Snow Angels and Hunting Guides

Sitting in my ground blind on Thanksgiving morning I was full of anticipation, to say the least, it was the 5th day of my hunt and I was getting just a bit impatient with the local Whitetail population. The events of the day were about to unfold and I had no idea what was coming.

As the guide drove off and my fire began to warm the cold morning air there was movement only feet in front of my blind, a doe and a fawn headed for the bait pile. Beginning of the day and it was already on. As the sun began to rise with only minutes until it was legal shooting time the doe and her fawn stared intently behind them, then lowered their heads and wandered off in the opposite direction. If you hunt Whitetails-you know what's coming next! Out of the woods wondered a larger dark object, at first it was hard to tell but only a moment later the outline of antlers hit the morning sky.

At this point I could probably stop authoring this blog, most of you have already anticipated the ending, and for the most part you would be correct. Yes, after looking through the 50mm objective lens for the 3rd and 4th times I sat my rifle down, looked out through the screen netting and asked myself a question that I've never asked myself before: How are you not shooting that Buck? Within seconds the rifle when off and the bullet was headed down range. After four long cold days at the Lost Meadow stand, a move planned by my guide put me in a now hallowed ground known as "Zeek's Meadow".

There were some technical difficulties in getting a hold of my guide, he had moved about 20 miles away or so to meet up with the outfitter and apparently-just out of radio range. Moments passed, seemed like hours, and a voice came over the airwaves. It was the outfitter-Kevin, if that is you-key your mic 3 times....I complied. Moments later-Okay it's not Kevin...Rick, if that is you-key your mic 3 times.........I almost passed out.

I had a Saskatchewan Buck that was out of sight, moments seemed like hours and they couldn't hear me on my radio......and then my guide came on the airwaves....Kevin, if that's you key your mic 2 times....click-click.....Okay, if you have a deer down key your mic 2 times....again: click-click....hang on, I'll be there in about 20 minutes......I could have pissed myself!

Excitement quickly turned to question though: did I make a good shot? Did I even hit him? What if I hit him and we don't find him? Breath Kevin Breath.......

I heard the quad coming through the trees and as the guide arrived I was already packed, the ground blind was unloaded and I was ready to go-Breath Kevin Breath. As we approached the bait pile there was no sign of blood......the air went out of me. My guide pointed and said here's a drop-and the chase was on. There is a whole other story I can tell you about our tracking job-I'll save if for another time.

Some 30 yards away piled up in some willows laid what I came to Saskatchewan for-A 150+ Buck! So I thought............

That's where your guessing ends, and my story begins. You see, I brought some baggage with me to Saskatchewan, over a year of some tough times for myself and my family. Emotional stuff that I ventured North to leave behind for a few days-that's where God stepped in.

Upon arrival at Camp I entered the lodge and ran into Micheal-one of my previous guides. I had met the other guides but really didn't know them. My guide was assigned and I was a bit shocked-happy-but shocked.

My guide had a very slow and steady way about him, kind of peaceful in all. I'm wrapped so tight that if someone would have bumped me with a pair of scissors there's no telling where I would have landed. 90 miles a hour and way ahead of my guide!

After twisting my guides ear on the way to the blind and back-I figured he put me somewhere real close to the lodge so he didn't have to hear it anymore, but he didn't. He offered a smile, I tried to slow down, minutes later I was on a role.....as I usually am.

That morning, Thanksgiving Day, the morning my guide and I loaded the Buck and headed to camp we were side tracked to the old construction site to meet up with the outfitter. As we sat, everything seemed to slow down-at least for me. My guide ate his sandwich, I talked, my guide drank his soda, I talked some more, and so it went for about a half hour-then it hit me!

About 50 feet from where we were parked there was a pile of gravel about 100 feet long and 40 or so feet high. The side was formed by the gravel sliding down as they piled it-it was covered with snow. I did what anyone would do after having 5 days like I'd just had, I got out of the truck, wandered over and planted a snow angel on the side of that pile. My guide and I had a good laugh-things seemed to lighten up. Our conversation turned and my guide shared some things that most would bury from their memory. He didn't smile as he talked yet somehow I knew he was okay inside, peaceful in his conversation. It was that moment that I went to Saskatchewan for and I didn't even know it.

