10/29/75 Took off for island at 10:00 a.m. Decided to give Keyes Island a good going over for partridge. I walked steady for 2 ½ hours, checking practically every cabin, and flushed 1 bird. Spent a little time on our island then over to Dahlbergs where I cut 6 poles to use next summer in furniture. Hunted till 4 p.m. and saw one more bird, no shot. I saw no deer sign either. How damned frustrating all this would have been a few years back. Now I am happy to have been able to walk that far.
10/30/75 To Gene Monahan’s (I walked) for our 3rd sitting for portrait. About one more will do it. At 3:00 p.m. we took off for Judys. Layna had made stew and cookies. Altho Opal not feeling too great, their outlook much better. On to Kash Micknal where he gave us a one and a half hour tour of his fine work - what an artist. He had wood carvings, copper work, photography, picture framing, diamond willow, gadgets of all kinds. All showing a master touch. I left feeling mighty humble, and inadequate.
10/31/75 Took off about 10:30 for Moes’ cabin on Black Bay. Cliff out hunting so took off for deer alone. Season opens tomorrow. Saw a doe and fawn but didn’t get a shot - just as well, they are illegal. 3:30 found me on a “stand” overlooking about 100 yards of logging road. At 4:30, an 8 point buck came out of the dusk and walked across road about 50 yards away. I shot as he entered heavy brush on far side. He took off like he was on springs. DAMN! I looked for about ½ hour, getting darker by the minute. When I was about to give up in despair, I found him stone dead on top of a ridge! Glory be, from despair to elation in one second. I cleaned him out, covered with brush and back to cabin in the dark. Cliff in good health and spirits. We had a hot rum in celebration.
11/1/75 Opening day and I went back to my stand of last night. Nothing. I walked and stood, walked and stood, most of day. Woods very noisy. Saw a fox, 1 rabbit and 4 partridge. A beautiful, warm day. Great to be out. Back to cabin at dusk and we took “Pug” back in woods and pulled out my deer. An amazing vehicle.
11/2/75 Cliff to his #1 butcher shop at daylight. I held back for ½ hour then made drive of north area. I jumped a doe and 2 fawns 3 times, but altho I tried, couldn’t get a shot. They ran to Cliff and he crippled one fawn. Made 3 more short drives with no luck. Went back and found fawn, dead. Cleaned it out and hung it up.
11/3/75 We decided to move my buck to Norway Island. We changed gas tanks, loaded deer and I was off for home by 3:00. I hung him in fish house, called Layna, and she met me at Curtice dock. Lou with her. Called Buck who was desperate for help in buoy job. I will join him tomorrow. Called Judys. Much better on that front. On to bed by 9:30. Another big day. Good to be home with Layna!
11/4/75 69o Buck picked me up at 7:00 a.m. and off we went for buoy job. Seemed like old times. SW wind freshened so we had rough time with first 3 buoys near Cranberry Bay. Then to our amazement, the wind moderated and we had no problem finishing what they had left thru Brule Narrows. We were home by 12:30. He is relieved. I was glad to have been of some service. After lunch, Layna and I to island where we skinned, cut up and packaged the deer. Home by 5:00. A good team did a good stroke of business - 2 teams in fact! Wayne called to say that Dr. Powers had sent him to Mpls so specialist could have look at retina. He has resigned himself to a blind old age.
11/5/75 Near 70o To Black Bay by 8:30. Buck already there. Cliff full of plans for a line of attack on the deer. We made 5 drives (4 of them on points in lake) without stirring up a damned thing. I worked back to where I had shot my deer. About 3:30 I heard 4 shots that could have been from Buck. When I got in at dark, he was there to say he had shot a doe and a fawn. We had 2 hot rums to celebrate. Much talk about best plan for getting them out of woods without being caught. Finally decided to do it tomorrow just before dark when hunters, and game wardens, and park people, should be out of woods.
11/6/75 Near 70o After lunch Buck and I took Pug - he at wheel, and drove out to where the 2 deer were laying. A tortuous trail but the amazing vehicle with its amazing driver had no trouble. We sat on a rock in the warm sun and chewed fat for more than an hour. Very satisfying for this old man to have such an offspring. We loaded the deer about 4:30 and back to camp. No lawmen. After supper, Buck took the 3 deer and off for his island.
11/7/75 Near 70o One of the Coran hunting group stopped in at noon to tell Cliff that they had shot 7 big bucks on the first 2 days of season. He ruined Cliff’s day! Commercial fisherman Soboleski brought over 6 white fish at noon. Cliff stayed home and smoked them. I went looking for partridge. Took 2 hour hike without a bird but saw flash of deer. Fun!
11/8/75 Cooler 30o Temperature dropped below freezing for first time in a long while. What a fall this has been! Cliff and I broke camp and were off in our separate boats by 9:30. I stopped at island, packed the two fawn in boxes and met Layna at 11:00. We seem to have no fear of game wardens. On to Moes where we delivered Cliff’s deer and had a rum drink to celebrate a successful hunt.
11/9/75 Called Wayne. Things are looking up at the moment. He will go to Mpls for further surgery next Wednesday. That will be his 7th operation.
11/10/75 Layna and I walked to Ranier for our “sitting” with Gene. We were there until 12:30. One more should do it. All in all an interesting experience, mostly to see a creative person at work. Wrote an overdue letter to Don Meyers thanking him for the excellent pictures he sent us. Also rigged up 5 Jim DiOnne spoons to send him - a feeble effort to show our appreciation.
11/12/75 20o Strong north wind but I walked to Ranier for our sitting. Trying to be in shape for pheasant hunting next week. Gene finished picture. Not great but mighty good. It has been a very interesting experience.
11/13/75 20o Buck picked me up at 8:00 and off we went for last chance at deer. A chilly 20o. I drove small end of Deer Island but no go. Buck saw flashes of 2 deer. Very, very noisy in woods. We came back to boat at 12:30, had lunch and chewed rag for an hour. Very pleasant. Stopped at NWI, all well there. On to Curtice dock and pulled out Cadillac. Thus endeth another boating season on Rainy lake. In retrospect a very good one.
11/14/75 As usual in preparing for a trip, Layna did 90% of the work. Not as bad as getting ready for Mexico but many details to attend to. This should be an interesting trip. I will take this book along and record same.
[11/15 – 11/21/75 Don and Layna made a trip to Iowa with Warren and **** Shuff and George and Agnes McIntyres to hunt pheasants.]
Shuffs and McIntyres picked us up at 9:00 in Shuffs van. Heavily loaded but comfortable. Stopped for lunch at Hinckley and on to Sally’s by 3:00.
On to Grinell where Warren delivered 150# of walleyes to a Mr. Aherens (sp.) in a fabulous house, possibly the swankiest we have ever seen. Indoor swimming pool, outdoor duck pond. Nice people.
Warren shot 1 bird out of van window. Very illegal and unsportsmanlike but the only bird all day. We walked quite a little and I feel good.
Saw live mink in trap. Also a beaver dam made of corn stalks. A big feed bed of same stuff near it.
We picked up 4 more birds which brought our total up to 12. Nothing like the olden days in SD but fun. We have never been with more congenial people.
Slippery. Many cars in ditch. Finally we were blocked by a big semi crossways on highway. It covered both northbound lanes. An hour delay and on to Mpls.
Snow had stopped but wind still rather strong. Off at 9:30. Roads a bit slippery. Many, many cars, trucks in ditch. No problems, however. We all went to Grandma’s Pantry for supper. Food not bad, company excellent.
