Right Place, Right Time

Roadside Buck

Sometimes around here you just have to be in the right place at the right time. I shot this buck yesterday afternoon. I wasn't hunting, but I did have the rifle in the truck just in case. I'm not an accomplished road hunter so it was a bit of a comedy as I screeched to a halt on the side of the road, turned the truck inside out looking for bullets and then piled out hoping he was still standing there. The rut makes bucks do some dumb things. Why else would he be standing alongside a main road, in the middle of the day, during hunting season? Looking for love in all the wrong places. He almost snapped out of it in time and attempted a hasty retreat, but I made a nice off-handed shot as he slipped through the brush to secure him. It was an arduous 50 yard drag back to the road. It isn't always this easy (actually I don't think it's ever been that easy), but heck I'll take a gimme every once in a while. What makes this buck a real subsistence buck is that I gave the whole thing to a neighbor in trade for a steady supply of farm fresh organic eggs. Win win for everyone involved. Well, except for the buck.

Autumn's First Buck

Autumn with deer 11-4-2012

Autumn has always wanted to go hunting with me. This last weekend she finally got her chance. She was so excited to go and spent a lot of time getting all her warm clothes organized. The day arrived. The wind was fierce and the rain was pelting down, but we stuck with the plan. With copious snacks and full-body rainsuit she was ready to hit the woods. Fifteen minutes into the drive from home, "Daddy, why haven't we gotten a deer yet." Well it didn't take me long to figure out seeing, let alone killing a deer was going to be problematic. She's not big enough yet to safely navigate the terrain so I carried her a lot or pushed her down old logging roads in the stroller. She tried but frequently forgot about being quiet. The deer call she had been practicing with sounded more like a duck call. And when she tripped and skinned her hand, I thought we might have to abort the mission. But she toughed it out and despite the lack of actual hunting, we had a great day afield together.  Later in the day, "Daddy, I really, really want to get a deer." I had been very hopeful to get one as well. I wanted her to have the experience of seeing the kill and all that goes with it. As we slowly road hunted our way out of the woods we spied this little buck on the side of the road. "Daddy! A deer!" So I shot it. Autumn was absolutely thrilled. "Daddy, it's so beautiful." We got to track it together and I showed her how to gut it and named all the parts and what they did. She loved poking things with her stick. When we got home she was out in the garage with me skinning. There was no squeamishness on her part, she got right in there with me. So not the biggest deer I've ever killed, but I think I may have solidified a great hunting partner for years to come.

Autumn's First Poem

And all the birds sang up in the high northeast
and they were loved in the spring and the summer

Happy Halloween!

10-31-2012

 

 

I've always wanted to kill a buck on Halloween. Any buck would have sufficed. What a a treat to have this outstanding 4x4 let me walk within 20 yards. He then patiently waited for me while I racked a round in the chamber and found him in the scope. The rut is in full swing. Hopefully more pics to come in the next couple weeks.

DIY Home Improvement #1 "Entryway"

Amy and I are in full on home improvement mode. We just completed our first of many projects on the to-do list this winter. The recent acquisition of a miter saw and table saw have transformed our wood-working abilities. We're mitering, coping, caulking, countersinking, etc. We've been amazed how the right tools are making some nice detailed finish work possible. And if we can't figure out how to do something, there's always a you tube instructional video for everything out there. 

Here's how we transformed our blah entry way into an inviting space beckoning for friend's and family's coats, hats and scarves.

Of course my helper is always ready to get in there at a moment's notice.

First step, framing.

Caulked, filled, sanded and painted.

Amy re-painted the entryway to make it "pop". Hooks installed and artwork hung.

We still need to finish the new molding around the front and closet doors, but here's the finished project. We're finding that I do the rough carpentry well and Amy is heck on wheels with a caulk gun and a paint brush.

We're almost done with Autumn's room renovation. Stay tuned for that.

Plyometrics-Also Known as Jump Training

Cedar Gets a Little Help