Category Archives: Deer Hunts

J. Long’s Journal

Snow globs slid from bobbing cedar boughs. Blue jays perched on the topmost branches of a forked shagbark hickory tree, but remained silent. The air smelled damp and heavy, due to a warm west breeze that melted the packed, shin-deep … Continue reading

Posted in Deer Hunts, Research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on J. Long’s Journal

The Old Cedar’s Sanctuary

A gentle north wind bit bare skin. Downhill the same contrary wind blew waves of light snow from south to north over the thin gray ice that covered the watering hole. Buffalo hide moccasins trudged on; the evening’s anticipated ambush … Continue reading

Posted in Deer Hunts, General | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

On Angel’s Wings…

A chickadee bobbed up and down on a flimsy sprig. The little songster turned its head side to side, trying to make sense of the motionless woodsman, not two trade gun lengths distant. Two or three more chickadees flitted by, … Continue reading

Posted in Deer Hunts, Persona | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“Black powder people are tough…”

A not-so-distant maple tree popped. The sound echoed in the frigid hardwoods. A red-bellied woodpecker grasped a dead oak, moved about the gray, barkless trunk, but never drummed. Disappointment rushed over me. I associate tapping woodpeckers in a barren forest … Continue reading

Posted in Clothing & Accoutrements, Deer Hunts, Persona | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“…it’s not traditional”

Crows cawed to the west; Sandhill cranes chortled to the east. A robin sang “Cheeri-leee, cheeri-leee,” near where the cedar grove meets the meadow grasses. Not long after first-light a wild turkey hen clucked to the north and a bit … Continue reading

Posted in Deer Hunts, Living History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A Time Traveler of Sorts

A hint of brown moved behind a red cedar tree. Brittle leaves clattered overhead. Arteries throbbed. A cool breeze carried the aroma of rotting duff as doubt festered. A dark foreleg stepped, then paused. Heartbeats stacked up like wood corded … Continue reading

Posted in Deer Hunts, Living History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A Time Traveler of Sorts

Exhausting All Possibilities

The search resumed at dawn. Frost-tipped cedar boughs dotted the steep hillside. Night’s cold, clear sky turned azure, and in a short while, yellow streaks of sunlight crept over the little valley. On that crisp November morn, I made no … Continue reading

Posted in Deer Hunts, Skills | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Plus or Minus Three-Tenths

Few options remained. Daylight dwindled. Longer strides struck a balance between due care and a swift advance. With each footfall, the day’s tensions eased. The hasty still-hunt followed a well-used doe trail through a small stand of aromatic red cedar … Continue reading

Posted in Deer Hunts, Skills | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Plus or Minus Three-Tenths