Chet's bow doe

Pat with Eli and his 9-pointer

Grouse Hollow Journal for November 13, 2014 by Greg Koelker

I have the fever. Given a moment to daydream, it seems that all I really think about is the rut, scrapes, trails, tree stands, the wind, where to try next, etc. Last week we drove a hundred miles down to Chaffie Hollow to check out opening morning deer stands. We took my mom out for lunch at JJ's Sandbar and visited with brother Bill and sister Barb up on a ridge where they were waiting for a semi to pick up the shell corn they had been combining. It was cold up there, but the end was in sight they said. On the way north, we stopped at Cabela's and I bought a Butt Out and some arm length gutting gloves. With any kind of luck, I'll get to use them some. Oh, the Butt Out is a plastic lawn dart looking thing that is used to remove the, well, uh, make that assist in field dressing a deer. I won't describe the process, and if you're eating, don't even think about it, but I saw it work slicker than, uh, well; let's just say that I saw it serve its purpose well twice last week.

We saw a few of my former students shopping at Cabela's before they went in to start their shifts in the warehouse. Jenny Rasmussen, DHS class of '09, helped with a couple things and we got to catch up. Jenny was one of my Forensics (public speaking) stars in high school and a favorite student. She graduated from UW Platteville and is looking for a job in law enforcement, but it's Cabela's until then.

She helped me order a new drop basket for our quad. That rack can hold two 5-gallon buckets or a chainsaw or some cut firewood, so it will make the Honda a little more useful.

Ellen and I spent date night in our two-person tree stand one evening last week. The squirrels were mating and the sunset was worth the windy and whitetail free evening. Oh, we don't really have a date night. (Every night is date night at our house.)

Ellen went over to the Flying Horse on Friday and groomed her palomino paint, Libby before saddling up for a ride. El said Libby acted like she couldn't believe they were going for a ride in this weather. It sleeted while she was riding the hill trails and Libby and the other horses were amazed at the shower. The geldings and others came running across the pasture like people in their best clothes run from a rain shower. Even big Zach, the work horse galloped in. Ellen and Libby saw and/or experienced 6 deer while on the ride. She and Libby got within a few feet of a doe. We had a good laugh, when she told me that she wondered out loud what Libby would have done had she taken a shot with her deer rifle from the saddle. I think that if Ellen ever fired a gun from Libby's back, Ellen might have gone in to orbit and Libby would still be running somewhere in Illinois. Ellen's story reminded me of the scene in the movie Jeremiah Johnson when Will Greer tells Robert Redford to stand behind his horse and use it as a rest to take a shot at an elk. Redford's character said, “they will see my legs” and Greer replied, “elk don't know how many legs a horse has.” When Redford fired the rifle his horse understandably exploded, dumping the shooter and most of his gear in the deep snow. He did kill the elk.

I spent some six hours in tree stands one cold day last week and saw as many deer as if I had stayed in and read a book. I did see some cedar wax wings caught on the wind, drop for a rest in a sumac tree by me before launching off to the south. Pat and Eli are out this morning. I had put out my clothes to go and then heard the zephyr roaring up the ridge and, well, you know, the better part of valor and all that. I went out after breakfast.

When I came in from a tree stand, I warmed up by tossing a tennis ball for Scout. Nephew Chet texted that he had shot a deer. I am glad for him, but I was thinking the warm house and a martini would be better than a cold tracking job. When he came in a short while later, he said he thought it dropped in the meadow behind the tobacco shed. It did - a nice doe.

Heath Zink called about coon hunting. I asked that he wait until Sunday night when the bow hunters won't be in the woods the next morning. I hope they get lots of the furry, crop stealing masked bandits.

bacon wrapped venison tenderloins

Culinary wise, we had a great week, grilling bacon-wrapped venison tenderloins twice, new york strips one night with shish-ka-bobbed veggies, baked and cheesy potatoes, and for the Packer pre-game, Eli grilled three marinted venison back loins wrapped in venison bacon. El made her McIntosh apple crisp to top it all off. I guess it worked, as the Packers won. (Won seems so incomplete; how about dominated or crushed or skinned maybe. ) Pat said he heard that the top four quarterbacks for the Green Bay Packers all-time are Bart Starr, Bret Favre, Aaron Rogers, and Jay Cutler.

Until next time, get out - El and I shot our rifles on Sunday afternoon. We were shooting off hand at about 100 yards. Ellen shot three rounds - bullseyes all three times, grouping them them inside an area the size of a playing card! I hit the bullseye too, once. Eli heard from his dad who told him he got chased home from his South Dakota pheasant hunt by the impending weather. I guess that is a feature to be shown at a theater near you - and soon, too soon. Oh, did I mention the Packers beat the Bears? Enjoy.