Blood On The Hunting Knife!

I went out to some private land this past saturday afternoon, as the guest of someone who is a member of the club that leases the hunting rights there. It's near Warrenton, VA. I didn't see a thing, deer-wise, but my hunting buddy, Steve O. (VMI '87) nailed a doe with his 7mm Magnum. I asked him if I could do the gutting, since I'd never done it before and needed to know how. Plus, I really wanted to share in the success.

So, the hunting knife which had been bloodless since 2000 saw its first action. I did OK, I must say. I'm not sure I scored over a C-, but I felt good about it. We'll have the meat in about three weeks.

Other items of note from that day: Despite seeing no deer, I did have a delightful afternoon. About 200-300 meters from my stand was a large beaver pond, and from it flew the largest flock (skein?) of ducks I have ever seen. Normally I see them around here in pairs and threes, and if I see ten or tweleve I think that's a lot. Here, there were at least 60, probably more. What a sight. And a good education too-- I got to hear all of the calls and sounds they make, the quacks and the chuckles. Good stuff.

And it made me think again how important it is to conserve the existing wild lands even in suburban and semi-suburban counties. No wild lands, no wild life-- no beavers, no beaver ponds; no ponds, no ducks. Hunters are the best conservationists around. We need to be more vocal.

(And I *will* be getting one of these.)