Dayhike Burden Research Center

Whoopee! I finally got to attend another outing with the Louisiana Hiking Club. Since my work schedule (alternate weekends) clashes with the monthly calendar, there’s only a 50: 50 chance for me to join the group’s second- Saturday hikes. Looks like I’ll be free for the 2nd Saturday in May, but foiled again after that. I tend to be a loner, but really enjoy the camaraderie of this bunch, and we had a good turn out… about 30 of us. It was a nice morning… started out cool enough for long sleeves, there was sunshine and light breeze. The Burden center has fields and research plots, of course, and the terrain is mostly flat, but there are some lush wooded areas with various tree species and lots of understory growth. They are considering development of public- use walking trails on the Burden property, so the Hiking Club got special permission for a visit. I hadn’t been out there in years… in a previous life. It’s a lovely and very interesting place. The Rural Life Museum is there, there are gardens and ponds, flowers and shrubs, old cabins and farm implements from bygone times. I was particularly enthralled by an old hay baler that looked like my grandfather’s. It was driven by a broad belt stretched from the tractor. I remember catching bales from the back end as hay was being forked into the top of the machine. I was probably less of a help and more in- the- way, as the bales were nearly as big as me. We had a nice hike; there is a lot of territory there, scenery, and many points of interest. I hope they go ahead with the trails idea; that’s a pretty place and public trails would be great use for some of their untilled acreage. I took a few pictures, but there was so much "stuff", I could have spent a week there with my camera... and, by then, weather, crops, and seasons would change and I would have to start a new round of picture- taking.

Follow this link for a slideshow.

Swampflora on yesterday's walk

Swampfauna on yesterday's walk.

Spring has sprung and geocaches are hiding

Spittlebugs were doing their thing, tulip poplar buds will soon open to full flower. Songbirds were trilling, owls hooting, and hawks keening. I noticed that the pecan trees are leafing out, sure sign that winter is over. I played a new game called geocaching; it’s a hi- tech version of Easter- egg hunts. There’s a hidden “treasure” (actually there are thousands of them all over the world). Latitude and Longitude coordinates and some hints are obtained from this website. Sign- in logs are the usual “treasure”, but there are sometimes trinkets you can trade or trackable items which want to be moved to another cache. Finds can be recorded on the website. Enter the coordinates into a GPS unit and let it lead to the hiding place. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well, maybe I’m not that smart. I found one and signed the log at the Bluebonnet Swamp. However, there is another cache at the swamp that I must try again. And there is one at the library that I could not find… I stood at the point where my GPS said zero, but I couldn’t locate anything. Maybe I should stick with nature; dragonflies were zipping around. Muscadine vines were budding… they were loaded with fruit last year.

Louisiana iris

I needed a smile in my life, yesterday. This guy was trailside, waving at me in the swamp. I wondered whether it was native there or someone transplanted it; figure it must be a Louisiana iris, but I'm mostly ignorant about such things. Lately, my flower pictures are often blurred. I hate to start dragging a tripod; maybe it is more the wind than me... must study this situation some more.

The hills are alive with the sound of … insects

I think this was an early bloom of a dogwood but couldn’t get close enough to be sure, and most of them were not flowering yet. It looked like a little white cloud floating over Panther Creek. Lots of things were blooming in the hills. The mayapple blossoms were getting large, blue phlox were still in their glory, red buckeye, wild salvia, various clovers, and countless other wildflowers were everywhere. I’m just back from a few days in the hills and springtime is coming on strong. As usual, I couldn’t find turkeys (it’s hunting season, now), although they walk, fly, roost, scratch, cluck, yelp, and make a general nuisance of themselves during my autumn deer hunts. I took my bow and scouted for sign, even tried calling a bit, but found no turkeys. I did find bugs, however. The mosquitoes were still numerous and hungry; even with bug dope they drove me to distraction with buzzing. I found several ticks crawling on me and felt one bite… brushed him off before he could latch on. And now, the aggravation of gnats has been added… those tiny little no- see- ums that have such a burning bite. Deer flies were out in swarms, and were chasing my truck on the road through a pasture. Fireflies were putting on quite a light- show, so that tempered my disdain of some of the nasty bugs.

