MORE OF THE SAME?

MORE OF THE SAME?

I have to admit that 2015 was a pretty good year. I bet you didn’t expect that to come from me. Yes, we have made it through another one. What lies ahead? Who knows?  I pulled my carrots during the first week of December when I mulched my garlic. That isn’t something that happens very often. I had to buy a new freezer before deer season was a third over. That was nice. The freezer was full, the cellar, too. That makes a pretty good year in my book. I never got mad, never got injured and there wasn’t much turmoil. One can’t ask for much more than that.

I just hope we can enjoy a short, mild winter. We deserve one; after the past few. Winter could lose steam and be pretty much over by mid-February that would suit me just fine. I would love to actually be tempted to buy my Trout Stamp before the end of April. One can only hope. I used to catch a lot of trout between the first of the year and the middle of March; when I headed south for turkeys. That seems like eons away, now. I really do not think I have gone fishing before April during the last fifteen years. It has usually been well into late April, too. It always seems as if when I have had the time; the roads are treacherous and the water is frozen over or it is flooding. There is seemingly never any in between time.

I never have minded a little occasional snow or a couple of big storms. The thing that always gets be down is the lingering ones. Looking at that white stuff from Thanksgiving until the mid-April gets real old and it does so very quickly. The getting old stuff usually kicks in at some point in mid-January. There sure isn’t much of interest during that time; for me. The search for Golden Eagles and different ducks is about all there is to do. I was privileged to see a Snowy Owl last year in Taylor County. That was a lifetime experience that was totally unexpected. Therefore; I now realize that good things are possible during the first month of the year.

I imagine I will spend a good deal of time this month reloading ammunition.  I had all of my equipment laying in storage for about thirty years. I can honestly say that after taking up making my own ammo; that I will never shoot another factory load. Ammo is just like food: It is a lot better when you actually know what is in it and where it came from. I believe the venison starts accumulating when you know what is going to happen when the trigger is squeezed. I have had a few bad experiences over the years with store bought shells. I never will again.

There just isn’t much to discuss here; after all it is January and we aren’t in Florida. By the way; if you are reading this on the 1^st, I am sitting here eating trout, ramps & cornbread. It doesn’t get much better than that at this time of the year. More of the same; I hope so, as long as it is all getting better.

HAPPY 2016!!

This is my January 2016 article for Two-Lane Livin

(c) High Virginia Outdoors ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Photo (c) High Virginia Images