Opening day......

     It came without fanfare !  We have known for a few months
that the future looked bleak for the Ohio deer season this year.
Due to the outbreak and spread of the EHD virus here in the
eastern part of Ohio our once thriving deer herds were being
diminished at an alarming rate. ( for information search Ohio
deer disease )   agnr.osu.edu/news/ehd-virus 
     On our club property alone we have found close to forty deer
in ponds and creeks and that is just a fraction of the total amount of
deer carcasses on our four thousand acre club.  Ride anywhere
on a hot day for the past month of so and the smell of death was
everywhere.  We spend thousands of dollars every year on planting
equipment  and seed for food plots and minerals to enhance the
health and size of the deer herd only to have mother nature wipe
it out with one mighty swat.  So much for proving who's in charge!
    Due to the reduction this year we decided to limit the number
of deer each member could harvest to one deer of either sex even
though the state allows one to harvest three.   The consensus of
of the members is we will pretty much skip this season and hope
for a rebound in the next couple years.  Still there is that tradition
to live up to so there will still be hunters in the woods this week
although fewer than years past and those hunters will be a lot
more selective about what they harvest.   I personally would not
condemn or belittle anyone for harvesting a deer this year. 
even though I probably wont.  Everybody has their own opinion
and it is perfectly legal to do so.  A few people I know love venison
and use it to supplement their meals and such.  When I get a
deer mine is usually shared at camp meals and such so It is really
not as important to me.  In fact it has been a few years since I
have shot one other than with a camera.  But who knows I still
love the hunt and this week you may find me sitting on a frosty
log in the woods or tethered twenty feet up in a tree.  And who
knows maybe that one special deer will walk by and I'll fill my tag.
But I doubt it .    In fact today, just to even the odds I hunted the
morning with a pistol.  Then tonight I hunted with Grand paps old
Double barreled shotgun.  With a cabinet full of newer, lighter
pump guns and semi automatic shotguns I choose to lug around
two barrels all day with half the firepower because If I do decided
to take that shot I at least want it to mean something,  if only that
I did it the hard way. 

      So the question is .. What does one do all day when there
are so few deer and the weather is rather warm??   What else?

Go catch fish!    Nice way to spend an afternoon waiting tor
the evening hunt.  So instead of deer steaks on the campfire
we'll have a fish fry...lol  'Winner Winner.. Bluegill dinner '

And for desert maybe a delicious 'deer season ' cookie !!!