Ahhh-chew!

Lots of stuff blooming in the swamp, now. The cycle turns some more and the sense of re- birth is all around. Birds are nesting, spiders spinning webs, springtime leaves are filling in the longer views. I also noted a downside… some little guy didn’t make it across the trail. I guess Mama Coyote has to feed her babies.

Soakin' up rays

Poor little snake was out sunning, the weather was much cooler than recent days (actually, he was a rather large water snake). There was some excitement in the swamp yesterday: a tree blew over and made a big mess of the trail; looks like they were prompt about getting it sawed up and moved out of the way.

Blue phlox are decorating the woods

These were really pretty, scattered all through the creek bottoms. The wildflowers were difficult to admire, though: mosquitoes kept me hopping and swatting; they were hungry and there were lots of them! They were out day and night, even in the wind, high ground and low, in the bushes or in the open. Bug spray stopped the biting but not the incessant buzzing. When dark came, there were plenty fireflies flickering in the treetops… I always enjoy watching the lightning bugs… simple pleasures for simple minds. I didn’t see any turkey sign or hear any gobbling; the season opens next week. As usual, I don’t find them in the spring but the turkeys walk all ‘round me in the fall, when no hunting is allowed.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I was in town and managed to take in the parade. Here's a picture of one of the drum & pipes groups. There were lots of floats and several marching bands, and I never saw so many beads! The weather was lovely, warm and sunny. Everyone seemed to be having a great time; maybe they still are... there is usually music and green- colored beer wherever the parade is disbanded.

Amazing... everything is leafing out so quickly

Spring afternoon

It was nice in the swamp this afternoon, but I had to check the time often... that change keeps me confused for several days. I saw wood ducks, squirrels, crows, turtles, but no snakes or mosquitoes. The picture is mostly a test- shot. I wanted to test a full- size pic with lower resolution, rather than compressing a higher- resolution one to save file space. It's a shot that interests me, though. Most of that lush growth is stinging nettles, but I see a trillium blossom peeking through the tangle. Nettles are said to be edible, but I haven't tried them; gotta use gloves to pick them.

Edit: Ja, that works OK; click the pic and it comes up large. It's lower resolution to load fast and save disk space. And it is still good enough for my show- and- tell purposes. I'll probably continue using that format.

Fishing report

My boy went with me and we rolled into the campground with some daylight still left. I was able to stretch my trotline before dark, but had to cut out snags and tangles that were in the line. I’d repair that when I got back to town, but not now. Some of my buddies camped there, too. They cooked up a big pot of Crawfish Etouffe on Saturday night. Oh- boy, was it good! I hadn’t had crawfish in a year or more. I checked the line twice Saturday night and picked it up Sunday morning. We only caught four catfish and didn’t have time for flyfishing, but that large helping of crawfish, alone, was worth the trip. It was cold and damp during the night, and hard to get moving Sunday morning. My boy had some condensation issues with his tent… need to ventilate better in cold weather. His gear was soggy, as was his mood. There was mist on the water and sunlight in the budding trees, but my camera was too cold to take pictures. I tried warming the camera in a pocket, but had to change batteries to make it function. Lots of birds Sunday morning! Egrets, herons, gros- bec were flying and squawking. Redbirds were fluttering around. Redwing blackbirds were in the bushes (tic… tic… crrrrick). Wood ducks were whistling and landing on the bayou. The crow was arguing (unh- uh).
Back in town, I had plenty of time to get to work; I visited Bluebonnet Swamp on my way. Spring has definitely sprung over there and is days ahead of the Atchafalaya area. I was amazed at how much the flush of leaves and buds and blooms had come out in the Bluebonnet Swamp… it had only been four days since my last visit. Even their mayapples were starting to bloom (I learned that those had, as I suspected, been transplanted to that location).

