OUTDOORS: Deer making a big return before season
Aug. 27—We are coming up on Labor Day very quickly; this means that there is only about four weeks before archery deer season and a lot of hunters are itching to get in the field to hunt.
I've seen a lot of deer moving lately, more so than during the rest of the year so now is the time to get your deer cams out to record what's traveling through your neck of the woods.
Deer cams show a hunter what is living in their immediate hunting area and sometimes there is a big surprise or two before the season starts. Add to that, the fact that it's just fun to see what is out there!
With only a few weeks left before the hunt, don't you want to know what's running in your area? Get you several deer cams and join in the fun of seeing what is there when you aren't.
Waterfowl season is about to come in and this, along with fall fishing, puts boaters at risk during the colder water part of the season.
If you own a life vest or an inflatable vest and you haven't tested it out in water, you are living on blind faith!
When you live on blind faith you are assuming that your device will work according to the manufacture's saying that it will. Test your device before you are in the water and simply praying the manufacture is right.
While it is still warm, put on your floatation device and jump in a swimming pool or your favorite swimming hole. Test it out! Make sure you got what you paid for or; just take a chance!
While fishing last Sunday evening I moved over into a second lake by way of small canal connecting the two bodies of water. Almost immediately I spotted a big white bird at the other part of the lake, neck arched to the water and standing still as a statue.
In all my days in the outdoors I have only seen two of these birds; an albino great blue heron and this one was big.
Silhouetted against the brown and green bank, the bird stood out like a sore thumb; pure white with a large yellow beak and it was fishing just like I was. There was only one problem; he wasn't catching any and neither was I!
The bird held incredibly still and the wind was blowing me along in the direction of the bird so I figured I'd drift closer and get some good close-ups of this magnificent creature.
As luck would have it, the bird suddenly, and for no apparent reason, folded its neck and flew right over me as I was scrambling for my cell phone. In a second, it was gone! I wish they would make a cell phone with an instant turn on for photos like this as this one would have been awesome!
Within minutes I got a call from a friend of mine on the first lake informing me that the bird had landed near his dock so I wasn't the only one that got to see it. When I got back to my boat dock I found out that my neighbors had seen it as well.
As I crossed Lake Vermilion lately, I have seen several white birds that appear to be white herons scattered around the lake. These birds are much smaller than the great blue heron standing what appears to be three feet in heights. They do not come close to comparing to the size of the bird I saw but look for them the next time you cross the lake.
Sam Van Camp writes about the outdoors on Saturdays. Fax: 446-6648. E-mail: pamnsam70@aol.com
