Hunting with Naomi. Nov20, 2021 Naomi&Richard

At 530am I was walking around collecting gun, clothing, binoculars, tags, and the like before departure.  Naomi came over from Artas at 545 and asked if there was time for a bowl of cereal.  So as I finished packing and she had a quick breakfast we finally drove down to south Calgary to collect our last hunting partner and start moving quickly down to Longview.

After arriving on the hill, about 645am, we were just catching the full sunrise so I brought Naomi right to the hill that I like to be on for sunrise.  While there, I changed plans and said we'll go up to where I hunt as we were both able to continue up the hill, steep though it is.

I don't know who taught Naomi to hold binoculars like that, but it's totally how I would do it.  Very comfortable and easy to keep steady and keep your eyes on the area that you're scanning.

After getting up into the main space that I like to sit in, we lay there waiting till 8:45 for deer to show on the west side of the valley.  I looked back to Naomi to say something..... and there were three mulie within 10 feet of us.  We let them run past and I said that this has never happened to me.  Fun to see a little herd pass by so closely.  While continuing to wait a few little birds kept flying overhead.  I'm sure that they were curious about us.

Finally, unable to see anymore movement we walked along the top most area of the valley and over into a small watering pond to have a sandwich.  Usually we don't see much over at this lake and I don't always walk up into this area but it worked out as a good path back to the truck.

This was a long hike.  We were both (I at least) exhausted so now it was time to do some truck hunting.  We drove past the Blades, met a new farmer named Will for next years permissions, went up to the huterites and back.  We drove this circle at least twice looking for the best of the best.  While passing the blades property we saw two white tail deer grazing and all thought how interesting that the first doe was light yellow/brown while the second white tail was grey grey grey like a mulie.  Not all rules about coloring and what something should look like are followed.

Chris had the good idea to go back to a special place on the gardners that we like to hunt at for the end of the day.  We are only on the Sarah's property three weekends this year.  So this was a good weekend to try and catch something on that ranch. 

As we walked into the area together, Naomi and I, I told her about how this was the place that I shot my first deer ever.  She's now been into a couple of areas that I've never taken anyone else.  We walked one hill past where I had shot my first deer and low and behold, another beautiful deer to shoot.  

Naomi stayed back with her binoculars and I walked slow up one hill, and then another hill, trying to get closer to that deer.  It had been rubbing it's horns in the willows and I thought that it had bedded down in those willows.  Once I got to the closest hill that I thought might give me a view into the willows I say there glassing those willows.  The sun was just above the horizon and all I could see was sun in my binoculars and rifle scope.  I was getting tired and frustrated of not being able to see so I looked back to where I'd come from to see what Naomi was doing.  Later on Naomi would tell me that I was climbing that third hill and the deer and snuck around me and followed ME up the hill checking me out, and had then turned back and was just walking and feeding in between mine and Naomi's hills.  

It was maybe the closest and easiest shot on a white tail that I've ever had.  

Now, we were at least one and a half sections (1.5miles) away from the road.  After shooting this deer I asked Naomi if she'd help me drag.  I had two drags in my bag for some reason.  If I put one rope around the head it means that the horns are going to get dug into the dirt.  So one rope on one horn, one on the other, and the head was held up nicely for the dragging.

I don't want to belabor the point but dragging that deer 1.5 miles even together was one of the hardest drags that I've ever done.  I couldn't have done it if Naomi hadn't been side by side with me dragging that deer.

On the drive to Nanton to meet up with Leo.  We got to see the sunset which showed us about 20 minutes of blood mood.  Quickly after I had gotten one photo of the red moon it had already switched over to a dark grey moon behind some neat clouds.

And thus concludes our hunting experience.  Naomi and Chris and I.  November 20, 2021.  If you've come all the way through here, then here is a picture of Naomis deer from 2020, a photo of Naomi and my mother in law Joan, and lastly a photo of Naomi at our wedding.

Also... Woops!  Moiya had an open and empty blog post started.  I noticed that before I began.  It seems like I opened that empty blog post and wrote this submission.  So this isn't Moiya... it's Richard.  Sorry for the confusion.

Another November day at the Lake

Another day at the lake, and I joined Steve and Penny on their morning walk.  I am pretty sure that having me along slows them down, since I am continually making them stop for me to take yet another photo.  I know, I know!  I have walked these paths a thousand times, but it just looks different in the fall! I have enjoyed walking around Arta's trying to get the sense of the house/land in this season.  

Standing at the railing of Arta's deck

This differences are visible standing on the deck at Arta's, looking down below. In the summertime, this view is a palette of greens that makes it difficult to distinguish where one plants ends and other begins.  In the fall, there is so much more differentiation! I have also been enjoying the leaves (and yes, I know Arta would be raking them if she were here, but I am voting for letting nature take its course this year!).

Looking in the opposite direction

Looking to the left off the deck, the leaves cover the stairs, leaving the railway tie steps looking like a ladder laid out on the ground.

If you are brave enough (that is, if you can take the risk of setting 'carsick' from my wobbly video skills), you can follow me on a walk down the steps! (https://youtu.be/bDeLsOyzLtE)

I also love the view from the bottom of the hill back up at the house.  So unaccustomed to seeing it sitting on a bed of brown, rather than a bed of green!

