Bow hunting kick off.

 I had a great weekend, and got out to the woods for four hours to kick off bow hunter opener.  The weekend started by attending the MN Baptist Conference Men's retreat at Trout Lake Camp.  What a great weekend to worship God and get a spiritual makeover.  I had a great time with Robert Boyd and company.  We laughed, learned, joked around and rested.  God is good.  Trout Lake Camp is near my old hunting grounds, Pillsbury State Forest, in Brainerd.  It was here that I shot my first dear with a 12 gauge shot gun and earned the nickname, head shot.  Sunday was the last day of the Men's retreat and I decided to stop at Pillsbury State Forest on my way home.  My intentions: to study for my board exam, to see the land and enjoy a quick hunt.

Last year I hunted Pillsbury for four days with my friend Jim.  We did not see or hear a thing, and I was very discouraged.   My main objective was to find a quiet place to study for the board exam.  I was not expecting to see any deer, or signs of deer.  Last year, the loggers had come and destroyed a portion of the forest.  I was glad to see that the loggers are gone, and the forest is making it's come back.

 As I was walking through the woods, I happened upon some deer poop.  Seeing deer poop in the woods is always a nice sign that there are some critters out there.  I was pleased to see signs of pre-rut scrapes and rubs.  The picture on the left is a fresh scrape.  There is a branch hanging over this scrape, deer like to rub their heads on such branches.  I believe they also urinate on the scrapes as to mark their territory.   For those that are wondering: No, I did not rub my head on the branch or urinate on this scrape.  I have learned that it is wise not  to disturb scrapes so that the bucks are not alerted to the presence of deer hunters.  

The picture on the right is a fairly fresh rub.  The rub is towards the bottom of a small tree.  For this reason, I am not sure if it is really a rub.  Some porky pine, beaver or chipmunk may have been fond of this particular small tree.  Because it is early yet, some Bucks still have velvet on their antlers.  So perhaps this rub is from a buck that was attempting to remove some of that velvet.  Usually rubs extend up the trunk of the tree a little ways.  What do you all think, is this an official rub?

As I was walking out to my old stand, I kicked up a deer.  I could not tell the sex, however it was of nice size and it gave me the old White Flag.  Some refer to this as the Flag and Flee, where the deer whips it's white tail into the air as it runs away as the first line of defense.  The picture on the left shows a deer running with it's flag up.  Many hunters see this, it must be the deer version of the one finger salute.


I did not see deer while sitting in my stand.  I did hear some thrashing about, and it was very close to where I was posted.  I grunted and wheezed, however no deer presented itself.  All and all, it was a wonderful hunt, and a great way to kick off bow season.  DEER BE WARNED; a plan is in the works for another Pillsbury State Forest hunt with me and some of my friends, probably at the end of October.  Oops, I probably shouldn't announce that.


A shout out to my Nephew, DJ.  He shot his first deer with a bow on Sunday.  Good job!  It took me three seasons to shoot mine.

Thanks to my lovely wife Jennifer.  It was her birthday on Sunday and she graciously allowed me to hunt.  I love you babe.

A day at the dam.

Today Weston (almost 2), Brody (4) and I (early 30s) went to Orwell Dam near Fergus Falls MN. I had two rules for the boys, stay by me and stay out of the water. I strongly encouraged Weston and Brody to throw rocks into the water. Orwell Dam has millions of rocks, I have fished there once before with Brody and he threw rocks to his hearts content.

The fishing adventure started out great. On the first cast, I hooked a smallie. I knew I would catch lots of fish, and I did. Smallies of all sizes, and one Large Mouth Bass. As I fished, I kept a close eye on my boys. Not only were there numerous rocks to be thrown, there was many things to explore. Weston was all over the place. I kicked him out of my tackle box several times. He kept finding things on the ground and in the rocks to eat. Both boys had fun peeing in the woods. They were having a hoot. They did a pretty good job of following the rules, especially Brody. Weston did wonder off from time to time, and I found him sitting in the river amongst the rocks. Not only did I perfect my cast and fish landing abilities, my vocal chords got a great work out.