Made it to Butte La Rose. Set a line. Gotta get away early, though.

Edit: These cell- phone posts are handy for updating my location and activities. With fancier equipment, I could include more text and even pictures, I guess. That is beginning to sound like work: more effort and committment at the expense of my outdoor playtime.

Highlights of sunset

My tromp in the swamp was very pretty yesterday evening. Lots of plants were coming out of dormancy and the waters were still and very reflective. Recent rains and cloudy weather have made me appreciate blue skies. Low angle of the setting sun gave a dramatic lighting display in those budding treetops. When they start chasing me out of the park on Daylight Savings Time, those views will be unavailable. Jim's post over on Riverlogue has me fired up about fishing; and I need some fish in the freezer. This time of year is always super- busy, but maybe I'll soon work in a quick round of fishing.

Cyber- hiking Bluebonnet Swamp

Click here for slideshow

Those rains interfere with work and play

The creeks were high and the hillsides were slick, but there have been some beautiful, warm afternoons lately. Lots of birds were busy through the weekend, and that was time for one of those “backyard bird counts”. Had I known more about identifying those critters, I might have submitted a count… it would be fun... maybe I’ll work on it. Many of the common birds are familiar, but I rarely ken them down to the species level; and differences can be subtle.
The weather was tricky, but it never got cold enough to crank up my wood stove. Saturday morning, the rain woke me, so I made coffee and crawled back in the sack to sip it and listen to the radio. There was some thunder, rain started pounding, and wind was whipping. It didn’t last long, and just turned to a drizzle. At about 6:50 am the radio announced a tornado warning… a funnel cloud had been sighted in Morganza at 6:39 am, headed west. That’s right at me. Oh, well, since I’m hearing the belated warning, I guess it didn’t get me. I got out after another cup of coffee and the weather prettied- up quickly. Everything was wet and muddy and the creek was up and roiling so I stayed close and did some chores.
Saturday afternoon, I visited Cousin to share a genealogy tidbit I had found. We took a drive up the old Board Hollow Road that skirts the back side of their place. It was so called, because there had been a sawmill back in there. I hadn’t been back there in years. It was a steep drive, but the parish keeps the gravel in good shape. “Sugarman” lived up on that tall hill. At spots we could see all the way to the Mississippi River, we were so high. Actually, I have since checked it on Google Earth, and they show an elevation of 235 feet. Well, it seemed high. Back in camp, I watched the sun set and the birds go to roost, a fit ending to a lovely day.
During the night, a heavy rain hammered the tin roof and woke me up at 2:30 am; I don’t think I ever did get back to sleep. The rain soon slacked and it still wasn’t cool enough for me to enjoy a fire in the stove... that was the second frontal passage in as many days. I eventually made coffee and got up, but daylight showed puddles scattered around and the creek was high again. Again the weather cleared to a very pretty morning; I got dressed and went to church with the cousins. It warmed up considerably by midday… must have been mid- 80s. Wet ground and high water limited the projects I could work on, so I sat on the stoop and cracked pecans… simple pleasures, they say. Maybe I'll do some work next trip.

The swamp is awakening... this early

There were lots of birds singing and fluttering around the swamp today; maybe they were preparing for that 6- more- weeks- of- winter. There had been some turtles out sunning recently, but today, I saw my first snakes of the year. I also spotted a lizard and a box- turtle.

Strange birds in the back yard

I went with the birding group this morning, at the Bluebonnet Swamp. When I got back, I discovered this strange pair. Since my end- of- season hunt got rained out, I've stayed in town for chores. Gotta work Sunday, but maybe can escape after that and Mardi Gras will give me an extra day off. The nutria (Pierre C. Shadeaux) saw his shadow today, so winter is not over yet. It was frosty this morning, but sunny, and it warmed up pleasantly. There were lots of birds about; I'm learning a little more about spotting and identifying birds.

