2021 catch-up wrap-up

It has been since early August since my last update, and there is no way to adequately re-capture every adventure since then, so I will attempt a brief overview.

Let's start with fishing.  Soft crabs (my fav bait) continued to be scarce throughout the remainder of summer and into Fall, so every time I could get them it was game on.  September blew hard all month, so opportunities were few.  I was lucky enough to get my old skiff out into the marsh for some crabbing on the very last day of September (and last day for legal use of outboards in the Dames Quarter impoundment.  The catch was mostly female crabs, but I can promise you that Miss Pat and I dined on fat crabs that next afternoon.

October weather was much more cooperative, I was able to get on the water 3 weekends.  Two of those trips I had committed to throwing only lures, and I was surprised to find that my previously trusty strategies (1/2 oz jighead, 4 oz twisters of various colors) and previously productive locations were by and large disappointing.  My one red hot outing occurred mid-Oct, using bait (thanks Mark) and in the secret spot, end of outgoing tide. We caught a lot of keeper-size rock that day.  Fast forward to December 1 and a slick-cam day just outside of Wenona.  This entailed deeper water jigging (25-45 ft), and was seriously productive for one hour during the end of the incoming tide.  And, while the fishing was good and produced ~8 rock in the 19-22" range, I had to really search for the schools and locate them by electronics- no obvious schools of bait fish getting torn up.

And that is it for 2021 fishing, I winterized my center console the next day.  So, on to hunting.  Squirrel Camp was moved up 1 week to Oct 14th.  Scheduled far in advance, it was still near summer conditions and full green foliage.  As a result, although the WVU guys and I all had a great time, the squirrel harvest was a challenge in terms of numbers.  I have to admit, I am no longer as passionate as I was once about eating them, and my dedication to getting my limit has tracked accordingly.  Next up is deer season, and first stop is Ghent, WV.  Now, I had struck out in WV for 2 consecutive years and to be honest, if this were going to be a three-peat I may have to question returning.  Pat moved to Ghent last year, so he is still in the process of getting his land dialed-in.  My WV deer trips afford me only 2 full days of hunting before I must return home for Thanksgiving, so whatever weather we have is what I must deal with.  Day 1, and it is blowing 30mph plus, in addition to 25F at daybreak and high of low 40s.  Although Pat had moved my stand to a much better location, I saw no deer the first of my 2 days there.  Day 2:  Windy again, blowing 25-30 mph and a frigid 18F when we hot the woods, only to climb to about 34F later that day.  I have to admit, these were the coldest conditions I have ever hunted in, with the wind and low temps. Simply miserable.  After taking a one-hour break at mid-day, I resumed, determined to at least maximize my opportunity.  All day long and, nothing,... 5PM, nothing.  Then 5:15, a flash of white (tail) at the extreme edge of my sight, and 5 minutes later, I scope the coyote that had been chasing the seer I just caught a flash of.  At 5:17, that coyote's life ended.  I decided to stay put, just in case that chased deer did something stupid, and at about 5:30, it did.  I saw a shadow creeping at the bottom of the hill.  It was so dark and the shadow so faint, I struggled to even find it in my scope.  I finally scoped it as it slid behind a tree, so I waited.  Eventually, at 5:35 PM, I see enough of a shadow emerge from behind the tree that I take the shot.  I have never, ever taken a shot in such darkness, but realizing this is my final opportunity for WV rifle season, I squeeze off a 30-06 round and am happy to hear the deer thrash around for the next 5-6 seconds before it drops.  Spike buck (~4-inch spikes, nice young tasty deer).

Fast forward to Maryland deer season the very next Monday (6 days later).  Day #1 (of 5), and I am in my stand as usual well before sunrise.  And, another cold and windy day- the kind that many hunters will forego in hopes of better conditions.  Also, I always like hunting more in the mornings than the evenings.  In the evenings, nature dictates my end time.  But mornings- I call the shots.  OK so check this out, 6:35 AM and it is just begging to crack daylight, I believe I am 1 maybe 2 minutes into legal hunting hours, which start 1/2 hour before sunrise.  A nice doe walk right out in front of me.  It is breezy and I am behind great cover from young cedar trees, so I never even say it approach or even where she came from.  Knowing that if I pass on this doe, it may possibly be the only deer I see this week.  She is less than 75 yards away, I take the easy kill and she runs 100 yards to my right.  Since it is so early and I suspect there are other hunters on this same public land, I stay put in my ground blind.  And don't you know it, exactly 10 minutes later a buck appears in the exact same spot I shot this doe 10 minutes earlier.  He had 4 points, and I didn't have to think about this long.  I didn't plan on taking three deer as we don't typically eat that much venison, but that's the opportunity I was given and that is what I did.  In 10 minutes, my Maryland deer season was over!  I had more than enough meat for my freezer, and I was done.

I wish I could say that in 2022 I would be more diligent about tracking all my fishing activity.  And maybe I will, but then again,... who knows.  Anyway, this is #dealislandrandy wishing you an awesome 2022 !!