Food for Thought

Recently, the news media has gotten ahold of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's new goal of eating only meat he has killed himself. While I commend him for this, he has also caught a lot of negative press for his goal. For the most part I think this is because the public has a falsely preconceived notion of hunting in general and where the food they eat comes from. It is easy to forget that an animal has to die before it arrives neatly prepackage in your grocery store cooler. As hunters and sportsman we have chosen to be in control of the process from which our food comes. By being a part of that process I have a greater respect and appreciation for my food.

Hunting in general is a very visceral experience. It demands a hunter be prepared for the taking of life in order to further his or her own. Hunters must stalk and learn about their prey, choose a place of ambush, dispatch the animal as humanely as possible and clean and care for the game after the kill. This involves a certain emotional involvement that I believe many people do not see or understand. It's that involvement that connects sportsmen and women to their quarry and the environment. The perception of John Q. Public is just the killing of an animal they may perceive as "cute" when in reality it is so much more than that. Sportsmen have taken a leading role in providing themselves and their families with their own food. It also fosters a culture of individuals who strive to protect the natural resources that sustain them.

When I worked at a local garden center, it was quite common to see couples (often young couples) come in searching for information on starting an organic garden. Often they had no idea why they were trying organic gardening in lieu of an alternative other than they heard it was better for their families and for the environment. Grocery stores now carry an organic or free range alternative to nearly everything you would buy. Free range beef and poultry, organic fruits and vegetables. It is a bit ironic to me that people believe they are applying forward thinking to something that has been around for as long as man. They are actually only rediscovering something that hunters and sportsman have always known: organic and free range are new age definitions for "wild game". Wild game is inherently low fat (up to 97% lean), organic and free of hormones and antibiotics.

I hope with Mr. Zuckerberg's high profile the public will see that it is acceptable and often beneficial to become more involved in the preparation of the food that they consume. If nothing else hopefully the public will realize that the meat at the grocery store didn't just appear neatly wrapped in cellophane and begin the appreciate those who choose be more closely involved in the feeding of their families, even if they themselves choose not to.

Camping in the Smokies

Sorry for the delay since my last post, I really haven't taken the time to sit down and write something up!

Last week Carrie and I took a much needed couple of days off and headed down to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park for a 3 night camping trip. This trip is something that I had been planning for quite some time and had really been looking forward to. I have driven through the park on several occasions and visiting there has always been a "bucket list" kind of goal. The area really appeals to me for it's ruggedness and temperate, old growth forests.

The drive is relatively long from Indiana at just under 8 hours and Carrie insisted that she drive so I got to enjoy the scenery. (Actually my wife claims that I do more "gawking" than driving and was afraid I'd drive us off the side of a mountain.)

We arrived at Abrams Creek Campground safely and without incident. Since we came in on a Thursday, we had our pick of several picturesque campsites along the creek. This campground really is a hidden gem, however if you intend to stay here, get in early because with only 17 campsites it will still fill up quickly during peak season.

 Abrams Creek flows along the western side of the campground and amenities are limited to a restroom and water hydrant.

We spent a good portion of our time relaxing around the campfire and exploring the areas in and around the park. We did set off to see Abrams Creek Falls, however the trail had been destroyed by one of the many tornadoes that had wrecked havoc across the South on Wednesday night and the trail was impassable. Nonetheless we put in a nice 6 mile hike.

Probably one of my favorite parts of the whole trip was our trip into Cades Cove on Saturday evening. The cove is rich with American history and much of the view is nothing short of stunning. Wildlife was present everywhere you looked and we had the opportunity to see turkey, deer, and several bears. All in all it was a great trip and and much needed chance to just relax and hang out with my wife. Hopefully it won't be long before we can return for another visit.

Mushrooms a' comin'!

I got the opportunity to take off for a bit this past weekend to scout for the first morel mushrooms of the year. I took my wife and mother-in-law out to the local state park to enjoy the nice weather and try our luck.

I have only recently been getting a few reports of folks finding the tasty treasures, so my expectations of finding any were pretty low. When we got to the woods it was apparent that we were still early despite the warm weather trend. May apples, which usually signal mushroom season were just starting to poke out of the ground. We spent a couple hours searching, but without luck. I'd expect with more rain and some consistently warm temps we'll be seeing them soon though. Nonetheless it was nice to get out and enjoy the woods after a long snowy winter.


