Larry A. Smail's Blog

Clear cut

What a difference a few hours can make in regards to the weather. I glanced into the skies as I began the pre-dawn walk up the

Beech

mile long hollow. I was planning on getting to a predetermined spot to await dawn before still hunting through a clear cut searching for anything black. However, I couldn’t help myself to observe the bright moon, starry sky and the calmness of that early time.

Memories of past bear hunts along with some very close encounters jarred my thoughts. A silent prayer of thanks was uttered.

The sky was bright by around 6:30 A.M. but the woodlands were still darkened. The little birds were chirping as I noticed a bird fly close to my head. The bird was an owl. I could see the bird’s “horns” as it perched about thirty yards from me.

Detail from my painting called, “Great-Horned Owl”.

  I began my slow walk up the hollow stopping often to listen and look. I found some past bear sign. I came to an area where I climbed the slope while utilizing a well-worn deer trail. Two hen pheasants flushed, but I couldn’t get the camera on them. Immediately, I noticed a hawk gliding from across the hollow. That Cooper’s Hawk either heard the pheasants or saw them , or both. At that time, another flushed rom behind me. The hawk flew right over my head and moved quickly into the area where the pheasant had landed. I don’t know if the hawk was successful. I heard two shots in the distance from across the road. (I didn’t see a hunter all morning. where I was hunting.)                                            

By this time the cloud cover was at about 90%. The western sky was dark now.

Nature’s Play-Doh

I reached the end of the hollow and turned to still hunt a high wall. The winds had increased and I would soon see leaves fluttering in the sky over 100 feet high. I saw one doe during this maneuver.

I approached and sat down to watch a big basin that had a lot of hemlocks and oaks. the woods became very dark and I knew rain would be soon. At eleven the  rains began. I heard four shots across the road over half a mile away.

  The winds were howling and the rain was pelting me as I headed the distance to the jeep. I saw a male ringneck. The bird allowed for a number of photos after I removed the camera from my shoulder bag. This really dampened my camera.

At noon the sky was mixed with rain and heavy, big snowflakes. I headed home. I was becoming quite wet!