The school calendar and powers that be gave us a Friday off in late October and mother nature cooperated with the weather. We hit the big woods to scout for November bucks, set stands and generally screw around at Camp Phawnswat. Merrick and I hit the road about 8 and had an uneventful drive to Stanley. I thought he would want to rack up some highway miles but I think his sleep lids were justification enough that it might not be the best time for driver training at 75 mph. Ramblin' Bob was already at camp and pretty much set up with his trailer by the time we go there and FlatCar made it about 18 hours earlier than I thought he would and showed up by noon with Double Tap and Ollie. They took to setting up camp and Merrick and I headed out to check on some stand sites before the days temperatures got too high for comfortable hunting. We kicked up some grouse and a squirrels but didn't get any shooting on the first day. Merrick is planning on hunting alone in the stand we sat last year and I will push further west to another stand that we prepped. Back at camp around 3 for some plinking and fine open fire dinner of chicken/bologna in the cast iron. Before a campfire, chit chat and Waltzing with Bears renditions. Saturday morning coffee and breakfast sandwiches were 'interrupted' by Hitman and Paulo coming down the tote road. They were able to fit about 24 hours of woods time ino their already packed schedule. Merrick and I walked down the road to his stand and set trail markers to mine and then put on some miles to look for more areas behind the beaver pond/new cut over and towards the big pine along the river. The tag alders were thick as always and given the warmth our arms and hands got pretty scratch/chewed up by the stout thorns. We kicked up a couple of grouse of which I missed and then several woodcock. We swapped 12 ga and .22 depending on if Merrick was likely to get a shot at a bird based on habitat but as we came back through the birch swamp we kicked up another woodcock...and I didn't give him the gun and instead put the bird to chase and shot it. It fell into a small sapling which we easily shook loose and headed back to camp for some curry woodcock in the afternoon warmth. It was pretty good. I grabbed a hammock and napped in the trees and Merrick hit his bunk with some Bradbury homework to read but also saw the back of his eyelids. The late afternoon was made for plinking and about 200 clay pigeons. Ramblin' had to leave for a bit, but made it back in time for some clay dusting in his finest sweater. Before another great night around the fire and what became a fairly early departure heading east along 29 on Sunday Morning. All in all a great weekend in the woods and already to go back in about 3 weeks.
