By: Ray Hansen
Last year about this time, I was trimming branches from the backyard trees to let more sunlight in. The spruces especially, block the light very effectively. Anyway, I was about ten feet up a ladder, and sawing through a thick, heavy poplar branch that extended out about twenty-five feet from the trunk. It was as high as I could reach over my head, but on the other side of the tree. Suddenly, it snapped off and the far end hit the ground which made it recoil back toward me like a huge, blunt-tipped spear. I could see disaster unfolding - almost as if in slow motion - and I said: "oh @#^^*$$!*, this is going to hurt!"
Well... the sawed end of the branch slammed into my chest like a World War Two soldier ramming a bayonet into the enemy. It flipped me off the ladder with the force of a pellet leaving a slingshot. Kate says I fell straight down, and slammed into the ground on my back. To me, it seemed more like one of the high dives you see in the Olympics, where the athlete does some spirals, maybe a complete rotation or two, then finishes with perhaps a jack-knife maneuver before touching down gracefully. Of course, they have the advantage of landing in water. I, on the other hand, crashed into hard, rocky ground filled with spear-like branches I had previously cut.
The duration of the fall is also in dispute. Kate says it happened in a flash, but of course, her perspective is that of a somewhat alarmed observer. To me - actually experiencing the event - it was more like a sky-dive. The fall seemed long enough for me to review several possible gymnastic moves while in the actual free-fall, before finally deciding that a simple back-slam would end the experience. To me, a side-line observer would have seen something like an acrobatic bi-winged aircraft doing loops and tailspins, before finally heading straight toward the ground. You hold your breath, knowing (and hoping) they will pull out at the last second. My case though, resulted in an uncontrolled flight path to earth, culminating in a full crash.
I lay on the ground slightly dazed, and thoroughly rattled, but intact. After checking my own limbs and finding no breaks or dislocations, I had Kate help me up. I wobbled into the house for a very welcome break, and was out there sawing limbs again after a half-hour rest. You know the old saw: “when a horse throws you, get right back on and ride”.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
OLD HUNTING TRUCKS
By: Ray Hansen
My friend Mike from up the road asked me several days ago if I would go with him to take a look at a “good old hunting truck”. He has a 2007 Toyota Tundra pick-up, but wanted an old truck to be used for driving through tough woods and some swamp into hunting spots that were more remote. Ideally, he was looking for a four-wheel drive unit that was already beat up but basically dependable so he could keep his “nice truck” looking nice.
He also needs to haul two good bird dogs when hunting for grouse, and does not want to cage them as is necessary in the Toyota. It is nice to have a vehicle that muddy, wet, bird dogs can jump up into when you open the back and wave them in.
We checked out a 1991 Chevy Blazer that seemed to meet all the requirements of a good “camp truck”, and bought it for $400. It is a two-door style with the 4.3 liter V-6 engine, faded red in color, somewhat banged up, with the driver side tail-light duct taped in place. The gas tank leaks slightly and the steering column is somewhat “loosey-goosey”. Anyway, it started right up and idled nicely without having to rev the engine first. It sounded good, and had a worn out set of oversized tires with a spare in the back that held air. What more could you ask for?
We drove it over to the home-based shop of a local bus mechanic who does slow but cheap and reliable work on the side. We parked it by his big “pole barn” style garage, and he’ll fix the worst problems with junkyard parts for the most part. In two or three weeks and with about another $500 invested, Mike will have his camp truck rolling.
It will probably last forever, with just a few hundred miles actual driving distance travelled annually. And the dogs… well, they don’t care what kind of truck they ride in as long as it takes them somewhere they can point partridge!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
My friend Mike from up the road asked me several days ago if I would go with him to take a look at a “good old hunting truck”. He has a 2007 Toyota Tundra pick-up, but wanted an old truck to be used for driving through tough woods and some swamp into hunting spots that were more remote. Ideally, he was looking for a four-wheel drive unit that was already beat up but basically dependable so he could keep his “nice truck” looking nice.
He also needs to haul two good bird dogs when hunting for grouse, and does not want to cage them as is necessary in the Toyota. It is nice to have a vehicle that muddy, wet, bird dogs can jump up into when you open the back and wave them in.
