Freeway deer poacher catches a break

Check this Twin Cities Pioneer Press story about a guy from Little Canada, MN who shot a trophy whitetail with a cross bow only 25 feet from a major interstate (35E) and got off with little consequences.  What angers me is that he got preferential treatment from the DNR officer AND the judge in the case because of his “fixed” income and history of strokes.  The DNR officer and judge didn’t condone this; instead they let him get off with a measly fine!

Deer Hunting Recap

My 2008 Wisconsin gun whitetail deer hunting season started off well with a relaxing 3 hour drive up to deer camp in the Moose Lake area of the north woods.  My brother Brent and I got off work at noon in order to have a more relaxed, traffic jam free drive up to our destination of Louie’s Landing.  We have been renting a small cabin at Louie’s for a number of years now and it works well as we’re just minutes from the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest where we hunt.  This year’s camp featured 7 hunters consisting of my Grandpa Mathison, Dad, Brent, my Dad’s friend Dan, his son Joe, my uncle Orv and me.  Using beds, cots, air mattresses and futons we all fit in a 2 bedroom 1 bath cabin.  The last few years my dad has been required to work the week of deer hunting season, so he and grandpa had to head back to Eau Claire on Sunday night, leaving the remaining 5 of us to hunt until Tuesday.  And hunt we did!  Each morning we woke up around 4:30, made a breakfast of scrambled eggs and sausage and headed to the woods around 6 a.m., well before daylight, in order to sneak into our hunting spot in time for the spectacular north woods sunrise.  We hunted all day, sometimes taking the truck and switching spots around noon in search of a better spot.  In this respect, hunting is like fishing; if the fish aren’t biting, try a new spot!

Even though we hunted from dawn until dusk, I didn’t see one deer the whole opening weekend (Saturday thru Tuesday).  Brent, who I hunted closely with most of the time, had similar bad luck.  My dad was a bit luckier, shooting his first deer in years, a nubbin (yearling) buck at about 9 a.m. Saturday (the opening day).  Dan and Joe hunted near each other and each saw multiple deer on the weekend, but only Dan was able to harvest any, getting two doe on Sunday from his ‘normal’ spot which has been very productive (and a well guarded secret) over the years.  The rest of the group was skunked for most of the first 4 days.

The evenings at deer camp this year were filled with stories from years past as well as theories on why the number of deer in the woods might be down this year.  In between the deer talk, we managed to spend the first two nights with a deer camp ritual: nickel and dime poker.  This probably isn’t the most exciting poker game played in deer camps in Wisconsin, but it allows everyone to play and have fun without losing their allowance for the week.  We let the dealer call the game, with popular variations such as 5 card draw, 7 card stud, 5 card draw with a pair of jacks needed to open the betting and 3 of a kind to win (‘jacks to open, trips to win’), and the staple of the Mathison deer camp: Baseball (in the rain), a very exciting version of 7 card stud with 2 wild cards (3,9), a bonus hole card (if you draw a 4) and the possibility of rain (a Queen of spades drawn as an ‘up’ card).  If it rains, you must throw you cards in and the game is re-dealt and the pot rolls over to the subsequent game of baseball.  The real excitement comes when it rains multiple times (it rained 3 times once this year) and the pot builds!

Deer Camp Poker Game

Another tradition of deer camp is the annual visit to the casino (sense a theme?) In the past there has always been someone who has been left behind since the age limit at casinos in Wisconsin is 21.  This year, the youngest member of the group (Joe) was finally 21, so everyone was eligible for the casino trip.  Sunday night after Dad and Grandpa had left, Orv, Brent, Joe and I made the trip to the casino (Dan was spent from shooting two deer that day and opted to stay back at the cabin go to bed early).  I believe Orv and Brent finished down a couple bucks and Joe and I finished up about $10 each playing blackjack for a couple hours.  Not great, but still better than coming back down!