The first story I would like to share is that we came upon a mid size snapper turtle. The boys and I had fun as we followed it around. Weston and Brody thought it was fun watching the snapper hiss and bite at the stick that I was jamming into it's face. The snapper got itself lodged between many large rocks. No doubt it would still be stuck there had not the three of us showed up. Needless to say, the snapper did find the river. It probably had it's first flight lesson as it flew through the air and skipped across the water. Don't worry folks, we stood around and made sure the snapper was ok. Old snappy was sticking his head out of the water and swimming around, happy as can be.

The second story is kind of neat. I was catching so many fish, and having a lot of fun. Whenever I caught a small smallie, I would call the boys over and cast the fish back into the water. The boys would have fun reeling in the fish. This one time, I caught a small smallie. I casted it out to the middle of the river and called Brody over. Brody starts reeling in this fish and I was surprised by how difficult of time Brody was having. There was lots of splashing in the water. Here the little smallie had tripled in size and it was jumping out of the water putting on a big show. It must have been 14-15 inches. I was dumbfound. The small fish must have fell off when I casted it to the middle of the lake, and the large fish must have hit the gizzit as Brody was reeling it in (the gizzit was the brand name of the artificial rubber tube I was using to catch the fish). What ever happened, Brody was shocked and had a great time reeling in such a big fish.

This adventure was truly an adventure, one that my boys are certain to remember. They were so worn out when I put them to bed, that they went right to sleep with little smiles on their face. I have no doubt that they are dreaming about fishing! I will make sportsmen out of them yet:)

Happy Birthday to me.

Minnesota opener fell on my birthday this year.  My wife give me the full approval for a half day fish.  Living so close to the Red River, I knew I could not pass up the opportunity to fish the Minnesota opener.  Saturday was cold, blustery and wet.  I woke up to 43 degrees and mist.  My initial plan was to hit the river at 6am.  The alarm went off at 7:20 and I was on the banks of the Red by 8.  


My first cast, bango, right into a tree.  My line broke and I quickly realized how chilly it was as I retied.  Luckily I had a pocket full of jig heads, a fresh bag of Gulp White 3" Slugs and a bucket full of minnows.  I knew I was in the "hot spot," so said a coworker the day before.  Cast after cast, no fish.  An occasional snag, followed by a snapped line and a retie.  No fish!  I worked the banks of the river as the chilly air and wet mist touched my body to the core.  Forty five minutes into my morning, I had enough snags and broken lines and called it quits.  I took my bucket of minnows and wandered home, head hanging low.  

I put the gear back into my garage with intentions of getting back to the Red.  Saturday night, too busy.  Sunday, too busy.  Today (Monday) I thought I would go see if my minnows had expired after work.  They are alive!  After clearing the idea of an evening fish with my wife, I called my buddy Nate who agreed to be my guide.  Nate lives on the Red River and said he would paddle the canoe while I fish.  


The Red River is high, swift, and mighty.  We paddled up stream and found a place to fish along a tree line.  Nate lives near the zoo.  Ambient sounds of Peacock, Turkey, Ducks serenaded us as I fished.  We laughed about old times, talked about work, and I fished.  As the sun set, we paddled back to Nate's house.  I landed this 15" Walleye in Nate's backyard.  Nate was amazed, "I have never seen anybody catch a walleye out of here before,"  he said.  


Kudos to Nate, who broke out his new filet knife and fillet my fish.  Nate did not fish with me, as he did not have a fishing license.  Now that Nate is aware of the Walleyes in the Red, I'm betting that he will rush out first thing tomorrow morning and purchase a fishing license.  

North Dakota Fishing, Not!

As many know, I recently moved three hours Northwest of Minneapolis.  I now reside in Wahpeton, North Dakota.  I often ask myself, why did I move?  After all, there are not many lakes in ND.  Luckily I still have a MN fishing license.  After hearing from a co-worker that the Walleyes are biting on Swan Lake, I headed home to do some research.  I learned that Swan Lake is just outside of Fergus Falls, MN and that is only 25 miles away from me.

When I woke up this morning, it was -4 degrees, and the wind was 16 mph.  A bit too cold for fishing, but my itch to explore a new lake prevailed.  After spending time with the family, I pulled up some handy DNR maps of Swan Lake, and mapped out where I thought the Walleyes would be.  After lunch, I loaded up the truck and headed to Swan.  I was on the ice by 1:30 pm.  Luckily someone plowed a nice little road on the ice.  The road led to the exact location that I thought the Walleyes would be.

