By Glen Wunderlich

With power off and the generator running at 5:30 am, I marched through the 6-inch deep snow to a hunting blind overlooking some low ground.  After climbing in, I soon discovered that the slide-up windows wouldn’t unlatch.  Frozen shut.

Snow glistens from morning sun

Finally, I got one side to cooperate, but not after alerting any game within a half mile of my presence.  The other three windows wouldn’t budge.  It didn’t take me long to realize I had to find another location to hunt the first snow of the season.

At least my early morning arrival has given me an opportunity to get set somewhere – anywhere else.  But, my plan to ambush deer along routes to their bedding area was blown up.  Being afield this day would be good enough.

My alternate blind would overlook a brassica food plot of some two acres.  It’s never been much of a morning spot; rather, it is a prime destination field. 

At first light, two antlerless deer began feeding on turnip greens and rape.

Nothing else materialized and I left the heated blind way too early, but I still have some plowing to attend to.  The afternoon shift should be interesting.