The final evening was spent watching the Packers on Monday Night Football at the bar at Louie’s Landing.  I won’t say too much about that, except for the fact that we went home to back to the cabin and to bed at the end of the 3rd quarter, and not because the Packers were winning

All in all it was a fun weekend in the northern Wisconsin wilderness, even though I wasn’t successful at harvesting a deer in the first 4 days of hunting. Tuesday night Brent and I drove back to the Twin Cities to do a little work and get ready for the Thanksgiving holiday, during which we took a short break from hunting.

After an enjoyable Thanksgiving, we were back in the woods south east of Eau Claire near Fairchild, WI on Friday to continue the quest for a deer.  Brent and I slept in a bit and met Orv, Dan and Joe in the woods at our usual spot near the pipeline off of County Highway I.  Within 10 minutes of entering the woods, I spotted my first deer of the season, but it was traveling quickly and I wasn’t able to get my scope on it before it disappeared into the short pine trees. Later in the day I had some more action, jumping a deer as I walked through the swamp.  Unfortunately the swamp was so thick, the deer was out of sight before I could get my gun up.  But at least I was seeing some deer!

Sadly, although we hunted the rest of the weekend until about 2 on Sunday, I didn’t see another deer and have to chalk this year up as an unsuccessful hunt for me.  I think I’ll blame my shiny new equipment for my lack of success.  The new tree stand worked well, and my boots were very comfortable and kept my feet dry the whole weekend.  I can’t say they kept them warm though, but I think I’m just destined to having cold feet while hunting, as no boot seems to do the trick.  From what I’ve read though, I’m not the only unsuccessful hunter this year, as the initial deer kill in Wisconsin appears to be down about 20% overall and even more in the northern regions of the state.

It was a fun week of hunting and seeing family and friends, and even though I got shutout in the deer department, it gives me more motivation to look forward to next year.  The 2009 Wisconsin whitetail deer hunt can’t come soon enough!

Wisconsin Whitetail Deer Opener

It’s that time of year again, time for Wisconsin’s 9 day gun-deer season, which starts tomorrow.  It seems like every year this day comes faster and faster.  I remember when I was in high school, that last month up until deer season would be the longest ever it seemed.  This year I’ve made a few changes to try to improve on last year’s success:

8 point buck, 2007 deer season

I bought a climbing tree stand which I hope will open up a few of the thicker areas for me to hunt and let me see further in the woods. I’ve never hunted from a tree stand before so I’m excited to try this new style of hunting.  I picked up a nice pair of boots that hopefully will keep my feet drier and warmer.  Finally, I’m taking off an extra day at work to increase the amount of time in the woods and hopefully my odds at another successful opening weekend.  Stay tuned for the results!

Monday Morning Update

This past weekend was relaxing and uneventful.  Saturday I helped Maggie move into a new apartment, which has to be the fastest move I’ve ever participated in.  We were fortunate to have Mike, Bryan and her Dad help load up a large moving truck, using dollies and carts her dad supplied.  We had everything packed up in about 45 minutes and unloaded in about 30 minutes at the new place. That has to be some sort of record!

I am really hoping the work week flies by since this coming weekend is the Wisconsin Gun Deer opener and I am heading up to deer camp on Friday. I can’t wait!

On an unrelated note, I’d like to share a couple interesting articles I stumbled across lately:

How would you like to make between 4-6% APY on your checking account on balances up to on average $25,000?  You can by utilizing High Yield Reward Checking Account. All you have to do is use online banking, setup direct deposit, use your debit card around 10 times a month and potentially satisfy a few other minor requirements each month and you can get this great rate.  I recently switched my money from a high yield savings account at ING to one of these types of accounts at the credit union I joined when I was living in La Crosse.  I am easily able to meet the requirements each month and get the 5% rate, which is much better than the less than 3% I would make at ING Direct.  Check out the link above to see if there is an institution that offers this type of account in your area.

Finally, an article titled The Secrets Behind Your Favorite Toys highlights some of the interesting stories behind some of the most popular toys ever.  I bet you didn’t know Lincoln Logs were invented by Frank Lloyd Wright’s son did you?