GREAT OUTDOORS: Attention shifts from big fish to big game

A sportsman's life is filled with difficult choices regarding which outdoor activity to pursue during the spring and fall. After the Fall Brawl and Walleye Slam walleye fishing derbies both conclude Sunday, there may be more than a few regional sportsmen who will shift their attention from fins to fur overnight. Sometimes, doing the favorite thing is not the wisest option for choosing outdoor activities when one of them is confined to specific days of the calendar. The upcoming deer firearms season begins annually on the Monday after Thanksgiving, with the opening date this year being December 1. I fished Monday, but we didn't catch any Brawl "money fish" and with the rest of the week becoming rather unpleasant for boating, I switched my focus to getting some venison where my odds for success are higher. I headed down to a familiar Licking County deer woods to set up my ground blind, hang trail cameras and clear downed brush to ensure an unobstructed shooting lane to the headwater creek that deer follow to their bedding area from the beech nut and acorn buffet. I have been lucky to hunt the same property for over 30 years, but after the passing of two generations of my "deer camp" hosts, other participants who I formerly shared the woods with are now absent due to evolving family obligations, declining health or mobility limitations or alternative hunting options. My wife, who became a reliable deer slayer with her iron-sight smooth barreled shotgun, will not leave her separation anxiety-prone dog alone in his kennel in unfamiliar surroundings. So, for the past several years I have a prime corner of the woods, loaded with deer, all to myself, which all but assures that I will bring home enough venison for our own use and to share for the following year. Deer camp no longer features the days-long ritual of activities that we traditionally followed, even though never formally scripted. For some, deer camps feature spicy chili, junk food, booze, late card games and re-telling tired hunting tales. Ours began with my wife and I setting up our blinds and trail cameras in the woods Friday to give the deer time to forget about our intrusion ahead of Monday's opening day and to see what visits in our absence. Then we enjoyed dinner at one of our host's favorite neighborhood restaurants. Saturday, we shot a round of sporting clays before watching THE GAME. Dinner was reheated Thanksgiving leftovers for those still hungry after noshing on gameday snacks. We joined them for Sunday brunch out with their close circle of friends who came over later for my annual fish fry dinner that included walleye nuggets, coleslaw, sweet potato fries and key lime pie. COVID-19 ended deer camp. However, despite not staying there overnight my uninterrupted streak of participating in deer gun season there remains intact, hopefully with more to come. So far, spared the bulldozer's ruthless blades of progress that have turned many neighboring fields and woodlots into subdivisions, I watch restless migratory bird species (depending on the timing of weather fronts), along with busy resident squirrels from my ground blind in this little slice of paradise. They keep me alert in between the year's most refreshing naps, that are traded for having fewer hours of normal sleep after rising well before daybreak. I have been lucky to witness nature unfurl during many captivating days during deer season at my beloved "deer camp."