As with all of my hunts there seems to be something other than hunting that sticks in my memory. A sight or a sound, a deer or a magpie, or maybe a new friend. That day my guide became more than a guide-he became a good friend. I think God wanted it that way. My baggage was gone.

Try as we may there is little we can do about planning our day, let alone our lives, we just never know whats coming down the pike as they say.

I don't know if I'll get to Saskatchewan again, and if I do I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get the same guide, but that's okay-I don't think I'll ever be able to hunt in Saskatchewan without hearing him in my ear saying: it is what it is! A lesson we could all learn!

Silence is Golden

Seldom has there been a day on stand that I wasn't entertained by the far off sounds of cars passing or children at a local school house playing. Deer seem to adapt to places like that, where the sounds come and go at relatively the same time every day. There is of course that golden moment that happens right around 9:00am where everything seems to stop and the chill of the morning cuts through the hunting attire that you chose for that day.

Not so much with Saskatchewan, The chill is there from the time you rise out of bed to meet the morning and pretty much stays there all day-you have to dress right. However something is missing once on stand and your guide has departed, something most take for granted as we accept it as the norm-there's no outside noise. Oh, there is the sound of an occasional logging truck in the distance-sometimes 20 or 30 miles away however other than that-silence.

I read a story about an Indian Chief once, he said that one must listen to one's self to find out how ignorant one is, if one listens to one's silence the torment will rise and be heard. I'm not sure exactly what he was getting at but I do know this-in the silence of the Saskatchewan Deer stand every noise is multiplied and your thoughts seem as though they are out loud and can't be silenced. Matched only by anticipation there is a constant battle to not fall within yourself and feel your every thought.

Northern Saskatchewan is Hollowed ground in my eyes, yes-there's probably been someone else in the stand that your sitting at one time or another however there's no guarantee that the deer before you have ever been there. You may well be encountering Whitetails who have never encountered a Human before. And so it is-Saskatchewan.

It is in that Silence where I find myself coming to grips with the past, exploring new thoughts and ideas, find myself fighting off the urge to take a nap and all at the same time feeling the chills of morning and anticipation as they run from your toes to your head and back. It's within the silence of the northern woods where one can come to terms with one's self, kind of settle the past a bit and at the same time find hope for the future. A time when your thoughts seem to scream and your sandwich bag sounds like a paper bag being crumpled.

The silence of Northern Saskatchewan is more than just a hunting land, it's a refuge-a refuge from all that was and all that will be, a space in time to sort things out and make decisions, a place to settle pasts and plan futures. Yes, the silence of Northern Saskatchewan is Golden!

If you travel to Saskatchewan and you don't use that time to the fullest you'll have missed something. A mount on the wall is the obvious goal, however the piece and serenity it brings when the week is truly lived will show in your heart for ever. 

Realistic-Not so much

It's that time of year when lawn work and warm weather take the place of online shopping for hunting clothes and cleaning guns. I often wonder what I'd be like if I lived in a place where the fall season reigns all year long. Luckily for me the cool weather still sets in the evening and the fan above my bed makes it feel fall like when I lay down to go to sleep.With somewhere around 173 days to go until I leave for my Saskatchewan hunt one would think that it would be on the back burner of my "things to do" list, but no.

This year is going to be a bit different from the norm for me, there is no master plan in place. Of late my hunts have involved several months of calls, conversations with landowners and reading maps and statistics looking for "the place". Using outfitters is something relatively new to me, I joined a friend as a guest on a Saskatchewan trip several years ago and enjoyed a return trip in the same manner. Another friend got me to go to an archery outfitter in Ohio and again we returned a year or so later, but other than that-I've been the outfitter for the most part.

This year I have but one responsibility-get there and bring what I need! The rest is up to "others". I know that some of you are thinking that it's a lazy man's game and I'd agree in part. I don't have to do the scouting, prep work, set up accommodations, get permissions, study maps and arrive early to check out the lay of the land, but I'm not being lazy about this trip either. All paperwork is submitted, flights-hotels and rental cars are paid for and 50% of the deposit is submitted with the other 50% pending a check that I'm waiting for in late July or early Aug. I've done all that I can do but dream.

