trees.  Movement to my right caught my eye as a mess of little pigs came in followed by at least one bigger sow.  My heart beat bumped up two notches.

With where the corn pile was, there were clumps of grass intermittently in front of the pigs.  Most of the time I could barely see the little ones.  I put the crosshairs on the bigger one a few times, but wasn't sure about shooting through the tufts of grass.  Finally she went into and openish area and I squeezed the trigger.  She dropped and did the 100-yard dash on the ground while the little guys scattered, then immediately came back.  I could barely see my hog with the grass so I watched what I could for a bit before texting Rick.  He came to get me almost immediately and we went to get my pig to minimize impact to the area.  She was a real nice sow, probably a bit under 150 pound.  Head shots through the grass at 100 yards...?  Usually I don't get picked up so quickly, but it was a bit weird still having adrenaline flowing as we left.

Rather than head to the lodge, we went to watch ducks fly in to Rick's duck hunting club.  He settled me in on the corner of an impoundment.  Immediately on sitting, I saw the oddest contrail off in the distance.  It was pretty clear that it was not from a plane.  Two things jettisoned off of it as the plume greatly changed.  I tried to think if it was from the nearby air force base?  A quick internet search later told me it was actually the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket being launched from Florida 400 miles away.  Incredible.

The ducks were quite the event as well.  Suffice to say South Carolina ducks are slightly more numerous than I've seen on my few Ohio duck hunting adventures.

Back at the lodge Denis and Claude were there.  While cleaning my hog it was quite obvious she was pregnant.  So it goes...

We all talked a bit while we ate.  Denis had bought land nearby and was building a winter home there.  Rick graciously shared a steak with me to supplement my noodle bowl which was a great way to end the day.

2023 Pig Hunt Day 0 - Unintended Consequences

I spent some time estimating my direct "carbon footprint" last year.  Regardless whether one believes in global climate change or not, extracting from the earth what it is trying to hold on to is rather nasty business.  And while I like to live in a warm house and would find life intolerable if I had to live within walking distance from the building I work in, I'd rather there was less pollution, less litter, better air, cleaner water, the list goes on...

I drove my 4-wheeled vehicles 7942 miles last year, burning 327 gallons of fuel.

I only rode my motorcycles 4260 miles last year.  I think this only included five states; this is a little sad.  I don't track my motorcycle fuel, but I suspect this is about a 25% increase in petroleum over my car miles.

I used 8641KWH of grid electricity - about 4.8 tons of coal.  Sorry world.  I used 414KWH of solar electricity, which I guess helps…  Geothermal allowed a year without buying any propane.

I rode my bicycle 1820 miles and walked my dogs 1609 miles.  This did absolutely nothing to help the earth since I wasn't "going anywhere."  It did help my mental health which is worth something to me, but likely not to the earth.  The universe doesn't care about me. At all.  The earth may be better without most of us.

Yet one of the biggest misses in all the talk about climate change is the lack of focus on population control.  In the doldrums around Christmas I read quite a bit and tried to be convinced by skeptics that say it doesn't need to be part of the solution.  But no one came close to convincing me; they are all wrong.  No problem of consumption gets easier in a world with 10 billion and every solution is more attainable in a planet with 6 billion.  So I guess I have that no-kids thing going for me ... when I die, my footprint dies with me.

As an aside, when I think about any problem in the world right now, I never say, "You know what would make this better?  More people..."

Population reduction is also not a solution to helping the earth.  Newton's Third Law states every action has an equal and opposite reaction.  This is false.  Every action has significant unintended consequences.  There is no economic model that does not include an ever increasing population.  This unintended consequence is no greater than what we will see with the unintended consequences of any other climate action.  In other words, yes, we are doomed.

But what if we are wrong about everything?

Like many people, I've been reading a lot about Bryan Kohberger - the presumed murderer behind the killing of four college students in Idaho.  I actually did read the affidavit - painful as it was - and it's pretty convincing, even if this as a document is meant to be one-sided.  As smart as some police can be and as talented as forensic scientists are, in 1994 they framed a guilty man, resulting in O.J. Simpson's eventual acquittal.  Maybe this acquittal was justified, even if unjust.  Unintended consequences.

