Keller Woods Take Two
On December 4th I headed back to Keller to see if I could finally see some wildlife besides birds.
I hiked back across the bridge out to where I had seen lots of sign and settled in to wait.
Everything was still nicely flocked from the last snowfall. It was cold, but I was dressed appropriately and sitting alone in the still of the frozen woods for a couple hours was more a joy than a discomfort.
I wondered what rookie mistakes I was making that I didn't know I was making. I know that I don't know what I don't know, and it's frustrating asking around at gun shops and sporting goods stores and finding little help to guide me. I'd like to have a mentor. Someone who can take me out on a hunt and teach me stuff that I don't know. But about every hunter I've met seems to be secretive with their knowledge, as if introducing someone new to hunting will impede their own hunting. I understand the desire for lack of competition, of course. But the number of hunters is shrinking, their voice at the table is being co-opted by the extremists on both sides. It seems like they're shooting themselves in the foot (figuratively, of course) by continuing to shrink their numbers.
So far, all hunting has been for me is hiking and sitting in quiet woods. I would think that this aspect would appeal to most people, even if they weren't interested in hunting their own meat type food. But lots of hunters seem to regard the woods as "theirs" and don't want non-hunters infringing on "their" space, even in the non-hunting season. In my opinion, this is a self defeating attitude. If non-hunters can't use the woods, then they have no reason to care for those woods. They're less likely to defend the smaller WMA's when developers want to build there. Less likely to see hunters as anything other than gun fanatic jerks who just want to hang a head on their wall.
I'm loving my time on the public lands, whether I am hunting or not. It seems to me that the more people we can get to love these areas, the easier these areas will be to protect for future generations.
Too soon it was time to go, but I was itching to practice my marksmanship in a natural setting rather than on a known distance range, since I'm guessing wildlife isn't going to be so cooperative as to line up at exactly 25 yards or 50 yards every time I want to take a shot. So, I chose a limb out over the river with some snow on it. (As seen in this picture, it's behind me there over the river. It's the little arm sticking up at about a 45 degree angle, as if daring me to shoot the snow from its outstretched limb)
I don't know exactly how far out it was. I've seen squirrels both closer and farther than this in my life, so it seemed a reasonable target before I left.
Nothing going on in the background that I was worried about hitting, so I lined it up and took the shot. To my delight, the snow dropped nicely into the water as my shot hit the branch right where I was aiming.
Ok God. I can hit what I'm aiming at. Now I'd like to see some wildlife.
I stopped for a quick selfie as I crossed the bridge again headed back for the car. All this sitting around and watching nature gives me lots of time to think.
I hiked back across the bridge out to where I had seen lots of sign and settled in to wait.
Everything was still nicely flocked from the last snowfall. It was cold, but I was dressed appropriately and sitting alone in the still of the frozen woods for a couple hours was more a joy than a discomfort.
I wondered what rookie mistakes I was making that I didn't know I was making. I know that I don't know what I don't know, and it's frustrating asking around at gun shops and sporting goods stores and finding little help to guide me. I'd like to have a mentor. Someone who can take me out on a hunt and teach me stuff that I don't know. But about every hunter I've met seems to be secretive with their knowledge, as if introducing someone new to hunting will impede their own hunting. I understand the desire for lack of competition, of course. But the number of hunters is shrinking, their voice at the table is being co-opted by the extremists on both sides. It seems like they're shooting themselves in the foot (figuratively, of course) by continuing to shrink their numbers.
So far, all hunting has been for me is hiking and sitting in quiet woods. I would think that this aspect would appeal to most people, even if they weren't interested in hunting their own meat type food. But lots of hunters seem to regard the woods as "theirs" and don't want non-hunters infringing on "their" space, even in the non-hunting season. In my opinion, this is a self defeating attitude. If non-hunters can't use the woods, then they have no reason to care for those woods. They're less likely to defend the smaller WMA's when developers want to build there. Less likely to see hunters as anything other than gun fanatic jerks who just want to hang a head on their wall.
I'm loving my time on the public lands, whether I am hunting or not. It seems to me that the more people we can get to love these areas, the easier these areas will be to protect for future generations.
Too soon it was time to go, but I was itching to practice my marksmanship in a natural setting rather than on a known distance range, since I'm guessing wildlife isn't going to be so cooperative as to line up at exactly 25 yards or 50 yards every time I want to take a shot. So, I chose a limb out over the river with some snow on it. (As seen in this picture, it's behind me there over the river. It's the little arm sticking up at about a 45 degree angle, as if daring me to shoot the snow from its outstretched limb)
I don't know exactly how far out it was. I've seen squirrels both closer and farther than this in my life, so it seemed a reasonable target before I left.
Nothing going on in the background that I was worried about hitting, so I lined it up and took the shot. To my delight, the snow dropped nicely into the water as my shot hit the branch right where I was aiming.
Ok God. I can hit what I'm aiming at. Now I'd like to see some wildlife.
I stopped for a quick selfie as I crossed the bridge again headed back for the car. All this sitting around and watching nature gives me lots of time to think.
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