HOW STILL IS A WINTER FOREST?

Not much time left. Only until closing tonight and tomorrow and chances for venison steak are diminished for another year. We silently trod to our selected stands, and we are obviously intent on accomplishing our ultimate goal, filling the larder for the hard, upcoming winter.

Having accomplished the relatively difficult trek to our makeshift blind, I discovered that light rain and freezing cold had partially collapsed our cover. In short order, all was restored. From here on, no creature’s search could penetrate my heavily camouflaged position.

The forest was still, the wind was light, the time right. We would hit it right. I did everything right.

My “cell phone” was on silent/vibrate in case of an emergency, but my not being of any particular use in any emergency, it was of minimal value. So, I settled in for the long, cold, stealthy wait, anticipating the appearance of treasured game.

Suddenly, I felt the slight vibration. What could it be? Not my cell phone. Who could be calling at this hour? I dug the phone from its deeply hidden pocket and quietly whispered “Hello”. It was my good neighbor, Pat. He asked if I was at the cabin, because I had left a yard light on. He volunteered to turn it off for me. I whispered “I’m in the woods hunting Pat. Don’t worry about the light, but thanks.” The entire exchange took about twenty seconds. Back to the hunt.

Eleven hours later, back at the cabin and in the process of building a Manhattan, the cell phone rings. (I took off VIBRATE while leaving the woods) “Hello Earl?” asked a neighbor, Jim. He called to advise me that another neighbor reported that someone was hunting in our woods and was talking on a cell phone in a low voice that morning. I explained that it was me answering Pat’s call, but I just barely whispered and hung up.

The neighbor was in a deer stand at least 230 yards from me, but still could hear my whispered communication in the forest. If you ever wondered how still it is in an early morning winter forest……we now have found the answer. And we are never really alone, are we?