If the evidence against Bryan Kohberger really is just a series of radically bonkers coincidences, his life is over just the same.

With 700 miles of driving ahead of me to get to South Carolina, Kohberger's immediate crime may have been getting pulled over not once, but twice for tailgating in Indiana.  I've never been pulled over for tailgating, but if I were, I would almost certainly leave ample room in front of me for at least the remainder of the state I'm in; Indiana is only a little over 150 miles across.

Late in 2022 I ditched my ridgeline and bought a Ford Maverick.  Although not the sole reason, mileage was part of the rationale why I made this switch.  The Maverick is about 20% more fuel efficient.

There is currently much love for electric cars, "For most Americans, this many miles will work most of the time," is included in just about every article written about electric cars after the range of the vehicle is stated.  The word "most" is the word that gets glossed over here - what happens when it isn't.  My trip to South Carolina is 700 miles ... in the winter.  Only an exceedingly expensive electric car under ideal conditions could make this trip without recharging.  And recharging would add significantly to the time the trip takes, potentially turning it into an impossible trip unless my boss magically gives me extra days off.  So while an electric vehicle may make sense for "most" of my life, there are no solutions for the part that isn't "most." (I can buy a lot of gas for what the cost of a rental car would be and I'm not sure rental car companies will look kindly on me using their cars for hog hunting.)

Unintended consequences.

It does seem like we as a global community are looking at climate change much like a dieter looks at the cookie dough in the fridge, "I must eat it all today so that I can start fresh tomorrow."  The next day the grocery store is still only a few miles away and cookie dough is on sale.

But I think there is a critical need ignored in all of the messaging about climate change: Travel.  It is difficult to get out of our cocoons.  And whether it is across town, across the country or across the globe, the only solution is travel.  Seeing Valdosta, Georgia is not the same as reading about it.  Walking into a Las Vegas casino is not the same as reading about it on reddit.  Social media is a solution to nothing and probably is a bigger part of the problem.  No conflict has ever been resolved on Twitter.

I'm not saying I'm going to save the earth by driving to South Carolina to kill pigs, but not going is doing nothing - which is worse in the long term.

Unintended consequences.

These were my thoughts used to try to not worry about leaving.  Last year, my hog hunting trip ended early and I'm really hoping something like that does not happen again (I'm sure SO is hoping so too).  Additionally, the new beagle has made amazing progress, but it won't take much of a slip and she could be a sad feral beast again.  In all fairness, SO is probably more careful than I am.

So after a final walk of the dog, I was on the road.

Leaving in the afternoon meant there was more traffic compared to my usual early morning departure, but it wasn't too bad and I was in no hurry.  I made my way down to the interstate and headed south.

After listening to Hidden Brain on the radio (I have several HB podcasts on a thumb drive, so this one felt free), I listened to older Radio Lab podcasts the rest of the trip.

Traffic was moderate until after Lexington when the road opened up.  Eventually I got off on 25E and headed SouthEast making it to Middlesboro just as it was getting dark.  I found my hotel and made myself at home as best as I could.  The walls were a bit thin and the room was directly across from the lobby so headlights kept hitting my window, but it was a nice hotel at the right place and right price.

My day ended with a noodle bowl and some junk food.  The adventure has started.

2022 Dear Hunt - Cold, Snow and Antlers

It has been a weird weather fall.

It has been a weird fall.

It has been a weird year.

After a very dry October with an unusual cold spell in the middle.  Temperatures warmed at the end of the month to the point that wearing shorts for an early morning dog walk was relatively comfortable.  While the growing season is long over, it also isn't with green things trying to sprout in the gravel driveway.  My last lawn mowing was well into November and could have been even later.  The combination of this meant I wasn't thinking much about deer hunting.  This might be a good thing since my walkthrough on the property I hunt showed very little sign of deer; the dry conditions and actively falling leaves did leave some ambiguity.

