October Night Skies

In our part of the northern hemisphere the full moon appearance following the Harvest Moon is  generally known as the Hunter’s Moon.  Its appearance is typically in October - although it can also reveal itself in early November.  Last year it appeared on October 6. 

Before European settlement Native Americans knew it as that time of year when people would hunt deer and other animals to lay-up stores of food for the winter. The Anishinaabe people knew it as the Falling Leaves Moon while the fall bird migration led the Cree to refer to it as the Migrating Moon  With the arrival of lower temperatures it has also been called the Ice Moon or Freezing Moon.  

The October full moon will be at its largest overnight on October 25.  Nevertheless, If you are blessed with cold,clear viewing conditions it should appear full both tonight and tomorrow evening.

From October 2022 - Full Hunter Moon on the left, Jupiter right of center. 

He's Back

I took doggo out last evening for a last call potty call before we went to bed and there he was, rising above the eastern horizon.  The constellation Orion has reappeared in the night sky over northeast Wisconsin.

As a winter constellation Orion spends the summer months hidden from view by the sun's glare, and just like clockwork, reappears by the time autumn rolls-around.

This is an easy constellation to ID; look for Orion's belt - a distinctive, straight line of three bright stars close together.  You can also spot the bright reddish super giant star Betelgeuse marking his shoulder and the icy-blue Rigel marking his foot.

As October transitions into November it will to rise earlier and earlier with each passing night. 

Click on the image for a closer look. 

Pre-Rut

Sunday afternoon, Braumeister and I had our first sit for the season.  It was a beautiful fall day, and until sunset pleasant enough to hunt in a double layer of long sleeve underwear and a t-shirt.  Not a mosquito to be seen. 

I took a roundabout walk to my chosen stand in order to scout for evidence of the whitetail rut.  And evidence there was.  I counted seven scrapes in the process of establishment and a couple of rubs.

What are these you ask?

If you encounter a whiff of deer pee redolent in the autumn air look carefully beneath any shoulder height tree branches that are close by.  You may locate a bare patch of dirt in the turf that is trampled with deer hoof prints.  This is called a scrape.  Bucks create scrapes by using their hoofs to dig at the ground.   Once the soil is stirred up they urinate on the scrape.

Bucks don’t pee the way those of us males of the human species do.  We try to keep it off of our legs and boots.  Whitetail bucks actually try to pee on their own legs.  The object is to hit their tarsal glands in an effort to leave their scent on the scrape.  Every deer has its own unique scent. The tarsal glands hold concentrated amounts of that scent.  

Another thing scrapes have is a licking branch - a tree branch will hang above the cleared out soil. Bucks will rub their forehead glands on the stick and will also lick it with their tongue.  

 

 

Scrapes serve much the same function in the whitetail world as a mailbox post or a fire hydrant does for dogs.  Scrapes are meant to show dominance over a territory but are normally used by more than one buck.   

 

These early scrapes are a bit different.  Few and far between they are mainly used to communicate as bucks begin to leave their bachelor groups and stake out their territory.  It is akin to posting a no trespassing sign on a property line.  Later in the season an active scrape will be used to communicate breeding readiness.

 

Finally, there are these beginning to appear on the landscape – buck rubs.   

 

 

Around these parts it is typically a tamarack sapling sacrificed to the cause.   

 

It is a common misconception that deer rubs on trees are caused by male whitetails attempting to rub the velvet from their antlers.  While it would not be unusual for a velvet-antlered deer to rub against a tree the rubbing seen at this time of year is a consequence of deer that have long-ago shed the velvet from their antlers.  The rub in the photo was made by a dominant buck.  Consider it both a visual and a sensory calling card brought on by an increase in testosterone levels.   

It isn't unusual for other bucks to add their contribution to the rub but it's more to do with establishing the pecking order.   

 

The term dominant buck is apropos given that one of the reasons for this behavior is to mark their territory and curb the lesser bucks both psychologically and hormonally.  This suppresses testosterone levels in the smaller bucks allowing the Big Guy to exert his influence and create the circumstances for successfully spreading his seed during the breeding season.  

 

The glands located in the forehead of the dominant male send a signal that this is my turf.  It also signals to the ladies of the male's readiness to mate.  Consider it the whitetail equivalent of passing-along your name and phone number to someone you might wish to meet again. 

 

Stay-tuned for additional updates from whitetail romance land.

October Night Skies

The Orionid meteor shower featured in this post originates in the debris left behind by Halley's Comet.  Halley completes a circumnavigation of our sun every 76 years or thereabouts.  It last visited us in 1986 and will return in 2061.  Nevertheless, the dust trail left behind in its path does not disappear and is intercepted every year in late October.

As particulate matter from the debris trail enters our atmosphere it burns-up producing the Orionid meteor shower.  The orbit of the earth is opposite that of the debris (Retrograde is the Word Of The Day) resulting in fast-moving shooting stars.  We also collide with the debris once-again in May which results in the Eta Aquariids meteor show.  Halley is responsible for two meteor shows a year.

The overall duration of this shower is from September 26 to November 22 and is scheduled to peak on the evenings of October 20 and 21 with the best opportunities after midnight and before dawn.

