Hi, friends! I hope everyone’s week has gotten off to a good start… Is anyone else already ready for Friday? Like more than usual? I know I am. Why, you ask? This past weekend was filled with activity and quite a bit of hunting. Shocking. I know. I am so predictable. BUT. I am extra fired up for several reasons…
I started off my weekend a day early, taking Friday off to go marsh hen hunting with my dad and Douglas (of Big Marsh and the Rascal) in North Inlet. With the season in and the promise of a nice flood tide thanks to the moon, it was a great time to work on our “hensmanship,” as we say. Sort of like… Sharkmanship and raymanship? Si? Anyways, back to the hunt. We headed out around 6:30, fortunate enough to see one of the prettiest sunrises I have seen in a while.
I know, right? That moon! The morning was full of promise… Dad and Douglas had hunted the previous morning with success, and I was extra excited to get out there.
Alas, the wind was not in our favor, and the tide did not rise as high as we had anticipated. Since marsh hen hunting revolves around the tide, and those little buggers are experts at hiding in the marsh grass, we unfortunately came away with nothing. Like didn’t even pull-the-trigger-nothing. Grrr. It wasn’t for lack of trying, though, and I know that sometimes it’s just not meant to be. At least we were out there, right?
Back on land, I figured there was no need to dwell on the past. I headed back to our beach house to gather my gear and head to Estherville to hop in the deer stand. I did get a tad distracted in doing so, however. Our beach house is right across from a large pond, and many a duck can always be seen. Little did I know that THIS was the view from our 2nd story porch.
I MEAN COME ON ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
I think their little fannies in the air are so funny. Sadly, no, this is not a pond that one can hunt. I’d probably spend several thousand dollars getting numerous ducks mounted for sure. But doesn’t this just get you so fired up for duck season? Black ducks, pintails, widgeon… YES PLEASE. How many different species of ducks can you find? Go
here for help.
And now, on to the deer stand. I hunted Friday afternoon to no avail, and had the same luck (or lack thereof) on Saturday morning. I did spot this on the way to the stand, though.
That track is almost as wide as my foot and half as long. Ahh… The chase for the elusive [monster] whitetail buck continues. Maybe it was this guy?
I am not sure if this guy is responsible for that track, but he’s still there making tracks of his own either way. Perhaps
this guy has evaded me yet again…? I may never know. I sat in the stand Saturday afternoon with my dad, and all we saw was a group of racoons coming to feast on the corn. Entertaining, yes, but not what we were hoping for.
Sunday morning was my last chance for the weekend. When I woke up wide awake at 4:15 I could hear the rain, but knew I couldn’t fall back asleep, so I got ready and waited until it was time to head to the field. It was cold and rainy, but I was stubborn and sat it out for much longer than normal. And man am I glad I did. At around 11:20 Sunday morning, a small doe wandered into the field for some brunch. Can’t say I blame her – I was getting pretty hungry myself.
Speaking of getting hungry, we are all in need of venison, and I was encouraged to shoot a doe if I could despite having
recently had success in that department. One deer can only get you so far, ya know? I watched this doe for about 15 minutes, wanting to take the shot but secretly hoping a buck would drop his guard and follow her into the field. When I had just about made up my mind to go ahead and shoot, I caught some movement behind her a little deeper into the woods. No way, I thought. NO. WAY. Was I about to hit the jackpot?
So close! It turned out to be a young 6 point that I have seen on the camera a bunch over the last month or two. While this is not a deer I would shoot this season, it was encouraging to see buck activity during the day and helped keep me entertained for the next 15-20 minutes. After milling around the doe for a few minutes, I guess he decided he didn’t want to pick up what she was putting down, so he cantered to the opposite end of the field to enjoy some brunch himself. He will be an even better-looking buck next year, huh?
Whew! What did I tell you? Between marsh hens (I’ll get you soon!), ducks (is it duck season yet?), and deer (still waiting on a shooter), I am pretty fired up about hunting after the weekend.
Tick-tock until Friday!
