jboyd

I live about 20 minutes from a very special bike trail here the Midwest. The Tunnel Hill Trail. It is a rail trail that carves its way through some beautiful sections of the Shawnee National Forest. I have managed to ride it almost every month this year, and this weekend I realized I had not hit it in November and we had a spectacular day today.

Got to the trail about 10am. 39 degrees and climbing to 50 for the day. Blue sky, little wind, perfect. I got all geared up and took off. My plan was the 20 mile out and back that takes in the trestles and the 600 ft tunnel. At 3 miles, a couple deer ran in front of me. Cool, happens almost every ride here. Another mile, a couple more and this time they are flying. As I approached the 4th trestle about 7 miles, I saw a deer jump from a short, maybe 15 foot rock ledge onto the trail. It stopped looked at me, and then BOOM, a gunshot. The deer flinched but froze. Another BOOM, but this time the slug from the gun bounced between the rock cut that the deer and i were in. After the deer ran, I rode around the corner and onto the bridge and stopped to gather myself (code for, check for poop).

As I looked around to see the if I could see where the hunter was, I noticed 5 orange vest scattered out through the hills. Holy Crap I forgot that this was one of Illinois two firearm/deer weekends. I looked down at myself and realized that I looked like the first section on the right as you walk into Gander Mountain. Grey Shimano shoes, Black wool tights, drab gray padded baggies, Olive green fleece vest and a dark tan ball cap backwards. i was invisible among gray, brown and black trees and leaves.

At first I felt indignant. I had the right to be where I was, but I did not feel safe. My logic was that this was Sunday and if the hunter was still out here, they had not gotten their deer yet and were probably getting desperate. I decided to head back and not finish my ride. I was singing and whistling as loud as I could. I am sure I pissed some hunters off. I also notice as I rode back, the 7 hunters that I missed on the ride up. They were perched up in trees, one directly over me in the trail. Not for sure about the legality of that one?

Better safe then sorry. Besides, i can ride again another day. Those poor schmucks only get 6 days out the year to maximize their cost of guns, hotels, permits, booze, hookers, gas money and all the other necessities required to stand in the cold and shoot helpless creatures.

I took the bike back to my town and rode through raked leaf piles along streets. It was actually more fun then my planned ride. Great day in the end.

Jerry in So IL

Jay

You should know better! Its the time that all of Northerners (anyone north of I70) comes down and plays Rambo!

Glad you weren't hurt.

We went to Giant City Park to walk aound (ok, I limped with a cane) and saw ALLOT of orange. Decided to go to the mall and the book store.

BTW, I thought about you and the trail today. I was thinking the same thing. It was just beautiful. The family and I hope to be riding it with you the first pretty day in Febuary. I should be built up to long ride by then. Hopefully with have a nice 29er also!

Speaking of 29ers....Phoniex Cycle, across the street from Doug's C'dale Cycle, carries Fuji and they are going to double their stock this year due to the quick sales of Fuji bikes last year. I spotted that 29er you talked about, in the catalog, and they are going to be stocking them by March of 2009! Might want to stop by and at least look. They are some good folks to bs with. Prices are great also.

Jerry

jboyd

Thanks Jerry, I think you have been confused. Phoenix is where I do all my trading. The owner of Phoenix is Doug. He and I are buds. If there is a Doug at Cdale cycle, I didn't know that. And yes, the Fuji 29 has my drool all over it

Jay

Neil_B

I've been on at least two PA trails - Thun in Berks County and Stony Creek near Harrisburg - that are in the middle of hunting areas. It's not a good time. I'm glad you were OK. Don't do that again.

Richard_Rides

Hey Rambo, add this to your survivalist/ninja/ted nugent ensemble!

jboyd

That is too funny. Is it bullet proof?

I really did not go out today on purpose. I am super non-confrontational. I would just a soon let them have their ritual blood letting without me on site. I can wait till next week. I was just happy to see sunshine and no wind.

Yesterday I was in a store picking up a pizza and a couple of these alpha male city boy drugstore cowboys came in and bought 10 packs of cheese & crackers, a box of skoal, and 2 pints of jack daniels, one for each front pocket. Now that's HUNTIN

Neil_B

THEN GOOFUS STUMBLES THROUGH THE DOOR
HE SAYS HE GOT A BUCK
HE WAS COMING FROM THE WAYSIDE
AND HE KILLED IT WITH HIS TRUCK

THEN MUUSTI CRACKS A BEER AND SAYS
ITS TIME TO CELEBRATE
GOOFUS GOT THE FIRST BUCK
SINCE 1968

https://www.themadmusicarchive.com/so...spx?SongID=240

lil brown bat

Wow. What kind of haterade are y'all drinking, anyway? Why all the hatin' on the hunters?

