Category Archives: Deer Hunts

“Testify to what you did…”

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

A young doe ran by, its white tail up. It did not appear alarmed, just in a hurry. A pleasant breeze caressed my face, coming out of the south, same as the deer. The faint scent of oak leaves and … Continue reading →

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Feeling Small

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

November’s last day broke with a violent rainstorm. A steady drizzle and a high wind rendered a morning hunt impossible, but by late afternoon the tempest subsided. The air was late-March warm; the mixed stench of night crawlers, stale urine … Continue reading →

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“I followed up the animal…”

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

A deer’s head bobbed up in the poison sumac and marsh elders. Its ears flicked front to back to front. It looked side to side displaying noticeable concern, then disappeared in the thick wet snow that clung to every twig … Continue reading →

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

The familiar words came easy…

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

A cold fall rain turned to blowing snow. The lingering fall slipped away in two days’ time. Soft ground froze firm. A thin layer of white carpeted the glade. Except for the crows and a blue jay or two, silence … Continue reading →

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Two Unexpected Arrivals

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

Morning dawned without a sunrise; night succumbed to a hazy, dull gray. In due time, a roosted wild turkey, treed to the north, uttered a hushed putt. Another bird, perched high in a leafless red oak across the narrows, whispered … Continue reading →

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“An unfortunate soul died…”

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

A roosted hen turkey fidgeted overhead. A starry night sky, grayed by a full moon that hung 3 o’clock high over the western horizon, backlit the bird’s sleek black shape. Bony legs stepped sideways. Skeleton-like toes flexed as they gripped … Continue reading →

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An Unmistakable Badge

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

A fine buck’s fresh blood stained the leggin’s top. Dark burgundy-colored spots, flung in a tussle with a young tom turkey a few days earlier, dotted the front of my linen hunting shirt. Reddish-brown blotches marked the shirt’s dirty hem-fringe. … Continue reading →

Posted in Clothing & Accoutrements, Deer Hunts, Worth thinking about... | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Cavorting About the Section Oak

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

Life’s burdens weighed heavy. Snowy flecks drifted to and fro from soft, gray clouds. Through the window’s frosty pane, a distant oak, bare of fall’s splendor, offered a brief respite. Resistance proved futile, and after a flurry of haphazard dressing … Continue reading →

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