HUNTING JOURNAL- DAY 2
4:45 am- phone rings. It's Art Gormley. I let the machine pick up. "Christie! You awake? It's Art. I'm working all kinds of crazy hours. How'd you make out yesterday? I should be coming up on the weekend. We'll hammer 'em then. OK. Good luck." Click.
4:50 am- phone rings again. "I forgot to tell ya. Gary and Matt each got one yesterday in Pennsy. 20 lbs each. OK. See ya on the weekend." Click.
4:51 am- I get up. Coffee. BBC news- Top stories- The genocide in Darfur and yesterday's illegal immigrant walkout in the US. 34 degrees and partly cloudy. No wind. Repeat the same routine as yesterday- go down to Ray's, only this time forget the ridge and set up closer to the river. Only one bird is gobbling far off, across the Neversink. By 6am he's shut up and i can't raise him. Go home. More coffee. Write blog. Drive to Montgomery and creep back to the same spot where I saw the tom yesterday. Spook a hen going in. She flys down towards Bird's house. Call for at least and hour. No gobbles. Loop around towards the pines and see a big pile of fresh feathers. They look like a tom or jake. In all likelyhood it was a coyote kill. Set up on top of the ridge and call. Just about to fall asleep when i hear a "putt". It's a jake coming in behind me. When I turn he makes me and walks away. I probably wouldn't have shot him anyway. A deer tick bites me in the right wrist. I never have the safety off the gun.
Yesterday afternoon GNJohn showed up with a pitcher of margarittas and around 10pm Junie Bogart (Milawyer's brother) with a friend of his, dropped by with a bottle of sake and some killer weed. If Art hadn't called i never would've gotten up this morning. This afternoon i have to move my woodpile, mow the lawn and have the church chimney assessed by an expert. But first I have to light that roach left over from last night. End day two.
4:50 am- phone rings again. "I forgot to tell ya. Gary and Matt each got one yesterday in Pennsy. 20 lbs each. OK. See ya on the weekend." Click.
4:51 am- I get up. Coffee. BBC news- Top stories- The genocide in Darfur and yesterday's illegal immigrant walkout in the US. 34 degrees and partly cloudy. No wind. Repeat the same routine as yesterday- go down to Ray's, only this time forget the ridge and set up closer to the river. Only one bird is gobbling far off, across the Neversink. By 6am he's shut up and i can't raise him. Go home. More coffee. Write blog. Drive to Montgomery and creep back to the same spot where I saw the tom yesterday. Spook a hen going in. She flys down towards Bird's house. Call for at least and hour. No gobbles. Loop around towards the pines and see a big pile of fresh feathers. They look like a tom or jake. In all likelyhood it was a coyote kill. Set up on top of the ridge and call. Just about to fall asleep when i hear a "putt". It's a jake coming in behind me. When I turn he makes me and walks away. I probably wouldn't have shot him anyway. A deer tick bites me in the right wrist. I never have the safety off the gun.
Yesterday afternoon GNJohn showed up with a pitcher of margarittas and around 10pm Junie Bogart (Milawyer's brother) with a friend of his, dropped by with a bottle of sake and some killer weed. If Art hadn't called i never would've gotten up this morning. This afternoon i have to move my woodpile, mow the lawn and have the church chimney assessed by an expert. But first I have to light that roach left over from last night. End day two.
posted by mike osterhout at 11:55 AM
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