Why I hunt part two

This is the last of a two-part series about my reasons for hunting.

Cooing quail sounds

The heater was keeping me warm in the blind when I heard a new sound. It was a bird, yes, but which species? The sound was a soft cooing coming from several birds and they were right outside of the blind to my right, within 24 inches of my position.

It was best not to try to peek. Doing so may spook them and alert an approaching deer. The flock of quail headed away from the blind to my right, where they became visible at a distance of about 10 yards, but they still couldn't see me.

Listening to a new wildlife sound is fascinating. This is why I hunt.

First deer

A pickup pulls beside me in the Safeway parking lot. A friend opens the driver's door.

"Take a look at this," he says, bending over the bed of the vehicle.

Inside was a nice 3-point mule deer buck.

"My son shot it this morning," the proud father said.

The son comes around the front of the truck, a little shy.

"Did you shoot this?" I ask.

"Yes sir," the youth says, smiling with the pride of a major league baseball player just hitting a home run to win the seventh game of the World Series.

"Good job," I said, shaking his hand.

This is why I hunt.

Knees talk

Behind a simple blind on an elk hunt: Right knee to left knee, "If this guy would lose 30 pounds it would be easier for us to support him."

Left knee to right knee, "Yeah, would you make sure he understands the situation?"

Right knee, "Ouch, he has me on the sharp rock again. Oh, now it is better. Sure glad the pressure is off us and on the bottom."

Bottom to knees, "OK, you two, I'm tired of him sitting on me. Get up and into the shooting position."

Body area below the neck, "Parts of us are sore, more parts of us are cold. When do we go home?"

Is this why we hunt?

A crew of brother

The Hut Crew of four, Lani Schorzman, Thomas Steffens, Rudy Lopez and me, gather at The Hut for breakfast/lunch on the second day of the 2013 deer hunting season. We share our hunting experiences of the morning. We laugh, we scold and we tease as if we were brothers and we are as close as brothers; the camaraderie is exceptional.

Plus we remember other hunting buddies who are not with us this day or those who have passed. The feelings are deep and extraordinary.

This is why I hunt.

Fine dining at Deer Camp

The Hut Crew assembles on the evening of Thursday of the hunt week. Rudy makes fish tacos, an instant hit, and is asked to make the same dish the next night.

We have a night where only elk and deer backstrap is served. Another meal includes backstrap and walleye, served in a Surf-and-Turf manner.

Lani cooks breakfast/lunch on both Sundays of the hunt week. The meal consists of potatoes, onions and eggs, fixed in a variety of manners.

More meals are cooked with all of us participating in one way or another.

This is why I hunt.

Mystery birds

The grass in the field was mowed at a 10-inch height. The three deer in the field suddenly turned and looked east. The reason for their alertness was not visible immediately from my position inside the ground blind.

I looked to the east edge of the field and noticed a group of 15 heads above the grass. A flock of Hungarian partridge was walking through the field in a northern direction.

One of the deer was curious and trotted toward the birds. The doe ended up coming nose to beak with the birds. Curiosity satisfied, the deer headed back to the others.

Suddenly the flock burst from the grass and flew to the nearby cover of sagebrush. The reason for this action was unclear for a couple of minutes, until a hawk made an appearance. The bird made a high pass to check out the area and then skimmed the edge of the sagebrush looking for dinner.

The hawk left and the Huns were never seen again. This is why I hunt.

Bill's joke

On an outing with Bill Green recently we both looked to the sky as a flock of geese were flying overhead, honking as they passed.

"Look, at the large V," Bill said. "One side is longer than the other, do you know why?"

"No," I said.

"Because there are more birds in the longer side," Bill said.

OK, it's a simple joke, but one to be told to hunting partners as well as grand kids. Silly jokes making me laugh; this is why I hunt.

Camaraderie

Driving three hours to hunt for turkey and visiting with a hunting partner along the way. Shooting a bird or not, then driving three hours home and visiting with a hunting partner along the way.

Camaraderie is a powerful and satisfying force. Camaraderie is a major reason why I hunt.