Blue Ridge Parkway (North Carolina)

                                                     Blue Ridge Parkway (North Carolina)

Spider Eyes!

     I was leaving my hunting stand one evening after a long hunt. I generally use a headlamp to get to my stand in the morning and when exiting the stand in the evening. This particular evening as I was walking back to the truck I kept noticing very small and shiny objects on the ground. I initially though that it was the light from my headlamp reflecting off dew on the ground. After this occurred several times  I became more curious. I decide to investigate further. While leaving the stand one night I again saw many small shiny objects on the ground. I decided to get closer and see what was causing this phenomena. I saw one particularly bight object and knelt down for a closer inspection. As soon as I got close to it it disappeared. I initially though that my light was no longer reflecting from the dew. So I put my hand down where the shiny object had been and had a gotcha moment. I touched the area where the object was and the ground was completely dry. I realized that the shiny object couldn’t be dew because it was early evening and dew only comes out later in the night. The ground everywhere was completely dry.

     So what were those shiny objects I kept seeing? While still on my hands and knees I began to look around and noticed more shiny objects all around me. I picked out a good one and slowly moved my face closer and closer. In a split second all my curiosity was dispelled. I realized that the shiny objects were the reflective eyes of a small spider. As soon as this understanding hit me the spider moved and his eyes no longer reflected the light. I proceed to verify my finding by discovering other shiny objects were indeed spider eyes. I also realized that these shiny objects were EVERYWHERE! It seemed everywhere I looked the eyes were looking back at me. Within the area of my headlamp I saw as many as 20 spider eyes staring back at me. I realized that there must be spiders all over the place. I once heard a quote from someone who said,”There over one one million spiders in a square acre.” I didn’t believe this when I first heard it, but now in the dark woods with all these eyes looking back at me I though it had to be right! So, every evening when I leave my stand I marvel at all the spiders looking back at me.

AFTER THOUGHT: Without the headlamp I would have never noticed the spiders. A hand held flashlight never gave me the same perspective as my headlamp. A Bible verse came to mind: Pslam 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. With God’s word we are able to see things in life that we wouldn’t ordinarily see. God’s word gives us a perspective of those things that we would not normally notice or see or understand. God’s word lends clarity, direction, instruction, correction, and so much more to our lives, if we only read and apply those things we read. There are things ALL AROUND US that we won’t see or understand without God’s word. Turn on the lamp and see for yourself.

The Whisperer

  Ssssshhhhhh!. . . .This is one of the first words we teach our children when we train them in the art of hunting. The whisper as a constant form of communication is practiced best in the woods. At its core a whisper in the woods is a form of self-disciple that every hunter must exercise if he wishes to accomplish his hunting goals in the field. Passing this skill on to the younger generation can be challenging at first if not comically difficult. Parents who seek to establish good hunting skills in their kids will find that this task can be difficult in the initial stages. Yet, to whisper as a form of constant communication with your kids while hunting seems to produce a need to get closer to each other and to listen more intently. Whispering during the hunt seems to create a special unity between those hunting. All of these things we as parents wish to instill or establish with our children: self-discipline, better communication, stronger unity, sharing a common goal. It seems that hunting can help to bring about some of these qualities. Take the time to teach your kids the art of the hushed voice in the woods, the benefits of self discipline in communication, and maybe it will spill over into the rest of their lives.

 

      NOTE: Our heavenly Father sometime speaks to use in a hushed voice. He may be doing so because He is trying to teach us something. SSSHHHHHHH. . . . .are you listening?

Aim Small, Miss Small

In Mel Gibson’s classic movie The Patriot the main character taught his sons to shoot a muzzle-loader, and gave them the instructions to, “aim small, miss small.” This shooting advice came into play in the ambush scene where he reminded his sons to, “aim small, miss small.” This meant that if they aimed at a man and missed they missed the man completely, but if they aimed at a small button on the man’s coat and missed they might still hit the man. This is great advice for any hunter of any weapon. Instead of aiming at the body of a deer when you shoot your bow or gun, a more practical and ethical shot would be to aim at a small area in a vitals area. This type of shooting should increase your “quick kills” as well as possibly help you recover more animals. Practice makes perfect to accomplish this feat. In Buckmaster Magazine they offer some insight on just this very thing.

(Buckmaster Magazine)

A vast majority of missed whitetails happen because the archer shoots over the deer. When a whitetail hears a bow shot, its body reacts faster than the arrow arrives. Its natural response to any unknown noise is to treat it as a threat. How do whitetails respond to threats? They run.

