Deer Season Memories
11-29-2012
If Wisconsin’s deer herd numbers and correlating hunting experience has seen tough times over the last decade in many regions, we who traditionally hunt in Vilas County have been in the abyss. Hunting had evolved and deteriorated to going through the motions to see nothing. Hunting has meant self-regulation and restraint on the trigger when does did appear in an era when does-only seasons still followed each empty regular season.
After the 2012 there is some light in our tunnel.
It is so true that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. In our hey-day of the 1980 and 90s, this cabin of hunters on the Manitowish Chain knew we would take our deer and more importantly we knew we would experience a deer hunt. We would see the first light of each day, see the chases, hear the grunts on a cold morning, scout new places, and have our opportunities. We would have venison and some of us would be selective on what we would tag. We would hover at a 50 percent success rate and all of this with no baiting in Wisconsin’s northland. We would simply get lost in the big outside with tree stands on our back and a compass in our hand to stumble through the wonderful process of learning how to tag a deer. At season’s end, three or four deer silhouetted on the meat pole was the expectation for this crew of six or seven hunters.
After this 2012 season we’re still a long way from “home”. But it is amazing how seeing a deer or two a day can feel so good when empty days have been the norm for the last five or six years. You may not understand that in places where things are good. I personally, passed on a spike that literally looked up at my face from the grating in the floor of my Lone Wolf as I looked down. He was scrawny and small and dumb. I could have shot him and maybe should have shot him at 20 yards broadside looking back but maybe he will grow strong and big and smart. I also had two responses to my grunt calls, one buck that took a doe away; a journey I could follow verbally as he grunted himself. And the next day, I was busted on a quiet morning by a big animal that I could not identify that came in slow and quiet behind me. But I was hunting man. Away from the world and it felt so good.
My brother John Ellis saw two bucks and half-dozen does hunting all five days and hunting partner Larry Calvi saw three deer in three days.
Improvement , yes. Please don’t hang doe tags on us in 2013. We can wait.
Connect with “Deer Hunting”. Enjoy the many readers’ photos and stories that have been coming into OWO since the season started. There are some bruisers being taken out there. My favorite photo was submitted by OWO contributing writer Mike Hart while hunting in Wisconsin Dells. Make sure you check out behind the buck in the photo as Hart prepares for a shot from his tree stand that he ultimately doesn’t take. His son does tag the buck later. We have photos submitted from Iron County to southern Wisconsin. Send us your stories and photos at ellis@onwisconsinoutdoors.com. We will post your memory.
“On the Trapline with Arnie Groehler” debuts today under “trapping” and “Deer Hunting”, the latter so that we can introduce the column and Board member for the Wisconsin Trappers Association properly and let people know he’s here with OWO. I’ve been in the field enough with Arnie to know that he will educate you and make you laugh in the weeks to come. Even if you are not a trapper, I highly recommend his column. He’s Wisconsin’s own Jeremiah Johnson.
By day’s end the Robb Manning concealed carry column will be posted under “Firearms”. This week’s topic is “Alternative Carry Methods-Shoulder Holsters.” Manning also knows his stuff and if you have not known that we carry his column weekly, simply scroll back under Firearms and get into his first six or so columns too. You’ll be seeing more and more of Manning in our print version of On Wisconsin Outdoors, to complement long time OWO firearms expert S. Wilkerson.
OWO columnist John Luthens went deer hunting with his young son last week and the experience inspired a fictitious outdoor story entitled “The Black Squirrel” under "Deer Hunting". As a point of interest this publisher was a white squirrel in middle school and hung around with a black squirrel, a Hispanic squirrel named Adolph who is still my friend… and a bunch of other Caucasian squirrels who I still hunt with but that’s another story. Luthens’ black squirrel story is a well-written read and an example of quality outdoor writing just for writing’s sake. Try it. John’s story also doesn’t end in the principal’s office like we often did in 1972. (Is that whole paragraph what they refer to as ADD?)
Also connect with “Outdoor News” for a bunch of newly posted items from wardens and other DNR divisions and outdoor organizations. Under “Inland Fishing” you will see that our guides are clinging to every bit of open water opportunities or transitioning in the northland to first ice. And on we go.
I head to Lake Winnebago Friday for a big-water duck hunt. Then it’s on to central Wisconsin next week on request from a friend with too many does on his QDM-managed property. This Vilas County boy is more than happy to help. The freezer is empty.
Shoot straight.
Dick Ellis