We checked out a 1991 Chevy Blazer that seemed to meet all the requirements of a good “camp truck”, and bought it for $400. It is a two-door style with the 4.3 liter V-6 engine, faded red in color, somewhat banged up, with the driver side tail-light duct taped in place. The gas tank leaks slightly and the steering column is somewhat “loosey-goosey”. Anyway, it started right up and idled nicely without having to rev the engine first. It sounded good, and had a worn out set of oversized tires with a spare in the back that held air. What more could you ask for?
We drove it over to the home-based shop of a local bus mechanic who does slow but cheap and reliable work on the side. We parked it by his big “pole barn” style garage, and he’ll fix the worst problems with junkyard parts for the most part. In two or three weeks and with about another $500 invested, Mike will have his camp truck rolling.
It will probably last forever, with just a few hundred miles actual driving distance travelled annually. And the dogs… well, they don’t care what kind of truck they ride in as long as it takes them somewhere they can point partridge!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
GREAT DAY ON THE BAY
By: Ray Hansen
Life-long friend Duane Deno and I went out on Little Bay de Noc in Delta County, Michigan near Escanaba on August 25, 2008. This is one of the northernmost bays on Lake Michigan, one of the Great Lakes. At 5 a.m. we launched his boat in the dark, bundled up in multiple layers of wool shirts and jackets against the 45 degree temperatures and foggy conditions. The day turned quite warm later on, but pre-dawn was cold.
I made the first catch of the day, and it was a fifteen pound heavyweight that was as solid as iron…. because it was iron! I’ll explain.
One of our first stops was a rocky submerged reef that is five feet deep on top and quickly drops into depths of thirty feet and more. While casting a diving crankbait to work the underwater slope along the east side of the rocky hump, I snagged into a piece of rope. Fortunately, this rope was long enough so I could get the lure back to the boat without losing it. Wondering what it was attached to, I began pulling it up, and found the other end connected to a fifteen pound navy style anchor! It was in very good shape so it will make a great spare.
The surprises were not done for the day. In another spot we were using two-hook perch rigs baited with nightcrawler pieces and fishing straight over the side of the boat in seventeen feet of water. Duane got a bite and set the hook into two smallmouth bass, one on each hook! Talk about a fight. They bulldogged back to the boat pulling against the line as well as each other. We released them alive as we did for the other fifteen or so bass we caught.
Perch were co-operating today and we landed a dozen with the largest measuring 12 ½”. These were kept, cleaned and frozen. They are among the tastiest fish found in these waters.
Three pike also came aboard long enough to be unhooked and released. No big ones today, but fun nevertheless.
Last but not least, we caught ten walleyes, but just two were above the fifteen inch minimum length for kept fish. So ended a great day on the bay. Old friends fishing together and a couple new stories to tell around the campfire.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Life-long friend Duane Deno and I went out on Little Bay de Noc in Delta County, Michigan near Escanaba on August 25, 2008. This is one of the northernmost bays on Lake Michigan, one of the Great Lakes. At 5 a.m. we launched his boat in the dark, bundled up in multiple layers of wool shirts and jackets against the 45 degree temperatures and foggy conditions. The day turned quite warm later on, but pre-dawn was cold.
I made the first catch of the day, and it was a fifteen pound heavyweight that was as solid as iron…. because it was iron! I’ll explain.
One of our first stops was a rocky submerged reef that is five feet deep on top and quickly drops into depths of thirty feet and more. While casting a diving crankbait to work the underwater slope along the east side of the rocky hump, I snagged into a piece of rope. Fortunately, this rope was long enough so I could get the lure back to the boat without losing it. Wondering what it was attached to, I began pulling it up, and found the other end connected to a fifteen pound navy style anchor! It was in very good shape so it will make a great spare.
The surprises were not done for the day. In another spot we were using two-hook perch rigs baited with nightcrawler pieces and fishing straight over the side of the boat in seventeen feet of water. Duane got a bite and set the hook into two smallmouth bass, one on each hook! Talk about a fight. They bulldogged back to the boat pulling against the line as well as each other. We released them alive as we did for the other fifteen or so bass we caught.
Perch were co-operating today and we landed a dozen with the largest measuring 12 ½”. These were kept, cleaned and frozen. They are among the tastiest fish found in these waters.
Three pike also came aboard long enough to be unhooked and released. No big ones today, but fun nevertheless.
