January 4, 2024
This morning, I woke up at 4:42 AM, a little before my 5 AM alarm. I took some time to tidy my office while sipping on a hot cup of coffee with cream. I have a daily habit of cleaning my office before starting the day. This entails straighten my desk, vacuuming the floors, putting all of my journals, pens, and tools in their place. Having an orderly desk helps me to be more focused for my work.
After cleaning my desk, I wrote for about an hour before throwing on a jacket, slipping on my boots, and heading to the reservoir to watch the sunrise. The lake is very full, but since I know where a semi-paved road is under the water, I could walk out about two hundred yards away from the shore. There I photographed several gulls that were flying in circles and landing in the water. I also snapped a few photos of the sun coming up over the horizon. It was a lovely morning. I was very thankful for my BOGS boots that purport to be fully waterproof, something I can confirm after standing in a foot of water for over thirty minutes on a cold winter morning.
When I arrived home, I walked straight into the forest. Early in the morning, when I went out to warm my wife’s car, I noticed the temperature was nine degrees warmer than yesterday, and instead of scraping ice, I was wiping off water from the windows and mirrors. I knew right then that it would be an excellent morning for stalking deer. When the forest floor freezes, walking undetected becomes difficult due to all the crunching leaves and rigid ground. But, when the forest floor is wet, you can walk without making any noise.
While in the forest, I observed that all the deer corn on the south and east sides of the property had disappeared, but the corn on the north side, near the creek bed, remained untouched. The deer’s patterns of movement have been a little random lately. I saw two deer, on the way back, tucked into a little ravine a little north of my home. They spotted me when I was about forty yards away, well within bow and camera range.
Today, I received a new pocket journal I ordered from a company named Bull and Stash. I was looking for a new journal to take notes when I was away from the house. Sometimes I’m out fishing or taking pictures and I want to jot some tidbit of information for later use. I opted for the Market model, which fits perfectly in my back pocket. The leather feels amazing and there are slots for two cards and a key. The paper is refillable, and my favorite features are the slotted binding to help carry a pen and the magnets that keep the journal closed. I paired the journal with a Big Idea Pocket Pro stonewashed titanium pen. It’s perfect.
I had a big meeting today, and the prep work drank up my entire morning. I’ve learned to over prepare and expect follow-up questions. There’s a certain art to simplifying information and giving a high-level overview while being ready for questions about specific information. Today’s audience included several appointed officials. The meeting went well, and I was free to work on other items for my division afterward.
At last light, I took another walk through the woods, this time checking trail camera footage. There were more foxes, a rabbit, and opossum. Noteworthy were a video of six raccoons munching on veggies and one camera that caught at least three different bucks. One buck appeared to have a missing antler. I scrolled through the videos on the tiny screen built into the camera, and to my surprise, I saw a big buck that looked to be at least a ten-pointer. I had never seen this buck, so I’ll pull the SD cards tomorrow and take a better look at the videos. Last year, I caught two short sightings of an elusive eight-point buck, but I never saw him again. Might this be the same one?
In the evening, my wife walked us through a yoga class at home, which was much needed after a tense day at work. We ate a light dinner before showering and going to bed. Tomorrow, my friends, is Friday.