 There were less than 10 permanent houses on the lake.  The gas auger fired right up and I was able to find a good place to set up the one-man Clam.  The wind was a major factor, and it was blistering cold.  I had a small heater that, at first, was able to keep my holes from freezing over.  After about an hour, the Vexliar showed a fish near the bottom and my bobber disappeared.  I pulled up my first fish, a hammer handle (small Northern Pike).   After another hour, I pulled up a small perch.  After a few more hours, another small perch.

By 4:30, my body was so cold that I decided to call it.  This was a tough decision for me because I know that Walleyes bite best just after dark.  The Clam was great for an hour or two, however it got to be so windy and cold that my holes began to freeze over.  I also lost feeling in my toes and the Clam was vibrating from my shivering which (no doubt) scared the Walleyes away.

After I packed up my gear, I decided to go over to the adjacent fish house and offer my minnows to some fellow anglers.  They had the nicest, coziest set up.  They invited me in, and I was able to enjoy the Packer/Bear playoff game on a flat screen LCD in HD.  As we socialized, I learned that Swan Lake is indeed a good place to fish.   Walleyes beware!  I will venture out to Swan again after it warms up a bit and the wind dies down.

Ah, the taste of some good venison for dinner.

I was informed today by my domestic assistant (DA) that I was "in charge" of dinner.  What a great opportunity to have venison for dinner.  I pulled out a package of chops and steaks and let them thaw.  I took a stick of soft butter, lemon juice, and Cilantro and mixed them together and set it aside.  To prepare the rub for the meat: I took 3 tablespoons of A1 Steak Sauce, added a tablespoon of Ground Cayenne Red Pepper and half of tablespoon of Garlic Powder (I recommend more, and salt).  I rubbed this mixture into the steaks and chops and fried them on a skillet for about 3.5 - 4 minutes per side.  I served this dish to my family with Red Potato.  The butter mixture was for the warm, soft, tender venison.  It was delicious.  Both of my boys enjoyed the venison.  My wife scored it 8 of 10.  Success!   The only change I would make is to grill them, vs. frying them.

If I keep serving meals like this, the DA may authorize extended hunting trips.  All part of the master plan.  You see folks, It pays to have venison in the freezer, even if it means shooting the small ones.  Ha!

Please God, help me!

I have been getting a lot of slack about the deer I shot last weekend.  Let me tell you, I worked hard for that little doe.  Sure I dreamed of shooting a large buck with 12 or more points.  I even purchased an extra harvesters tag this year so that I could take a doe early and still hunt for that monster buck.  Sometimes you have to take what you can.  This especially was the case for me, since I have not taken a deer in six years.  And let me remind all of you, this is the first deer I have taken with a bow.  What an amazing accomplishment; and I have venison in the freezer to boot.

Ok, do you want to know the truth?  I made a deal with God.   While I was hunting this past weekend, I was reflecting upon my failed attempts to "stick" a deer.  I felt discouraged because I have not been seeing deer in the stand, and because the archery season is coming to an end.  I normally trust God's providence for my family and me.  However I felt that time was running out for this archery season and I needed divine intervention.  So I made a deal with God.  The deal was: if I shoot a deer on Saturday, I told God I would study hard and take the National Examination for Marriage and Family Therapy.   God came through with his end of the agreement.  It is time for me to come through with mine.

I studied for the exam a little bit last night.  I am finding that it is much more interesting reading about deer hunting and fishing than studying theories on individual and family psychopathology.  I am also coming to the realization that when it comes to passing the national examination, I will definitely need some divine intervention.   I better keep studying, and praying.  Lets see... What does the MN Board of Marriage and Family Therapy say about bartering again??

Die Hard Bowhunter!

I went hunting Saturday with my buddy Jimmy and his nephew Andy on some public land in Pine City, Minnesota.  It was the third weekend of firearms season.  Jimmy and Andy were both sporting their rifles and I had my PSE compound bow.  This is my third season of bow hunting, I had yet to take a deer with a bow.  My expectations were high, yet I was feeling discouraged by the unsuccessful hunting trips that preceded this one.  I thought my chances of taking a deer would improve if I hunted during rifle season, because it usually coincides with the rut.  This was my year to take a deer with my bow, I could feel it.  