The radiant for the Orionids originates from the constellation Orion the Hunter so fix yourself a cuppa hot cocoa or a glass of Merlot and keep your fingers-crossed for good viewing conditions.

Orion September 15 - click on image to enlarge

Even More Fall Colors

A couple of weeks ago I finally got around to replacing my device and have been waiting for an opportunity to test the camera on an iPhone 17 Pro.

 

On my drive to Sturgeon Bay earlier last week it was gloomy and overcast. And I thought to myself,  “Geeze, it's too bad it's dark, cloudy and dank. The trees are putting on a real fall show and there's no sunshine to show it off."

 

Driving home after class things had certainly changed. The rains abated, the skies cleared and the sun came out; a bright late afternoon sun lower on the horizon.  So I hopped-off the four lane and did a brief detour to checkout the fall colors at some of my favorite locations in Southern Door.

 

Thursday there was rain all day and awaking Friday there was more of the same.  Nevertheless, I left for Group with fingers-crossed for clear skies and sunshine; hopeful the wind and the rain wouldn’t spoil it.  

 

Sure as shooting by late afternoon the skies cleared, the sun came out; a bright, low on the horizon sun.

 

I left the house around 3:30 to fetch Ruby from the boarding kennel where she had been enjoying a spa visit while we were on a road trip to Minneapolis to see Sting in concert.  After picking her up, natural light conditions were becoming pretty much optimal for some fall color photography.  And more experimentation with my new iPhone 17 Pro.  So as we crossed over the border into Door County we navigated the back roads home and collected these images between 4 and 4:30 PM.

 

Click on any image for a closer look. 

 

 

 

  

 

This weekend might just be peak fall colors here.  Enjoy it while you can wherever you live.

And how about them Brewers.

More Fall Colors

Not much more to add except some photos.

Colors are just about peak and that iPhone 17 Pro has some decent camera capabilities.

Click on images for a closer look.

 

Fall Colors

On my drive to Sturgeon Bay yesterday is was gloomy and overcast.  And I thought to myself, Geeze, it's too bad it's dark, cloudy and dank.  The trees are putting on a real fall show and it's disappointing there's no sunshine to show it off.

 

Driving home after class things had certainly changed.  The rains abated, the skies cleared and the sun showed.  A nice late afternoon sun lower on the horizon.  

 

I hopped-off the four lane and did a brief detour to checkout the fall colors at some of my favorite locations in Southern Door. 

 

If anyone believes the changing of our seasons four times a year isn’t inspiring they can fight me.

 

Last week I replaced my phone with an upgrade and have been waiting for an opportunity to test the camera on an iPhone 17 Pro.

 

Click on any individual photo for a closer look. 

 

 

Bachelor Party

Yesterday morning the Red Rocket and I ran the trail camera trapline as part of our routine chores.  

 It would seem, on account of the digital evidence, that there might just be some dandy buckaroos roaming about the joint.

For your Sunday morning coffee relaxing viewing there is this...

 

 

 In the last photo can you spot the second whitetail? 

Better yet.

Want to hunt here? 

Recipe Of The Day

This recipe has become a household favorite and as the days grow shorter and the temperatures drop this will warm you from top to toes.  If you have garden tomatoes and fresh basil put them to use.

 ________________________________________________________

  

Autumn Shrimp, Sausage and Tomato Stew

This is the time of year that tomatoes are really coming on-line and if you’re like me you’re eating fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes multiple times every day. If you have an abundance of tomatoes from your garden or the farm market here’s a terrific recipe that is an easy-peasy meal to enjoy in a bowl by the wood stove accompanied by a chewy baguette.

Ingredients

4 cloves of garlic – finely chopped

1 pound smoked sausage of your choice (andouille, venison, chorizo, etc.) – cut into pieces.  I used smoked Conecuh from Alabama.

Olive oil

½ t fennel seeds

2 - 15 oz cans of garbanzos – drained and rinsed

4 C of garden tomatoes cut in chunks 

1 C dry white wine

24 jumbo shrimp (peeled and de-veined)

½ cup fresh basil leaves - chiffonade 

Fresh-cracked sea salt and black pepper to taste

Crusty baguette

Crushed red pepper (optional)

 

Instructions

 

In a stock pot brown your sausage in olive oil until it is brown and beginning to crisp. Add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant.

 

Add the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, wine and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook (covered) until the tomatoes begin to break-down. 

 

Uncover, add the shrimp to the pot and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir-in the basil.

 

Serve with slices of baguette and that bottle of dry white wine. Fireside is best.

It’s acceptable to dunk your bread in the stew.

 

Recipe serves four. 

September Astronomy and Friday Music

This year the September full moon is called the Harvest Moon. 

The Harvest moon can occur in either September or October because it coincides with an astronomical event – the autumnal equinox. The full Moon that occurs nearest to the Autumnal Equinox (September 22 or 23 depending-upon your time zone) takes on the name Harvest Moon rather than its traditional name – the Full Corn Moon or Barley Moon.  As a consequence of an orbital quirk the moon is at a very shallow angle to the eastern horizon rising 20 to 30 minutes later each night instead of the usual 50 minutes.  This geometry provides for several consecutive evenings of bright twilight illumination right after sunset.  The phenomenon historically allowed farmers to work later into the night bringing-in their harvest.  

