Poaching Bust

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I received an email from a buddy yesterday about a bust on an alleged poaching operation in our neck of the woods. The forwarded email included the following text – presumably from a Michigan DNR warden…

From our raid on St. Martins Island on Nov. 19, 2009.

31 bucks and 9 does on the pole. Nothing smaller than a 7 point. Another approx. 10 deer, antlers, and heads found on the ground around the camp. A mix of smaller bucks and does.

10 deer without tags, approx. another 10 deer with wives/girlfriends tags. Investigation continues.

This is the next island beyond Rock Island. (Just beyond Washington island). The Wisconsin/Michigan boundary is right between Rock and St. Martins Island.

If this is true the outrageous scale of this crime is absolutely breathtaking and someone should be sure to throw the book at the perps.

On the other hand maybe it's just another internet hoax?

Stay tuned...

Close Call

Went to town this morning to fetch a Sunday Journal Sentinel. Later as I was reading Paul Smith's On The Trail column I noticed that the deadline for Spring 2010 Turkey Permit applications was December 10th.

I'm thinking - Did I send in my application? I'm sure I did - I probably did a long time ago. For sure.

But I have no recollection of doing it. For sure.

So I go to the DNR's nifty Online Licensing Center and open my account.

Gasp! Sure enough - no spring turkey permit applied-for. With a couple of key strokes I fixed that.

Disaster averted.

Cold

I had been contemplating a little bow hunting this weekend but it is too damn cold!

The thermometer has finally crept-up to a balmy 26 degrees. Overnight low was 18.

The wood burner has been stoked continuously to keep the furnace from running.

This morning there was an immense flock of crows - a murder of crows - gathered in the vicinity of a couple of deer gut piles. I stopped counting at seventy.

Deer Camp Rehash

So, how many deer has your camp harvested over the years?

That would be too hard to say - however if I pored-over the camp diaries I would be willing to bet that I could come-up with a fairly accurate count.

I did find a bag of metal ear tags - 32 of them - in an upstairs closet.

But this isn't all of them - as many of them went home with the hunter.

I would like to think that it isn't the number of deer - but the memories of good times from the hunt.

It's all about the journey and not the destination...

Deer Camp Rehash

Behold the Signature Deer Camp Beer!

I’d be willing to bet that we were the only deer camp in Wisconsin to serve Tim Hortons coffee every morning and a refreshing, custom-made malt beverage every evening.

A refreshing Cascade Pale Ale personally brewed by our deer camp's resident brewer: Braumeister.

This is an all-malt beverage that included Cascade hops picked from both my rock wall and Braumeister's trellis.

During deer camp we kept a keg of this yummy ale on the back porch near the hot tub. Along with a pitcher for handy refills.

I recommend that you serve this with smoked chubs, cheese curds or King Oscar Sardines.

Prosit!

Deer Camp Rehash

These are deer camp wings - delicately tossed with buffalo sauce.

At the Campingplatz we have a turkey fryer that has never seen a turkey. However it has fried a mountain of wings, fries, curds, onion rings, pheasant fingers, fish fillets - you name it!

This year NewGuy introduced me to the nuances of Hendrick's Gin.

Best served in a frosted glass, rinsed in dry vermouth and garnished with a bleu cheese stuffed olive.

Old Swamp would be a whole heckuva alot more spoiled if all of that fine gin hadn't evaporated...

Deer Camp Rehash

This is a Signature Deer Camp Bloody Mary.

Clamato juice, vodka, Worcestershire, horseradish and garnish of dilled garden green beans and garden-grown polish dill pickle.

Best served with smoked salmon and pheasant along with some of Lawyer's most awesome parmesan croutons and a cheese.

I have learned that the pickled hops I made this summer are not a good garnish. Way too bitter.

They’ve since been exiled to the compost heap.