Deer stand retrieval marks end of season

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Two months ago, with deer season looming like one of nature’s solemn promises, we walked not-so-lightly through the crunchy leaves and staked a claim for the coming weeks.

This is the place, we told each other, eventually.

It hadn’t been easy, finding this spot. We had scouted plenty of others and come up empty. Good tree … no deer sign. Good deer sign … no place to put up a stand.

But here, finally, we had found just what we were looking for.

The tree was magnificent, a rail-straight pine that had “tree stand” written all over it.

We claimed the tree as our own, strapped a stand to it, and smiled. This is the year, we told each other. And this is the place it will happen.

On Sunday, with deer season steadily fading into that sacred “remember when” realm where hunting stories go to gather moss (and, of course, to ferment a bit for future generations to enjoy), we returned to the tree to take care of a bit of business.

The tree stand needed to come down.

The woods are different this time of year. Even if the weather’s unseasonably warm, it’s not quite the same as it was just a few short weeks ago.

Even the hunters are different. More thoughtful than enthusiastic. More melancholy than eager.

As November approached, the woods were alive with opportunity, it seemed. Trees showed sign of antler rubs, and the fragrant earth had been tracked and scraped by pawing hooves.

Now, soggy leaves cover the ground, and the woods are silent. Even the birds that kept us company during those monotonous hours on the stand have abandoned the picturesque group of trees beside that babbling brook in the Maine woods.

Tree stands don’t go up by themselves, and they don’t come down that way, either.

On Saturday, we finally took the official step that we’d been unconsciously avoiding for nearly a month.

We admitted the season was over … packed up … and went home.

But not before a last walk around that pretty little piece of forest. Not before talking about what we’d liked so much about the location … and what might have been better.

This is where the deer were going to travel. This is where we were going to see the big buck. And over here? These were the mock scrapes we built to lure the big boy in. Heck, we even hung up daytime drippers to convince the local bucks that there was a competitor around.

When we last checked, weeks ago, no real deer had visited our imitation scrapes. Leaves covered the soil we had turned over. The bucks, it seemed, hadn’t been interested.

But as we worked our way along the edges of the trees on Sunday, preparing to call it a season, we found that our initial thoughts might have been correct after all.

There, in the middle of one of the mock scrapes, was a pile of evidence, perhaps (we convinced ourselves) left for our benefit.

The deer had visited our hunting grounds after all.

At least we had that.

Ratchet straps finally detached, we lowered the stand to the ground quietly, but without ceremony. Then we began packing away our gear, and headed back to the truck.

Hunting season was officially over. Christmas is nearly here.

But there’s always next year.

And we’re already getting ready.

Tracewski keeping busy

Kevin Tracewski, the author of the popular book “A Fisherman’s Guide to Maine,” has a full schedule of events on tap in the coming months.

For those looking to learn more about angling, Tracewski will be offering an introduction to fly fishing course at the United Technologies Center in Bangor this winter.

The course will cost $80, and is an improved version of the course that Tracewski used to teach at the University of Maine.

The introductory course will be followed by a basic fly casting workshop on the last weekend of April (cost: $60). All students in both classes will be eligible to purchase a half-price guided trip with Tracewski. Tracewski points out that the savings alone – $150 – is enough to pay for the price of both courses.

Tracewski will also lead a winter trip to a bonefishing resort in Mexico, and will be signing his book at the University of Maine bookstore on Wednesday from 4:30-6 p.m.

Tracewski’s book, as I’ve written in the past, is very informative, and includes plenty of great insight for even the most veteran Maine angler. With Christmas approaching, it might be exactly what your favorite fisherman (or fisherwoman) needs.

For more information on any of Tracewski’s offerings, check his Web site at www.fishguideme.com, or call him at 827-3110.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.