The thing that I now deal with-expectations. I mean for God's Sake this is Saskatchewan, home of the world record and a place where bucks arrive on stand almost all day and hunters go home with antlers in hand should they choose to. As for me, I've been there twice with success in hand but not really with Saskatchewan type success in hand. I'm looking for a wall hanger! In fact, if I get the one I dream of I may have to hang him at Cabela's......lol.

Is it realistic to think that Saskatchewan is a sure thing-yes-about as sure as you can get. Is it realistic to think that your guaranteed a 170+ B+C Buck-Not so much! There is an abundance of 130-150 inch and there are surely 150-170 inchers standing in the wings during most typical hunts....but....they didn't get that big by visiting the bait pile outside the hours of darkness!

If you want to be realistic about Saskatchewan you need to realize that although it is truly the land of dreams it is also the land of disappointment should your expectations get the best of you. What I find interesting about Saskatchewan and what keeps me excited thinking about going back is the sheer wilderness of where I hunt and that fact that at any time you could encounter a mature buck who has never seen nor encountered a human before. I have hunted across much of our great land in the lower 48 and yet what I think draws me to the great northern woods is the deer behavior that's encountered. First and foremost is the number of deer you see on stand each day but coupled with that is their lack of pressure allowing them to act naturally right in front of you. You'll not find a better Whitetail University than the northern woods of Saskatchewan!

My expectations are high but realistically I'm well aware of what is on the menu. A super hunt, a break from life as I know it and an opportunity to see nature being nature in it's purest form. Hey, if I get lucky I might even harvest a mature whitetail buck-wouldn't that just be the icing on the cake!

Hunting Wishes

I spend much of my time in hotels as I travel searching the Internet and reliving the haunts of hunting past and harvest future. There's a dream of mine that exceeds any other goal or desire that I have when it comes to hunting: I want to hunt just one more day with my Father!

Merle Leland (Mike) Meyer was born to a Nebraska farmer, although his restless spirit made him chase an invisible dream it was his roots in the great state of Nebraska that quieted his spirit and soothed his soul. As so it is with me, his son! Mike-my Father-passed away in November of 2000 God rest his soul, he is buried in Nebraska.

As I sat at dinner last night in an upper class restaurant that sits right on the water at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia, I listened politely as someone belittled Nebraska as a barren waste land. Honestly it was all I could do not to defend the great state however I decided that she doesn't need me to defend her from someone who knows nothing about her. For me Nebraska is a state of mind, a safe place to be when life is in turmoil, a great escape if you like. I too, like my father, harbor a restless soul, and as my wife defines it-I wish my life away. I only feel complete when I stand once again within the boundaries of my home state.

As the conversation moved on to several others who couldn't help but put in their two cents worth on a state they have merely traveled through-my thoughts began to wander and it hit me: when I go back-I go back to be with my father! It's as though I'm safe there with him to see over me, I'm once again-a kid-my fathers son! Although my wife would never live there, she fully understands that something draws me there and that I'm a better man when I return home to New Jersey just for having been there. It's somehow-my time with Dad!

Deer hunting will forever be-Deer hunting. But Deer hunting with Dad is a thing of the past. A memory that will linger for as long as I can lift my rifle, a dream to be smiled about, a goal to be cried about. I'll never again in life-hunt with my Father. It is my wish to those who hunt that they may see more than the harvest when they hunt, I wouldn't want anyone to miss the smell of coffee as the thermos is opened, the horizon as the sun comes up or lays down, the short distance between them and their fathers who sit next to them.

May hunting forever be a place where one feels safe and secure, and for me at home if you will-with my Father.

In loving memory of all the cornfields and duck blinds

Respectfully your son Kevin Scott "Scooter" Meyer

Plans well made!

I was told once that I don't let the grass grow under my feet! Well, it's happened again. Today is March 20th and I've just booked my last hotel night for my Saskatchewan Trip, it's all planned down to the amount of US Currency I need to exchange for Canadian Currency before the trip. This trip is special to me, I guess that's why I'm so excited. I'm doing this one with friends however at the same time-I'm doing it alone!

