This young doe seemed to be sticking her tongue out at Old Man Winter while visiting my feeder the other day.

That’s enough! After the nor’easter dropped at least six to eight inches of new snow on us over the last couple of days, I think I’ve finally had enough. Having said that, I’m going to predict that this last storm represented the final significant snowfall for winter 09/10. You might say, “How is this guy qualified to make such a profound forecast?” Well, I was born in Punxsutawney, my grandmother lived there her whole life and loved Punxsutawney Phil (we seriously got Groundhog’s Day cards every year, and we loved it), and I’ve been to the “Groundhog Zoo” in downtown “Punxy” several times to pick his brain about predicting weather. Excuse my arrogance but if that doesn’t make you one of the best damned forecasters in the world, nothing does!

I suspect we’ll still get the occasional dusting or maybe even an inch or two just to annoy us, but I think we’re headed to spring. This was easily the toughest winter in my lifetime, and I’m sure it’s taking a toll on area wildlife. The deer seem to be doing just fine. They opted for laying low when we got the huge storm a couple of weeks ago, but once about 50 percent of the snow melted, they became active again. We’ve been seeing dozens of deer around the house, and they look to be in pretty good shape. Perhaps my biggest concern is for the turkey. I haven’t seen any, but it could be that they found a decent food and cover source somewhere, and they’re just not leaving it. I hear a lot of people saying things like, “This winter killed off a lot of deer and turkey,” and I always try to remind them about the amazing living power wildlife has. Deer and turkey, among other animals, are genetically engineered to withstand extreme conditions over a long period of time. Sure, Mother Nature uses these events to remove the weaker animals, but that’s just the harsh reality of natural selection. It’s part of the survival of a species.

Not only does this deer seem to be plenty healthy, how about those chubby cheeks? I'm going to guess it's the mineral in the feed that made her "pucker up."

I’m going to get the snow blower, shovel, and ATV out shortly and begin the final digging out of the winter. Heck, maybe I’ll even take the plow off today and store it for the summer. Who’s with me?

I was 11 when my dad got this 8-point on opening day. My brother and sister shared in the exciting moment. I still remember those coats my brother and I were wearing! There must have been a sale on them.

I turned 36 years-old today. First and foremost I feel blessed to have been able to hunt all of those years, starting when I was 12 back in 1986. It’s amazing how fast the years have gone, and I now find myself in the early stages of my hunting “prime.” As hard as I hunt, it’s only realistic to think that I can do this at an intense level into my early 40’s. Already I find myself having to urge my body just a little bit more as the season wears on. And when the season is over, it takes me a few weeks to get over the little aches and pains and bumps and bruises that build up. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that I’m 36 years-old and my hunting career is over by any means. Hell, I plan to hunt as long as I’m physically and mentally able to carry a bow or firearm. I just understand that there is about a 15 to 20-year window where I can do it at a high level without too much regard for physical limitations.

I'll never forget my first deer. It was a small doe that I shot only after they extended the season for one day back in 1987. I shot it in the Creekside area off of a drive we were doing with friends and family. Notice my game face (and that same coat)!

It’s probably a good thing that there was no youth hunting mentor program when I was a little boy because I probably would have ruined several years of hunting for my dad. Ask my parents and they’ll tell you that I was telling hunting stories many years before I ever actually set foot in the woods to hunt! I couldn’t wait for my dad to come home from hunting so he could “tell me the story” of the adventure. On those occasions where he would say, “I didn’t see any tonight,” I would respond with, “But did you hear anything? Find any new rubs? Anything?!?!” I still vividly remember when he showed me a scrape for the first time, and explained what it meant. I was fascinated, and I still am today. I was lucky to have someone to get me interested in the outdoors, so thank you dad for taking the time to show me, and thank you mom for encouraging me to hunt and fish (and listening to my wild tales).

