One of the things that “goes with the territory” of it being late Summer is that I spend a good bit of time looking over the pictures captured on various trail cameras from multiple settings on various ranches.
I do this primarily because it is now possible to begin to “spotlight” some of the information I want to evaluate and share with other interested parties. Some are property owners, and some are guests who will be invited to spend hunting time on my own land later in the year.
From the age and gender “counts” I am looking for indications of overall health of the wildlife, especially the whitetail deer, that are all native and on low fenced acreage. I don’t do much work on high fenced properties these days, but the principles are the same. Of particular interest to me are how many fawns “made it” to this time of the year. I am also carefully trying to identify certain males that are on the “hit list” for removing, as well as the “DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT LIST” due to several reasons explained a little bit later in this Tale.
Category: Hunting Tales from The Brasada By Dr. Johnnie Rosenauer
Making yourself smaller
IF you are thinking this Tale is about losing pounds off the body, go ahead and quit reading right now! That is not the focus here, and I am DEFINITELY NOT the right person to listen to on that topic!
The emphasis here is on the ability to “know and accept” that there are times when a person needs to simply “stand away” from the Limelight. This important principle is valid in a good many settings, and I will only use a few examples for you to ponder upon here.
One of the examples, and you KNOW I would bring this one up, is when hunting. Standing out LOUD AND PROUD is generally not conducive to successful hunting, at least not in La Brasada, when pursuing the native animals. Getting small and NOT drawing attention to yourself or your location is by far a better option for success in observations and harvesting. My Grand Dad, Charlie Rosenauer, would often comment on how getting “little and still” was FAR more important than the latest fashions in camo.
Another example I have a good deal of experience in deals with Teaching. When it comes to the SUBJECT matter, that is the most important. The focus needs to be on what the information can teach, not the messenger. Look and Listen to Me, is rarely as successful as addressing what the content and context is from a subject perspective.
Where did that come from?
Over the course of my Lifetime, the above question has been posed TO and ABOUT me in a wide variety of ways and settings. Sometimes it is during a “Brainstorming Session” while considering possible ideas and solutions to a question or problem. A setting where nothing is Too Crazy, or Ridiculous to pose.
These days it often comes from The Boss Lady, as she peers incredulously at me for some “Lame Brain” statement I have uttered. On more than a few times I have been asked about the thoughts conveyed in one of my writings. And to be transparent, I have asked myself the question ABOUT myself any number of times.
I am routinely tempted to respond that it may be “insight, inspiration, or indigestion” that sparked the thought. In truth, I am not sure a correct answer exists, at least in my own case.
It can be a word, song, movie, observation, or sometimes a random thought that “drops in and sort of runs away” with my thinking. Long ago I learned NOT to try and ignore the “input”. Sometimes it goes away on its own. Other times it needs to “marinate around” in that foggy place AKA, my brain for a spell. And a few times it demands a response right here and now.
After a little while of thinking about the concept, it really is NOT TOO strange. After all, it is a question with just a small bit of alternation, that pops up a variety of settings. Like at a social gathering, such as Work, Church or maybe a Bar, when an unknown, but strikingly attractive person surprisingly shows up. And here is an additional “safer example” like a deer blind, when a new animal appears. I cannot be the only one who has thought if not said out loud, where did that coyote/bobcat/new buck come from?
It seems to me that I may be thinking too hard on this potentially unsolvable question. Maybe there is no answer. But wait…I wonder where that idea came from?
LOOKING FOR A FIGHT
As I write this Tale the calendar says it is mid-December which means in our little neck of the woods in La Brasada, the whitetail breeding season is heating up. No matter the weather conditions, that pattern seems to be very consistent. I reckon Mother Nature has “seen it all” in terms of rain and temperature over the years and the rutting pattern has been consistent, at least for the 6+ decades I have tried to pay attention to it.
Taking advantage of the wind, I sat in a spot at our Family Place where the animals could easily hear my grunt call. I did not use any horns on this setting for the simple reason of NOT picking them up from the bed of my truck. Senility Reigns Once Again In My World!
After making a few “noises” I set back and waited to see what might happen. After a spell out came a 2.5-year-old that was sure enough walking stiff legged and looking to see what all the commotion was about. While a decent up and comer, this young fellow was in NO Danger from me or my trusty firearm. He passed within 25 yards of me, fully focused on finding the action associated with such a sound that I had made.
I doubt that youngster would understand that the animal I was seeking was at least twice his age and size from an antler development perspective. My guess is that he was hoping to “steal” a receptive Lady away from another male, or at least try and get into the chasing around that accompanies deer behavior during this time of year.
The Power of Three Outs
Having been interested in sports for virtually my entire life, I have seen the influence of the number three in those endeavors. Three strikes, three outs, and three-time outs come to mind immediately. But while listening to a speaker while driving my old F150 4×4 along IH 35 on a drizzling December day, another concept of three came into my fuzzy old brain.
This time it was related to the power of influence on other people as a Teacher, Coach, Mentor, Friend….you get the idea.
Step 1: FIND OUT. That means gathering as much information as you can about the topic, situation, or circumstance. Become as well versed as possible. Now to be certain this work at insight, mastery or whatever term seems right to you, connotates the idea that if something is worth your while, it requires some effort. And this might take a considerable amount of time.
STEP 2: SHARE OUT. In the proper setting it is appropriate to offer the information and conclusions you have gained from your efforts and experiences found in Step 1. This may be in a formal setting such as a speech or classroom. It may be during “windshield time” with a friend or mentee. The point is to NOT keep what you learned to yourself but pass it along. Even the Good Book warns about not keeping a Lamp under a Basket!
STEP 3: NOTE: THIS ONE MAY BE THE HARDERST!
