SOUND OF FORMING ICE
By: Ray Hansen
Sounds like one of those conundrums doesn’t it? The sound of forming ice. Like the sound of one hand clapping, or the proverbial tree falling in the forest if no-one is there to hear it. But ice does make a sound when it forms, and I have heard it.
I was hunting deer during the mid-November rifle season on the Stonington Peninsula in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, in a semi-remote part of the Hiawatha National Forest. Temperatures hovered between zero and ten below for three days, under absolute dead calm. This area juts out into Lake Michigan and is surrounded by the big waters on all sides.
Earlier that year I scouted this section of forest, and pulled together some logs, dead pine branches, leaves, sticks, and other debris into several ground blinds where I could sit to take in the silence and watch for deer. I liked being partially concealed – I needed to remain undetected to have any chance against super-sensitive whitetails.
This was a place where a few big, wise bucks used the vast woodland to stay safe. No farm fields concentrated deer anywhere within miles of this spot. Only some logged areas might attract animals, and bucks would be making loops through the woods in search of does during this time of the annual rut. That was just about the only way they would make a mistake, and the only chance I had to see one that offered a clean shot was to park myself in a place they might cross.
So I sat, hour after hour, bundled in multiple layers of cold weather gear. An adult doe and two young deer were hanging around, and I hoped a buck would show to check her out.
Sometime late on the first day, I became aware of a low, constant sort of rumbling sound. I could not pinpoint where it originated from, but that was not unusual in the big woods. I first speculated that it was a county road grader far off in the distance. I thought it might be rolling along the gravel roads on the peninsula at a slow, steady creeping speed to grind down the “washboards” these dirt roads developed over time.
By the second day, I abandoned this theory, because the sound remained constant and I still could not tell which direction it came from. A grader would have moved by this time. The rumbling continued, broken only by the occasional hooting of great horned owls, and the lyric, almost mystical variety of calls created by ravens soaring through the frigid air just above tree-top level.
On the third day, a realization slowly enveloped me: I was hearing the ice form out on the big waters of Lake Michigan. The open water on the bays lay flat calm and exposed to the air with its deadly freezing temperature. Ice crystals formed immediately, and the almost imperceptible swells caused by tiny tides, currents, and other natural water movements cracked, stretched, and splintered the forming skim ice. The sound was that of the fracturing ice crystals amplified by thousands of acres of freezing water surrounding the peninsula I hunted on.
The one - and probably only - set of weather conditions that provided freezing water, combined with a lack of competing sounds, prevailed long enough to allow me to hear and finally identify its source. And to me, it was a chance to witness the sound of The Universe going about its business.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Showing posts with label deer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deer. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
COYOTES IN THE DARK
Author's note: The predator hunting season has started here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The following account tells of one experience I had with a pack of coyotes.
COYOTES IN THE DARK
By: Ray Hansen
Venturing out into the woods in the dark can produce all sorts of adventures. Most are not dangerous, but many will get your heart going or provide a shot of adrenaline. As hunters, most of us will walk out to stands well before sunrise, or trudge back to camp in the dark well after sunset. At these times, humans lose many of the advantages they have during the hours of daylight. Animals generally see, hear, and smell better once it is dark.
One morning I was silently slipping along a trail through hardwood ridges on a moonless night about an hour before sunrise. I had a ground blind made of natural materials on a good spot and I wanted to be there before any other hunters moved through the area, so that when they did show up, they might move deer past me. To get this advantage, I had to be very quiet and that meant going slower than usual. I also had to get there early, so I allowed plenty of time for the hike.
At the half-way point, the trail ran along the top edge of a steep bank that dropped almost vertically into a deep creek. As I walked through this stretch, a pack of coyotes suddenly began chasing a deer, and they were close! Yipping, wailing, and barking, they pushed the panicked animal toward the trail where they would have an advantage in being able to run faster without having to dodge and twist through the heavier cover in the woods.
Within seconds the deer would hit the trail, and would not likely leap over the steep embankment. Instead, I could tell it would turn either east and run past me, or west, and move farther away from where I stood.
Heart pumping, I jacked a round into the chamber of my pump-action slug gun – not that it would do me much good. I knew the coyotes were very unlikely to attack me. I just did not know what they would do if they suddenly ran into me on the same trail they chased the deer on. Maybe the sound of a shot would scatter them.
Within seconds, the deer burst out of the woods just yards from me. Turning west, it ran away from where I stood pointing the gun. The screaming pack of canines followed, and I simply stared out into the darkness, taking huge breaths as I tried to recover. The entire episode began very suddenly and was over in seconds.
The brush-wolves were simply doing what comes naturally to them – hunting deer. I was on my way to a spot deeper in the woods to do the same thing. That we almost crossed paths was purely a co-incidence. I’ve walked the same trail many times since, and have even heard other coyote packs chasing deer – just not that close. These are the types of outdoor experiences that always become good stories to tell around the campfire.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
COYOTES IN THE DARK
By: Ray Hansen
Venturing out into the woods in the dark can produce all sorts of adventures. Most are not dangerous, but many will get your heart going or provide a shot of adrenaline. As hunters, most of us will walk out to stands well before sunrise, or trudge back to camp in the dark well after sunset. At these times, humans lose many of the advantages they have during the hours of daylight. Animals generally see, hear, and smell better once it is dark.
One morning I was silently slipping along a trail through hardwood ridges on a moonless night about an hour before sunrise. I had a ground blind made of natural materials on a good spot and I wanted to be there before any other hunters moved through the area, so that when they did show up, they might move deer past me. To get this advantage, I had to be very quiet and that meant going slower than usual. I also had to get there early, so I allowed plenty of time for the hike.
At the half-way point, the trail ran along the top edge of a steep bank that dropped almost vertically into a deep creek. As I walked through this stretch, a pack of coyotes suddenly began chasing a deer, and they were close! Yipping, wailing, and barking, they pushed the panicked animal toward the trail where they would have an advantage in being able to run faster without having to dodge and twist through the heavier cover in the woods.
Within seconds the deer would hit the trail, and would not likely leap over the steep embankment. Instead, I could tell it would turn either east and run past me, or west, and move farther away from where I stood.
Heart pumping, I jacked a round into the chamber of my pump-action slug gun – not that it would do me much good. I knew the coyotes were very unlikely to attack me. I just did not know what they would do if they suddenly ran into me on the same trail they chased the deer on. Maybe the sound of a shot would scatter them.
Within seconds, the deer burst out of the woods just yards from me. Turning west, it ran away from where I stood pointing the gun. The screaming pack of canines followed, and I simply stared out into the darkness, taking huge breaths as I tried to recover. The entire episode began very suddenly and was over in seconds.
The brush-wolves were simply doing what comes naturally to them – hunting deer. I was on my way to a spot deeper in the woods to do the same thing. That we almost crossed paths was purely a co-incidence. I’ve walked the same trail many times since, and have even heard other coyote packs chasing deer – just not that close. These are the types of outdoor experiences that always become good stories to tell around the campfire.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Friday, October 3, 2008
DEER FIXES TRUCK !
By: Ray Hansen
It happened again as my wife and I were returning from town yesterday evening. A deer ran into the side of her car not far from our home along the Escanaba River here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We were going along about forty miles per hour when two of the sleek animals suddenly jumped across the road in front of us just fifteen or twenty feet away. A third darted out of the heavy woods, but began to turn around as we passed it. It seemed that its rear hoofs banged the side of the Honda as the deer wheeled about. I caught a glimpse of it running back into the low cedar growth so it seemed alright. The car was not damaged either, so the outcome of this “meeting” was not bad.
It’s that time of year again. The early fall season when deer start roaming around more. A time when they are often found in fields near roads as they forage heavily in anticipation of upcoming cold weather. In November, the annual rutting season will arrive and bucks will be chasing does and as a result, paying less attention to safety. All this means an increase on car/deer collisions. Driving slower and remaining watchful is very important now.
Hitting a deer can cause major damage to a vehicle, and can even result in injured people. Sometimes drivers will swerve to avoid deer and lose control of their vehicles. Once in a while they will hit another vehicle while trying to miss the deer. As I said, this is a time to drive slower and stay alert.
Once in a while a humorous story comes out of car/deer accidents. One such incident happened to me. I had a 1996 Dodge truck at the time. The driver’s door was slightly damaged from someone backing into it in a parking lot. Each time I opened that door it made a loud “clunk” because the hinge was not aligned properly after the accident.
During the November rut season I was driving this vehicle to a friend’s home along a country road in the Upper Peninsula. Several deer jumped across the road in front of me at a distance, so I had plenty of time to slow down. As I neared the place they crossed, a smallish four-point buck stood in the ditch, looking off in the direction the others had run.
I came to a complete stop and simply watched the buck. In a few seconds he bolted directly toward me, then ran headfirst into the driver’s door with a loud bang. Bouncing off the truck’s side, he stumbled off the road, recovered for a few seconds, then ran into the woods in the direction he had come from. The animal seemed alright, and I simply continued driving to my friend’s home as a slow pace. I laughed at the thought of the story I had to tell – the deer had run into me, I didn’t hit him - but the best was yet to come!
When I parked in the driveway and opened the door to get out of the truck, it no longer clunked! Not believing what I heard (or more correctly did not hear) I opened and shut the door several times. It did not make the annoying noise it made prior to the buck running into me. He had repaired my truck! And at no charge! What a mechanic! I wish they were all like that.
Seriously though, most stories about deer strikes are not going to have happy endings like this. Be more watchful at this time of year, and slow down a little. This practice helps avoid a lot of trouble.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
It happened again as my wife and I were returning from town yesterday evening. A deer ran into the side of her car not far from our home along the Escanaba River here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We were going along about forty miles per hour when two of the sleek animals suddenly jumped across the road in front of us just fifteen or twenty feet away. A third darted out of the heavy woods, but began to turn around as we passed it. It seemed that its rear hoofs banged the side of the Honda as the deer wheeled about. I caught a glimpse of it running back into the low cedar growth so it seemed alright. The car was not damaged either, so the outcome of this “meeting” was not bad.
It’s that time of year again. The early fall season when deer start roaming around more. A time when they are often found in fields near roads as they forage heavily in anticipation of upcoming cold weather. In November, the annual rutting season will arrive and bucks will be chasing does and as a result, paying less attention to safety. All this means an increase on car/deer collisions. Driving slower and remaining watchful is very important now.
Hitting a deer can cause major damage to a vehicle, and can even result in injured people. Sometimes drivers will swerve to avoid deer and lose control of their vehicles. Once in a while they will hit another vehicle while trying to miss the deer. As I said, this is a time to drive slower and stay alert.
Once in a while a humorous story comes out of car/deer accidents. One such incident happened to me. I had a 1996 Dodge truck at the time. The driver’s door was slightly damaged from someone backing into it in a parking lot. Each time I opened that door it made a loud “clunk” because the hinge was not aligned properly after the accident.
During the November rut season I was driving this vehicle to a friend’s home along a country road in the Upper Peninsula. Several deer jumped across the road in front of me at a distance, so I had plenty of time to slow down. As I neared the place they crossed, a smallish four-point buck stood in the ditch, looking off in the direction the others had run.
I came to a complete stop and simply watched the buck. In a few seconds he bolted directly toward me, then ran headfirst into the driver’s door with a loud bang. Bouncing off the truck’s side, he stumbled off the road, recovered for a few seconds, then ran into the woods in the direction he had come from. The animal seemed alright, and I simply continued driving to my friend’s home as a slow pace. I laughed at the thought of the story I had to tell – the deer had run into me, I didn’t hit him - but the best was yet to come!
When I parked in the driveway and opened the door to get out of the truck, it no longer clunked! Not believing what I heard (or more correctly did not hear) I opened and shut the door several times. It did not make the annoying noise it made prior to the buck running into me. He had repaired my truck! And at no charge! What a mechanic! I wish they were all like that.
Seriously though, most stories about deer strikes are not going to have happy endings like this. Be more watchful at this time of year, and slow down a little. This practice helps avoid a lot of trouble.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
