Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Mother’s Day Kicks Everything Off
Mothers Day means more than overcooking breakfast for Mom as she lies in bed, buying her flowers and a Mom’s Day card, and all the other little things we do to show our appreciation.
Traditionally, it marks the approximate peak of the fawn drop on my deer ranch. Some years it’s a bit early and other times it can arrive later, but on average it’s when we start seeing newborn fawns.
It also marks the peak of the morel mushroom fruiting season. Come to think of it, it’s about the best time to catch bluegills on their spawning beds, and it’s a favorite time of year when bow hunters start chasing carp and other rough fish as they come inshore to spawn.
It’s a great time for me because I enjoy seeing the young fawns, standing on wobbly legs for the first time as they stare out at a brand-new world.
Fawns are constantly trying to nurse, and after some time, they are brushed away with the does’ leg and she walks off 10 feet or so and stands. The fawns, not steady on their pins, walk herky-jerky to their mother. It doesn’t seem like much but it builds a bond between doe and fawn, and when she moves, the fawns will follow.
However, if danger seems to threaten, they instinctively drop to the ground, remain motionless and their natural camouflage makes them very difficult to see. There isn’t much natural odor to a new-born awn, and if necessary the doe will run off in an effort to lead danger away from the fawns.
The fawns seem a bit shaky for a few days but soon they are seen gamboling around like young children. It is a sight I enjoy watching.
Bow-fishing is a sport many hunters enjoy, and two C.P. Oneida Eagle bows—the Osprey and Talon—are made to order for this sport. Look for rough fish such as bowfin (dogfish), carp, gar, goldfish and suckers to move inshore to spawn in shallow water.
Bows are set up with a reel with 100 feet of heavy line wrapped around the bow-mounted reel, and a glass arrow with a special fish-holding head is attached.
There are any number of ways to hunt. Some enjoy wading through the shallows, spotting fish, and shooting at them. Bow-fishermen must remember to shoot below the fish to allow for refraction. This distortion of the water causes shots to go high. Hold underneath the fish and it will result in a killing shot.
Another way is to tow a small flat-bottom pram behind you, and wade the shallows. Shoot the carp, take them off the arrow, and put them in the pram. Some farmers will plow them under to be used as fertilizer, but there often are people nearby who wish to smoke the fish. Look around for someone who needs fish to smoke and eat, and give them all the carp you get. The resource is not wasted this way.
Actually, bow-fishing when the shallows is swarming with carp wears me out. It’s legal to take these fish, but after a while, it begins to wear on me.
Develop some means of getting these dead fish ashore. Don’t shoot them and leave them in the water. Sooner or later they will wash up on shore and create a stinking mess.
Some bow-fishermen make a contest of it. They search for the biggest carp or goldfish or gar, and then they go looking for the smallest of these species to shoot. Some try for all the different species of rough fish available. Most times, it is limited to bowfin, carp, gar, goldfish and suckers, and quite often, suckers have already spawned and headed for deep water.
Much happens on and after Mothers Day, and it doesn’t all relate to Mom. Buy her a nice card, perhaps a bouquet, and a nice quiet dinner at a fine restaurant in the evening.
Just don’t forget to study deer and bow-fishing. The latter is great practice during the spring months.—The Whitetail Wizard