Some Early Winter Thoughts

Snow is just around the corner, and speaking only for myself, my wish is not to get buried in snow like last year when we had 216 inches of the white stuff. Being something of a logical gent, I could easily get along with 50-60 inches as long as it gets cold early and freezes up our local lakes for safe ice fishing.

 Early winter is a breathtaking time of year for me. Cool breezes, bright sunny skies, and glistening snow as far as the eye can see provides a brand of outdoor pleasure only for those willing to spend the time outside to enjoy it.

There are countless things that tap into my winter moods, and from now through late-March, we be thinking winter all the time. Still, in the coming months, there are ample opportunities to make use of our five senses. Winter is made for nature lovers, and outdoor sportsmen can reap the greatest benefits during this period.

These personal delights are just a few of many that will tempt sportsmen over the next few months.

*I relish the sight of straight-as-a-string fox tracks moving across freshly fallen snow and find them mesmerizing. Each track is deeply set in the snow, and they are dark indentations that show pad marks under a bright sun. They move forward, stop, meander from one side of a hill to the other, and then moves on  again as the animal endlessly searches for food.

 *A good buck, its antlers gleaming and polished in the winter sun against a snow-covered cedar, is a beautiful sight. And a person doesn’t have to hunt to enjoy the image of the deer’s haughty attitude once the hunting seasons end.

 *The distant and forlorn sound of a coyote pack on the move send shivers down my spine. Listen to each voice, and determine how many animals there are. Some yip in a shrill manner like a youngster’s voice changing during puberty. Others have a rapid yapping style and some seem to yodel or howl like a wolf. Each voice is distinctive, and it’s easy to tell when they are on the hunt because the sounds continue to move rapidly. Coyote hunting as grown by leaps and bounds as people realize that these are alpha predators.

*The distant smell of a wood fire after a long afternoon of bow, muzzleloader or rifle deer hunting is tangy to the nose. It is the smell of wild places and a home hearth. Nothing fires my belly faster than a sniff of wood smoke drifting on the winter wind.

Count your winter blessings.

*Most folks take vision for granted but for some like myself, who only have one eye that works, we count our blessings when we see snow devils swirling like dervishes on a winter wind or across a broad expanse of unblemished snow. A line of snowshoe tracks by a sportsmen going over a hill and out of sight makes me wonder what may lie on the far side. The sight of white snow buntings flying low and zigzagging over an open field is an enjoyable winter sight.

 *Snowshoe hare hunting is a major winter challenge for me and many others. Watching a white hare run across a white blanket of snow can be a lesson in frustration. Hares can be difficult to see until one learns to look for the black eyes, black ear tips and tiny puffs of snow kicked up by the animal as it dodges in an out of thick cover.

*Kids always used to stick out their tongue to taste falling snowflakes. At age 70, I hardly qualify as a kid but my tongue still catches an occasional flake. It’s just one way to taste the outdoors, and that taste is one that will linger as long as I live. However, I do draw a line at sucking on ice sickles. Why? No clue.

Ice fishing is great winter fun. 

*There is a special magic that comes over me each winter as I auger a hole on a local lake, rig up a bluegill jig on one-pound monofilament, and bait it with a wax worm.  Keep the jigging motion very short and try different depths. A 10-inch ‘gill is a prize beyond compare, and small limber rods and tiny reels require spending a few minutes fighting that fish to the hole where it comes splashing out with water droplets sparkling like small diamonds.

*Touching winter-hardened trees, the soft fur of a downed cottontail or coyote, the cold steel of a shotgun barrel or snow dropping from a cedar bough to trickle down our neck are other treasured reminders of our human status and our ability to enjoy the beauty and splendor of the outdoors during the winter months.

All the pleasures of nature are there for those who will expend the energy required to enjoy a winter day outdoors. And deer hunting on Thanksgiving Day will be my day to again remember why I spend my leisure and work time outdoors as the winter months pass slowly into tomorrow as we chase away thoughts of yesterday.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors