Still in the bush

Yep. I'm still hitting the woods every day. This morning at 5am I was treated to 10 degrees, 30-40 mph winds and the worst snowstorm I have ever seen. A foot of white shit dumped on us this morning and the drive into the woods? The worst time I've ever had behind the wheel. couldn't do more than 5 mph and spent more time stopped with my head sticking out the window, trying to figure out if I had driven off the trail, or not. More often than not, I was off the trail. The 5 minute drive to where I park took 40 minutes. The 2 minute walk to my blind took 1/2 hour due to walking past the little trail and into the big ridge at the end of the 2-track and then back-tracking right past the trail again, only to end up back back at the truck. It was pretty frustrating.

My blind is one of those tent jobs and I was amazed to find it still standing, not blown away, or caved in from the snow load. In fact, that was one of the reasons I embarked on such an insane trip this morning-I was worried about loosing the blind, as well as needing to pack down a trail in (it's supposed to snow for days) and I also wanted to feed the poor deer. As the snow deepens, forage is harder and harder to find here in the western upper peninsula. So, I sat in my shaking, snapping, tearing blind in the dark, in a blinding snowstorm, drinking coffee for 3 hours. Then, the storm broke and I was able get out and scout the area. Drifts of nearly 2 feet and man was it cold. It wasn't long before my face and beard were all crusted over with ice, which oddly enough seems to keep it warmer than when exposed to the wind. I walked a mile, or two through a series of small ridges planted with spruce and pine, hoping to find deer bedded down out of the wind, but found only a few fresh tracks.

After making it back to the truck, it took a half hour to defrost the windows, so I sat on the edge of a snow-crusted swamp with a steaming cup of coffee, watching loose snow blow through the grasses . Once the windows cleared, I drove down the 2-track to my blind, only to spook a buck with what looked to be a nice rack, feeding on the bait pile. I wished him luck as I turned around and headed home to snuggle on the couch with LP, who has a day off from school due to the storm. Two more days left in the hunt.