Seasons are changing again

Well, it’s a bitter- sweet time for me when the seasons change. On my calendar, the transition is observed as being from hunting season to fishing season. I saw my first trillium of the year; they’ll soon be peeking out all over the hills. Trillium is the harbinger of spring that really speaks out to me… a pretty splash of green against the drab leaf- litter. Even this armadillo was out scrounging for some lunch. Maybe our recent warm days interfered with hibernation; I dunno. Monday morning temperature was 34 at my cabin door, and it rose to a very pleasant 65 by the afternoon. I finally got around to replacing my broken thermometer; it’s kinda fun to know the temperature, although that knowledge doesn’t amount to much in the grand scheme of things. I seem to have the woods back to myself, now, It looks like I’ll get in one more bow- hunt on Thursday; the last day of the season. Then I’ve got to get on with some cleanup and repairs and get some timber thinning done before the bugs and hot weather get here.

Energy independence: that smoke signifies home- grown heating.

January heatwave

This is hard to believe! A few days ago it was cold and drizzly here, it snowed at my cabin in the hills, and now I’m prowling around the swamp in short- sleeves. The turtles are lined up, sunning; they must think it’s springtime.

And it snowed!

It rained all night, never very hard, but the ground was mighty wet, with puddles standing. The creek was too high to cross for hunting and drizzle was still coming down, so I didn’t get out. I just lazed around the cabin, made another cup of coffee, and watched the birds hopping around, grateful for the seeds I had left them. I built up the fire and was enjoying being stuck in the cabin. And it started snowing! What a treat! But it was too warm for it to stick. First it was just spitting little flakes mixed with rain and sleet. Then it turned to big, fluffy flakes, and a constant fall of them. There was a little snow accumulated on the old picnic table… I remember some long- ago times, only a very few times, that we made snow ice- cream and threw some snowballs from that surface. I had great wishes for a tracking snow, but knew it couldn’t be. Even the slight dusting that accumulated around protected edges melted quickly. Nevertheless, it was pretty to watch the big flakes flutter down, and me all snug by the fire, peeking out the cabin window.

Sun- Day afternoon in the park

It warmed up to short- sleeves this afternoon and was really pretty in the swamp. A lot more green is beginning to show. I still think it's too early for that and frost is gonna get 'em.

False Spring?

Old Brer' Turtle had crawled out on the bank of a swamp island, thinking Spring had sprung.... Sounds like a good start for a fireside tale (click the pic to enlarge). It was a pleasant stroll through the swamp. The rain had cooled things from the sultry temperatures we saw yesterday. That mid- winter heatwave has fooled a few critters, and some plants are leafing out, too. They might get a bad surprise, however; my busted hip tells me that another cold wave will be here in two days. We'll see how much of a chill we get this time.

Late- season hunting

This is my old, trusty meat- rifle; I just came back from some serious hunting. This Winchester was manufactured about a year after I was. It’s not a family heirloom (yet), but I’m pretty sentimental about it. That .32 SPL cartridge is an interesting and unusual caliber. It was a derivative of the 30- 30 cartridge that allowed black powder loadings instead of the (new at that time) smokeless powder for which the 30- 30 was designed. The .32 SPL is obsolete nowadays, but the deer don’t know that. The rifle shows its age, but it still functions flawlessly, puts slugs where I want them, handles fast, carries easily, and fits me perfectly. I took my first deer with this old gun, and it's put plenty meat in the freezer since then. I found a few small rubs this week; the rut seems to be starting very late, or is not very intense this year. The scrape nearby was also small; the cleared spot on the ground and the licking- branch above are shown here. Gotta be one tough buck, who has a holly tree for his licking branch (click the pic to enlarge and you can recognize the prickly leaves). I didn’t see any deer on this hunt but others got deer, so I came home with a good supply of venison. I cut my hand and feared drawing the bow on this trip, so I hunted only with my rifle. Now, with meat in the freezer, I will revert to bowhunting, and maybe a day or two afield with a muzzle- loader.This is a great time to play in the woods. The leaves are down, so views are long. Scattered evergreen plants give a splash of freshness here and there. The skeeters and snakes are gone (but you must watch for ticks on those warm afternoons). Louisiana Januarys are apt to be cold sometimes; and some years can be wet. After a couple of cold nights last week, it turned off balmy again. A few birds are scratching about, but many more of our late- winter visitors should soon be fluttering around. And then the trillium will peek up through the leaf- litter… the cycle is coming around again.

testing mobil post.

