Bright Idea Outdoors Weblog

Lyme Disease Update: Deer Ticks are on the Move

Just a reminder for everyone, especially those of you here in the Northern Virginia region, to be on the lookout for deer ticks and please, please, please check your kids and pets for them.  It's only just starting to warm up here in the Loudoun County area, and I've already pulled a deer tick off the head of one of my kids.

The tiny deer tick has become well known in recent years for infecting thousands of people with Lyme disease.  In my experience, this tick is active any time the daytime high temperature reaches about 50 degrees.  The activity of these blood sucking varmints reaches a peak in the late spring and early summer so outdoorspeople need be particularly vigilant for the next few months.

Lyme disease is an often-misunderstood infection that can lead to lifelong health problems if left untreated.  It is difficult to diagnose and many patients have been treated for a host of other ailments before finally realizing that they are infected with Lyme.  I myself have twice contracted the infection but both times was able to head off long-term symptoms by being treated with antibiotics.  My most recent bout with Lyme came last summer when I experienced severe flu-like symptoms a couple of weeks after removing a deer tick that was attached to my skin.

A doctor prescribed a course of antibiotics; I began to feel better around 24 hours later and have had no symptoms since.  However, when I attended a community forum on Lyme later that summer I met numerous people who say they've been fighting Lyme for years.  In some cases, treatments include several months of antibiotics.

The forum was organized by Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) and held because Lyme infection has reached nearly epidemic levels in this part of Virginia, specifically in my home county of Loudoun.

The best way to fight Lyme is to keep those deer ticks off your skin.  Prevention methods include wearing long sleeves and hats and tucking pants into your boots or socks.  Insect repellents that contain Deet are also recommended but not foolproof.

I doused myself in Deet last June before taking a walk in the Northampton County woods.  Still, I found several deer ticks crawling up my legs and one attached when I got back to the house.

So take the precautions listed above and check, check, check yourself, your kids and your pets for deer ticks, keeping in mind how small they are.  In most cases when I've found one on myself, it has resembled a tiny scab or blemish.  I've also found that the waistband area is a favorite spot for deer ticks to latch on.

And in the event that you experience any of the symptoms of Lyme disease, even if you're not sure if you've been bitten by a tick, get to a doctor right away.

Deer Season Finally Over: That Was Weird

All the signs of spring were evident as I sat in a treestand late Saturday afternoon: a light rain fell; robins flitted from fencepost to field; flowering trees looked ready to pop; and the clover in my food plot practically grew before my eyes.  Yes, spring is here, but nary a deer wandered by the treestand on that drizzly late March evening.

Just as well I guess; even here in the land of the nearly endless deer season my heart just isn't in it when it comes to spring whitetail hunting.  There's something that feels weird and unsettling about hunting them this time of year; like I've violated some kind of agreement.  Luckily for the deer, I won't have a chance to change my mind.  Our long season finally came to an end as darkness fell on Saturday.

So now it's on to the things I do when it's not deer season: working, fishing, camping, turkey hunting (hopefully), and thinking about deer hunting.  Oh yeah; I'll try and fit some blogging in too!

A Final Shot

Well, it's finally here.  The absolute last day of deer season here in Loudoun County, Virginia.  Our season began back in early September and will end 1/2 hour after sunset today.

I really haven't taken advantage of this extremely long season; my last hunt took place in early February when I shot a doe with my Mossberg.  But an experience I had a few days ago and an email from my cousin urging me to take one last doe have rekindled my burning desire to hunt whitetails.  So this afternoon I'll head to my treestand one last time.

There are a variety of reasons that I haven't hunted deer these last couple months, and it's possible that those reasons will prevent me from shooting one if I get a chance.  Still, it would be nice to at least get one more opportunity.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Picking a Turkey Hunting Spot

It's already turkey season in some parts of the country, but here in Virginia, the spring gobbler hunt is still a couple of weeks away.  Our season starts with a youth hunt (15 and younger) April 4, and the regular season gets underway a week later.  So, if you live in Virginia or another state where the season has not yet started, there's still time to pick a spot.

Here's what Bright Idea Outdoors special correspondent Tom Elliston, who hunts gobblers in Clarke County, Virginia, had to say when I interviewed him for my recent turkey hunting article--

"Permission from landowners with private property is the safest way to go...  If that is not possible, public land can be great.  It is definitely more challenging, but National forests and WMA's can hold a lot of animals.  Accessing federal and state government websites can let you know whether or not turkeys inhabit the areas you are going to hunt.

"Turkeys inhabit many environments, so the best way to find out if turkeys are there is to do some pre-season scouting or get information from landowners or other hunters in your area.  Turkeys roost at night in trees, so any place that has mature trees more than 20 or so feet off the ground can be good; especially mature hardwoods (oaks, walnuts, poplars) that are fairly open in the canopy with large branches.  Pines that grow close together and are open in the middle are good too...  Look for dropping feathers and areas where turkeys have scratched the ground looking for food...

