As I sat there debating whether I should leave my stand and risk spooking anything that might be nearby or continue sitting there so as to possibly have a shot, I chose to wait. I thought I could time it just right so as to take advantage of prime hunting time and still leave enough time to make it back to camp. About 5 minutes after vowing I would sit there I realized my body was not going to cooperate. I quickly lowered my .30-06 and prepared to climb down. Unfortunately when I screwed in my (three!!!) steps I overdid the distance between them in order to get as high as I could. Going up was the hard part but I had no idea getting down would be difficult. It shouldn't have been but as I was leaving the last step my foot slipped and I fell about 3 feet. Normally this would not have been a big deal as the fall into the snow was soft. The real problem was my "distressed state" in addition to my pant leg being tangled in the last step. When I strained to untangle myself my body went into evacuation mode. With the temperature being about 10 degrees I did not look forward to undressing. I still had the delusion that I could make it back to camp. I took about 20 steps and realized that this was not going to be possible...

I sat in my tree stand from an hour before sunrise waiting patiently until about 9:30 when it happened. I knew I shouldn't have eaten that bowl of high fiber cereal for breakfast. At first it was just a small urge which I thought I could easily control until 10:30 when I planned to head back to camp. I continued to wait- hoping that the wind was blowing up over the pines - because the intermittent smells arising out of my many layers of clothing would surely alert even the most "olfactory-challenged" of deer... More to follow

I just got back from hunting for the elusive Whitetail in the U.P. of Michigan. I did everything right. I washed my clothes in scent-free soap (I even packed them in activated charcoal to absorb any unwanted scent). I bought the tinks and shoe pads to scent my trail. I sprayed everything with de-scenter. I was ready! I headed into the wilderness of the U.P. in St. Ignace with a layer of fresh snow. I could see anything moving within the woods for surely 400 yards. There were fresh tracks and other sign all around. I KNEW it was not a matter of IF I got one but WHEN....more to follow

While out in Yellowstone my buddy was taking pictures as his friend approached...

It quickly became evident that the ice was making the approach more difficult than anyone anticipated.

We now call him Ostrich!!