Hi Dad ...

Well dad, another deer season has come and gone. It seems they come and go faster and faster as I get older, but then again you always told me they would.
Things have changed throughout the years. We now have our own land and a nice comfortable house to sleep and cook in. No more tent trailer and mile long walks in the dark every morning and not returning to the trailer until well after dark. No wearing stocking caps to bed so we don't freeze to death. I do miss, however, your morning attempt to warm up carmel rolls over the stove with your bare hands. You never got them very warm but nobody seemed to mind.
There are five of us that hunt together now. A couple of the guys are fairly new to the sport. One guy got his first deer this year and I was happy for him. I still have a sneaking suspicion that he still spends too much time on that cell phone of his but what the heck. We never had to worry about cell phones did we? I was always to busy just trying to stay warm and my only divergence was eating candy bars and drinking hot chocolate. Things have changed so much.
I still shoot that 30.06 you bought me 41 years ago. I had it worked on a few years ago as there are inherent flaws in the design and the gunsmith said he did what he could because he knew how much that gun means to me. He just said to shoot it as little as possible. Well, it took me 8 shots to sight it in this fall. I cringed with every shot knowing I was stressing the gun. It's funny as I'm a lousy target shooter but when that buck came by last week, I was steady as a rock. It's like I had a steadying hand on my shoulder. Yeah I know that sounds kind of corny and is probably only wishful thinking on my part, but I can think that if I want.
Your grandson made another nice shot and got his deer. He's quite a hunter and I know you would be proud of the way he hunts and how he conducts himself in the woods. They say talent skips a generation. They are right.
We ended up with 4 deer for 5 guys though your grandson could have shot many more. I had a lot of time to think while butchering this week. I smiled when I remembered one of you favorite questions," Hey Duane, can I make a steak out of this"?
Thanks to you I have the memories of a lifetime. Your generation is gone, mine is next. Hopefully there will be those behind us to carry on.

I didn't want to have to post this...

For those people that know me well, they know that "What's Dewey Doin'" is about self deprecating humor in conjunction with my various exploits. I like to make people laugh and don't mind doing it at my expense - sometimes...
I post various pictures of fish and game that I and my buddies harvest along with the stories that MUST go along with them. After all, isn't that what's most important about such exploits?
Early this spring I dragged a lot of lumber way back in the woods to build a new bow stand. I called it "The New Hotel California." I told, and possibly bored, most everyone I know about how I had plans to shoot a big buck out of it. I had the right wind direction, trail cams and knew just when to start hunting out of it. I even made mention in a previous blog on my intentions to shoot the big buck.
Well, Wednesday morning at 10:45 that buck came by. After two years of shooting arrows, weight lifting every other day (which I hate to do) and all the preparation, I unleashed that arrow. Whether that buck took that extra step or I was slightly off with my shot, I didn't get the shot placement I expected. He ran off wounded. There was no blood trail and the misses and I spent 4 1/2 hours criss-crossing the woods to no avail. It snowed that night and was blowing pretty good Thursday morning. I went out anyway and spent an hour and a half looking some more. I didn't expect to find that deer but I had to look. I came home and put the bow away.
Back when Minnesota had that 9 day season, a buddy of mine told me about something his grandfather had told him. He said that if you hunted those 9 days just for that 1/2 second when you pulled the trigger, you should find something else to do as that would be a poor investment of your time. Fortunately, for me, I've never lived for that 1/2 second. Problem is, that 1/2 second is all I've thought about these last two days.
I don't know why that is. In almost 50 years of hunting, I've wounded animals before though. I'd like to think I'll never do it again but nothing is for sure, unless I were to put down the weapons.
This next weekend is the Wisconsin deer opener. All the guys will be coming up and I always look forward to that. There's plenty of deer and the bucks should still be in the tail end of their rut. I hope all the guys get some shooting. For me, I don't care if I even have the opportunity to shoot because I will not live for that 1/2 second. And yes, if the opportunity presents itself, I will pull the trigger.