Alma mater

I went to school in this building some years ago. I lived and learned, loved and lost, worked and played, sang and suffered here. It’s pleasant to get a glimpse of the place, but I have not been able to go inside for more than twenty years because of the terrible mold- allergy they gave me. However, I still feel a fondness and recall the warmth of friendships there.

First cast

Here’s a Christmas memory from long, long ago. This picture is from Stanford Avenue, near the turnoff to LSU. The area looks much different, now. The road is a 4- laned highway instead of gravel, there are large buildings to my back, and this is now a park with landfill, parking lots, lights. sidewalks, etc. But I stood at this spot on the lake a half- century ago and made my first cast with the brand- new, shiny, big- boy fly rod that Santa had brought me. We had hit the floor early that Christmas morning and I begged and badgered and dragged Daddy across town to try my new rod. Patient and proud, he brought me, and I’m sure it was against his better judgment. I hopped out of the warm car and the northwest wind was howling, across the lake, into my face. We rigged up, and I cast, quartering to the wind. The water was unusually clear for that shallow lake. Despite the wind- rippled surface, I could see my brand- new, shiny, hand- tied- in- India trout fly working beneath the surface. Of course, there were no fish. And I only lasted for a few casts in that miserable weather. But, wow, this was my very own fly rod. I had played a few fish and learned some rudimentary casting technique on my dad’s rod, but it ain’t the same. Much has changed since that distant Christmas, but those memories remain sharp; I’ve made many casts since then. Thanks, Daddy.

Red sky at morning…

It had cooled a little overnight. By Saturday morning it had faired and a few stars showed. As they winked out and finally disappeared, the sky turned a blaze of red. Deer were not moving that morning, but the weather was pleasant and birds were singing. I found some fungi the size of saucers! I prowled around, walked some trails, but still didn’t find any buck- rubs. There were a few scrapes, and one had been freshly worked. I did some chores and rested at midday. When I grabbed my gear and headed out for another hunt in the early afternoon, it had begun misting rain. It stopped in a few minutes, so I checked that the poncho was in my daypack and started out again. I made it about a hundred yards before the rain started, a little more earnestly this time. When the rain stopped again I made it across the creek, then it really socked in. Back in the cabin, I found that my new stove installation had some problems. Water was blowing down the flu- pipe and was seeping under the window- panel I had rigged for the pipe to exit. A hastily- built fire in the stove helped to evaporate the water that was coming in, and some judicious stuffing of aluminum- foil helped to minimize water intrusion. I’ll have to do a real fix after it all dries out a bit. It rained several more times that evening, heavy downpours but they didn’t last long. The old saying is “sailor take warning”. By Sunday morning it was cold, with a steady wind blowing. Fortunately, I had committed to go to church with my cousins, and didn’t face the slipping and sliding of hunting those wet, cold hills.

Shore was a purty evenin'

Rocky Raccoon has been hiking the boardwalks, too. Yesterday provided a very pleasant visit to the swamp. It was still, quiet, the sky had cleared, and the temperature was about perfect. There were a few squirrels and birds around. The surrounding environment is taking on the shades of winter now. The green splashes of leaves and the occasional red or black berries make quite a show against the drab background.

Misty- moisty swamp

Yesterday was overcast and damp, but nice enough for a walk through the swamp. It was quiet and still, with only a few birds and squirrels moving. I took a picture and saw a fiery streak in my view- finder, so I turned off the flash and repeated the picture. Compare these shots: the later picture showed a quiet swamp scent, but the flash had set off that brown twig like a lightning bolt across the view. Interesting phenomenon.

