The Story of Deer Number Nine (A Note To My Beloved)

[Near the bottom of this post is a picture of a harvested deer]

This deer hunting season, my ninth, was a season of hard won lessons. And in the end, the biggest lesson is to do things differently next year.

To be honest, there was much I did not enjoy about the season. There were warm days in October when gnats and mosquitos were a frequent nuisance. There were long hours sitting in makeshift stands that lack creature comforts, leaving me stiff and sore.  There was the usual disappointment of failed hunts. In many cases I saw zero deer through hours on the stand. Perhaps even worse were the various occasions when a deer spied me before I even had a chance to aim, and scurried off or stayed out of range. 

Kayak Gear Checklist

This is a list of gear that you might want to take with you on a short kayak or canoe trip in warm weather on flat/calm waters. I also created a short video going over these items. Be sure to check with the appropriate regulatory authorities to be certain you meet minimum equipment requirements in your area. And be sure to wear a PFD (personal flotation device) any time you go boating. Note that in "back country", "wilderness" or other more isolated areas, there may be a need for emergency supplies that could sustain you for a longer period.

A Comprehensive Overview of Prepping Using a Sensible Strategy

Although I own neither a survival knife nor an underground bunker, I am indeed a prepper.

But how, you ask, can someone be a prepper without an underground bunker?

The answer, my friends, is simple. After thorough application of my powers of prophecy, I remain wholly unconvinced that a bunker-worthy apocalyptic event is eminent.

Full disclosure: Although they haven't been officially tested recently, my powers of prophecy are likely rated in the "poor" to "fair" range.

You doubt my credentials? 

What more proof do you need?

Nonetheless, I've been studying and applying the prepping concept for years, and aside from the insufferable agony of running out of hazelnut flavored creamer, six weeks without restocking groceries would be easy peazy. Granted, I never served in the special forces, but I do have my canoeing merit badge and was only a couple ranks shy of Eagle Scout. Or was it three? Four max. Clearly my qualifications are formidable. So let's get on with it.

Get Home Bag Checklist

A "get home bag" is a set of supplies kept in the car or office that will help you get home in the event of a widespread disruption to normal transportation systems. Such a disruption might happen due to a severe weather event, natural disaster, man-made disaster, or other occurrences. While I'm not a survival expert, below is a list of some of the major categories of items that might be included, with examples of each. 

The Long Season

By the metric of hours sitting in the deer stand, this was almost certainly the longest hunting season I've experienced. I started off keeping a record, but the exercise of cataloging failed hunts was simply too discouraging.

There were additional reasons to be discouraged. I've seen precious few deer on the 30 or so times I've hunted. On only four of those hunts did I see any that were even marginally within range. On three of those four my poor job of concealment gave me away and the deer spooked. Twice the spooked deer was a small buck that I coveted.

Kayak Shack Materials List & Construction Notes

This is the materials list for the kayak storage shed/rack I built.

All lumber is pressure treated. I used the following:

• 2 sheets of 1/2 inch plywood
• 4 ten-foot 2x4s
• 9 eight-foot 2x4s
• 11 ten-foot 5/4x6 deck boards
• Screws or nails rated for outdoor use with treated wood

Chasing Ghosts: Another Hunt Story

A biologist might describe a deer as a hooved ruminant. She'd be wrong.

Deer are ghosts.

They materialize in the forest out of thin air, then disappear in an instant.

They crash loudly through the trees just a few feet away without ever coming into view.

They emerge from unexpected places, offering a fleeting glimpse, leaving you wondering if you really saw anything.

They will haunt you with their absence for days, and then suddenly a gang of them will sneak up behind you.

This year I started hunting on the 19th of October, and for two weeks I sat in the woods every chance I got. An hour hear and there, a few mornings, mostly afternoons. Oftentimes I'd get home from work with just enough daylight left to sit in my stand for 45 minutes or so, keenly alert for the footsteps of a deer. Keenly alert. There was a time or two I nodded off. Several times. But in between naps I was keenly alert.