I've had favor to go to Saskatchewan two times prior to this trip. There were several of us on the trip and we planned it out and did it together all the way from departure to arrival. I'm going with friends this year as well however-I'm doing this one alone! The usual trip involves arriving on Saturday and checking into a local motel for the night, the next morning we board up with assigned drivers and undertake the 5 1/2 hour ride north to the lodge. Now I don't want to sound selfish however this trip is totally and unequivocally-for me! I've booked my flight for Friday (a day early) so I'm not traveling with the hoards of Saturday arrivals. I'm hoping for a quiet trip and a good nights sleep in downtown Saskatoon. My partners will be arriving Saturday midday to late afternoon and I'm sure we'll get together for dinner. Of course the following day we'll be driving up together, for me that's where it all ends. My flight home will be on a Monday, in exchange for the normal Sunday flight!

For the last several years I've been focused on trying to get some other hunters a respectable Midwestern Nebraska Buck. Although my attempts have been lacking, none-the-less it was me who sat by watching others hunt and doing what I could to get people in the right spots. I'm generally unselfish as it is, however this fall is different. Once I land at the lodge-it's all about me!

On my past trips I've ended my hunts on Wednesday and Thursday respectively, with lesser bucks harvested. I've often wondered what would have happened had I just hung in there a little longer. There have been some monsters harvested in the region and I still yearn for "The One". With all of this in mind, I have learned over the years that my serenity is directly proportional to my expectations. Now that the trip is 100% a go, all I have to do is close my eyes at night and dream about that moment in time! I'm trying not to get too jazzed up, but I will. If you wouldn't, your not a true whitetail hunter!

There is nowhere in the world like Saskatchewan during the Rut for whitetail hunters! If you don't believe me, you haven't been there. I pride myself a Godly man however annually I'm drawing dangerously close to selling my soul for a trip up north....lol! As with most I have obligations to concern myself with: family, work, family, lawn, family and all things financial. Did I mention family? There are a lot of ships rocking out there in the ocean, I'm not willing to rock the one I live in....if you know what I mean!

I have to say, there is an air of calmness now that I've booked the last hotel night required for the trip-it's on! Hopefully I can just sit back and relax until November......NOT!

It is my sincere wish that those who would read this blog would one day land at Saskatoon Airport on their way up north, there's just nothing like it in the world!

A Moment in Time

There is an air of familiarity in my newly renovated office. Late last week my 2009 Nebraska Whitetail mount arrived via UPS. As it is only the second full head mount that I've done in my hunting career it hangs predominately as you walk in.

I find myself quite humbled in its presence actually. No, it's not a monster or world record, fact is many may have passed on the opportunity-and normally so would I. As you may recall from an earlier story I was hunting a piece of state land with the hopes that my hunting buddy Rich would get a reasonable shot at a mature mid-western buck. As we worked our way back to the boat that brought us to our hunting spot I trailed Rich giving him every opportunity at a first shot. As it happened I worked my way a little bit too far to the left and ended up on an adjoining point and not where the boat was. As I turned back to the path that had led me to that spot, three (3) Whitetails jumped up from a daytime bedding spot and within seconds I "incorrectly" identified a set of antlers as a 3x3 and before he could get up a head of steam the harvest was over.

As I worked my way around the ditch to get a better look at the buck I was pleasantly surprised to see a 10 point (due to split brow tines)! Although not the trophy that I had hoped Rich would land, it still would have been a fine harvest for him as well.

I stated earlier that I feel "humbled", it has been a long time since I stepped foot afield with my father. When he passed in 2000 I had the opportunity to recall and relive many of the hunting days with him. None any better than the last-all were good days!


At 53 years old I am privileged to have hanging on my wall a link to a childhood dream. I spent most of my hunting days in my father’s tow however until this opportunity, in spirit of course, I harvested my first Nebraska Whitetail with my father beside me. Although it has only been hanging for a couple of days it almost brings a tear to my eye when I walk into the room. It's a connection if you will, to the days of holding my father’s hand, cleaning our shotguns together or just sitting on the front porch with a glass of iced tea. I miss him!