This week in the woods

Well, I did get away for an over- night in the cabin; hunted an evening and next morning but the deer didn’t seem to be moving. There were a few small scrapes in the woods, but they were not freshly- worked. Surprisingly, I still have not found any rubbings. Squirrels and chipmunks are still busy and a few birds were hopping about.
I was hoping to glimpse some of the meteor shower … it’s Geminid time. Unfortunately, the clouds and fog obscured the sky views. I built a small fire to test the new stove setup and it worked fine… draw was good, not smoky. There’s a forecast for some cold weather, so maybe I can actually use the stove soon.

Awfully warm for December

Well, I finally got the sheepherders- stove hooked up in my cabin. My only experience with them has been in tents; they are fun to use and efficient (hope it doesn't put out too much heat). I never could figure a good fireplace design for such a small cabin, but have been wanting to listen to the wood crackle. So I got a stove, got the flu- pipe, and it’s been sitting for a while. I built a sheet- metal insert for the pipe exit, and finally got it all assembled. But it turned into summer again! And it’s too hot to try it out; too hot to hunt, too. I did manage to get some chores done and spent some time in the woods. There are a few birds around, and lots of squirrels, and a few armadillos have broken hibernation (I guess they hibernate). As I predicted, I have been seeing some bright leaf color. And here’s a picture of some holly; it’s an understory tree in my neck of the woods, much shaded, and seeing berries on one is a rarity.

Aflame in the swamp

A pleasant visit to the swamp; yesterday was another shirtsleeve day in December. Sunset cast light at a low angle. No breeze was stirring, so the quiet of the swamp was broken only by birds and squirrels scratching for their living. As the sun sank beyond the River, the last rays lit up the autumn colors in the treetops.

A warm December day

We certainly are not having a harsh winter, yet. Today’s high was 84 and breezy; nice for a visit to the swamp. The critters were not very active during my mid- day trek, but I was amply entertained just being outdoors. This warm weather seems to have convinced some plants to flower again; note the red blooms of the cardinal flower and the white- flower umbrels of the elderberry. The tree frog had occupied his winter home but was still porch- sitting, watching passers- by on the trail. There seems to be a heavy crop of seeds/ pods/ fruits/ whatever (?) from the tupelo. The forest floor has a carpet of leaves and more are continuously raining down. The muscadine leaf was a colorful stand- out against the drab background litter.

Just imagine: me, a birdwatcher!

Well, I had fun in the Bluebonnet Swamp this morning. They hold a semi- organized event on the first Saturday of the month, a birding walk led by a member of the staff. I had to be at work by 10 am and the birdwatching group started out at 7am. It was a win, win situation: travel- time and gas- costs were free; my park membership got me in for free. The group was small and knowledgeable (except me). There were lots of birds, and they were busy feeding, hopping around, singing. I’m familiar with most of our birds and can connect sounds to many, but I don’t know their names. Those folks did, and it was very enlightening. They also were interested in shrubs and trees, chatting about leaf shapes, berries, and such. I hope to play this game often, when my schedule allows. I dug out some binoculars and now I may need a field guide, maybe a cute pith- helmet. It was very nice visiting the park in the morning; it was cool and the light quality was nice. I’m usually there midday or afternoon and the critters are hiding. I took a picture of some mistletoe; I was amazed to see it in a low bush. That stuff is usually high in an oak tree and I have to do some first- class shooting with a .22 to cut a sprig for hanging at Christmas. We spotted a ‘coon peeking from a high tree- cavity. I made some squeaks, sucking the back of my hand, and that piqued his interest; gave us a better view.

Swamp sunset

The sun certainly goes down early nowadays. That makes my quick visits to the swamp/park particularly interesting. The low sun- angle makes for some nice views, with sunbeams on tree trunks and lighting up some leaf colors. Also, the critters are very active as night approaches. The daytime patrons are gone by this time, so my antisocial nature is appeased… I have it to myself.