The Times They Are A Changin'

So, I gave blood this morning like I always do every couple of months. If you don't, consider doing it!! At any rate, when I was done I was sitting in the lobby eating my Oreos and drinking my juice. You gotta do that before they let you leave.... At any rate, this guys walks in. He's about my age, tall, thin, wearing glasses. We nod and I go back to my juice and People magazine. I notice he's staring at me. He finally walks over, bends over and says "Do you know who you look like"?
I kinda grinned cuz in my younger years I had numerous young ladies say I looked like Clint Eastwood. No really they did!! Well at any rate I said "No, who"? And he says "Billy Graham" The grin left my face and I think he took that to mean that I didn't know who Billy Graham was so he says, "You know, the Evangelist".
Well, of course I said oh that's nice and told him that in my younger years girls thought I looked like Clint Eastwood. He acknowledged a bit of resemblance and wandered back to his seat.
I finished my juice and left vowing never to go back there again without wearing a baseball cap!
But then I got to thinking on the way home. I'm going out to Uweville tonight to hunt out of The Hotel California in search of a big buck. Maybe a little prayer wouldn't hurt.....

Huntin' Grouse...

Early Friday morning I headed over to Motley, MN to meet my good buddy Kurt. We drove up to Foothills State Forest, which I call Spider Lake, cuz of the little lake in the park. I've been hunting that area off and on for 40 years. A lot of people have camped out by the lake with me and walked the woods in search of grouse. I always think of that when I go up there and try to remember everyone I've been with up there. Now it's just Kurt and me......
The bird population always varies and new cuttings sometimes take away some of my secret spots but I enjoy the solitude the area provides. After a fruitless first walk, we ran into a state forestry guy. He said the birds seemed to be scarce and hadn't seen many hunters as well. Though that wasn't too encouraging, we hit the woods again and started flushing birds. Lately the grouse have been flying in a different direction than I've been shooting but Friday two birds decided to fly the same way I was shooting. They are now in my freezer.
I love hunting grouse for a number of reasons. You don't have to pay any extra money for a stamp, they are harder than heck to hit and I love that challenge and I have virtually no competition in the woods. Most guys walk trails or hunt out of their truck or ATV. No one seems to want to push brush any more... except me. Probably why I don't have many guys to hunt with as well. The older guys haven't got the legs or strength any more and the younger guys (if they aren't talking on their cell phone), don't seem to have the time or desire. Hunting grouse the old way is a dying sport.
There's a line in that Bellamy Brothers song "The Old Hippie" that goes "Pretty soon the species will just up and fade away". Hopefully we'll go with guns blazing.....

One Down......

I had posted that I had shot over a doe last week. Later trail cam shots showed that I nicked it in the back. Though the wound looked superficial, I wanted that deer.
Yesterday morning I only hunted until 8:00. I had a slight cold and runny nose which doesn't work well with face masks. Later trail cam photos showed that this deer walked by at 8:09. 9 minutes after I left....
So, I was out at 5:30 this morning even though it doesn't get light until 7:00. I had a doe and fawn walk by in the dark and at 7:20, the one I was looking for appeared. A thru and thru double lung shot and she only went 100 yards.
Now it's time to reposition my trail cameras. No more does or even little bucks. It's time to look for a big boy.

Time to Hunt Deer

Well, the archery season opened a week ago. Between some company, some wet weather and a trip to Bayfield for some apples, I've still managed to hit the woods with a vengeance. The plan this year was to pass on any small bucks, shoot a doe for the freezer and then concentrate on hunting for a big buck. I built this wonderful new stand I've dubbed "The New Hotel California" which I planned on using for my wall hanger. Well, a few days ago a nice doe walked out in front of me. I started thinking how I was going to be able to sleep in the next morning and start my plan for hunting the big buck. Problem was, I put my arrow over the back of the doe and all bets were off.
So, the next day I decided to move one of my portables. I dragged a 12' ladder through the woods and the portable stand as well. Took 5 trips up a tree to get it up properly and messed up my shoulders in the process. SO, the next day when that same doe walked by, I couldn't even get my bow pulled back to full draw. The doe, of course, saw this and ran away.... Sometimes I forget I'm not 21 anymore.
With my trail cams set up I have been able to ascertain that there are plenty of deer around but they seem to visit the spots I'm not hunting at the moment.
Plenty of season left and watching the sun set over the trees makes me feel good. Nostalgic for times and people that have passed but with anticipation for what lies ahead. I guess that's why I still do what I do....

Walking ditches

Once again, a small group of good friends took time out of their Saturday to walk ditches and pick up trash.
John and I have often said that if we had to, we'd walk those two miles all by ourselves. I have a feeling, however, that we will never walk alone.
To Dean, Tracy. Kurt, Mike, Sue, Tommy and Kevin, thanks for your support. It means everything to us.....