Neil_B

I think the OP was just wound up because he was nearly a trophy.

Cue for a story from my buddy Dennis. We were in the gym locker room, talking about cycling, as I mentioned my new bike shorts. "They're a little odd. I've never seen shorts with a bright orange chamois before."

"Wear them inside out and they'll protect you in hunting season." (mimes aiming and firing rifle) "Hey Vern, look, I shot a giant snake!"

BigUgly

Hunting here in PA is illegal on Sundays. So at least we have one day of the week we can still hit the trails. However, I have heard stories about riders encountering hunters in the woods on Sundays as well. Some guys ride with an orange vest and a cow bell wire tied to their handle bar so they make enough noise the hunters hear you coming. I choose not to ride the trails during hunting season. Then again you would think you would be safe on a rail trail.

Jerry in So IL

No hating on hunters. Several of us down here are deer hunters.

But in So IL during Slug Season, well, its how Jay described. A bunch of guys that has never been in the woods the rest of the year get the coolers of beer and pints of whiskey and good out on public land and think they are hunters. I'm all for a good shot of Beam or a cold beer, but after the hunt is over and the weapons put away. Running around the woods with a weapon capable of putting out an ounce and quarter of lead per shot and lethal at over a mile haft drunk is not smart.

In So IL, you don't hunt deer, you just go get one. They are that thick and numberous. If you want one, you don't really don't have to go much distance to get one. The hardest part of bow hunting is picking out which one you want to shot or waiting for the right one to come within range.

BTW Jay, I was confused! Glad to hear that about Doug and getting straight. He has the best prices and the best crew of the three stores. He always comes out and talks to me and the family, even if I'm just looking today. He has my bussiness!

Jerry

jboyd

Hate?? I don't hate hunters! I come from a long line of hunters and I know that there are several hunters here. I was a hunter myself. Gave it up about 20 years ago. Wasn't helping my ego, and started feeling very about it and gave it up. That is not hating hunters, just don't dig myself.

I poke fun at them, because of some of the behavior I see out of them, but I do not hate. I don't know where you are from, and I suspect this happens in many places, but the local hunters are pretty cool. Because we live in a kind of special area of Illinois, what we get is a huge influx of city folk who are weekend warriors related to hunting. They often do not know how to behave. When I said, booze and hookers, it is sort of a inside local joke. These guys spend about 5 hours of the weekend hunting and the rest of the time at the bars and strip clubs. The local paper will almost have to publish an extra page to cover all the police reports for this past weekend. Lots of fights, DUI's and tons of Trespassing violations.

Besides, if you really read my post, and not just gleaned it for something negative to pull, you would see that I gave the day back to the hunters. Self preservation yes, but out of respect to this being "their" time.

Jay

Neil_B

Do the IL hunters find "The Second Week of Deer Camp" as funny a song as PA hunters do?

jboyd

Classic That was an upper U.P. song to start I think. I know the Michiganders really take the deer hunting thing very serious. Darned near a state holiday up there.

My buddy who, I lost this summer was a CEO of a large long term care company in MI and he said that he almost had to bring emergency staff in for deer season. And most of his employees were women.

lil brown bat

Whatever, dude. I just don't see a comment about "ritual blood-letting" as all that "super non-confrontational".

Jerry in So IL

Well, we see things a little different here in SI. To each its own.



BTW, Historian, I thought The 2nd Week of Deer Camp was a documentary! I loved deer camp when I was in high school! I normally filled my tag on Thursday morning, and spent the rest of the time in camp playing poker and helping on KP. Then the older "hunters" would go to Golconda for "supplies". I the old men and I would sit around the fire or in the cabin listening to them tell old stories while I would be skinning deer and scraping hides. I think I always came back with a couple more deer than I shot and more money!

Jerry

jboyd

2nd Week of Deer Camp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb9yhhflmvY

Don't shoot the messenger.

Jay

Neil_B

There you go, being "super non-confrontational" again.....

jboyd