While I was sitting at home doing my social distancing, a thought occurred to me. If I drive to my cabin I can still do my social distancing and actually get some work done on the cabin. (There is always something to work on when you own a cabin.) I calculated that by staying at home I go for drives and maybe go to a store a couple of times a week. Why not go for a long drive, use pay at the pump for gas and drive thru for a meal if I need? So I decided to head north.
The trip itself was uneventful, but upon arriving at the gate that opens to the drive back to the cabin, I encountered an awful lot of snow. I started down the driveway and soon discovered that the snow was a lot deeper than it looked and I got stuck. The snow had a crust on top and ice underneath, so when I bogged down all four tires were spinning and I couldn’t budge. Don’t believe anyone when they tell you that you can go anywhere with 4-wheel drive. I found a broken tree branch and used it to dig out in front and back of each tire and was finally able to get free, but I didn’t dare venture any further. I walked back to the highway (no reception in that part of the woods) and called a friend who has helped me out a few times when I have had problems with the cabin. He came with his skid loader and cleared the drive all the way to the drive heading up to the cabin, which was clear of snow. I paid him and thanked him for always coming to help whenever I have an emergency; he is indeed one of the good guys.
It was in the 20’s that first day and it took quite a few hours before I got the cabin warmed up enough so that I couldn’t see my breath anymore. The next day I did a few things outside like cutting up a branch that had fallen on the cabin, bringing in firewood, setting up the rain barrels and also putting up the bird feeders.
The lake was still ice covered, but on Tuesday the north shore started to open up. I noticed a couple of bald eagles flying around in front of the cabin and as the day went on there were more. The next day the lake started to open up even more and you would have thought that I was watching a show about raptors on the Discovery Channel. There were bald eagles, golden eagles and osprey plus a pair of trumpeter swans, a pair of loons, some occasional ducks flying by and other birds of prey that I couldn’t identify. The raptors had to be looking for dead fish because as far as I know our lake was the first one north of Grand Rapids to open up.
I was totally blown away by this spectacle that was happening right before my very eyes. I decided to go down to the lake to sit on the edge of the little deck that we have there and take a few pictures (as good of ones as an iPhone can take).
As more and more of those magnificent birds arrived, I decided to make another trip down to the lake and this time I was able to video a few of them in action. I missed the opportunity to get a great shot when one of those birds flew right over my head from behind and I was only able to get a shot of it as it was flying away from me. To me, this was the thrill of a lifetime, being able to see all of those magnificent birds and how gracefully they soar through the air. You don’t need any electronics to enjoy all things that God and nature have provided for us to enjoy if we take the time to stop and look.
In a less pleasant note: I received a call from a friend who is a landowner, who has told me many times about the numbers of turkey that he has at his place and how they come right up by his house each day and are not very shy. He was very irate when he called me because he said that he had talked to a couple of young hunters and he told them that he didn’t want them hunting the land by his house, but they could hunt his land across the road. They said that they understood, but later that day he heard shots close by and when he checked it out, he found the same two hunters on his land, by his house and they had shot this big Tom but only wounded it, which will probably make a meal for a coyote or two because they never found it. When he confronted them they said that they didn’t understand. This and the fact that he had young kids around, is what got him very irate and the fact that, some day, he hopes to teach his nephews how to hunt.
I feel safe in saying that these two individuals will never be hunting (legally) on his land again. I guess that this same hunter has posted numerous pictures on Facebook of the big tom turkeys that he has shot. I am not a turkey hunter, but I am a lover of the outdoors and all that it entails, I have to wonder how many “trophies” you are allowed each season?
This is a prime example of someone abusing a privilege that a landowner has granted him. It is an incident like this that sours landowners on giving permission to hunters and that ruins it for the honest hunters who always abide by the rules. It’s all about respecting the landowner’s terms for permitting you to hunt their land.
I told this landowner that if it was me I would have called the TIP hotline of the DNR and at least report it.
Until next time: remember that when you get permission to hunt someone’s land, you not only need to respect the landowner but also be respectful the, land that you are hunting. Be safe, be good and enjoy the outdoors.
Please take a few moments also to honor those who have sacrificed so much for the freedoms that we enjoy today. Also take a little extra time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, those who have served and those troops that are serving today.