Hunting Season Begins ~ 2005
October 8, 2005 by Jessica Bjorkman
The opening morning of hunting season is a big event in my brother's life. He awaits it with great anticipation. This morning we left the house in the dark around 5:00am. We parked the truck at the edge of the cut (logged clearcut area) he had chosen. "This is bad. It's a south wind," he whispered to me. After some more whispering, we decided to head to a different cut. We unloaded the quad and hurried to the new cut. He had me carry the two guns while he took the quad over some rough terrain. Almost there, I ended up knee deep in black muck.
He decided we would split up where the road split. "Now remember, walk really slow and quiet and stop lots to listen," he whispers as we are about to part. It is now the official opening for the moose and deer season. I try to walk as quietly as possible and look for moose in the cut. This is what is so enjoyable about hunting: watching the sunrise, smelling the sweet fall leaves, listening intently for even one little crack or footstep.
When I reach the edge of the cut, I hear him talking to me on the radio. He has also reached the end and instructs me to walk north to the main road. A few seconds later, he whispers, "I just saw a cow." We only have a tag for a calf and a bull moose. Calfs are getting rarer every year as the bear population increases. About ten minutes later, he whispers again on the radio, "I just saw another cow, no calf though." Then a few minutes later, I hear three shots and he whispers, "I just shot a buck."
So, the hunt is over. Not really. The work has just begun. We get the quad and drive back to the deer. He is a beautiful 14 point buck. I hold the legs back while he guts the animal. We lift the buck onto the quad, drive it to the truck, onto the truck, and go home. It's so warm in the fall that we decide not to hang the animal but to butcher him up and put him in the freezer right away.
This is a lot of work. Luckily, our family helps us with this part. We skin him (this is removing the hide). Next, we separate the different types of meat and finally, we package it all up and put it in the freezer. What a long day! Thank you Lord, for good food.
October 8, 2005 by Jessica Bjorkman
The opening morning of hunting season is a big event in my brother's life. He awaits it with great anticipation. This morning we left the house in the dark around 5:00am. We parked the truck at the edge of the cut (logged clearcut area) he had chosen. "This is bad. It's a south wind," he whispered to me. After some more whispering, we decided to head to a different cut. We unloaded the quad and hurried to the new cut. He had me carry the two guns while he took the quad over some rough terrain. Almost there, I ended up knee deep in black muck.
He decided we would split up where the road split. "Now remember, walk really slow and quiet and stop lots to listen," he whispers as we are about to part. It is now the official opening for the moose and deer season. I try to walk as quietly as possible and look for moose in the cut. This is what is so enjoyable about hunting: watching the sunrise, smelling the sweet fall leaves, listening intently for even one little crack or footstep.
When I reach the edge of the cut, I hear him talking to me on the radio. He has also reached the end and instructs me to walk north to the main road. A few seconds later, he whispers, "I just saw a cow." We only have a tag for a calf and a bull moose. Calfs are getting rarer every year as the bear population increases. About ten minutes later, he whispers again on the radio, "I just saw another cow, no calf though." Then a few minutes later, I hear three shots and he whispers, "I just shot a buck."
So, the hunt is over. Not really. The work has just begun. We get the quad and drive back to the deer. He is a beautiful 14 point buck. I hold the legs back while he guts the animal. We lift the buck onto the quad, drive it to the truck, onto the truck, and go home. It's so warm in the fall that we decide not to hang the animal but to butcher him up and put him in the freezer right away.
This is a lot of work. Luckily, our family helps us with this part. We skin him (this is removing the hide). Next, we separate the different types of meat and finally, we package it all up and put it in the freezer. What a long day! Thank you Lord, for good food.
