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Home > Dispatches > Daily Dispatches 2018 >Daily Dispatch #268

September 26, 2018: Game Management Area 14 A

This is what the area that I live in is called during hunting season. This year, the season went from August to September 25th, too long a time in my estimation. And furthermore, this year, the hunters lucked out and got the nicest month of the year in which to kill, wound, and maim moose and as well, further tear up existent trails.

It’s never any fun, being out on the trails on horseback around here during hunting season because you just never know how drunk or stoned any one hunter might be. And one must contend with the sound and sight of all sorts of vehicles. As our friend Frank remarked last night, the vehicles are getting larger and their tires have larger treads.


Raudi on bench


I tend to be proprietary about our trail system, which actually isn’t that lengthy. It’s about 4 miles total and winds along the nearby ridges. It’s the perfect distance for short rides, and getting all four horses out in a day.

We’ve named our trails, which has contributed to my sense of ownership. Yes, I do know that these trails are on state land and that everyone has the right to access them. But these individuals do not, as do Pete and I, in any way, shape, or form, take care of the trails or adjacent surrounding land.

Today I celebrated the departure of the hoard by getting all four horses out. I took Tyra, Hrimmi, and Tinni out for very short rides and Raudi out for a long ride. Ryder came with on all the rides. It was quiet, peaceful. There were no gun toting fools lurking in the bushes or maniacs driving side-by-sides. The quietude better enabled me to work with the younger ones. They both tend to stop, and so I am in a very gentle and kind way, which is through the use of my eyes, breath, and alignment, asking them to move forward when they stop.

And today there were no pick-ups in the trailhead parking lot. Yesterday, I saw one with a license plate that read “B Rude.” I badly wanted to B Rude myself, and hit his window with a rock, but I just kept going, into the forest prime evil.

I have to check this out. A neighbor, in passing, said today that he’d come across three moose calf carcasses, he thought, killed by bear. I am wondering if its now open season on bear and if this is something that I have to be concerned about. I hope not.

My neighbor says he carries bear spray when he goes for hikes on nearby trails because he fears for his two little children. Hearing this, I thought what Pete said, that he’d be lucky to even see a bear. I do not carry a gun nor do I carry bear spray. I keep a close eye on Ryder who would alert me to bear in the area, as would the horses, who’d most likely stop and stand, all the while making a chuffing sound.

Yep, I was one happy camper today. And tomorrow I’ll feel much the same.

Next: 269. 9/27/18: Change is Good, Change is Great. . .

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