The crew at the MyNature app company have created 2 very handy apps that could help anyone, with a smartphone, to identify the things they see in the wilds of the great outdoors.
Specifically, consider purchasing the MyNature Animal Tracks App and/or the MyNature Tree Guide App. Both applications make it easier for the user to identify tree or animal tracks by prompting for general characteristics and getting more specific after each response. Think of them as ‘techy’ field guides for teachers, outdoor ed instructors, anglers and hunters and outdoor fanatics.
What you might not know is that Kari Murray and I conspired together to pitch the next potential app for the MyNature programmers. Developed with permission from MyNature apps, we hope you get a laugh from the video and consider purchasing their ‘real’ applications. (The Quicktime file is 4 mb)
Speaking without thinking got me into some trouble this past fall. The story is short, but I still get a ‘kick’ out of it when I reflect on the incident from time to time.
It all started (innocently, I should add) when dad and I were taking our deer to the butcher. When we walked into the front section of his ‘processing’ facility, I noticed some large deer heads mounted to the wall. I pointed at the biggest deer and asked where that one was shot. To my amazement, the butcher/hunter said he got it here on his farm. I was amazed because his farm is a very short distance from my own home. While the butcher told me the rest of the story, a small little dog ran between my ankles and on to the lap of a sitting women. I took a quick look down at the brief distraction at my feet and then, returned my attention to the final moments of the butcher’s deer story. He finished by saying,
“…and there is another one just like him running around your house.”
At that point, the lady on the chair said,
“His name is Thor.”
I thought to myself that is a great name for a monster buck and I began to think of ways that I might be able to catch-up with Thor during the final weeks of the 2008 deer hunt.
Then, the lady said,
“If you happen to see Thor running out by your place…
I finished her statement by saying,
“I’ll be sure to fire a ‘volley’ at him if it’s still hunting season!”
The lady was taken back by what I had just said as she cuddled her little dog closer to her chest. The dog barked, wagged his tail and ran off out the door. Fortunately, she laughed and smiled at me as she yelled to her dog,
You may laugh when you see this treestand. It was an early prototype and design variant that dad used when he started building tree stands on our acreage. This particular stand watches a thick section of evergreens and cedars that we call, ‘The Cedar Posts’. Only the ‘new’ guys attempt to climb it, while the rest snicker silently until we feel guilty. Our humours banter only lasts until the unsuspecting ‘newb’ reaches the halfway point of the ladder .
Silent Sentry at the Cedar Posts
That being said, big bucks still frequent its silent gaze…
Day 1 (Monday)
The frosty, cold morning provided dad a glimpse of a couple of moose and a noisy encounter with some grunting bucks that were just out of sight.
Our afternoon watches were the most productive. Kyle saw 4 deer while ground blind hunting on a hardwood ridge. None of them were shooters. I scared 3 deer away from my evening tree stand by taking that crucial first step onto the tree-stand’s ladder. Size and gender were difficult to distinguish. No shots fired
There was some laughter at the supper table tonight. The reason is worth sharing here. The humorous story occurred while eating cereal before a morning hunt three years ago. By the time the last person had poured milk on their cereal, they noticed that there were three dead mice in the milk bag.
We think they were planted by PETA – but we have no proof.
No sign of the ‘big guy’ yet.
Day 2 (Tuesday)
A beautiful day led to a crispy, could night watch. The quiet forest shared no secrets except for two moose that dad saw again and 2 deer that Kyle watched for a few moments.
Dad and Kevin Heading Back To Camp
Day 4 (Thursday)
On my way to my treestand tonight, a cow and calf moose watched me take the memory card out of my trail cam. It was almost like they knew that deer were the platter of choice this week. Some time into my tree stand vigil, something spooked and ran ‘dead down wind’ from my stand. I never got to see what it was.
Kyle saw two fawns on Heartbreak Ridge. This was the sloped ridge where he got his first ‘crack’ at the Brow Tine Buck. His guest of honour never showed.
Howie spooked an unknown deer not far from his watch while attempting to move around a chain gate.
No bucks down yet.
Kyle's Brow Tine Buck seen last week
Day 5 (Friday)
A minor blast of winter overnight created some snowy conditions for us this morning. The north wind easily chilled our hunting party while we were at our watches. There were no sighting this morning – despite a frosty night.
We are noticing the frequency of scrapes increasing as the week progresses. Howie exchanged buck grunts with an unseen deer about 6 pm. Perhaps the rut will be here soon.
Our window of opportunity is almost over as tomorrow is our last full day of hunting.
Recent deer cam intel has created some intense discussion around the camp stove tonight. Old Coleman lanterns, dusty paper mats and written game journals were pushed clear of the dinner table and replaced with laptops, smart phones and memory sticks.
We were trying to determine if the game came picture, that was taken north of the ‘Moose Bones’ deer watch, held the image of a new buck in town.
The ten-pointer (photo right) has been classified as ABI (A Buck of Interest) and we are planning to intercept as the hunting week begins tomorrow. The op has been called ‘Buck Down’. I will be trying to blog (and tweet) each evening from our deer camp. Consider logging on and reading about our adventures as the week moves on.
The only hitch to Operation: Buck Down is that I managed to burn my index (and trigger) finger on the woodstove door. A significant blister will make using my bow impossible and my firearm painful.
If deer could ‘trick or treat’ they would probably want some Rackstacker corn and oats with a pinch of McIntosh apples. I spent some time ‘teasing’ the deer on our acreage this past weekend. What is working for you?
The crew at the MyNature app company have created 2 very handy apps that could help anyone, with a smartphone, to identify the things they see in the wilds of the great outdoors.