About the only thing I regret about my hunting career was not being able to spend more of it with my uncle Jim, who passed away way too young in his 40’s. He got his first buck when he was 41 (I think that’s right), and I remember how excited he was. I distinctly remember him dropping quite a few “F-bombs” when he was telling the story. It happened just two years before my first day in the woods, and he would get his last buck during my first season. There’s no doubt we were quite different hunters, but I know he loved the outdoors as much as I did, even if his career and family obligations wouldn’t allow him to pursue it as I do now. He would come to our house from his home in the Philadelphia area the day after Thanksgiving, and would stay through the first few days of the season. He was as happy to be there as we were to see him. I know he loved hunting, and I only wish I had the opportunity to spend more years in the woods with him.

This moment is forever burned in my memory. My uncle Jim with his first buck, and my dad with his best buck up until that time. They got these bucks on opening morning, 1983.

Things have really changed over the years, that’s for sure, and I wonder how I’ll look back at today in another 20 or so years. One thing that I know won’t change is my love of the hunting tradition, no matter what the pictures look like. I hope I can keep dragging my dad out for several more years, even if it’s just a few days each season. I’m lucky to have a younger brother who also loves to hunt, and I look forward to many more years of hunting with him. My wife took up hunting three years ago, and although she only goes out a few days a season, I look forward to and very much enjoy that time we spend together. And finally, I’m lucky to have some great friends who are as crazy about hunting as I am, and I hope we have many more great years ahead of us. All of this makes me wonder just who I would be without hunting in my life. I couldn’t even imagine it.

Charlie Alsheimer with his wife, Carla, talking to attendees of the event.

Last night, I got to spend the evening at an event featuring nationally-known speaker and whitetail expert Charlie Alsheimer at the Blairsville Alliance Church in Blairsville, PA. This wasn’t the first time I saw Charlie speak or that I interacted with him. Several years ago I was a presenter at an event where he was the main attraction, and when I first saw him speak I was just starting college. From the first time I met him and heard him talk I was a big fan of his work and personal journey, and that’s still very much the case today.

I hung out with Jason and Rob from Apparition Scents, who had a display at the event. We got to talk with a lot of people about the products, which can only help build the local customer base. There were about 200 people in attendance, and they were treated to a wild game feast fit for a king, door prizes, and of course, Charlie’s presentation. They got all of this for the unbelievable price of $0. Kudos to the folks at the church for pulling off such an amazing event for nothing more than donations. I was actually lucky enough to win a nice pocket knife with a whitetail photo on the sides.

About 200 people attended Charlie's program, and nobody left disappointed.

I spent a fair amount of time talking with Charlie, mostly about deer management. He has been working hard in his backyard, Bath, NY, and is part of a program that has nearly 200 landowners involved. Even though he does countless programs and travels thousands of miles each year talking about whitetails, it’s obvious he remains passionate about his work. His love for whitetails and life in general clearly shows through in his amazing photography and writing. One of the best books I ever read related to whitetail hunting and behavior is Whitetails by the Moon, which Charlie wrote with colleague Wayne Laroche. If you get a chance, I encourage you to visit Charlie’s website, and maybe even purchase a book from his 0n-line store. You won’t be disappointed.

A stock photo will have to due since my actual truck is already covered in snow and slop. It won't be worth my time to shine it up for several weeks unfortunately.

After a lot of shopping around and research, I finally settled on a truck. I got a 2010 Chevy Colorado crew cab, which is essentially the same truck I leased from 2006-2009. When that lease ended, we decided to get a used full-sized truck for use around the house, but we quickly realized that a big truck wasn’t the best fit for us. That led to the decision to go back to a smaller truck, while also getting rid of my small car. I really liked my 2006 Colorado, so it was a pretty easy choice for me.