In order to flee quickly, a deer must first contract its leg muscles. This essentially causes the deer to duck or jump the string as most bowhunters put it. A quality bow that is quiet helps, but the best way to avoid a high miss is to aim at the lower third of the deers vitals. While a 3-D target will reward you for a high lung shot, that same shot in the woods could very well be a high miss. Concentrate on hitting the lower third of a whitetail, just a little back from the leg. While its tempting to place a sticker to aim at on a 3-D target, keep in mind you wont have that sticker on a live deer. Practice makes perfect and will certainly help you in putting that trophy on the ground this season.

Into the Mouth of the Storm!

Our backpacking destination that weekend was the second highest location in the Great Balsam Mountain range in North Carolina known as Black Balsam Knob. Black Balsam Knob off the Blue Ridge Parkway stands well over 6000 feet. The top of BBK is a beautiful grassy knob that has spectacular views. It was our goal to pitch a tent on the verdant knob and enjoy the scenery after a long day of backpacking. The only glitch on the radar literally was a storm system called tropical storm Tammy.

News reports described Tropical Storm Tammy as, “a short lived tropical storm during October in the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season which caused damage to the southeastern United States.” Even though she was short lived, we got to experience her full fury as far inland as the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina. The storm was projected to dump as much as 3 to 5 inches of rain in our area along with substantially high winds. The drive up the mountain was beautiful if not breath taking. The mist that the Blue Ridge Mountains are famous for was in full swing. This mist lends its own special beauty to these spectacular mountains. Our drive up was uneventful except for a sprinkling of rain. We had watched the weather reports and were hoping that the system would not come this far inland or at the least be weakened by its trek across the Tarheel state. By the time we got parked and set out for the trail-head we found ourselves in a torrential downpour. The winds were blowing sideways and so was the rain. Decked out in full rain gear with backpacks full of our essentials we started out into the mouth of the storm. The winds were blowing so hard it was difficult to communicate. This was made even more challenging because we had our hoods on which deflected sound even more. We had to yell at each other to be heard over the rain and high winds. By the time we made it to the crown of Black Balsam Knob the winds were off the charts and the rain was coming down in sheets.
Because of the strong winds we realized that we would never be able to pitch a tent in this weather. So, we did the inevitable thing and made our way back to the tree line to get out of the wind. The trees helped break the winds some but they did nothing to slow the rain. It was at this point that everything began to become surreal. We decided to find a place to pitch our tent for the night. Initially we thought this would be an easy task, but every flat area we inspected was covered in water. We found some beautiful locations that seemed perfect, but on closer inspection they only proved to be areas where the pine needles were floating on several inches of water. We hiked for over an hour with howling winds and driving rains trying to find a flat area that wasn’t flooded. Finally, we found a little perch that wasn’t submerged in Tammy’s fury. It was an area big enough to pitch our two man tent and get out of the rain. After pitching the tent we put up a small tarp that allowed us to cook under and organize our gear for the night. The problem was we had to pitch the tarp about 3 feet off the ground because the winds were still pushing the rains sideways. Darkness was setting in and it seemed everything was cold and yet.

My only consolation in the whole affairs was my delight in the fact that deep in my pack were clean dry clothes packed in plastic, and a warm down sleeping bag that was cocooned in a waterproof stuff sack which was submerged in a plastic bag. Also among my essentials was a small towel, protected from the elements, for just such an occasion. With bellies full of rehydrated fair we left our dining tarp and headed to the sanctity of our relatively dry tent. The vestibule held our wet clothes and boots. With dry clothes on and a our sleeping bags lofting their way to slumbering bliss we couldn’t help but be grateful for the little pleasures in life. Prior seam sealing of the tent’s vulnerable points left us with an enclosure that was very sound against the prevailing winds and driving rain. The storm broke late in the night. When we awoke the world was quiet and wet. The sky held a clean quality that is hard to describe. It was like the heavens had purged itself of all its hidden thoughts and dumped them on the earth, and in its wake were sharp blue skies with white wispy vestiges of the night’s confessions. We put our wet boots back on, packed our gear and waded through to the next trail.

When our jaunt was over we descend the mountain and were given spectaculars views around every turn. The Blue Ridge Mountains never disappoint. The combination of nature’s fury and great beauty always leave me with a sense of having walked a little closer with the God who made it all.

Note: The standing joke among my friends and family is that when I load my pack and head for the mountains there will be either be torrents of rain or mounds of snow in the forecast. I have learned over the years to pack everything in plastic to keep it dry. Being prepared is essential when you head to the woods. Having what you need when things are bad can make the experience bearable if not enjoyable. This also applies to our spiritual lives. Many times things in our lives take a turn for the worst like a great storm. Waiting until these moments to acknowledge God’s power and presence will often leave you soaking wet and sitting out in the cold spiritually. So it makes perfect sense to nurture your relationship with Him at all times so that when the storms of life come you will be prepared to weather them with the help of the Most High.