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Finally Spring

It's finally starting to look like spring around here. Of course, this is Indiana, and I haven't ruled out the possibility of snow this week- we'll see. Hopefully with the warming weather I'll have the opportunity to get out and do some hiking, mushroom hunting and maybe a spring turkey hunt. I will be sure to keep everyone posted. As always I will spend a good deal of the warmer months fishing the local waterways, so keep an eye on the blog for updates. Finally, Carrie and I have a trip to the Smokies planned this coming month so I'll be sure to post up some pictures of that trip. In the meantime, here's a shot of one of my better catches this past year.

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Snow!

Yesterday the weatherman here said that the windchill was 12 degrees above zero. He wasn't kidding. It was cold- the kind of cold that cuts right through to your core and makes you wish you were at home on the couch. But it was the opening weekend of muzzleloader season and we had fresh snow. There would be no way I could pass up such an opportunity. I started the day with the first morning light as I watched a coyote work his way across an open corn field. He had a bit of urgency in his stride and I knew that he thought it was uncomfortably cold too. I ended up seeing several deer in the morning but none presented me with a shot. I thoroughly enjoyed being out there though; the fresh blanket of snow adds a whole new element of serenity to the woods. I didn't end up tagging a deer yesterday but don't worry, there's still lots of season left!

Prophetstown State Park Reduction Hunt

Last week my brother and I participated in one of the Indiana DNR state park reduction hunts at Prophetstown State Park. The 2000 acre Prophetstown sits at the confluence of the Wabash and Tippecanoe rivers and offers a glimpse of the prairies that once covered a good portion of west central Indiana.

The hunt was divided into two dates, one on November 15th and 16th and the second (our hunt) on November 29th and 30th. I'd estimate that for our hunt there were somewhere near 50 hunters in the park however the woods were relatively silent for most of the first morning. As we found out early on, once the deer became pressured, they took to the tall prairie grasses that make up most of the park and quite easily disappeared.

My brother and I both ended up taking one deer apiece, myself a doe and Matt a small 5 point buck. My deer was taken purely by luck as I was working along the top of a ridge line at the edge of the park. From my vantage point I was able to watch her flee from one surprised hunter, get redirected after spotting my brother and end up nearly running me over as she sped up my hill. Luckily I watched it all unfold and was waiting with the hammer cocked back.

53 total deer were harvested from the two hunts this year, well short of the 100 harvested in 2009. I am quite sure most of those were taken by hunters who resorted to walking the head high prairie grass to produce a chance at a snap shot as the deer bounded away.

All in all, we had a good time and the staff at Prophetstown was very pleasant and accommodating. The hunting was difficult and its hard to say if I would choose to go back to Prophetstown again. I think I'll probably stick to the woods though.

October Blues

This morning I found myself sitting high above a cut corn field anxiously anticipating the first deer of the season. I sat uninterrupted for quite awhile. No deer. Eventually I did see some deer, a doe and her yearling, but it was a fleeting glimpse at best.

There may not be any more well-known stigma among hunters than the October disappearing act of the North American Whitetail. As we anxiously prepare through August and September, we obsessively educate ourselves on bedding areas, travel corridors, pinch points and preferred food sources. With all this planning we hope to position ourselves for making the memory of a lifetime. But after all this preparation the deer seem to just disappear. Long gone are the days of predictable paths to food and water that had been running like clockwork since mid June.

This October already seems impossibly difficult. With daytime highs averaging in the low to mid 80’s and a noticeable lack of rain, deer movement has been limited to the cooler nights. When confronted with these kinds of hunting conditions you have to change up your game plan completely. First I stop hunting anytime past noon. Afternoon temperatures are much too hot for deer movement and you’ll end up stinking up the woods sweatin’ it to your stand. I also try to hunt a position immediately downwind of bedding areas near both water and a good food source. Despite the heat, deer will get up and move during warmer weather but may not go far. Setting up in these high value areas close to home may increase your chances of tagging out. A word of caution though- disturbing deer in or near bedding areas may cause them to relocate or push them into becoming completely nocturnal; so always get in early, hunt with the wind in your favor and never overuse a stand. If there is a bright side to the weather this season, the dry spell has allowed farmers to stay ahead of schedule at harvest. Deer use the standing corn as security cover, and are forced to move when it comes down.

No matter how daunting, just remember when the hunting gets tough this October to think outside the proverbial box a little and don’t be afraid to adjust your tactics! Good luck and Happy Hunting.