"When in the woods actually hunting, try and pick an area that is a good spot to ambush the bird you have been working (calling.)  Sit with your back toward an area that the turkey won't or can't come from.  Try and pick a spot that is open and not covered with briars and undergrowth, as gobblers do not like to navigate vines and briars any more than we do."

That's all I have time for this morning.  Next time, I'll let you know where Jeff, Othmar and Hershel weighed in on picking a spot to turkey hunt.

A Blood Trail Tale

The blood trail led up the driveway and got wider as we neared the house.  Three buzzards eyeballed us from a spot in the yard about 50 yards away.

"It must have run up the driveway and then dropped over there," the homeowner said.  Then I saw the bloody tire track and realized exactly what had happened.

"I think the blood was dripping out of his truck bed," I said. 

"See," I said, pointing to an area of bloody matted down grass next to the driveway.  "This is where he loaded it up."

"Oh yeah," the homeowner said.  "You can see where he dragged it across the yard."

At that point, I put myself in the shoes of the hunter who had killed a deer with a bow on the property the evening before.  I wondered if he was about to lose his hunting spot for being careless with his carcass.

"He probably doesn't know he did that," I said.  "Hopefully we'll get some rain over the weekend and it'll wash off."

Luckily for the hunter, this particular homeowner--whose house I was at doing an estimate this morning--didn't seem real uptight about the blood on the asphalt.  If anything, he was appreciative that the hunter is still taking deer off his property, even now, in late March.

Yes, believe it or not, people are still hunting deer here in Loudoun County.  The late antlerless season, which has spanned seven months and all four seasons, will finally end this Saturday.

But the driveway blood trail offers a good lesson for me and anyone else who hunts suburban properties: pay attention to what you're doing and leave your hunting spot looking the way it did when you got there.  It would have been a little tougher, but that hunter could have dragged the deer to the road instead of the driveway, and the homeowner probably would have never noticed the blood in the grass.

Meanwhile, learning that guys are still out there deer hunting served as a good reminder for me to keep my eyes and ears open for deer harvest numbers.  It will be interesting to see what kind of impact this very long hunting season had on the deer herd.

Turkey Hunting Safety Tips, or Finally, a Turkey Week Post

So here we are, a week after Turkey Week was supposed to have ended, and I still haven't done any of the posts I promised.  I'll change that right now by sharing with you what my turkey hunting sources had to say about how to safely hunt spring gobblers.

Othmar Vohringer of Outdoors With Othmar Vohringer Smart Hunting Strategies said:

• Always cover a turkey up with a blaze orange vest when you carry it out of the woods.

• Never wear anything blue or red colored.  These are the colors of a turkey's head, and you could be mistaken for one and be shot at.

• When hunting on public land or anywhere you know or expect that other hunters are present, wear a blaze orange vest and cap when you walk to your set up and back to your truck after hunting.

• Mark the tree trunk you chose as your set up with blaze orange surveyor tape so that other hunters that might follow your calls can see that there is another hunter and not a turkey.

• If at all possible do not use decoys on public land.  It is just not safe.  If you do, tie ribbons of blaze orange tape around them.  It has been said that this spooks turkeys, but I have not found this to be true.  On the other hand, I would rather miss a turkey than be shot at...

• Set your decoys up in such a way that you're not in the firing line should another hunter shoot at your decoys.

• Always choose a tree wide enough to cover you completely on the back so an approaching hunter from behind you will not be able to see you or part of you.

Hershel Howell, father of the Deer Camp Blog's Rex Howell had perhaps the most memorable tip as he recalled the time he got shot by another turkey hunter:

I always try to be aware of someone hearing my calling and slipping up on me.  I was shot once at 30 yards by an overanxious hunter.  Safety glasses saved my eyesight, as the last thing I remembered was the fire coming out of his barrel.  Be alert!

Jeff Hunt of Low Country Hunting offered safety tips similar to Othmar's:

Try to set up with your back against a BIG tree.  This will protect you from behind if someone accidentally shoots at the calls you are making or mistakes you for a turkey (stupid I know, but it happens.)  It is easier to see someone sneaking in if they are in front of you; you can then yell at them that you are there.  However, if they sneak in from behind you will not see them and that is how they end up taking a shot in your direction...  Then hopefully the tree will take the blow and not you!

And never stalk a turkey or a turkey's call...  It may be a turkey or it may be another hunter's call and/or decoy.  And it is usually better to find a mediocre spot that you can hunt by yourself than it is to have the best spot if it is loaded with hunters.

Finally, the tips that came in from Bright Idea Outdoors special correspondent Tom (needs a blog of his own) Elliston meshed up with what the other guys said as well. 

