BOB HARRIS
------------------------------
Outdoors and Free
Volume 2, Issue 4

A Deer Hunter’s Dilemma
By BOB HARRIS
Outdoors and Free
Friday, November 30, 2007

There is no question that this deer season is going well for many hunters. However, I ran into one hunter recently who was discouraged. Accordingly, he had been tracking what he claimed was a fair sized buck he had seen. He thought he had the deer’s travel pretty well figured out and he devised a route he thought would cut the deer off and allow him a good shot. His plan failed as he only caught a glimpse of the deer as it disappeared through heavy brush. "I’m usually pretty good at getting a deer nearly every year, but this buck pulled the wool over my eyes," he told me. His incident reminded me of a poem that was written many, many years ago by a friend of mine. It is about the challenge of an Indian hunter versus a crafty deer. The poem was written back in the early 1950s and I’d like to share it with all our readers.

 

 

Young Spikehorn
by
John W. Stevens

Young Spikehorn was a yearling buck,
Who roamed the great north woods.
Young Eagle was a hunter,
Who traded skins for goods.
T’was back in days when tribes were free,
And worked the land at will.
Some stalked their prey for many moons,
To make just one sure kill.
Young Eagle’s step could not be heard,
And still he kept his pace.
His arms now ached, his legs were soar,
And sweat ran down his face.
He’d stalked Young Spikehorn five full days,
And thought the end was near.
He slowed his pace and turned his head,
And cupped his hand to hear.
He heard a noise off to the west,
His heart began to pound.
His legs moved very carefully,
So as not to make a sound.
Young Eagle was quite happy,
He felt his hunt was through.
And from his raw-hide quiver,
An arrow length he drew.
Not forty arrow-lengths away,
Young Spikehorn quenched his thirst.
But, Young Eagle hadn’t seen him yet,
Young Spikehorn saw him first.

Well, that’s the way it goes with hunting sometimes. Unlike yesteryear however, when the kill was of vital importance to put food on the table, it’s the enjoyment of getting out and being amongst wildlife that counts. The kill is a bonus. If you’re deer hunting this season, good luck.






Bob Harris can be reached via e-mail at: outwriter2@aol.com
 

Past Columns  >>>

2007
>
Bob Harris 11-23-07:  Hunting and Fishing Bill of Rights and Responsibilities?
> Bob Harris 11-16-07:  Blood Finder of New Hampshire Is A Great Help To Hunters
> Bob Harris 11-09-07:  Hunters Can Help the N.H. Food Bank to Feed the Hungry
> Bob Harris 11-02-07:  2007 New Hampshire Moose Hunt Big Success
> Bob Harris 10-26-07:  New Hampshire Archery Deer Kill, to Date, Is The Highest In 9 Years
> Bob Harris 10-19-07:  Non-Hunters Can Enjoy the Woodlands During Hunting Season, Too
> Bob Harris 10-12-07:  Fall turkey shotgun season is here
> Bob Harris 10-05-07:  Trouble at Glen Lake
> Bob Harris 09-28-07:  Are You Ready for Pheasant Season?
> Bob Harris 09-21-07:  A Dangerous Assault On Our Second Amendment Rights
> Bob Harris 09-14-07:  Cyanobacteria - No Luck O’ the Irish here
> Bob Harris 09-07-07:  Upland Bird Hunting and The Dogs Used To Roust Them
> Bob Harris 08-31-07:  Largemouth Bass virus found in Lake Winnipesaukee
> Bob Harris 08-24-07:  Farewell To Fish and Game Executive Director Lee Perry
> Bob Harris 08-17-07:  Time to sign up for a Hunter Education course
> Bob Harris 08-10-07:  Another invasive algae threatens New Hampshire waters
> Bob Harris 08-03-07:  Crappie fishing in New Hampshire
> Bob Harris 07-27-07:  Lake Winnisquam to get public boat access site
> Bob Harris 07-20-07:  Hearing set for proposed 2008 Freshwater Fishing rules
>
Bob Harris 07-13-07:  Good fishing luck only comes to those who believe
> Bob Harris 07-06-07:  Hunters have a chance to take an additional antlerless deer in WMU "M"
> Bob Harris 06-29-07:  Courtesy is a MUST at the boat launch
> Bob Harris 06-22-07:  What’s happening in New Jersey could happen in New Hampshire
> Bob Harris 06-15-07:  Check Your Watercraft Thoroughly Before Launching
> Bob Harris 06-08-07:  The HSUS Isn’t What You Think It Is
> Bob Harris 06-01-07:  River bass are powerful
> Bob Harris 05-25-07:  A website for outdoors women
>
Bob Harris 05-18-07:  Vicious attack by a butterfly
> Bob Harris 05-11-07:  The Mini-Tandem Streamer
> Bob Harris 05-04-07:  Tandem Streamers - The Size Counts
> Bob Harris 04-27-07:  Come Have Fun at N. H. Fish and Game’s All-Fish Exposition
> Bob Harris 04-20-07:  Trout ponds open April 28th
> Bob Harris 04-13-07:  Come and enjoy "Discover Wild New Hampshire Day"
> Bob Harris 04-06-07:  It's time to enjoy landlocked salmon fishing
> Bob Harris 03-30-07:  New Hampshire Fish and Game Executive Director Will Be Missed
> Bob Harris 03-23-07:  Turkey hunting seminar April 14th
> Bob Harris 03-16-07:  The most sweeping gun ban ever introduced in Congress
> Bob Harris 03-09-07:  A backdoor assault on our right-to-carry in New Hampshire
> Bob Harris 03-02-07:  A call to action on Fish & Game funding
> Bob Harris 02-23-07:  Come Enjoy the 5th Annual Fly-Fish New Hampshire Show
> Bob Harris 02-16-07:  Snowshoe Hare Hunting Workshop Offered by N.N Fish and Game Department 
> Bob Harris 02-09-07:  Need to ride snowmobiles responsibly and safely
> Bob Harris 02-02-07:  The joys of wildlife watching and photography
> Bob Harris 01-26-07:  Many New Hampshire waters are open for fishing year-round
> Bob Harris 01-19-07:  Tell Governor John Lynch you care about Fish and Game funding
> Bob Harris 01-12-07:  Come and Enjoy the 31st Toyota Eastern Fishing & Outdoor Exposition
> Bob Harris 01-05-07:  Fox television joins movement to ban trapping

2006
> Bob Harris 12-29-06:  A successful year for deer hunters
> Bob Harris 12-22-06:  Marine fisheries law enforcement activities increased in 2006
> Bob Harris 12-15-06:  December - a beautiful time for pheasant hunting
> Bob Harris 12-08-06:  The ice will be coming.  Be ready, be safe.
> Bob Harris 12-01-06:  Let's all help support the NH Fish & Game department
> Bob Harris 11-24-06:  The bear facts
> Bob Harris 11-17-06:  Become a volunteer ice fishing instructor
> Bob Harris 11-10-06:  Take a kid hunting this fall




> About Bob Harris

 


Copyright© 2007, Goffstown Residents Association.  All Rights Reserved.