Last but not least, we caught ten walleyes, but just two were above the fifteen inch minimum length for kept fish. So ended a great day on the bay. Old friends fishing together and a couple new stories to tell around the campfire.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
TOM'S U.P. BLACK BEAR - PART 2
Author's note: this is the finishing segment of the story about Tom Deno's successful bear hunt in Michigan's Upper Peninsula during September, 2006. Part one ran yesterday, August 25, 2008.
The bait that seemed to generate the most interest was outdated pastries procured from a local bakery. He also tried meat scraps, dog food, a frozen beaver carcass donated by a trapping acquaintance, and a few other items. His hunting time was mainly limited to afternoons, after working his shift at the mill.
“Bears don’t make any noise” Tom told me, “so watch closely while you are on stand”. He reported that he might try using a tree-stand on future hunts, but that an enclosed ground blind helps contain your scent more effectively.
“I haven’t felt buck fever for some years while deer hunting” Tom said, “but I admit I felt some shakes when this bear came into sight”. The time was about an hour before dark. He chose to make a solid behind-the-front-shoulder shot like that used for a deer standing broadside. He had been sitting in the blind almost daily for a two-week stretch.
The bear is being mounted by Blue Ribbon Taxidermy (906-233-1782) and the meat was processed by Michigan Meat Processing (906-786-7010), both located in Escanaba, Michigan. We enjoyed both steaks and chops, grilled over charcoal sprinkled with wet apple wood chips. I also enjoyed bear sausage made by this processor, and tried Tom’s bear chili and stew. The meat was absolutely delicious, and that meal was one of the highlights of my mid-October bow hunting trip to Delta County.
Later in the year, I returned to the area for an ice fishing trip. We thawed some frozen bear steaks and found that the meat was perfectly accented with friend Fred Johnson’s home-made wine, a deep red Michigan vintage made with grapes grown in Escanaba. With a sweet start and a strong but smooth finish hinting at blackberry and oak, Fred’s wine put the perfect finishing touch to this classic Michigan dining experience.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
The bait that seemed to generate the most interest was outdated pastries procured from a local bakery. He also tried meat scraps, dog food, a frozen beaver carcass donated by a trapping acquaintance, and a few other items. His hunting time was mainly limited to afternoons, after working his shift at the mill.
“Bears don’t make any noise” Tom told me, “so watch closely while you are on stand”. He reported that he might try using a tree-stand on future hunts, but that an enclosed ground blind helps contain your scent more effectively.
“I haven’t felt buck fever for some years while deer hunting” Tom said, “but I admit I felt some shakes when this bear came into sight”. The time was about an hour before dark. He chose to make a solid behind-the-front-shoulder shot like that used for a deer standing broadside. He had been sitting in the blind almost daily for a two-week stretch.
The bear is being mounted by Blue Ribbon Taxidermy (906-233-1782) and the meat was processed by Michigan Meat Processing (906-786-7010), both located in Escanaba, Michigan. We enjoyed both steaks and chops, grilled over charcoal sprinkled with wet apple wood chips. I also enjoyed bear sausage made by this processor, and tried Tom’s bear chili and stew. The meat was absolutely delicious, and that meal was one of the highlights of my mid-October bow hunting trip to Delta County.
Later in the year, I returned to the area for an ice fishing trip. We thawed some frozen bear steaks and found that the meat was perfectly accented with friend Fred Johnson’s home-made wine, a deep red Michigan vintage made with grapes grown in Escanaba. With a sweet start and a strong but smooth finish hinting at blackberry and oak, Fred’s wine put the perfect finishing touch to this classic Michigan dining experience.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
TOM'S U.P. BLACK BEAR - PART 1
By: Ray Hansen
Tom Deno is a heavy-equipment operator for the New Page Corporation near his home outside Escanaba, Michigan in the southern “banana belt” region of the Upper Peninsula. Each November he gets together with his five brothers to hunt deer, and a few years ago he began applying for a bear tag to add a new challenge to his fall hunting season. In 2006 he received a “first-season” bear tag, and took a three-hundred pound boar on September 24. We talked about the hunt over a dinner of grilled bear steaks.
