A Very Cold Morning

I went deer hunting again this morning. At 5:45 am, the temperature was 25 degrees and it was still dark although I could see fairly well because of the full moon. There was a light frost covering everything. At least the wind wasn't blowing to make it seem even colder.

I drove out to the blind, but parked some distance from it. I didn't want the truck to scare the deer away. I gathered up my rifle, backpack, and flashlight and walked to the blind. Even with a full moon, a flashlight, and a dirt road to follow, I went a little off course and had to walk through tall grass to find the fence and the blind. It's amazingly easy to get lost. I hadn't put my gloves on and my left hand fingers were aching from holding the cold rifle.

I settled into the blind, got my binoculars out, loaded the rifle, put on my gloves, and waited. It was 6 and it wouldn't get light until 7. I could see the black sky and bright stars because it wasn't cloudy. Sitting in the blind is a great exercise in patience and tranquility. It doesn't come easy to me.

I heard the feeder go off at 6:30. As it gets light, I'll start to see the deer moving around. It might still be too dark to get a good shot, but I can see their dim outlines through the binoculars or rifle's scope. This morning there was nothing.

The only activity I saw were birds starting their day and a squirrel eating the deer corn. Most of the birds I saw were cardinals. They seem to play a game where one will fly to another tree or bush, and then another will follow it. They'll both sit there for a little bit and then one will fly to the next perch, only to be followed again. I saw them doing this several times. I don't know much about cardinals, but I think it's the males that are a bright red. These were males playing the game. I saw four cardinals at one time, but I don't know if I kept seeing the same ones or different ones as they moved around. They fly very near to the ground and make a choppy, buzzing sound with their wings. I'd never noticed that before.

I sat in the blind until about 8. I kept hoping that if I waited a little longer, I'd see some deer, but they never came. If it was a bit warmer, I might have stayed longer, but I could feel the cold seeping into me. I had remembered to put on my long underwear, so my legs, arms, and body were fine, but my fingers were aching, even though I was wearing gloves. My toes were aching too, and I only had normal athletic socks on, not winter ones.

Sitting in the blind just makes the cold worse. Although it keeps most of the wind off, this morning was calm so that wasn't required. You have to be still and quiet or you'll spook the deer. That's what leads to the cold getting to you, especially in your extremities. I don't think I was in danger of frostbite, but it was definitely uncomfortable.

I wonder if the cold is what kept the deer away. I don't know enough about their behavior to be sure, but maybe they wait until the day warms up before they move around. I'll have to read up on them or ask Paul.

I finally decided to go home. I gathered up my equipment and walked stiffly back to the truck. It's a very short drive, so the truck didn't warm up before I got home. Mary made me a cup of coffee and I spent the next 1/2 hour getting the feeling back in my fingers and toes.

Would I do it again? Absolutely!

The Deer Hunter

Note: This post is about deer hunting. If you're philosophically opposed to hunting or squeamish about the subject, please do not read any further.

I got my first deer of the season yesterday. She was a mature, fairly large, white-tailed doe. It was my third outing in several weeks.

This is the third year that I've been hunting and I've killed four deer. I hunt for two major reasons. First, it provides us with meat. Venison is a lean, healthy meat and since I started hunting, we haven't had to buy ground meat or breakfast sausage at the grocery store. Second, it's part of the wildlife management on our property. White-tailed deer are overpopulated in our part of the state. Their large numbers lead to shortages of food for them and causes problems for the environment and habitat as they eat everything they can.

As a certified Master Naturalist, I understand that everything in nature is in delicate balance. Mankind has disrupted that balance and part of our efforts are aimed at restoring it. In the case of white-tailed deer, we've removed or minimized their predators, such as cougars, wolves, and coyotes. We are also taking away the white-tailed deer habitat as our own population grows and our land becomes more developed. This means the deer exist in higher densities than they or the environment are adapted to, leading to problems.

I first went out three weeks ago but didn't shoot anything. I decided to just sit in the blind and observe the deer that came by and get a feel for the situation. In past years, I've shot the first animal I had a chance to, so this time I wanted to do it differently. I saw several deer, both bucks and does and also both the normal tan colored ones and the darker, melanistic variety. I also observed many birds as the day brightened including cardinals, wrens, and some I couldn't identify.

The second time was two weeks ago. I went out with my friend Paul and his son Matt. I was at one blind and Paul and Matt were at a different one about 1/4 mile away. I saw a large, 10 point buck and shot it even though my view was partially obscured by tall grass. That was my big mistake, because I only wounded the animal. Paul and Matt helped me track it for over two hours, but we never found it. I felt bad at having wounded a deer and causing it to be in pain until it died. My consolation was that its death would not be wasted. Even though it would not feed my family, it would provide food for the vultures and coyotes. I kept an eye to the sky that day and for several after, thinking I would see the vultures circling, but never did.

Paul, Matt and I went out again yesterday morning. I got my doe and Paul texted me that they had shot a buck. When I met up with them to review our gains, they told me that Matt had shot the same buck that I wounded!

We're pretty sure it was the same buck, because it was also a 10 point one and it had a wound in the skin over its chest that was about 2 weeks old and was healing over. What are the odds that it was a different deer?

I'm really glad that Matt killed the same deer that I wounded. It closes the event and will help feed Paul's family.

Only Skin Deep?

American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), also known as French mulberry, is a native shrub or small tree, usually growing to about 3-5 feet tall. The seeds and berries provide food for birds, in particular, the Northern Bobwhite. White-tailed deer like the leaves. Native Americans used the root and leaves to make a medicinal tea.

I've read that the berries are sometime white and in both photos you can see that the berries at the branch tip are white, but in this case, I think it's because they're not ripe.

I took these photos, in mid-September, of a single specimen I saw while riding my bike in our development. I've never seen them on our property, and have only seen one other along the road into our neighborhood.

It's easily propagated and requires little care. Mary bought one in a small pot at a plant sale recently held at the San Marcos Nature Center. We're going to try to establish it near our house.

The Other White Meat

The feral pig trap on our property finally caught one!

A pretty big one, actually. My friend Paul, who set up the trap and monitors it, said that Wednesday evening there was a 210 pound boar in it. He quickly sent it to the great wallow in the sky.

To be fair, the trap has caught animals two other times, but they were white-tailed deer. Which is pretty amazing because the deer have to crouch down to enter the cage. It's not tall enough for an adult deer to walk in. I guess they're really hungry or just can't resist the bait corn.

In the photo, the trap is sprung and the doors are closed. You can see the springs that hold the doors shut. The trap is set by propping the doors open with a branch attached to a rope which is tied to the far end of the trap. When the animal enters, it brushes against the rope which pulls the branch out and the doors spring shut.

With this first trapped pig, we've taken a small step forward in controlling their population on our land and minimizing the environmental damage they do.