And Indiana has greatly increased the price of deer licenses.  I enjoy the ability to hunt in Indiana, but this increase gave me pause as to how much I enjoy it - I end up considering how much crap I have to put up with at work to pay for a hunting license.  Hmmmm.  Not only that but Indiana has reduced the amount of deer that can be taken greatly.  This doesn't affect me directly, since I'm usually content with one deer, but it does point to a weakening of the deer numbers due to aggressive reductions and some evidence of disease mortality.  All taken together, buying my license was accompanied by some wincing.

But it wouldn't be fall without an early morning trip to Mike's.

November 12, Opening Day

A relatively pleasant early morning opening morning came after a very rainy Friday.  I was up too early and sat with the dogs before getting ready to hunt.  Weather forecast was for a bit of snow, so I was bundled up in my snowsuit with my rainsuit over top.  The combination was a bit restrictive.

I had set up my treestand already so after getting to Mike's it was a quick walk down to my stand and up in the tree.  The morning air was sweet and still; I could hear the occasional squawk of some animal that I have no idea what it is.  Early mornings are the best!

As it started to get light out Turkeys began making a bunch of noise across the ravine and to the east.  I could hear them putting and scrambling around, although I never did see them.  They shut up around 9:00 when it started to snow.

It has been a few years since I hunted with my shotgun but I decided to on this opening day because of the precipitation - although I'm not really sure why that matters.  The snow was "fun" at first.  It started light and began to pile up on everything.  The snow got heavier through the morning to the point of not being fun.  I guess it was pretty and I wanted to get a picture, but it was too hard to get to my phone in the wet and cold.  Snow piled up well over three inches which was much more than the "dusting to at most an inch" that was forecast.  It ended as drizzly ice crystals which was unpleasant.

There was some shooting through the morning, but overall (through the day) it was not near as much as on some years where it is non-stop at the height of typical deer movement.  I wasn't sure if that was from the weather or deer numbers, but I suspect it was deer since I saw so little throughout the day.  As the day wore on, snow falling and a few very tricky dead leaves kept making me think briefly they were deer.

Trying to eat my snacks was a struggle.  My hands weren't working 100% and while my breathable, waterproof gloves did their job, they left my hands sticky.  So once taken off, they were hard to get back on.

I finally saw my first deer around 3:15 when a doe ran down, across the ravine diagonally to the left (east).  I watched it as it made its way further eastward.  

My feet started to ache as the afternoon got later.  As it started to get dark right near 5:30, I heard trampling as a doe came barreling down the hill immediately to my left and ran right in front of me.  I suppose if I was completely alert and had my gun up the whole time I might have had an opportunity, but there was no way to shoot.  I was slightly disappointed after such a long day, but it was still day one.  I was quite happy when 6:00 rolled around and I could end my day.  My hands were difficult to manipulate and feet were non-feeling blocks of ice.  It was a painful walk out to my truck.  Since it was "summer" only two days previous, I didn't have a snow brush in my truck.  When I finally rolled out towards home, the heat was on high.

November 13

After again sitting with the dogs, I headed to Mike's.  Getting to my stand was too easy, with just a bit of ambient light, the snow made it nearly like daylight and I could follow my foot prints.  I was easily set comfortably in my stand.  Temperatures were cool with a bit more wind than opening day.  I was wearing my windproof fleece so I had much more maneuverability but was still very comfortable.

After barely getting in my stand a small doe walked in front of me.  I put my crosshairs on her, but knew it was still 20-25 minutes before shooting light - despite the snow making it seem later.  I wisely followed the rules and let her walk away.  Shooting a deer is not terribly difficult.  Shooting a deer while following the rules can be a bit more challenging.  The only difference between a hunter and a poacher is what they decide to do.  A true outdoorsman also believes in fair chase...  

Another deer, probably this same doe, ran towards my left behind a honeysuckle bush a couple hours later.  I couldn't shoot through the bush so I waited.  When she did leave, it was at a full dead-on run with a few flying leaps mixed in.  I wisely let her go despite how close she was.