The indigenous Anishinaabe people of the our Great Lakes region call this moon Waatebagaa-giizis or Waabaagbagaa-giizis, the Leaves Turning or Leaves Falling moon.

In the Northern Hemisphere and in our time zone the Harvest Moon tomorrow night, yet will appear 99% full this evening.

And enjoy the music...

September Astronomy

September is reliably host to an astronomical event - the equinox - when days and nights will be approximately equal in length. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this marks the tipping point where the sun will rise later and nightfall arrives sooner.  As things have grown cooler around these parts you don’t have to remind me that autumn is in the air. This is the time of year we chase pheasants, woodcock and whitetails, stack firewood, and roll-out the long sleeve t-shirts and swap-out cargo shorts for long pants.  

Equinox (Latin for equal night) the amount of daylight is nearly equal to the hours of darkness. 

 

Even though the equinox happens at the same moment worldwide the precise time for you depends-upon your time zone. Translation: the equinox will arrive tomorrow at 7:05 PM CDT.  This marks the astronomical arrival of fall.  The meteorological arrival of fall in the Northern Hemisphere was September 1st. This date is based on the consistent temperature cycle and the Gregorian calendar, which divides the year into four three-month seasons.  Meanwhile - south of the equator - spring is about to begin.  If you live on the equator the sun will be positioned directly overhead at high noon.

We live just shy of the 45th parallel (equidistant from the equator and pole) and it has been fascinating to observe the transit of the setting sun as it has moved from its furthest advance to the north to now set in the west.  The sun only rises due east and due west on two days of the year - The spring and fall equinoxes. 

 

For years I dreamed of a bucket-list visit to Stonehenge.  Last spring I ticked-it-off.... 

 

Stonehenge View West

 

Fall Harvest Corn Chowder

I've heard that there are some people who surf the web to watch porn.  You know; stuff like sex videos.  And because my appetite leans towards food and less to carnal temptations I surf the web to watch food videos.  

Recently, I watched a Jacques Pépin tutorial on preparing a corn chowder.  I was intrigued by the ease he denuded a cob of it's kernels without sending them flying all over the kitchen for the dog to chase.  It's all about keeping your knife on both a horizontal level while at the same time a horizontal angle.  Who knew?  In any event, I found a New York Times recipe in my digital cooking index and short of sourcing some fresh sweet corn I had everything else on hand including some extras.  Sunday morning I fetched a half-dozen beautiful ears of sweet corn from Wienke's Market over on County S.  Besides, Packer Football is always better at halftime over a bowl of soup; notwithstanding a loss to the Vikings.

Individualizing a chowder or soup is a simple matter; consequently I incorporated chopped celery (including the tops) in lieu of parsley along with a cup of locally-sourced chopped oyster mushrooms I had on hand.  And smoked bacon.  Why, you ask?  Because I always have Marchant's bacon in the freezer in the event of an emergency.  Make it your own!_________________________________________________________________  

Basic Corn Chowder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Mark Bittman  Updated July 2, 2024

Total Time 30 minutes    Yield  4 servings

This is chowder at its simplest: corn, onion, potatoes and milk, with a couple of chopped
tomatoes and a handful of parsley to add flavor and color. Starting with bacon and finishing with cream makes a richer version of the dish. But you could easily expand its borders by adding curry powder and ginger, sour cream and cilantro. Or when the potato is replaced by rice and the cream with coconut milk, Southeast Asian seasonings can be added to make a chowder that has little in common with the original, save for its intense corn flavor.

Ingredients

● 4 to 6 ears of corn
● 1 tablespoon butter or neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed
● 1 medium onion, chopped
● 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
● Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
● 2 tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped (optional)
● 1 cup whole or low-fat milk
● ½ cup chopped parsley (optional)

Preparation

1. Shuck corn, and use a paring knife to strip kernels into a bowl. Put cobs in a pot with 4
cups water; bring to a boil, cover and simmer while you continue.  The corn water constitutes your stock.

2. Put butter or oil, I had residual bacon drippings (hubba hubba) in a saucepan, and turn heat to medium-high. When butter melts or oil is hot, add onion and potatoes, along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 5 minutes; add tomatoes and cook, stirring, for another minute or two.

3. After corncobs have cooked at least 45 minutes, strain liquid into onion-potato mixture;
bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. When potatoes are tender, add corn kernels
and milk, and heat through. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Garnish with the parsley, and
serve.

Pro Tip

I added the oyster mushrooms along with some flour to make a roux at Step 1, the celery at Step 3 along with crispy chopped bacon bits as a garnish before serving.  

For a South Asian flair try curried corn chowder:  In Step 2, use oil, and add 1 tablespoon each curry powder and peeled and minced ginger to the onions. In Step 3, use sour cream in place of milk; garnish with cilantro in place of parsley.  Make it your own!