A drizzly afternoon in the swamp

Old Rocky Raccoon was out scrounging for some lunch. He was probably as glad as I was to see some moisture come in, and an overcast sky kept the light level low. The rain was just a sprinkle, but at least it settled the dust. Squirrels were hopping around beneath the bushes and some wood ducks got up from a swamp pond as I approached. The time change still has me confused; with the overcast, it was nearly dark today, when I got away from work.

Fall colors in the woods

It’s a pretty time in the woods… the leaves are beginning to show a bit of color, critters are busy gathering nuts and nest materials. Every puff of breeze brings another shower of leaves fluttering and spinning to the forest floor. The long dry spell we’ve been having seems to have enhanced to leaf color… seems I recall from my botanical studies, that dry weather can concentrate the colorful Xanthophylls in leaves. If we don’t have a cold, wet, blowing weather system howl through here, there might be a really spectacular show of autumn, come the first frosts.

Autumn leaves

Back to standard time; it’s a shock to my system when dark sneaks up on me during that first week after time- change. There’s a heavy carpet of leaves on the forest floor, the cool of the evening sifts down through the trees as the light dims. The squirrels seem particularly busy; I wonder if they are foretelling an extreme winter this year.

Quick trip to the country

Well, I had to work this weekend, but I managed to get away early enough for a Saturday- afternoon hunt. I shouldn’t waste gas on such short trips; it’s not cost- effective, but I had to monitor my guest situation… had some squirrel hunters and I wanted to participate, but I strung my bow, instead, and went to a far end of the place, an isolated little patch of woods at the northeast corner. There were old tracks in the creek; looked like deer had been feeding on acorns falling there. That’s been a good feed- tree in the past; I missed a doe there one time. She stopped in the creek for a drink and I tried for a neck shot. My arrow hit the water right below her throat… sure upset the old girl. I saw only squirrels and chipmunks on this trip. They were close around me, shaking limbs, scratching leaves, waving tails, and keeping an eye on the invader of their territory. My boy went along for the overnight, and we had a quiet time in the cabin. He’s maturing quite a bit, and is almost human when I get him away from his usual environment. No deer came by me Saturday evening; I sat until full dark. However, as last light was fading, I heard a buck grunt across the creek. He was up on the bluff and gave a series of short grunts like he was chasing a doe. He repeated that twice, but stayed back in the woods. Hiking back to camp, I saw 4 deer in the creek but I couldn’t tell anything about them… just 4 sets of eyes in the beam of my light. Broke camp early on Sunday because I had to get back to town and ready for work. It sure was a pretty weekend, weather was great. It is supposed to get even cooler this week, and I’ll be off for a stretch of days to play some more. The muzzle- loader season is opening next weekend and I had high hopes of bagging an archery deer before that... I'd better hunt hard.

Snake program, LHC

I made it to the monthly Louisiana Hiking Club’s 1st Thursday meeting last night. The wife and kid went with me, even; they, too, were interested in the presentation on identifying local snake species. The speaker was Jeff Boundy, a herpetologist from Wildlife & Fisheries. He brought lots of photo- slides and had an entertaining style of presentation, so his talk was both informative and fun. I also picked up a copy of his “Snakes of Louisiana” publication. To top it off, I won a door prize! It was a lexan spork (a cute little plastic spoon, fork, knife combination). There are plenty of club activities going on; we got reports on several recent trips that sounded marvelous, and coming soon, there are some hikes and trail- maintenance outings that I would really like to participate in.

