Animals In Trees, Literally...

Saturday, December 5, 2009

It was cold, crispy fall on Saturday as I headed into the woods late in the morning. I knew there was a chance of snow and it was already plenty cold out. So, I timed my trip so I could last until dark and not get too cold.

This was the last weekend of rifle season, so I opted to head for my stand and not walk around too much. I took a good hour, walking slowly and stepping carefully. It started snowing, lightly at first, but it began to get heavier. I sat in my stand, still and quiet.

If you sit quietly enough, you can hear the snow fall. It makes a near-silent muffle as it covers leaves, branches, trunks, and me. The sound gets quieter as the snow plies up, softening its own landing. I like it. Things are very simple right now.

It's turning into winter, and I am watching it happen.

I don't see any deer, and even the squirrels are mostly holed up. The deer will seek shelter in heavy cover, under evergreens, in the thick stands, anywhere out of the wind and snow. They'll just sit tight and wait. Mostly, they can be as patient as they please.

The deer probably won't be out now, but you can never be sure. So, I am happy to sit, snow slowly piling up on me, and wait, just in case.


Sunday, December 6, 2009

I probably ought to be in church, but I am running out of time for this season and with fresh snow on the ground, I hoped to cut some fresh tracks early and find some deer. In the woods I hunt, there is an avenue of travel where I know there will be tracks, there always are. But this trail is too close to the road to hunt, so I have to follow the tracks and try to catch the deer in heavy cover somewhere else.

Actually, my best bet is to get in front of them and then hold still and let them come to me. It is almost impossible to sneak up on them, but you can let them sneak up on you...

It gets windy around 9-9:30 am, typical for most days when it is quiet and then a light breeze kicks up. But today this wind is gusty and poses extra problems. The trees are loaded with 5 inches of snow and every gust empties branches onto the ground, obscuring tracks and making it difficult to judge how old they are.

Following tracks for a couple hours, I paused to rest by a big evergreen tree. I crouched next to the trunk and leaned against it. In one of my very recent footprints only a few feet away, I hear a noise. Looking closely, I see a leaf push up and down a few times. Then like a cartoon, a little bump makes its way under the leaves, under the snow, moving away through an invisible corridor in a whole other world. That field mouse got a rude awakening when I walked by.

Still by the tree, I next heard a scratching noise on the tree and assumed it was a squirrel coming down the other side. I looked around the tree and saw no squirrel, but about eight feet up, there was a small knothole in the tree. Definitely big enough for a red squirrel to get in. The squirrel was inside the tree, right beside me, protected and oblivious. Not bad digs at all for a red squirrel.

I went back to walking and covered a lot of ground, occasionally picking up some tracks, then just moving on intuition and looking for what I think would be natural lines of drift the deer would follow. The woods have a natural flow to them based on terrain, obstacles, tree growth, rocks, and streams. These things all combine to produce natural lines of drift that animals and people will tend to follow. They are not absolute, but animals will definitely tend toward these places.

Different animals move differently, have differing abilities and strengths, and needs for cover and protection. These factors also affect what line of drift would appeal to which animal. I may not tend to see a good opening in the same way a rabbit would spot a potential highway. So when I look for deer lines, I have to look at things like I was three feet tall and with a long body, but a low mid-section. For example, a log that I may climb right over, may not seem appealing to a deer that may have to jump or climb awkwardly over. The deer will walk around or change direction.

Anyway, I spent the day walking quietly through the woods on Sunday. It was perfect. My thermos of hot coffee kept me warm and juiced for the trip and I had a couple sandwiches for lunch beside a clearing.

I passed by a known porcupine tree on my way back and paused to see if the big guy was home. Safely inside his tree, I could hear him shuffling around. It must be tough to get comfortable inside a tree.

I've got one more weekend left to hunt for bow season. I intend to make the most of it. The wood will be quiet this week and if the weather continues to be rough, hopefully, the deer will hole up and perhaps by this weekend, they will be antsy and ready to move. Either way, it has been a greatly enjoyable season and I have learned a lot so far.