Of Hunting and Being Hunted

No deer yet for any of us!  But, we're making good memories, which is the most important thing anyways!

The fam heading out.

I also made a scary memory.  I don't exactly enjoy being out in the dark, but during deer season I suck it up and do it anyways.  So, Saturday night I got off stand after season closed and started the pretty long trek back to base.  I kept my gun loaded though {I unloaded it while I climbed out of stand, I promise!} just in case I needed to use it on anything...makes me feel a little safer.  :P  The trail back is just a narrow trail through very tall cattails that are way over my head, so it feels a bit like a tunnel only there's sky overhead.  So, it's really dark out and I'm on alert watching out for boogie men or whatever, when all of a sudden I could see something huge and black coming straight for me down the trail.  It was ginormous, and coming really, really fast.  I freaked.  Didn't it see me!?!  All could think was that it was the Hound of the Baskervilles.  Moor, slough, same difference.  I had to do something before I got eaten alive.  In my panic, I ejected the shell that was in my gun onto the ground and pumped a new one in the chamber.  (Fresh bullets always work better.)  I yelled at it.  "HEY!"  It stopped and just stared at me but it didn't go away!  I mustered up my remaining bit of courage and hollered "GET OUT OF HERE!!!"  Then it turned and ran back up the trail....bringing it's white tail behind it.  A deer.  :P  I was feeling a little shaky and called my dad to see if he was coming back from stand any time soon and could pick me up so I didn't have to walk the rest of the way back.  But I ended up making it back before they got there anyways.  I think I can be a little bit like Anne of Green Gables in the haunted forest...you know, deer look like hounds and the swishing sound of something following me?  Oh, it's my snow pants!  Snow pants are so noisy.  So, that's my story of the deer hunting me.  I really think it was trying to kill me.

Anyways, I've been seeing lots of deer.  Last night I literally had does surrounding me.  On every side!  Since I can't shoot them, I took pictures of them.  I know you guys are dying to see some dark, blurry pictures of deer so here you go.

There was a nice big doe and her two babies that stuck around for a while, and a couple others that meandered by as well.  I didn't realize they were still around when I climbed down after dark and I don't know who got more freaked out, them or me.  :P

This morning, we woke up to this:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

It seems most people aren't happy about winter coming early, but not me!  It means hockey.  :D  But, it also meant sitting on stand in blowing snow this morning.  Mom was smart enough to not go out {in fact, I have a sneaking suspicion the boys and I were the only hunters in MN dumb enough to go out} and so Jonny and I were on stand together.  Ben was down the ridge from us in another stand and texted me that a big doe was headed our way.  Jonny had the view of where she was supposed to be coming from, so I told him to watch for her.  But Jonny sat there burrowed in his coat and I could hardly see his eyes!  I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't open them a little and watch for the deer!  What was his problem? Was he falling asleep?  I told him we should switch places.  We swapped and ohmygoodness.  My perspective changed immediately.  I was now sitting with the wind blowing in my face, bringing all those nice little soft snowflakes with it.  Only they weren't soft. It felt like ice shards being driven into my eyes...and I could barely keep them open. ={  Poor Jonny!  I had leftover makeup on from church yesterday and Jonny soon informed me that my eyes were swollen and had makeup all over them.  I told him it was my raccoon disguise.  The deer will look up at the stand and just see a raccoon sitting up there.  No big deal!

So, after torturing ourselves for a (LONG) while longer, we came up to the house. Which took a while, considering that we had to dig the trapdoor out because of all the snow that had accumulated in the stand the last two hours.  We looked at each other and were like "WE'RE SNOWED IN!"  But we made it up eventually, thawed out, and I had the perfect, hot breakfast - a big cup o' coffee. :D

Such good memories. :D

My pal and I.

Going back out to stand soon, so wish me luck.  :D