Spring gobbler hunting can be dangerous because people use calls and move around trying to find birds.  Always wear camouflage and NEVER wear any blue, white, brown, shiny or red colored clothes (even underwear.)  This is because those colors are the colors on an excited gobbler's head and turkey's feathers are very shiny and reflect light.  The head is the spot a turkey hunter tries to shoot a turkey. 

Until you are very experienced, do not use an imitation gobble call as you may attract another hunter...  If another hunter comes, announce yourself before moving so the other hunter doesn't see you move and actually shoot you.

Of course, these tips are not meant to replace the basic safety rules that apply to any form of hunting.  But turkey hunting has an extra set of rules that must be followed if you want a safe and enjoyable hunt.  It was encouraging to see that my sources for the most part agreed on the safety precautions that are particular to turkey hunting. 

So now that we know how to gobbler hunt safely, it's time to pick a spot.  That's up next as Turkey "Week" continues...

Quote of the Day

 In honor of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament getting underway, I'd like to share with you one of my favorite quotes.  This comes from the late Jim Valvano, who coached the N.C. State Wolfpack to a national title in 1983.  Most sports fans have probably heard it before, but some of you may have not. Valvano said:

"To me there three things we all should do every day.  We should do this every day of our lives.  Number one is laugh.  You should laugh every day.  Number two is think.  You should spend some time in thought.  And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy.  But think about it.  If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day.  That's a heck of a day.  You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."

Jimmy V. said that in 1993, not long before cancer took his life.  He said a lot of interesting things, but the quote above is probably the best known, along with the following:

"Don't give up...  Don't ever give up."

These words ring true in basketball, in fighting disease, in hunting and in life.

Turkey Hunting Article Fixed

Just a heads up that my turkey hunting article on bizymoms.com is finally up and in the right format. Because the article was a little too long for the site, it has been re-organized into two parts, with part 1 up now and part 2 to be published before the end of the month.

Stop by and check it out.

Beaver Battle Rages On

With the Captain too busy down in the big city these days to hang out with his buddies in the boondocks, I've had to take the fight against the beavers that plague Cowboy Lake into my own hands.

In case you're wondering, there is a continuous open season on beavers in many Virginia jurisdictions, including my home county of Loudoun.  These animals can do a lot damage quickly, and the main problem with them at Camp Cowboy is that the beavers like to clog up the pond drain, which can lead to flooding and once caused the road to wash out completely.  The beavers have also cut down a number of trees on a neighboring property that we hunt as well, and pressure has been building for the Bright Idea Outdoors team to do battle with these buck-toothed bark busters.

I've always kind of liked beavers and can identify with their anti-establishment tendencies.  So it was with mixed emotions that I returned from the woods last fall to learn that a big beaver had taken a crossbow bolt between the eyes.  And it was still with some regret in my heart that I took the fight to the beavers again at dusk on Saturday.

Out of respect for my foe, I won't go into detail about how that round ended.  I will, however, say that if a scoreboard were built on the side of Cowboy Lake, it would read:

Bright Idea Outdoors--2

Beavers--0.

This fight isn't over though.  The beaver is a resourceful and determined animal, and I expect the beavers of Cowboy Lake are on the warpath now.  I shudder to think what they've got in store for me next.

Random Notes on What I've Been Doing

Turkey Week Update: like I said, sorry Turkey Week was a bust.  But just because I didn't have time to do it last week doesn't mean I'm not going to share the information with you. 

Meanwhile, I'm not sure what is going on with bizymoms.com and the turkey hunting article I wrote for that site.  It looks like they just published about 1/4 of it, cutting it off without even picking a good stopping point.  In looking at the format, I guess there may be a space limitation.  But if that's the case, they should have entitled it "Turkey Hunting Tips for the Beginner Part I" and published the rest in installments.

I'll give the bizy moms an opportunity to do that; otherwise, I'm just going to publish the whole thing here, which is what I probably should have done in the first place. . .

In other news, it looks like work this spring is going to be even more stressful than the busiest season of the year normally is.  I won't burden you with the details, but let's just say it has to do with the economy and the fact that we're coming off another winter with virtually no snow.  I'm going to have to work harder than ever to keep the company strong, and that will definitely reduce the amount of time I can devote to blogging.

Earlier this week, I formulated in my mind an "I'm Done Blogging" post.  I quickly abandoned that idea, however; the Bright Idea Blog isn't going away.  Just bear with me as I struggle through the next few months. . .

One thing that I know will help me in that struggle is my new found Christian faith.  This is something that has been taking place in me since last September, and so far I've stayed away from it here on the blog.  But at this point, I see no more reason to keep it a secret: I go to church on Sundays and attend two separate Bible study groups during the week.

Now, as my life seems to get harder every day, I increasingly find myself turning to God for guidance ans support.  And I'm happy to say, He's always there with both!