The three of us arrived at the campsite in Pine City the night before.  Andy arrived first and set up camp.  He had a roaring fire waiting for us.  Jimmy brought up some cold beers.  We stayed up until about 11am, chatting about hunting, guns, cars, and various other topics.   Camping is normally tough for me on the first night, and this night was no exception.  It was very cold, and Andy snored like a disgruntled bear.  A few guys from South Eastern Minnesota set up camp at about 2-3am.  It was one of the longest sleepless nights that I can remember.  

Saturday morning came, eventually!  Jimmy and I immediately started our vehicles so that we can have some heat.  We quickly got our hunting gear ready and had some Blueberry Pop Tarts for breakfast.  We decided to hunt close to the camp site and hit the trails about 1/2 hour before sunrise.  Jimmy and Andy were able to find places to hang their stands.  I had a difficult time choosing a spot, and ended up posting in various places.  Neither of us saw a deer.  It was a cold, bitter morning.  I think all three of us eventually scouted around just to keep warm.  

We met up for a good brunch at 10-10:30am.  There was some interesting and fun pre-brunch activities.  Neighbor hunters had a big doe hanging on a tree in their camp site.  They hit it with their truck as they were driving up.  As they were sharing the story with us, one of them spotted a "big buck" swimming across the river.  Those guys all scrambled to grab their rifles and went chasing after it.  I'm assuming it was a fantom buck, because Jimmy, Andy and I didn't see a thing.   This prompted us to quickly cook our brunch so that we can get back to hunting.  The three of us had hash browns, eggs, and bacon for breakfast.  It was delicious.  

After lunch, I was itching to get back out there and hunt.  I still had not found a place to hang my stand.  Jimmy and Andy found a nice place to park, and took naps (slackers).  I spent a couple of hours lugging my portable tree stand around hoping to find the perfect spot.  I could not find many signs of deer activity and there were many hunters scattered throughout the woods.  I finally settled on a spot and hung my stand.  The picture above is the view I shot from my stand.  If you look closely, you can see a heavily trotted deer path just right of the tree in the center of the picture.  This path was one of the only signs I could find of recent deer activity, and I looked for hours.  Below is another view from the stand I hunted from, you can see the hiking bath that followed the stream.  My hope was that I could either see deer on this hiking path, or on the deer path that crossed the stream.

The afternoon hunt was tough.  I was so tired from the sleepless night before.  My eyes were very heavy and I kept getting down to walk so that I didn't doze off and fall out of my stand.  When I was walking, I bumped into two other deer hunters wandering around.  This with bothersome for me, but what can I do as we are on public land.  I felt pressure on all sides.  Andy was on one side, and two other hunters on the other.  As it got later, I returned to my stand to wait out the evening with feelings of pessimism and defeat.  As I was watching for deer, another hunter walk by me (smoking a cigarette I might add).  the wise words of the buck slayer (Jimmy) came to mind: "Don, you can't give up.  That deer can come at any moment!"  Jim had already bagged a 9 point buck this year, and a much larger buck two years ago.

About a half of an hour later, I saw this doe bouncing along towards me.  My heart began to race.  The deer walked down the deer trotted path, stopped for some water, and walked up the hill towards me.  As I began to draw my bow, my mittens (archery precision shooting mittens, that is) bumped my trigger release and I pre-maturely shot.  In disbelief I scrambled to re-nock another arrow.  Luckily the deer wasn't spooked.  The misfire caused her to pause long enough for me to reset, draw and shoot.  Perfect shot right in the cage.  She ran about ten yards and fell.  I had taken my first deer with a bow.  

Now I know a lot of you are laughing about the size of my deer.  It is about the size of a large dog.  Sure it doesn't have a huge rack.  I am still grateful for the yummy venison that I will have in my freezer.  When bow hunting this late in the season, you take what you can get.  And, don't tell my wife, I still have one more tag that I can fill by the end of December.   Anybody up for some late season buck hunting?