ONCE STEPS 1 AND 2 ARE DONE, GET OUT. By this I mean let the person(s) you are sharing with have the freedom to accept/reject/revise whatever has been presented. Not much good comes from “beating a dead horse” or “hounding a person to death” with your opinion on things. In my semi-qualified opinion, failure to adhere to Step 3 may ruin the impact/good the first steps might have accomplished.
Now, to be clear, I am FAR from being Wise or a Genius. The Boss Lady sometimes uses Wise to describe me, but adds another word dealing with Anatomy in her terminology.
But it sure does seem to me keeping all 3 of those Steps in that order might have some merit. What do you think?
Where’s that Blood Coming From?
I was about 20 when my Grand Dad, Charlie Rosenauer, was the age I am now. I recall thinking how strange it seemed for him to say he could walk by a mesquite bush and start bleeding. Like him, I find myself now on Blood Thinners given both sides of my genetic make-up include a history of heart problems. And I FULLY understand how easy it is to bleed these days.
I was taking off my Sweatshirt the other evening getting ready for bed when some red dots appeared on the floor. I did a “Body Search” and could not find any broken parts on my arms or torso. I called out to The Boss Lady who proceeded to conduct a quick check. She was likewise unable to find the culprit of the red stuff and was talking about a full body inspection.
Then, looking closely at my sweatshirt we found a spot where some Cherry Jello had “slipped” off the spoon and landed on the shirt. Those globs shook loose when I pulled off the garment. They sure enough did look like blood spots on first inspection.
While no real harm was done to the fabric or the tile floor, it was a good reminder that “jumping to conclusions” can sure take a person down the wrong road of thinking. I plan to be more careful about assumptions in the future, IF I can remember this lesson. Now where is that Bib she said I better wear from now on when snacking on red colored stuff?
Painting your own picture while helping other paint theirs
I have a former student who is great at helping others in terms of their Life and Career Choices. Insightful, Empathetic, Supportive, the adjectives of Advance Awesome could fill the page.
I was discussing this wonderful ability with her recently and listened as she spoke of some of her own lack of clarity in certain parts of her Life. It caused me to “sit back and ponder a while” on why someone can be so good at something and not seem to be able to help others do the same.
BUT ALSO, how someone could help others so well, and still feel a sense of incompleteness in their own personal development.
The effort of moving towards a sound and logical solution to such a challenging question is something akin to mastering Einstein’s’ Theory while riding a bike with one leg when it comes to my own feeble thought processes. But I did give the above question some considerable effort, although that might NOT mean much of a quality conclusion was formulated. However, I DID try!
Here is where I kind of “landed” on the above subject.
I am not sure anyone’s Life Picture is completed UNLESS we give up on trying to make it a little clearer and better. But if we can offer up a little bit of support and encouragement to others as they struggle with the same process of discovery, maybe we are, at the same time, bringing our OWN Picture into a better focus.
WOW. That was SOME SERIOUS Mental Effort for this Old Aggie Doc. Maybe I better stop this strenuous Brain exercise and go take a Nap!
For Liz.
WHAT DO I KNOW ABOUT THAT?
When taken on a Personal Level the answer to the above question for me undoubtedly would be, for a whole lot of things, …..NOT MUCH, IF ANYTHING!
But in a few areas, I like to believe the answer is quite a bit. I was reminded of that perspective twice in the span of about three hours recently. Two separate conversations centered on a couple of topics that I kinda/sorta believe to possess some insight and understanding.
One happened to be on Test Taking Strategies for Adults. Texas A&M saw fit to award me a Doctorate after a multiple year study into that topic. Decades of writing and speaking on the subject has made me even more “Confident in my Confusion and Enthusiastic in my Error” in the area.
Another conversation dealt with Selective Harvest Strategies for Whitetail Deer in La Brasada. Again, nowhere near to a “new topic” for me after half a century of developing and implementing successful (most of the time) programs to accomplish that objective.
READY OR NOT, HERE IT FINALLY COMES
Not that anybody at Casa Rosenauer has been counting, but as I sit down and write this Tale the 2024-2025 White Tail Deer Season is exactly one month away from starting.
While we had “pretty much okay” rainfall amounts in the Spring and Early Summer, things have sure turned off dry of late. Of course, it is nowhere near the first- and only-time things have not been ideal from a body weight and antler development year in La Brasada. And somehow the deer herd manages to keep on going.
On my own locations, I have put out cameras to begin general evaluations of the wildlife overall, and especially the body conditions and antler development for the deer. I don’t have a firm viewpoint yet. Except for the following key points.
- I have spent plenty of $ this year on feed to support the wildlife.
- I need to do some more tractor work and blind cleaning to get things in top notch order.
- I better hurry up and check my deer rifles one more time to make sure they are properly sighted in.
- I plan to be having a grand old time out in La Brasada, along with Family and Friends over the next several months.
I can confidently make the statements above because of one VERY Important Key Fact. That these things have been true for many decades when this special time of the year finally arrives! And Lord Willing, it will continue for a good while longer.
Fine Tuning to reach the Sweet Spot
Back in the Early 50’s on until nearly the end of that decade, south Texas had a severe dry period commonly referred to as “The 7 Year Drought”. Rainfall totals remained in the single digits for an entire 12-month period, year after year. Point being most of the folks I grew up knowing as a youngster were “bad broke”, including my family.
Johnnie Sr. would often have folks drop by the house in the evenings to have him work on their cars. This represented another income source for him and a savings to the vehicle owners. I remember him often telling me he was fine tuning that engine to find the “sweet spot” in terms of how it idled and ran.
My Grand Dad would also speak about giving just the right amount of throttle to his old John Deere Model B so that the plow or planter would run most efficiently. They likewise would both talk about getting their rifles set up just right so they could “hit the sweet spot” on the deer we counted on to help supplement our food supply.