WINTER READY

PART 2 of the GRIZZLY BOX BLIND STORIES

To say it's chilly is usually an understatement in the upper Midwest. It's 6 am, and I'm all layered up and ready to hit the blind before sunrise, and it's cold. Hiking back to my truck the night before I noticed the woods were alive, every animal getting ready for winter. A scurry of squirrels buried acorns as they chattered back and forth. A couple of Racoons who looked like they needed to lay off the sweets lumbered up a tree, all fattened up and making a home in a hollowed-out oak. Birch leaves that had just endured their first frost showed a sun-colored yellow with little droplets of icicles forming at their tips. Autumn is slowly making its way out as winter quickly comes into view.

This morning everything is completely still. Temperatures in the mid-twenties have frozen the woods and fields and brought everything to rest. These are the mornings I love and hate in the outdoors. I dream about the calm and solitude and the thrill of confrontation with my first whitetail of the season. But for years I've dreaded the cold. I mean it's cold. Finger numbing, nose running, face stinging cold. But this year is a little different.

I made the best purchase of my hunting career mid-summer. In early September I loaded the Grizzly Box Blind up on my flatbed trailer and rolled it out to the back of my property right near the site where my grandfather's old barn board blind once stood. We used a Bobcat to hoist it up on a stand about 6 feet off the ground. With its one-piece rotomolded design, the Grizzly Box Blind brings out the best aspects of the hunting experience. Frozen mornings become so much more toasty in the blind, free from the elements. There’s no wind or chill creaking through old boards and shortening the hunt. In the Box Blind, I find myself staying out much longer, increasing my whitetail opportunity. The switch from freezing my butt off and leaving early to staying longer and getting home later than I expected has been a welcome one. Well, more to me than to my wife if I'm being honest.

CHECK OUT THE BOX BLIND

https://www.grizzlycoolers.com/shop/product-category/box-blind/

It feels good to climb into the blind and take a seat. I nock an arrow in anticipation of a successful morning. The heavy sunrise is a sight to see as it seems to struggle to rise above the tree line and illuminate the forest to the east and field to the west. Out of my peripheral, about 100 yards off, there's movement. Sure enough, it's a nice sized doe quickly working its way up a game trail, stopping occasionally for a quick bite.

With 8 sides, each equipped with either a vertical or horizontal window you always have a full view of your surroundings in the Grizzly Box Blind. At 60 yards out with an approach that will take the doe right across my shooting zone, I stand and ready myself. I pop open the 12" x 29.5" window adjacent to the door. This can be done quietly, I've practiced it about 30 times prior, because of the silent friction hinge system. With one hand this feature can function with stealth and ease. The window stays open without clamps or locking mechanisms. That's a pretty nice feature and I've opened a couple of windows now in case she changes direction. I'm noticing multiple angles available as the deer approaches closer. A high angle as the deer is at 50 yards becoming a lower angle as the doe meanders in at 25 yards out. With a buck and a doe tag still to fill I try and process one more time if this is the shot I want to take today, and I believe it is. My heart feels like it’s pumping out of my chest as I quickly draw, aim, and release. The broadhead sizzles across the field striking a lethal shot to the doe.

I'm still after the huge 12 point buck that I've named “Buck!” I've been watching him on the trail cam for months. The Grizzly Box blind seems to be inviting me into firearm season to achieve that goal. So thankful this blind keeps me warm as the season continues to grow colder. Again I'll keep you posted on the pursuit of Buck. For now, it feels good to join the rest of nature in getting winter-ready. Venison steaks, burgers, summer sausage, and some tangy jerky are all going to be welcome treats while we are denned up for another long Michigan winter.

FIND 5 AWESOME JERKY RECIPES HERE

https://www.wideopenspaces.com/venison-jerky-recipes/

READ PART ONE OF THIS STORY: "LONGBOWS and BARN BOARDS"

https://www.anthonydear.com/post/longbows-and-barn-boards