Cold foot season

If you have ever fished with me, and you aren’t stone cold deaf, you know I hunt, because I talk about it, but only when my lips are moving.

I really like to hunt. I really most like to hunt black tail deer, by myself, in the late season.
I am lucky to live in one of our nations worst deer hunting spots, there are millions of acres of forest land, and almost no deer.

What that means is that by the late season, there is pretty much no one in the woods. So it’s just me, a million or so acres, and both of the remaining blacktail bucks.

But this year my blacktail hunt was ruined by a series of revers misfortunes.

First it was the epic blue berry crop, then the one of the best coho salmon seasons I have seen in a decade, and finally a ridiculously productive elk season.

And presto! There is no way I am fitting even one deer burger in my freezers.
And I am not complaining. It was a season to remember.
But no late blacktail, no room.

I yearn for it. It sounds stupid to say, but its’ true.
It’s so quiet, so peaceful, the wet, cold ,rainy ,foggy muddy, empty torn up country.

So if the rivers are punched and I can’t guide, and the ground is too wet to work on the farm, and the dishes are done and the leaders are tied and its not currently dumping down rain, a person might as well go enjoy the country side and see if there is a grouse to be found.

I get to go to all the same kind of places, spend all day hiking around, see cool stuff and maybe get a shot at a grouse. And I can just sit down and eat one of those. No freezer required.

Going into the field this time of year requires a certain level of grit and fortitude, or maybe just desperation.

I would like to say it demonstrates some sort of “character” but more likely it just proves that the only thing you like less than working is staying home and watching TV.

So out we go, looking for something to pick, or catch, or hunt, or just take a picture of. Something wild and unique, something to mark the day as special.  Sometimes you have to look really hard, other times it just pops up.

Jim Kerr

Rain Coast Guides

Forks Wa