It’s been warm this past week but one step outside the weekend before instantly reminded me that the winter months are here.
The thermometer hovered in the single digits with wind chills below zero. Fresh snow covered the ground as well as fresh tracks from the all of the critters that stirred the night before.
The air was brisk and cool to say the least while running the trap line. I really don’t mind the cold weather and snow as it’s to be expected this time of the year. I enjoy the peace and serenity that the winter woods provide. There’s a stillness and calming effect that comes over me when I’m roaming around out there in the snow. I’ve never been a fan of large crowds of people and prefer woods full of streams and trees instead. Loud noises seem to be more obnoxious as the years pass by. I guess that’s one of the signs of old age.
On my daily trips through the woods I noticed a rub line from a nice buck that avoided me and made it through deer season. He’s going to be a really nice mature buck this fall and I’ll know where to be on the lookout for him now. Some of the sumac trees he rubbed were the size of my calf muscle.
It’s like putting together pieces of a puzzle when the snow is on the ground. There are 4 less coyotes hunting the same ground that I do and I’m sure the deer, turkey, and other prey are thankful for my efforts. It’s amazing at how much the coyote population has grown during my lifetime.
Over 20 years ago coyote sightings were pretty much unheard of. I had my first encounter with one while deer hunting in Lewis County in 2000. That coyote is hanging over the back of a rocking chair in my den now as I had a rug made out of it.
Since then I see and hear coyotes every year now. It’s not unusual to hear them howling from my back porch on any given night. Sometimes they’re a little too close to the house which prompted me to start trapping them. In the past 3 years I’ve eliminated 11 coyotes from my property.
That’s a lot of coyotes and there are still more as I saw fresh tracks this weekend. Every year more move in as their population continues to grow. January and February is the perfect time to follow tracks and help the prey species out by taking a few predators. I never dreamed there would be this many coyotes roaming around in West Virginia 20 years ago.
The temperatures have warmed back up and everything thawed out this past week. It’s been a rollercoaster of up and down temperatures so far this winter. Mud season is in full swing as the rain continues to fall.
I’d rather have snow this time of the year but you can’t control Mother Nature and she seems angry nowadays. With the warmer weather my thoughts have shifted towards fishing once again as I’ve missed being on the river. All of the snow has melted but the rivers have been running high with all the moisture. If it would just stop raining for a couple days I’ll hit the river for the first time this year. I’ll keep a close eye on the stream gauges as fishing during the winter is relaxing and oftentimes you’ll have the whole place to yourself.
Whether you’re a fan of winter or not there are still plenty of opportunities to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. It’s also a great time to go through gear and replenish the fly or tackle box on those days it’s too cold and nasty to make it out. There’s always something productive to do when you’re an avid outdoors person. Winter is here for 2 more months so make the most of it.
