The Catch & Release Deer

There are always two sides to the coin when it comes to the last day of the season in deer camp. The anticipation of opening day is well past and the reality of the last day is sinking in. Another year has come and gone. Many of the guys you won’t see again until next year. On the other hand, it’s been another positive outdoor experience. You’ve shared some jokes, caught up on family matters and managed to put some wholesome, nutritious, lean venison in the freezer for the coming year. And so, on this the last day of the season, there is often a festive atmosphere in the air. You savour those precious moments of fellowship with your friends and quiet reflection when alone on the watch.

And so, as the guys gathered around the wood stove to warm up from the day’s first chase news came that a deer had fallen through the ice and was stranded in the middle of the lake. It seems that the kids had been out in the bush with their granddad – both adopted and real- and had seen the deer plunge into the lake. Without hesitation, with an almost practiced precision, the rescue convoy was shortly underway, camp Sportspal canoe in tow.

The kids were gathered around a warming fire to watch the proceedings. The bowman broke ice with an axe and the sternsman paddled. Progress was agonizingly slow at times due to the varied ice thickness. In the meantime the deer kept floundering, trying to swim into the ice towards the opposite shore. Evidently it hadn’t considered retracing its route. Had it done so our rescue probably wouldn’t have been required.

At some point the ice became much thinner and the canoeists were able to pick up the pace. Just as they reached the deer it did a 180-degree turn and retraced its route through the open channel. The bowman turned around likewise so he could see the deer while the sternsman backpaddled for there was no way to turn the canoe around within the confines of the narrow icy channel.

The bowman had to grab the deer by the ears to direct it to shore where, in an exhausted condition, it was helped to a protected sun drenched spot where it could recover. As the deer lay covered with blaze orange coats the children watched over it full of fascination.

Life is full of ironic teachable moments such as this. We had set out earlier in the day to hunt deer and now we had managed to save one from drowning. It was not lost on the kids who were in awe of being so close to the action. Hunting, it seemed, was more than shooting deer. There is a sense of fair play.

Later when Grandpa returned to check on the deer it had recovered sufficiently to move on. And so we add another outdoor experience to our litany of stories- this one the catch & release deer of 2004. And as I was driving home listening to Santana’s big hit “You’re So Cool,” I couldn’t help but think of such life experiences. In the day’s vernacular they are “so cool.”

AND FINALLY…Dumb &…

As a lady exited a New York store a thief snatched her purse and took off. Not long after the police caught the suspect and returned to the lady for positive ID. But before the victim could say anything the thief spoke up and said: “Yes, officer, that’s her. That’s the lady I stole the purse from.”

Note: This took place at the Freymond Deer Camp.