Hunting the Wilson way

It finally stopped raining! With the sunny days and crisp nights my urge to go hunting has returned. Of course the crisp nights have frozen the ground which means it is almost impossible to walk quietly in the woods. That plays well with my natural tendency to be lazy.

I take my folding chair and rifle and sit in a perfect setting where I have a good field of vision and where I can at least hear the river, or better yet, see the river. Because it is really chilly in the morning, I wear several layers of clothing to keep warm, but that can be easily removed as the sun warms the day.

Also important is having good snacks. Besides my sandwich I take tangerines and miniature candy bars and a bottle of water. Altogether, I look like a big orange poppy sitting quietly under a tree. If I plan to be out “hunting” for more than an hour or two I sometimes take a book and I always have a camera.

Have I shot anything this year? Not yet. I have seen a lot of white-tail does and several small bucks but nothing I want to kill and end my hunting season this early. I would shoot any legal bull elk and any deer that has four points or more on each side. Luckily, that hasn’t happened and I can look forward to hunting again next week. To me, hunting is like fishing. The point is not to catch a fish or shoot something. The real point is to get out and enjoy the outdoors. What do you think?

The good weather, plus Flathead County work on the North Fork Road has increased hunting traffic and made it much easier for North Fork residents to get to and from town. The recent grading may even last until we get our winter paving.

I know there are a lot of folks who actually look forward to the big snowstorm that finally brings real winter to the North Fork. I am not one of them, but I have done a little research on the subject.

There have been years when the first big snow came in mid October and just kept coming all winter. One year in the mid-50s we had five feet of snow on April 1. That is really unusual as is an open winter when we never really get much snow all winter.

On average, our first big snow—that lasts all winter—arrives in mid November. According to the Weather Bureau, that happens on or about Nov. 18th. Even though I no longer like to play outside in a blizzard, we do need a good snowpack to help the forest grow, provide habitat for wildlife and fish and maybe even reduce the risk of major fires in 2017.

Whatever happens, it will probably be less surprising than the recent national election. In my mind, our elections last months too long, result in way too much nastiness and it takes months to transition, reunify and try to move forward. Wouldn’t it be nice to do it like the Canadians. Announce the election — hold the election in 30 days and move on.

What do you think?

Larry Wilson’s North Fork Views appears weekly in the Hungry Horse News.