One of the upcoming trips is to Kisatchie National Forest. They are planning a short loop- hike out from the Evangeline Camp, with the first night at that campground and one night out. Brought back some fond memories! One of the funniest things that ever happened to me was right there at that campground. I met some friends there to camp one Friday night and hike the Wild Azalea Trail over the weekend. As we sat in the car Friday night, drinking beer and waiting for the other carload of our group to arrive, there were scads of little boys wandering around, back- and- forth. The gang arrived and we set up tents, started a fire, and passed a pleasant evening with few disturbances from the kids around the campground. With morning, we were up… not too early… and gathering our gear for the trail. The kids (they had to be Boy Scouts) were up and making their preparations also. I heard one of them exclaim, “Look, that’s a girl!” They had spotted Sylvia. Their camp suddenly went silent, and then was a constant buzz until we saddled up our packs and hiked out. I giggled the rest of the trip about that and, a quarter of a century later; it still makes me grin… I sure miss Sylvia.

More deer hunting and a bit of fishing

I still haven’t caught up with that big buck I saw a few weeks ago, so I was back there Sunday evening. Sitting on a hill side, waiting for him again, the weather was certainly pleasant: cool, blue skies, a slight breeze. The squirrels were bounding through the treetops and the birds and chipmunks were scratching in the leaf- litter. The deer are becoming harder to find; hunting pressure, ATV riding, and several baited spots in the woods are keeping the deer hidden during daylight hours. That’s something new; in the past, the deer didn’t seem to become nocturnal until gun season started.
Just as last light was fading, two deer crossed to my side of Panther Creek, but at an angle away from my position. One must have seen me raise up and it snorted… end of hunt; I picked up my gear and headed out for supper.

I had to be back in town for my flu shot Monday morning, so I arranged for fishing in the afternoon. I took Buddy who’s been anxious to get outdoors. He has developed COPD and has some difficulty with getting around. He’s huffing and puffing and short of breath. They have started him on oxygen, as needed, and for sleeping. So we packed up the canoe, tackle, and oxygen tank, and went to the Blackwater Conservation Area. There is a nice lake there, that I have talked about in previous posts. We fought the wind for a while and had several strikes from brim, but caught nothing. Near sunset, the wind lay. We saw some fish activity in the shallows and I started casting a bass popper. I caught one small bass, our only fish that afternoon. A pretty, red sun was setting across the lake as we packed up and headed home. Buddy was about played out, but we had a nice outing, and I was glad we could share it.

I liked the BREC planning workshop

I was pleased to participate in BREC’s Capitol Area Pathways Project open house, yesterday. I saw an estimate that about 120 members of the public had attended the meeting. The BREC staff seemed genuinely concerned with my interests and suggestions, but the format of marking up proposed ideas on their giant satellite maps of the parish was a bit intimidating. However, some hands- on help and encouragement got me started; by the time I left, I had pasted yellow label- dots all over the parish.

There was plenty advocacy for trails and greenways, so I stayed with my interest in paddling access to our local rivers; they termed these corridors “blueways”.

I wrote up and submitted some notes of my ideas, including the following excerpts:
When I was younger, I could launch my canoe in the Amite or Comite River near a bridge and take out at the next bridge. I would spend the day fishing, watching wildlife, playing in the water; I even camped on sandbars sometimes. Now, all of the river crossings are posted with "no parking" signs. Access denied! The development of park facilities and parking spots along our local rivers would certainly be in keeping with BREC’s mission, and would provide access to wonderful recreation in those areas. There already exist a number of parks along or near those rivers, but actual access to the rivers is not convenient for launching a canoe or kayak from the ones I have visited. Additionally, there are a number of road- crossing sites where access would be relatively simple and inexpensive to develop.
It was great to get some personal feedback on my ideas, and I learned of some smaller waterways that have potential for development. I even had a chance to ask about the lakes improvements at City Park and LSU. I’ve been dabbling around those lakes for more than a half- century. The improvement plan looks like a long- term project that will be too late for me, but I will still have the lakes to test new fly patterns and show youngsters how to fish. Those lakes have demonstrated their capacity to grow some really big fish, and won’t it be marvelous to eventually develop a beautiful lake system, with a world- class fishery, right here in the heart of Baton Rouge.