I really wanted a black Colorado, and it took me a while to find one. They’ve been a pretty good seller, and they don’t manufacture nearly as many as they do Silverados. Thank goodness for the Internet! Once I finally located the truck I was looking for, it came down to negotiating a reasonable deal. After some haggling, we came to an agreement and before I knew it, I was driving it home. I need to return this week to get step bars installed, and I’m still deciding on whether or not to get the weather-proof package. It’s not cheap, but it seems like it might be a good idea. It includes rust proofing, clear coating, under coating, and interior protection for about $500. I think I’ll do some  more Internet research and see what people think about it. The truck comes with some “bells and whistles” too, such as OnStar service for one year and built-in XM Radio. I’ll be happy to give up my XM receiver for a built-in system!

This is what I found this morning when I opened the garage door.

We decided to grab a pizza last night on the way home. We figured it would be a great night to just hang out, watch a movie, and let the snow fall. We should have known things were going to go terribly wrong. First, we had a power outage that was an off-and-on inconvenience throughout the night. We had pizza by candlelight, which was actually kind of fun even though it wasn’t planned. At “lights out,” it looked like there was about six inches of snow, but to be honest, I didn’t look at it too closely. The forecast was for a maximum of 18-inches, but it almost never happens that way, so I figured there was no need to do any plowing until morning.

When I opened the garage door this morning, I about crapped myself! Not only did we get the full 18-inches, we got an additional eight, which was like icing on the cake you might say. The last time I saw snow similar to this was back in 1993 when I was in college, and I had no snow clearing responsibility. Even then we got just over 20 inches, and it didn’t seem that bad because most of it melted within a week after some unseasonably warm temperatures.

Arrow and Sooky seemed to love the snow, especially when I finally cleared them a path. The snow level was higher than both of them.

The problem with 26 inches of snow (okay, there are many issues with this much snow) is it’s too much for a snow blower or an ATV with a plow, which pretty much describes my snow-clearing arsenal. I don’t count the shovel because it’s my “last resort” tool. That being said, the first thing I had to do was shovel enough room for my car to back out of the garage so I could get the ATV out. To make a very long story short, I spent the entire day shoveling, plowing, and snow-blowing, and I only got about half of the 500+ foot driveway cleared. Despite the hard work, it was a pretty amazing experience, and Angela and I had a great time watching the dogs try to navigate their way through the snow.

I’ll be back at it tomorrow. I hope I can force the truck through some of the unplowed driveway to eventually get to the grocery store. I’m hoping while we’re gone that Consol will come through with their plow so they can get back to the treatment ponds. That would save me tons of work (literally), and make Super Bowl Sunday a lot more enjoyable.

It was neat having the Riverview Outfitters rig sitting below the house.

Our friends Josh, Tyler, and Brent from Riverview Outfitters are now setting up their display at the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA. My wife and I had the pleasure of hosting them for a night at our home to help break up their long trip. They arrived around 5:45 p.m. and we promptly headed out for a bite to eat and a few drinks. Friends Brian Neal and Brian Burns joined us for the evening.

The trailer was loaded with trophy bucks taken on their properties. Who wouldn't love a lineup like this?

It was great to see the guys again after the great time we had at their place last fall. This is their second year in the outfitting business, and I’m sure they’re getting more comfortable with the ins and outs of promoting their business. I remember when I owned my scent company how much more difficult things were in the beginning. After a couple of years though, it became second-nature. One of the things that will make the Riverview crew successful is their “what you see is what you get” approach. There are no bells or whistles, and no false claims or promises. They have some great property with some of the best bucks on the planet roaming around, but in the end, it’s still hunting, and there are no guarantees.

There were so many great bucks in the trailer, it took two shots to get them all in.

About now my buck is probably hanging proudly from their display. I have to admit I have a bit of empty-nest syndrome already! Still, I’m pretty proud to have one of my bucks at the biggest show in the northeastern United States. Hopefully it will help the guys gain more business. I’ll be at the show two times this year, and I’m sure I’ll spend some time with the guys at their display. I always look forward to attending, and maybe even a bit more this year. The show begins on Saturday and runs through next Sunday. For more information, visit the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show website.