Lots of critters

I found a likely- looking stand area where some game- trails crossed and hunkered down to wait and watch as the afternoon waned. Birds fluttered around the trees and squirrels bounced from limb to limb. After sunset those ground- birds started scratching around and turning leaves to search out some supper. Those guys keep me upset, mostly thrashers and towhees. Their sounds of rustling leaves keep me distracted from watching for deer- shapes to materialize among the shadows. At dusk, just as dark was creeping in through the woods, I watched the squirrels cross overhead, bound for their den- tree. The wind lay for the evening and an owl hooted in the distance. A cool air current sifted down from Hickory Ridge; it felt good after a hot afternoon. Through the thicket on my left, a deer snorted and dashed off to his 100- yard flight distance. He stood off there and snorted repeatedly, punctuating the end of that day’s hunt. That enjoyable breath of air had carried my scent to the hidden deer. I crossed to the creek for an easier hike back to camp. Walking the open creek bed, daylight lingered on the white sand. I could see without a light, I was away from the tangled brush and vines, away from the snakes and ticks. But, as I approached a small bunch of driftwood, a cottonmouth slithered out of it and off toward the water. He wasn’t as large as those I saw in the spring, but certainly made me attentive to where I was stepping. Sometime after midnight, I heard a “dogfight”. It was not far away, west of my cabin. Wrong direction for dogs, so I figured it must have been coyotes. The next morning, I found fresh rooting along the creek bank… those were wild hogs involved in some late- night disagreement. If they do their foraging in the middle of the night, it’s no wonder I can’t find them in the daytime.