This weekend is the start of Minnesota's deer hunting season. My friend Jack and I have been hunting the last 8 years just south of Jack's cabin, 12 miles west of Onamia, MN. Now that our friend Rich has passed away and the land is up for sale, we have scouted out a few areas however Jack's neighbor at the lake was kind enough to give us permission to hunt his 80 acres. Last weekend Jack and I set up our stands on the new property. I am back in the middle of a small swamp but luckily it is pretty dry and should not present any issues like my old stand at Rich's. The weather this week should be nice but windy. Unfortunately the deer tend to sit tight when the wind blows so we'll have to see. A few years back I bought a new ladder stand and is what I use today. At my age it's considerably easier to climb the ladder and sort of set myself into the seat rather than having to strap a stick ladder, hang a stand by a T-nut and ratchet strap, get it all aligned so I don't slip getting into it, then hope like heck I didn't fall asleep! We are still getting together with our hunting group for our Friday night steak feed, something Rich always enjoyed. Another interesting aspect of hunting the new land, the neighbor has trail cam pictures of a couple of cougars walking around the area. You can be assured my gun will be loaded when I walk in.
I am way behind in posting pictures my friends have sent me so I will include one of my friend Matt Taylor and his girlfriend Christina. Matt called me earlier this year and asked for advise on planning a trip to Alaska. Having been there a number of times I was able to help Matt put together a nice experience. They took my advise and did a combo out of Seward. I am pretty sure they headed to Montague Island, a popular halibut spot, got their limit then went for silvers on the way back. Matt said they had a blast and caught tons of fish including these two beautiful silver salmon. If you look close, the silver Christina is holding has some pretty big marks on the side, more than likely cause by a salmon shark that prey on these fish. I really enjoy sharing my experiences and advise with my friends, especially when things turn out well.
Off to deer camp, hopefully da thurty pointer will be in my sights on Saturday morning!
1 comment:
That sounds exciting, Dave! I hope that you caught those cougars that you mentioned and a deer as well. Hunting is always a great experience, and it becomes even more memorable when you have good friends to share it with.
Post a Comment