BLIND READER
By: Ray Hansen

I do something while hunting deer that cuts my chances for success. At the same time it probably lets me see more deer over the long run, so I believe things even out. That “thing” is reading while I’m out in a “deer blind”. Here’s the deal:

First of all, I am seldom hunting out of a permanent blind. Most of the time I pull some tree trunks, branches, and brush together to create a ground blind that offers at least partial concealment. I also backpack a sort of “curtain blind” which is a camouflaged “tarp” that can be instantly tied in place to provide cover. Using this approach allows me to hunt anywhere, and quickly respond to changes in deer movement, new food sources, or an increase in rut phase activity.

Whether I’m in a shack (seldom), in a semi-permanent brush blind (occasionally), or sitting behind the curtain blind (frequently), I get the same benefit from each: I’m harder to see and deer are easier to see. In addition, the blind allows me to get away with movements I would not be able to use if sitting out in the open. What movements? Well… using binoculars for example, getting a drink of water, or making a few notes about the hunt for reference when I write about the day’s experiences.

I can also read a book, which helps me spend extra hours in the woods, and hopefully see more deer. When do I avoid reading? If rutting activity has deer moving all day; at prime morning and evening hours on any day; when weather changes foretell deer movement; when I’m calling or rattling; and anytime I “sense” that deer are in the area.

Here’s a tip about choosing books to help pass the time. Select copies that can survive wet weather, be jammed into a backpack, can be dropped to the ground repeatedly, can stand dirt between the pages, and are cheap. Where are these available? I go to the local Goodwill store and browse the paperback section.

One year I found a worn copy of “Best Short Stories of 1965” and bought it for nostalgic reasons. I graduated high school that year, and joined the Air Force the next. Funny, the book’s original price was 75 cents. I bought it for 89 cents. I also bough a copy of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the Folger Library Edition (paperback, same price.) I figured it would be therapeutic since Hamlet was dealing with the loss of his father as I was that year. The final purchase was a compilation of Hemingway’s short stories, always a good read in the woods.

The final consideration is how to space your reading. Read a few sentences then scan for deer? A paragraph then scan? One page, five minutes of scanning, another page, and so on? Well… I put my sense of hearing on “high alert” and read about a paragraph at a time, with random periods of scanning thrown in. Anything I detect by sound is watched, scrutinized, listened to more carefully, and identified to my satisfaction before continuing to read. Squirrels, partridge, porcupines, rabbits, and common birds all make noise.

As an example, I heard something moving intermittently through the alders east of my spot while reading Hamlet this November. I strained to hear its movement better, then identified the sound of antlers lightly bumping into the tag alder branches. Turned out it was only a four-point buck: “Hark, who goeth there? ‘Tis merely a four. Let him pass”.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008.