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Saturday, October 18, 2014

An autumn-winter morning

Today, we finally made it out for actual sunrise, and the light was beautiful. The winter is the season when our small slice of the world gets a direct view of the actual sunrise - and I love it.
A thin layer of clouds sat to our east, dimming the sunrise light just slightly and making the forest look even more peaceful than usual.
It was a quiet morning, without anyone else around, even though it is the first day of rifle season for large game around here. Shyla reflected my watchfulness.
Both Shyla and I were clad in blaze orange, and my eyes and ears were alert for hunters. I simply worry about being in the wrong place at the wrong time when people are roaming the forest with powerful weapons. I thought that today might be tense because we've had hunters cruising the road near our house all week, looking for the biggest deer and elk. I'm glad that my prediction was wrong.
Just the other night, a beautiful buck was mesmerized by a trail camera that is very far from any road. He is wearing a big rack! I'm not sure how to count points, but he has either 4 or 5 per side!
He moved in closer to examine the soft red glow of the infrared flash, and then he vanished.
He must have lived a lot of years to get such magnificent antlers. I hope he knows to lay low for the next few weeks so he survives to pass along his genes to another generation.

Happy Saturday. Be safe.

16 comments:

  1. In the second picture, Shyla looks like she is drawing the sun up over the eastern horizon by sheer will!
    Thanks for reminding me to look up hunting seasons again - every year I have to check. There's been the same pickup parked at one of our favorite walks the past three times I've gone by, and I've never seen anyone there before. I hope it isn't someone putting up a treestand or even a blind - I think the land is posted, but there is no one monitoring it as far as I know.

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  2. glad you had a good peaceful day to the start of rifle season.

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  3. The buck is beautiful and so is Shyla! We too hope Mr. Buck stays just as safe as you.

    Hugs,
    Lily Belle & Muffin

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  4. The deer come closer to our house in the fall just around the time of hunting season. You wonder how they know? I haven't seen them, but their tracks tell a story as I walk up the trail. The moose, on the other hand, have really been visible!

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  5. We so love those photos, Shyla is such a beauty!

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  6. Shyla's pics always bring a smile to Ma's face! I loves lookin' at the bucks...OMD, I hopes Shyla gets those when they drop!!! Yummers! BOL
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

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  7. Be careful friends! When hunting season rolls around a lot of common sense goes out the window and they shoot at anything that moves!

    Your Safety Conscious Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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  8. such a lovely morning
    thank you

    and such a handsome fellow
    so good that you wear your blaze orange

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  9. Wow! That is one large rack. I hope he hides since the hunters would definitely like to have a trophy. Blaze orange for us around here since bow season has started.

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  10. We hope the big buck and all the other animals hide! The buck is very beautiful!
    And the glow on Shyla is magnificent.!
    love
    tweedles

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  11. What a wonderful shot of the stag!! I hope the hunters out there aren't as careless and ummmm pink around the neck as thy are here in NorCal....

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  12. Extraordinary pics of the points on that buck! As I am lying here tonight waiting for my pain meds to kick in, I must tell you thanks once again...for sharing the beauty and wonder of those beautiful mountains you call home! The pictures of the duo are amazing. You have a gift! Please be extra careful out there ... There are some hunters that do not use their heads! Xo Jeanne, Chloe and LadyBug

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  13. You are such a beauty, Shyla. Have a wonderful Sunday!

    Love ya lots♥
    Mitch and Molly

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  14. Don't you wish you could warn them to hide deep in the mountains? Great photos.

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  15. I wish all the hunters (here and there) would shoot deer with their cameras! I don't think our deer hunting season starts until the first part of November.

    Take care, People and Pups!

    Cheers,

    Jo< Stella and Ms.Zee

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  16. Wow! Gorgeous pictures of Shyla, and impressive ones of the elk. I'm sure glad I don't have to carry antlers like that! I, too, hope he survives.

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