Fortunately, Tom lives in an area with a stable bear population, so finding a place to hunt was easy enough. He had to figure out how to set-up a spot and draw in the quarry. Talking to experienced bear hunters helped, as did reading articles on the subject. Since I research many topics while working on articles, I sent Tom anything I found that seemed relevant. Slowly, he developed a plan.
While thinking about which gun he would use on this hunt, Tom initially decided to use a .300 Savage that had belonged to his late father. By luck however, during 2005 he won a nice Remington bolt action 30-06 rifle while attending a U.P. Whitetails Association Inc. banquet. He coupled this gun with Federal Premium Nosler solid base, 150 grain boat-tail “Vital-Shok” rounds, and when the chance to take the bear arrived, one shot did it.
One of the most reliable ways to attract bears to a specific site, is to let them know some kind of food is available there. Tom selected an unused, permanent ground blind his brother Larry previously built for deer hunting. Digging a pit out in front of the blind, baiting it, and covering the opening with heavy logs provided an attractive reason for local bears to investigate the spot. The logs helped keep out unwanted freeloaders, and made certain the bear would have to stay a while as he moved them off the bait.
To start the entire process, Tom completed a “honey burn” near the pit. This is done by heating a mixture of honey, oil of anise, molasses, liquid smoke flavoring agent, possibly some peanut butter, a scoop or two of jam, and just about anything else you think a bear might find attractive over a small propane cooker in a metal can until it burns. The resulting smoke permeates the surrounding woods with the sweet, smoky smell, and if any bears reside in the surrounding few miles, they’ll probably investigate the spot and find your bait.
Tom stated that hunters should try to “think of every angle” when setting up for bears. He stressed placing the logs over the bait in such a way that to remove them, the bear would have to stand broadside to your blind, for example. Consider things like which way the animal is likely to approach given any wind direction (they will usually come in from downwind) and try to insure good visibility. You want to observe the approaching bear as soon as it nears.
End of part one - watch for part two tomorrow
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Tom Deno is a heavy-equipment operator for the New Page Corporation near his home outside Escanaba, Michigan in the southern “banana belt” region of the Upper Peninsula. Each November he gets together with his five brothers to hunt deer, and a few years ago he began applying for a bear tag to add a new challenge to his fall hunting season. In 2006 he received a “first-season” bear tag, and took a three-hundred pound boar on September 24. We talked about the hunt over a dinner of grilled bear steaks.
Fortunately, Tom lives in an area with a stable bear population, so finding a place to hunt was easy enough. He had to figure out how to set-up a spot and draw in the quarry. Talking to experienced bear hunters helped, as did reading articles on the subject. Since I research many topics while working on articles, I sent Tom anything I found that seemed relevant. Slowly, he developed a plan.
While thinking about which gun he would use on this hunt, Tom initially decided to use a .300 Savage that had belonged to his late father. By luck however, during 2005 he won a nice Remington bolt action 30-06 rifle while attending a U.P. Whitetails Association Inc. banquet. He coupled this gun with Federal Premium Nosler solid base, 150 grain boat-tail “Vital-Shok” rounds, and when the chance to take the bear arrived, one shot did it.
One of the most reliable ways to attract bears to a specific site, is to let them know some kind of food is available there. Tom selected an unused, permanent ground blind his brother Larry previously built for deer hunting. Digging a pit out in front of the blind, baiting it, and covering the opening with heavy logs provided an attractive reason for local bears to investigate the spot. The logs helped keep out unwanted freeloaders, and made certain the bear would have to stay a while as he moved them off the bait.
To start the entire process, Tom completed a “honey burn” near the pit. This is done by heating a mixture of honey, oil of anise, molasses, liquid smoke flavoring agent, possibly some peanut butter, a scoop or two of jam, and just about anything else you think a bear might find attractive over a small propane cooker in a metal can until it burns. The resulting smoke permeates the surrounding woods with the sweet, smoky smell, and if any bears reside in the surrounding few miles, they’ll probably investigate the spot and find your bait.
Tom stated that hunters should try to “think of every angle” when setting up for bears. He stressed placing the logs over the bait in such a way that to remove them, the bear would have to stand broadside to your blind, for example. Consider things like which way the animal is likely to approach given any wind direction (they will usually come in from downwind) and try to insure good visibility. You want to observe the approaching bear as soon as it nears.
End of part one - watch for part two tomorrow
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
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