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By Tom Harmon
Yesterday, it was sunny and dry for a change, so Stori Layne and I decided to take a road trip through the woods to look for buck antler sheds. We do this every year, usually with no luck.
I drove slowly along 3rd Lake Road, and we both watched the sides of the road for a shed antler from a whitetail deer that may have jumped the road and lost an antler last fall or winter. Deer lose both antlers every year, and they grow back bigger and larger every spring.
I had another job in mind, too, but the main thing was to get Stori Layne into the woods to see nature and wildlife. We were not disappointed. We saw several wild turkeys, mostly hens and a few young jakes. I explained to her how to tell a jake from a tom. The old tom turkey has a long beard.
She said, “Much like you, PaPa!”
That made me laugh.
We had no luck finding a shed along the road, but when we got to base camp — the field where our family has camped during deer season for many years — we both got out in the big clearing. I also had to check on the old deer blind I had to leave behind last November during deer season. The snow was deep, and it was all I could do to get my propane tank and stove out of there.
The blind was cousin Gary Moore’s old blind. It had needed a few repairs, and the back door zipper had finally failed on me. I also had to patch a few holes in the roof.
Well, a hard winter had finally put her out of her misery. She had collapsed from a winter of nearly 3 feet of snow in the woods, along with limbs falling from the trees. She lay there in the woods, covered with leaves and brush, so I pulled out my S&W .38 and finished her off!
Just kidding.
Actually, as I lifted her old frame up, I saw my chair was still inside. I had forgotten to take it, or maybe I had no room in the truck last winter. I pulled the stakes off, as well as my name tag from the door. I will return this week to pick up the old girl and set her by the trash. The camo material is dry and ripped by the protruding rods that hold up the roof.
While I was doing all this, Stori Layne continued to search for deer sheds. Under and behind a big oak tree, she jumped for joy when she found the remains of an 8-point buck antler. It was faded white from the sun and had many chew marks from rodents, red squirrels and other wildlife that chew on antlers for the salt.
I have only found one myself, also one half of an 8-point, but very small. Hers was from an average-sized buck at one time. She was so happy to finally find the prize she has searched for during many springs here in the woods.
Last year, we found three deer skeletons, which scared her, but no antlers.
With that, we headed out again, with our destination being Geels Road and St. Helen.
By then, it was getting later, and she asked how long it would be until the sun went down. I held up my hand with four fingers on the horizon, then two fingers on top of those to the bottom of the sun, and told her about an hour and a half, around 8:30. This is the Scout and Indian way to tell time, but it only works if the sun is out.
She was pretty impressed with her PaPa’s woodcraft and wildlife knowledge.
We finally reached Old 76 and headed for town, with a stop at the local ice cream shop for two small blue raspberry shakes. We took our time getting home because we wanted to enjoy our shakes and the last minutes of our road trip.
It was never about the ride. It was about her and me making memories, like I did with my own grandpa, Jack Moore, back when I was a kid here in the deer woods of St. Helen.
