Lake Land Exploration

            It has been far too long since I've had some time to myself in the woods so I decided today I would attempt to do that. I woke up this morning at 5:20, hurried some warm clothes on, got my coffee and went out the door. Today was the first time I can remember seeing frost on the ground and ice forming on standing water. Winter is almost here. After a 30 minute drive I made it to a preserve that had 5500 acres of public land and water access. There was a chain of lakes within the preserve which covered a large portion of the area.

           The first "parking lot" that I pulled into looked like a perfect area to go for a stroll in the woods until I saw a sign that said "archery deer management hunt in effect". I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to have someone spoil your hunt, so I decided to try to find another area to go to. I crossed the highway where there was a welcome center, a camping site, and a network of trails. I parked my car at an public access point where you can take your boat in and out of the water. It was still well before sunrise but I noticed that there were already vehicles here. Deer hunters obviously. I found a paved trail that I assumed the hunters would want to stay away from because of the foot and bike traffic on there.

I walked on.

            I slowly began to walk through the darkness, constantly on the look out for any sign of a bowhunter. I tried to look at every tree to see if I could pick up a man in a stand, and I told myself that I would leave if I saw anyone at all. Within the first few hundred yards I heard the sharp 'quack' of a duck pierce the still air. I instantly recognized the sound to be that of a mallard. I looked towards the whistling of wings and saw a flock of about a dozen birds rising from the swamp and circling into the air until they could clear the treetops.

I walked on.

            I continued my way to the East when I heard some rustling in the cattails. Quietly I walked towards the sound but could not make out the figure. By the amount of noise it was making and the marshy area it was in I assume it was a beaver or even more likely a muskrat.

I walked on.

           I began to notice more and more color coming from the Eastern horizon as time passed. Finally I could not help but notice a stand of coniferous trees that were silhouetted by a beautiful dark pink.

I walked on.

             At one point as my trail became adjacent to the lake that I parked by, I heard something that caught my attention. It didn't seem natural. Could it have been the sound of an arrow as it releases the string of a bow and the smack the arrow makes when it reaches its target? I could not be sure. I was hesitant to continue on, what if a hunter was just around the corner trying to finish off his kill? (I have found over the years that when I am unsure of my next move in the woods I just stand there. Its as if I believe that if I do not move the answer to my question will find me. Well in more cases than not, the woods provide the answer.) I stood there for a couple moments waiting for some sort of sign on what to do. Suddenly, a bird began to sing its warning song to the forest critters, I had been caught evidently. I listened to the bird and the sound it made as it moved through the trees. I realized he made the same sound as the one that made me stop in the first place.

Surely I was free to walk on.
         
               I took one step and stopped once more. Through the maze of tree trunks I made out the shape of a goose, and then a second, and a third near the lake shore. As I watched the geese I heard human voices. Right next to the geese were three hunters on the shore of the lake with their decoys out in front of them. I remained still, wishing that they would invite me to sit with them and watch them work the birds into their deadly setup. No such thing happened. I decided I did not want to spoil a duck hunter's morning either.

I turned around and I walked on.

             On my way back I could envision ducks answering the calls of the men, curling their wings and setting up to land with their fake brothers and sisters. Suddenly a shot rang out followed by a second of the same gun. I walked on. When I reached my car I realized that the other vehicles in the lot had boat trailers and that people were setup all around the lake trying to persuade a bird that their landing area was better than the others. I started the car to warm up my legs as all I was wearing were jeans. I looked out the window to see about a dozen mallards heading towards the lake. I instantly turned off the ignition opened the car door and listened.

               The birds were coming from directly behind the hunters, they had no clue they were coming. I could imagine the hunters in the grass continuing on their conversation and realizing a flock of ducks were 50 yards away. Just as I expected, a chorus of hurried, artificial quacks came from the hunters. The birds began to turn around! Would they fall into this deadly trap? No. They flew right past the hunters and dove out of the sky and into the swamp that I had initially spooked them from before the sun came up. Truly both mine and the duck's morning expedition had come full circle.