Steve sees 'leaves to rake'.  I see 'leaves to leave'. 

One last apple on the tree David planted... still wet from the morning rain

Walking back up around the hill, I could hear the birds singing in the trees.  After (far too many hours?) playing online Wingspan, I am pretty sure I was enjoying the sounds of a chickadee.  

The leaves have turned, but the grass is green!

The big rock at the top of the stream is covered in moss.   I have been listening to Robin Wall Kimmerer's book "Gathering Moss" in audio form (she narrates it herself), and it has left me looking at moss with new eyes. 

 

a miniature forest, carpeting the rocks

At the top of the road, there is also magic in the sounds of the water tumbling over the rocks in the stream.   Again, I tried to capture it in video.  I can see I also captured a few drops of water on my camera lens! (https://youtu.be/PnBEgAd_wUs).

 

Finally, a handful of photos from that morning walk down Bernie Road, up to David and Shawna's, and back again.

The entry to Pilling's road

The willow tree down by where Primrose used to be pastured in the summers

I love all the different plants and trees in this shot

The view of Annis Bay looking to the west

Looking towards the narrows.  That sky!

A close up of a little cloud resting on Bastion mountain

Penny preparing for a post-run bath!

While Steve was giving Penny a bath, I tried capturing a few more videos from Arta's balcony.  The first clip traces the edge of a circle so you can catch the top of the trees, and the leaves below the deck). (https://youtu.be/6VNtK6orUms) 

The second clip goes straight across to get the view out at the lake).  (https://youtu.be/XTduu2KMytw) 

What I can't capture is the smell of the air...so crisp and delicious.  

The world.  

A gift. 

Only two bucks.... good price.

I hunted tuesday morning although we are weekend hunters due to work / kids / distance / schedule.  It was a special day.  A very unique offer came up.  

A quick aside:  Hunting requires knowing the area of alberta that you are authorized to hunt in from the provincial government.  Within that area though, might be 200 farmers.  500?  So after buying a tag you should invest the time and energy to make friends with the owners of the land that you plan to visit.  For example, I've met the Roe, joworskis, the dayments, the gardners (Cam, Barb), the greens, the mcphersons, and that's off the top of my head.  In my notes I've probably met 50 or 100 landowners.

This year my father and I have 5 tags each, (10 total, although often Chris doesn't fill his).  1 cow elk, 1 mulie buck, 1 mulie doe, 1 white tail open, and 2 white tail doe supplemental.

Elk opens a bit earlier than deer season.  We've been out on Roes and Garndners properties a couple of times already.  There are many hunters already out and no more elk on those pieces of land.  While staring at mulie on McPhersons property, I decided to touch base with them again.  Again we haven't got permission on their lands but maybe one day.  While talking to Shelly (she said no on her lands) she asked if I'd got permission on Dayments.  I met Larry for the first time in 2016.  Here's a family photo that we did on the Dayments property back in 2016.  

Now, I called Dayment (Larry), but usually you call in August for the hunting season.  So calling the day of a hunt is kind of unreasonable.  Still, Larry found a friday for me, and a tuesday.  I was going in for elk, but on the final day I ran into a pile of whitetail and then two mulie that ran over as well.  Seeing as I could probably do two animals on my own I decided that I'd take two bucks (a mulie and a white) over the chance of getting skunked on the day.

Here is a picture of the field just before sundown the day before the hunt.

and then the field just after sunrise on the day that I hunted.  

And some pictures of the bucks that I harvested.

And Now they've been hanging the garage for a couple of days.

Now, hunting is exhilarating.  It's a ton of prep, meeting land owners, getting tags, organizing your kit, making sure that your gun is accurate, before this 3 minute event.  Still, in that moment it is so exciting.  

Ok, now an aside about reflections.

This is the first time that I've actually hunted and harvested (taken a life) since mom died in the summer.  I had a long bit of time sitting in the field with those dead deer thinking about Mom.  The surprising feeling was emptiness, some loneliness with a side of sorrow.  Lots of sadness.  I don't know what I was sad about.  Maybe that I won't be sharing this day, this story with Arta.

I hunt to stay connected to the food chain, and for exercise, and to show my children what happens in the back room of safeway before you ge tthe steak, and because my mom loved hearing my hunting stories.  Just like this one.

It's been almost ten years of hunting now, I started hunting after having kids.  Maybe people start as a kid, but it wasn't part of  our family dynamic.  

I think that I crave the obligation of hunting as well, today I realize that the obligations once you've killed a living being are part of my journey.  I like to be part of the life of an animal.  It lives in the wild, and at some point I respect and carry it to my car, burtcher it, clean it, respect the gifts that I get from it.  I would like to think that it makes me a more respectful person.  Or maybe it's just me trying to see and experience all of the cool things in this world.  It is my lifes goal.

Today I think that hunting makes me more respectful.   I'd like to hope so.  I'll leave you with some good hunting photos from this year.  Usually during sunrise.

Thank you to Larry.