Get the frozen turkey out to defrost, shopping
2 hours ago
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Invasion of the Pumpkin People
Small game season opens October first. The woods will be full of people wearing hunter orange. I just bought some new orange hunting clothes myself. My hunting wardrobe is kinda psychotic. Some of my stuff is bright orange so that other hunters will see me. Then there's my cammo hunting clothes so I can be invisible in the woods. What's the thinking behind that?
When small game hunting I go for visibility. For me, small game hunting is fairly casual. I'm less likely to end up on the backside of beyond where few people go. It's likely I'll meet other hunters out there. With that in mind, it's more important to be seen.
Deer season is a more stealthy affair. It involves hiking in while it's still dark. That's when I'm going to end up in the middle of nowhere. There aren't too many hunters out there so I don't mind disappearing. Much of my deer hunting consists of sitting still for hours on end barely moving a muscle. I become the forest. Squirrels have been known to run up my leg thinking I'm just another part of the tree.
On my out of the woods I'll often pull an orange hat and gloves out of my pack. As I get nearer my vehicle there's a higher likelihood of meeting other hunters. Then I want to be seen.
Frankly, I'm not really all that interested in deer hunting anymore -it's too much work. Small game hunting, on the other hand, is more relaxed and fun for me. Besides, my lovely wife doesn't much care for venison. She does like how I cook up rabbits and game birds.
Last year I didn't get to go out at all. This year I'm happy to join the Pumpkin Army. Getting out is great exercise and does much for my mental health.
-Sixbears
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Does your wife like Indian/Pakistani food or Middle Eastern food? Really any recipe for lamb or chevon works great for venison. I also make a mean chili if I can get a hold of some ground venison.
ReplyDeleteMy wife has a hard time digesting lamb so avoids all dishes that contain it. She will eat moose, but that tastes totally different.
DeleteI always enjoyed squirrel hunting more than anything. However, the deer here are nearly as plentiful, since the DNR refuses to control them, so I eventually switched to deer hunting, just because I had more meat to show for the time involved. These days, my wife won't eat either, so I don't even bother.
ReplyDeleteDeer here are not as plentiful as they used to be. That's one reason I have to go out in the back country.
DeleteNo sense hunting if no one's going to eat it.
I always enjoyed squirrel hunting more than anything. However, the deer here are nearly as plentiful, since the DNR refuses to control them, so I eventually switched to deer hunting, just because I had more meat to show for the time involved. These days, my wife won't eat either, so I don't even bother.
ReplyDeleteah long gone the days of group hunting the woolie mastadons!
ReplyDeleteah, was a younger simplier time for me
Wildflower
Those were the days. . .
DeleteI totally agree that deer hunting (when you kill one) is a lot of work, ESPECIALLY when you are alone. I'm getting up in years (low 50's) and dragging out the buck I shot last December really kicked my butt ! We live in flat lands though. If you hunt in the hills, I'd try shooting one uphill, so you drag the deer down the hill.
ReplyDeleteBeing in the woods is spiritual for me. I feel more at peace there than in a church and in fact feel I am closer to God there than in any building. Such beauty - just brings a peaceful feeling.
Fwiw, I consider all wild game except birds as 'venison'. Its all semantics though - meat is meat.
Have a great time in the woods.
Meat is meat. The real kicker is when you shoot a deer on the other side of the mountain and have to haul it uphill.
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