T shirt, shorts, jeans, socks and hiking boots. I’ve a camp flannel shirt and camo fall coat. The electric bicycle is loaded up from yesterday. It’s rained all night but I had a black large plastic bag over the spare battery and arrows on the back rack. I’ve got my long hunting knife, folding hunting knife, leatherman and hunting tags for bear and mule deer on my belt. I’ve two helmets with me, the lighter bicycling one and the heavier motorcycle one. I don the bicycle helmut, and turn on the little computer read out on the handlebars. Then I swing the Excalibur Cross bow with attached bolt quiver over my head onto my back. Then I swing my leg over the bike. I really do need to do more ballet stretches. The electric bicycle throttle is on the left handle bar. I turn it on and I ‘m heading out of the campground.
The forest road is the other side of the RR#6. It’s rained all night and the mud is greasy. It takes a lot to keep from tumbling even going slow. Each open field I stop and look about. I even walk for a bit then I”m at the next logging road and go fast on the gravel till I get to another forest road. This has more gravel so is less greasy. I ride along slowly enjoying the morning. When I’m a half battery down on power I stop to switch batteries. I don’t want to run out of power and find the second battery is empty too. Five bars light up on the second battery. I’m good to go.
Locking my bicycle to a tree I walk along a deer trail for some time until it connects with a road that runs along marshy lakes with a beaver damn and lots of ducks. No mule deer. No bear.
I almost don’t find my bike when I come back. I have to back track on the bike trails to see where I took it off track and locked it to a tree in the woods. I always get anxious about doing this. I once did get lost, not find my vehicle and slept over night until I found it I the light of morning.
I didn’t see any animals. It was a short ride home. I really did appreciate the instant coffee Laura made. Warmth. When the sun came out it was hot but when it was behind the clouds it seemed to become suddenly chilly, like Modor. We moved inside.
I began reading a Wilbur Smith novel. We had barbecued buns and hot dogs again. I napped a bit.
5 pm was the time the evening hunt began. It’s always a kerfuffle to find the stuff again. Despite having just had most of it in the morning. I switched to the KTM 690 and had more storage in the panniers. Green Garbage bags for carrying livers and hearts back. Lots of bungee cords for tying a deer or a quarter of a deer across the back of the bike. More layers of clothing.. It’s cold at night on the bike with the windchill. I’ll have long johns next time. I’ve worn panty hose when I didn’t have long johns. The hunt must go on.
Finally with the cross bow bungee’d down on the back of the bike and the Winchester Coyote carried on my back I mount the very tall KTM. When I switched on the key and fired up the ignition the bike purrs into life. I head out once ,twice, thrice. Each time I come back for something else, another sweater layer, a rolled of towel to stop a rattle of the cross bow and finally a flashlight. I’m off.
I still don’t like the slippery muddy roads and try to find more gravel side roads. C Road seems best. It goes for miles. I spot some mule deer way ahead. They stop and watch me. I expect the last to join is a buck. But now they’re moving down the road away from me and into the woods to the side. When I start the bike and come along where they left they’re gone. Ghosts, my friend Bill Mewhort called these great big grey northern mulies. If it had been rifle season I might well have got that one, assuming it was a buck. I didn’t even get out my binoculars knowing I’d not get close enough to use my cross bow once they’d spotted me. With my rifle I’d have been able to scope the horns and fire as it turned to leave the road. I generally hit what I shoot at. That’s been a good certitude. But not at this distance with the cross bow, even the Excalibur. The rifle I carried was only for black bear. I had ‘t even seen scat.
I returned on C road and headed back to RR6. I rode past the bear looking places I’d seen before but was bothered by sprinkles of rain. I didn’t want to get wet and cold like last night so turned around early and headed back. Barbecued steak was calling to me.
It was to be the last hunt here with the motorcycle because when I got back I unloaded the bike then ran it onto the front rack on F350 to reduce the tasks needed for an early departure next morning. Gilbert was excited to see me. Lots of squirming and barking. Laura made up the peas and potatoes while I barbecued steak. A delicious meal. Sunset was lovely. Just sitting and watching the colours change over the lake and trees. No tv this long weekend.
We did get internet and enjoyed looking at the pictures of Belinda’ s family wedding. Her husband after began his KTM Adventure southern bike tour. Laura’s neice Jade had a baby girl. It was Labour Day so very timely.
With the furnace cranking out heat and the duvet calling Laura and I were in bed early. A few pages of Wilbur Smith ‘s Leon hunting in Africa then sleep. Glorious sleep.
A great hunt. It would have been better if I’d shot something but only marginally. I’m almost thankful not to have to do the field dressing and heavy towing and lifting to get the animal out of the woods and back to a vehicle. I’m pretty lazy at the beginning of hunting season but as the fall goes on I get more determined to shoot something and forget how much work that entails. I do like venison stew and I’ve had a hankering for bear. While I shot a deer last year it’s been several years since I had bear. I do love the winter with a freezer full of wild game. Next time. With Gilbert blind I’ve been down a man on my team. I’ll just have to up and get going when he wakes me next time.
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