An hour or so later I saw movement in the middle of the ravine as two coyotes trotted down it.  I'm somewhat agnostic on coyotes.  Yes, they do kill some game animals and will kill chickens, but rarely do they kill dogs, cats, etc. (not never).  These coyotes were frighteningly healthy, but I let them walk.  Not only do I love the sound of coyotes howling, but there is no reason to affect my deer hunting - which is what the day and season is all about.

Around 10:00 a doe walked the same path diagonally across the ravine as the deer the previous day.  I had a few windows to shoot, but I've learned not to take chancey shots and she was walking quite quickly.  She could circle around towards me anyways.  She did not.

Thirty minutes later a six or eight point buck followed the same trail.  He was going much slower and I almost shot, but hesitated just a hair too long.  It was the right decision not to rush it, but I was kicking myself just a bit. 

A short time later, another coyote ran back to the east.  I couldn't help but wonder if it was one of the same dogs from previous and the neighbor had shot one?  After a miserable opening day, my original plan was to head home mid-day.  But temps were nice and I was seeing enough to be entertained.  The clouds were parting and the sun was warming the day.  I decided to sit for the entire day again.  As it warmed, the previous day's snow started to fall in huge wet glops from the trees.  The movement and noise made listening for anything impossible.  I let myself doze several times through the late morning.

Around noon after a brief treestand-nap, I looked around.  Behind me was a rock and I thought, "In this sunlight, that rock looks a lot like a deer."  "There's no rock there - that IS a deer."  I leaned forward and saw an impressive set of antlers.  He was behind me to my right - awkward, but not terrible.  He was on alert, so I leaned back and shot before he had a chance to bolt.  I was worried my shot was a bit too far back and he bolted at the shot - down the hill and into the "creek" which was completely dry with the very dry recent weather.  He was slowing as he left what I could see.  The distance he ran didn't fill me with confidence.  

I got out of my treestand and walked to where he was, immediately finding blood, so I knew he was hit and hit at least reasonably well.  I walked to where I last saw him which may have been on the neighbor's property.  It looked so foreign without any water in the creek.  I stood there, unsure exactly where to look when I heard "scurrying" and saw my deer up against the embankment.  It was nearly a cliff which would have normally been at the water's edge.  I walked over to him, and he was still struggling a bit.  I delivered a coup de grace (not to the head).  He was wedged between a deadfall and a tree; once free, he fell into the creekbed.  He was another brute of an Indiana deer.  A 12-Point with a lot of character.

I left my hat on his antlers in case any of Mike's neighbors saw him and walked back - packing out my stand.  I had previously bought a small ice fishing sled to make getting deer out of Mike's a bit easier.  I wasn't so sure about the size, but brought it with me along with my knives.  Gutting the deer was easy if a bit unpleasant since my shot was a bit too far back.  His liver was eviscerated, taking a bit of a lung with it - so definitely a killing shot.  I also nicked the stomach which wasn't so nice.

Getting him in the sled was a bit of a challenge and he didn't fit so well.  I ended up wrapping his antlers in the pull cord, so I picked up his head when I was pulling.  The sled DID help a lot, but it was still exceedingly difficult picking a route and getting him out; it was made a bit easier when I found a stick to pull with so the cord didn't cut into my hands.  It took at least an hour to pull him out.  It may have been twice that without the sled.

Once near the top of the ravine, Mike came out.  He blessedly helped get my deer into my Maverick.  The deer almost filled the smallish bed of the trucklette (I wish I had gotten a picture of that).  I talked with Mike for a bit before checking in my deer on my phone and heading home.  I was really glad I shot the deer at near noon so I had tons of light to get him out by.

I'm leaning heavily toward getting him mounted.  He isn't a monster deer, but I'm unlikely to ever shoot a 12-point again.  I have a full day of processing ahead of me to make a final decision.

I still wince at the cost to hunt Indiana as a non-resident, but I'm grateful for the opportunity.  Mike and his SO are so gracious to let me hunt where I have a safe place with minimal disruption.

I still have an expensive doe tag in my pocket.  But EHD has hit the local population and as my opening day shows, the overall population isn't what it once was.  I suppose if weather becomes perfect, I may head into the woods again, but my season has likely, and happily, ended.  Life is good...