As I sit here tonight I fully understand how silly this all seems to my wife and daughter, Jersey born and raised, not much on hunting anything. I admit that it isn't a trophy most would spend much time on, let alone wait a year to have it mounted. I feel almost foolish as I send out the picture to my hunting buddies-probably the smallest buck harvested amongst the group in some time. But they don't know my Dad!

This one's for you Dad, the dry spell is over and yet another fond memory of hunting past shares my life and times. It's a connection of sorts, a look back into the past, a memory that just happened. As I often say to Rich: It's a Moment in Time!

This fall I head to Saskatchewan, the land of dreams, yet there stands nothing in those woods that can link me to my father. The harvest, should there be one, will be enjoyed as a new event-a New Moment in Time, none however will replace the attached Nebraska Buck in bringing me back to a moment with my Father.

The "Wait"

I don't know about anyone else, but for me, hunting season begins the day it ends! 2010 is in the books and 2011 is in the planning stages. Armed with a dream and an opportunity the required deposit has been sent and my third Saskatchewan hunt has been put into action.

I can go on forever about what I feel can happen while sitting a stand in what has repeatedly proven itself to be the best place in the world to hunt whitetails-but I won't! This blog is about : The "Wait"! Tonight as I sit in my hotel room, ice storm looming on the horizon and tomorrow's activities being an unknown, I find myself before the computer as a means of sanity and escape. An email sent reference a close encounter between Archer and Elk started my mind rolling about the great north woods of Saskatchewan. As of today I have two of my close friends, one a repeat hunting buddy, the other will be hitting the woods with me this fall for the first time, pending Saskatchewan deposits-although committed verbally.

I'm not sure that I can top the Michigan encounter with a 170 class buck that one of them had in 2010, but hopefully we'll have some fun along the way and a picture to hold the moment.

There are circumstances holding the final decision to commit by a friend which will be resolved within the next two weeks, although I fully expect things to work out and a commitment to be made, it's hard to sit by waiting to know that all three are booked, dates set and travel plans made. All part of: The "Wait"!

For those who know me it's no secret that I find greater reward in the success' of others while afield, however the past 4 years have been slow for my efforts and all involved and Saskatchewan offers success to most all who visit her. It is my sincere hopes and/or expectations that antlers will come home and mounts will be procured for the three of us. And although two of us have committed the whole picture just won't be complete until number three sends in his deposit. I would be happy to take this trip alone, however there will be something missing should he not make the trip with us.

For those who hunt it's well known that the Rut in Saskatchewan is like being nowhere else on earth. The great north woods offers opportunity to see: wolves, buffalo and moose while on stand and many end their hunts early with a lesser buck and a realization that they missed what I call "The Movie". Spending a day on stand watching deer interact like they do in the wild is one of the most exciting events a true whitetail hunter can observe. Many focus on Saskatchewan as a place to harvest a respectable buck, I see it as one of the best learning experiences a hunter can have.

I've offered up a $100 bill to either of my buddies should they voluntarily leave their firearm in camp and sit their stand weaponless for the first day of the trip, neither are willing to bite! I suggest to you that being on stand without your chosen weapon as shooter bucks frequent the area is harder than one would think, I have visions of grown men drooling at dinner having seen multiple trophies without means to harvest them.

Saskatchewan is more to me than a place to shoot a deer, it's an opportunity to see nature being nature! During this period I refer to as: The "Wait" I have restless moments thinking about one of my hunting buddies missing out on what I earlier referred to as "The Movie". What would be the use of experiencing anything worth living for-should it not be shared!

An so the wait continues, a mere two weeks until the verdict is in and the plans begin to take form. It's my sincerest hope that he will join us on this trip as there is more to it than just harvesting a great north woods whitetail, it's an experience all it's own!

And so it goes with hunting, waiting comes in many forms for those of us with lesser means and who have to grab opportunities when we can, I just don't want to miss sharing this experience, to go it alone would take from the trip-that which makes it a trip, and would only leave "the harvest"!