Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Hunting pics


Kevin getting ready in the wee hours of opening morning. Kev said he kicked up several deer on his way out to the stand, but it was far too dark for a shot. Right place, wrong time!










The four huntsmen returning:
(left to right) Kirk Ronzheimer, Tom Erickson, Kevin Erickson, Me Erickson

The weather was beautiful!









My wee little 8-point buck. Not a monster like last year, but a lot easier to hoist up and butcher, that's for sure!










Wes reacted a little hard to the sight of the deer. He's such a tenderhearted little kid! After awhile though, he rode his tricycle in circles around the deer, and mustered up the courage to touch the antlers.









Kirk with his first ever deer! For a newbie hunter, he did a great job of waiting for the deer to come into the clear, then made a perfect heart shot and dropped the buck right in its tracks. I think Kirk called everyone in his cell phone to tell them the news. It was great to see his excitement! Kirk and I talked a lot about how the kill is such a small part of what makes hunting enjoyable. We agreed that as important is the chance to be out enjoying nature, watching the sun rise, having a lot of quiet time to think and pray, and learning PATIENCE!

Amy was such a wonderful hostess this weekend. At 40 weeks pregnant, she didn't complain once about having four hunters in her house! She made some delicious chili, cornbread, and bread pudding (among other yummy treats) that the guys just loved, and was so kind in letting us do our thing for a weekend. Thanks, babe!

We finished the butchering work Monday morning, so Tom and Kirk could get back home. Everyone got some nice steaks, and we're having the trimmings made into wild rice brats, cheddarwurst, and summer sausage at Rod's Meats in Bemidji. The front quarters from each deer I gave to our neighbors, as they are always on a really tight budget this time of year. And for the first time, I am going to try making venison jerky! The first batch is curing in the fridge at home right now, and I'll try my hand at it tonight.

Oh - and still no baby.

3 comments:

Karen said...

It looks like you had a great time! I love the picture of the four of you all walking with your guns. You look like you walked out of the movie Tombstone!

Can't wait to hear when your new little "hunter" arrives!

The Ericksons said...

Karen - that was the idea we had for the picture :) Kevin wanted to set something on fire behind us so it looked more like the Tombstone picture, but we decided a forest fire wasn't the best idea.

Karen said...

Well, you definitely pulled it off! Good call on not starting a forest fire!