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Harrisville, Michigan, U.S.A. - November 22-23, 2007
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November 15 - 30, during the firearm deer season, is the only time of the year in Michigan when it's legal to hunt with a crossbow, so I broke out my 14th C. style crossbow for this hunt. The first snowfall of the season, with around a 6" accumulation, occurred during the first day of my hunt. I sat in a natural materials ground blind, mostly among spruce trees, near a well used deer run. The second day I sat in an elevated stand in the same general area, but unfortunately, I didn't see any deer either day. Paul Wilburn |
Brighton, Michigan, U.S.A - September 15-16, 2007
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I spent the first two days of small game season sitting in an oak grove. Day 1 was pretty windy and the squirrels weren't moving much. Day 2 was very active, with gray and red squirrels jumping trees, cutting acorns, and running on the ground. However, I never loosed an arrow, and only really had one good shot opportunity, but the squirrel bolted when I drew my bow. Paul Wilburn |
(3 Photos)
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Canton, Oklahoma, U.S.A - August 6-7, 2007
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I once had the pleasure of hunting with my fellow Ranger, James Pratt, and his red-tailed hawk, Sally, but that was before St. Hubert's Rangers was formed. This wild boar hunt in Oklahoma was 'officially' the first time two Rangers had hunted together. I was hosted by Lance Paulson, and we had an incredible hunt. I’ve never met a more intuitive woodsman than Lance; he trusts his instincts and just goes with it when he gets a ‘feeling’ about this or that. During the second day of our two day hunt, we were still-hunting on a game trail in the tall grass of the plains, and I was in the lead. Lance was behind me one moment, and then gone the next time I glanced behind me. Then I spotted him already 30 yards away silently slipping up on the edge of a swamp, almost as if in a trance. Only a minute or two later I saw Lance practically pointing at his feet, indicating a boar was RIGHT THERE! With the wind in his face, he had silently slipped up on a single, large boar, asleep in the mud under the shade of a small tree. The conscientious huntsman didn't have a clean shot, but when he maneuvered to gain a better position, the beast exploded out of there along the edge of the swamp towards where I was standing, but unseen in the tall grass. We didn't think he went far so Lance slowly started moving in the direction the boar had fled in. I worked my way towards the swamp to hopefully intercept the boar incase he was spooked again before Lance could get a shot. But as I approached the cattails I observed a dark shape 3 yards directly ahead of me. Just as I froze, I made out the shape of the ears and saw one of them twitch verifying it was the boar. I pointed in that direction to Lance, and he indicated that I should take him if I could. He was lying down sideways in a wallow just below the bank, and his head was pointed right at me. I came to full draw but didn’t have a clean shot. I wasn’t sure whether or not he could see me because his eyelashes were right at the height of the bank, so I tried to get closer, but after a couple more steps he busted out, and this time we watched him disappear into the tall grass some distance away with him showing no signs of slowing down. It was very exciting, and for circumstances to lead to both of us getting that close to a large wild boar while still-hunting was just incredible. We didn’t leave with any physical spoils, but it was one of my favorite hunts ever anyway. Paul Wilburn |
(10 Photos)
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Crossville, Tennessee, U.S.A - April 6, 2007
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I didn't have any luck in Michigan last season, despite hunting medieval-style at least a half-dozen times. However, I finally had my first successful medieval-style hunt while on vacation down south, in the mountains of Tennessee. I had the assistance of a guide and his two dogs, and after a hour-and-a-half or so of scouting for sign, the dogs busted two wild boars out of their beds, finally baying one of them long enough for me to get a clean shot with my longbow. Paul Wilburn |
(8 Photos)
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Bloomfield, NY, U.S.A - March 17, 2007
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Donna Mitchell became the first Ranger to have
a successful medieval-style hunt when she took this beautiful grey squirrel
with her red-tailed hawk, Clarice. Red-tailed hawks are native to
North America, and weren't used for falconry prior to the 20th century.
However, they are similar in appearance, temperament and abilities to the
European Buzzard, which was a common medieval falconry hawk. |
(4 Photos)
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Harrisville, Michigan, U.S.A - October 14, 2006
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Time to break out the winter livery! It’s normally in the 50’s and 60’s in mid-October, but this weekend the temps were in the 30’s and 40’s, and half the time I was getting wet (various combinations of rain, sleet, and even hail). However, I never felt the moisture through my heavy wool tunic and hood, and I stayed warm despite the moisture, temperature, and high winds. My fingers and toes did get a little chilly through the wet leather gloves and boots though. I had deer close all weekend, which was great, but the only shot opportunities I had were on two does who had fawns with them, so I let them pass. Paul Wilburn |
(2 Photos)
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