When they were done, they waited until about 4 PM and then walked the few blocks down to the bay. At the bay there was a low wall that ran along the bay. They had about twenty lines made up and they threw them into the water. Mike and his brother Jack took one section and his father the other. Mike checked the lines in his section and his brother netted the crabs and dumped them in the buckets. In a little less than three hours they had more than enough crabs for a good crab boil.
When they got home, his mother had two large pots boiling on the stove. Old bay seasoning and the crabs went into one. They cooked quickly and she fished them out with tongs as they got done. When all the crabs were almost done, she started to cook the corn. This was fresh corn from nearby farmer fields. His sisters had spread a thick layer of newspaper on the dinner table and put out the wooden mallets. The crabs, corn, butter for the corn and drawn butter for the crabs all went on the table. His father showed Mike how to crack the crabs with the hammer and then pick out the good meat, dip it in butter and eat it. Mike concentrated on doing it right. He was bit surprised when water squirted out of the crab when he whacked it with the hammer. It usually took him several whacks to crack the shell. In spite of it all, this was one of best meals of his life and through the years he looked back at it fondly.
Mike’s father and older brother also liked to surf fish. It meant a short walk to the beach after the lifeguards had closed up for the day and most of the people were gone from the beach. They’d go down to the beach with their surf poles rods, bait, bucket and two folding chairs. Then they would set up and cast out into the surf. Every so often they’d check to make sure they had bait and either put new on or cast it back out. The rest of the time they’d sit and wait for a bite. Most of the time they went, they caught nothing. But if a storm front had come through and picked up the surf, they’d be sure to be out. The extra surf had pounded shellfish and there were a lot of broken clams in the surf. Jack and his father would head out with some clams and go fishing in the surf. These were times that they were able to do much better. Primarily they caught weakfish and fluke. Mike’s mother wanted nothing to do with cleaning them. So, when they caught them, they took them to the docks to have them cleaned.
Mike started going with his Father and brother when he was nine. He couldn’t get the rig far enough out into the surf to work so either his father or brother did the casting for him. He would then sit with them and wait for a bite. During that time, they’d show Mike exactly how to make up the different rigs for surf fishing. How far out to cast and where some of the better places to go. By the time he was ready to go by himself, he was a fairly knowledgeable fisherman.
When he was ten, they bought a 25-foot boat for the bay. This gave them the ability to fish for more species of fish. Mike learned how to cast a spinning rod and reel, how to drift fish and what lures and bait to use. They also would occasionally set out crab pots and come back a couple of days later to harvest the crabs.
Mike’s fishing experience quickly expanded. In the early spring, he learned to fish for trout when they were released from the hatchery; primarily on the North Branch, Musconetcong, and Pequest rivers. He started off using ultra-light spinning rods and reels fishing with salmon eggs. They’d all drive up and find a place to park the truck. They’d stay most of the day and on occasion camp overnight out of the truck. Most of what he caught were too small to keep, so he put them back. He learned to reel them in carefully and gently release the hook so that they would survive. As he got older, he graduated to fly rods. He also fished for bass and bluegills at round reservoir and in the upper reaches of the Delaware.
Hunting was something that eluded him. At first, he was horrified that his father and brother went out and killed deer and ducks. His father explained it to him. “Mike, there are way too many whitetail deer in New Jersey. We’ve got them coming out our ears. First, we killed off most of the animals that preyed on them. Second, as we cut the forests down, they had more area that are good for them. There are so many that they are invading the suburbs and over grazing their own territory. That hurts all the other species of wildlife that depend on the same types of food. Eventually, they’re going to run out of food and start starving. So, hunting them is one good way to at least take some of the pressure off. Now when your brother and I shoot deer, we make sure that we’ve got a good clean shot and take them down fast. That meat is then taken to a butcher in Newark. We take a few steaks home and the rest go to the food kitchens that are feeding the hungry. It’s pretty much the same thing with the ducks and geese. All these lawns are geese heaven and you may notice where they’re around there’s goose shit everywhere. They’re also super aggressive. Do you have an idea of what I’m saying?”
Mike thought about it and a few days later came to his dad and asked, “Can I learn to hunt?” Mike was just 11 at the time.
“Well, first you have to learn how to handle a gun safely and how to shoot accurately. I think we can start you off with your brothers old Ruger 22. It’s a bolt action rifle. The recoil isn’t too much, so you can learn to shoot without flinching every time. You’ll have to wear eye and ear protection. I’ll take you to a shooting range and you can start to learn. Let’s go look at the rife.”
They went down to the basement and there his father opened the green gun safe. Inside Mike could see several rifles and shotguns. His dad took out a rifle. “Now Mike this is a dangerous weapon handled poorly you can hurt or kill yourself or somebody else. The first rule is never point a rifle at anybody. Either keep it pointing down, which is what you do in the house or in the air. Also, you need to make sure that it’s not loaded.”
John opened the bolt and showed Mike how to check to make sure that no bullet was in the chamber and none were in the magazine. He then showed Mike how to hold the rifle. Pointing it at the back wall of the basement. The rifle was about 4 lbs. and Mike was able to handle it. They put it back in the safe and his Dad then showed him the eye protection and ear protection that he would need. He promised Mike that he would get his own set and the weekend after next, they would go to the local shooting range and start Mike down the road to becoming a good shot. All of this impressed on Mike that he had to be very careful with the gun. He kept this at the top of his mind even after he was proficient with guns. The only time he ever got even a bit careless was when he was in the Marines and in combat.
When they first got to the range Mike was both excited and nervous. He was excited that he would get to shoot a rifle and very nervous because he was handling a dangerous weapon. This pleased his dad. He knew that Mike would get over the nerves, he hoped that he would always respect the deadly potential of guns.
After a few days at the range, Mike’s dad arranged for him to take an NRA gun safety course and would then follow on with courses on shooting and hunting. The safe hunting course was a requirement for him to get his hunting license. Even if it wasn’t, John wasn’t going to let him go hunting without it.
“Mike, I’m not real fond of the NRA and their stupid 2nd Amendment BS. But they were originally formed to teach gun safety and hunting, and they still do a real fine job of that. If they start talking about all that other stuff, just smile and nod. No need to cause a ruckus.” Mike readily agreed to that, although in truth he had no real idea what his dad was talking about.
Over the summer Mike played soccer, which he was getting much better at. He also went to the Dojo and was already a black belt. Along with that he took the NRA courses. He spent time at the shore and generally was a happy young pre-teen. He didn’t go to computer camp like some kids. He did read and nerd out playing computer games. By the end of the summer his soccer had improved, and he was able to consistently hit near the bullseye with the .22 at 100 yards without a scope. He still got consistent hits at 150 yards. The instructor talked about MOA. Mike didn’t really know what it meant and really didn’t care.
After the start of the school year, Mike had just finished up his homework. His father asked him if he w
ould like to go hunting with him and his brother during deer season. Mike said yes, but really wondered if his .22 was the right rifle to hunt deer. His father told him that it wasn’t and that they’d go that Saturday and get what he needed. He knew just the place out on route 22.
Saturday rolled around and Mike and his father set off for route 22. They arrived at a big hunting and fishing store near North Plainfield. Inside there were aisles of clothing, different fishing gear and hunting gear. In the back was where the guns were kept. The owner, Blake, was behind the counter. Mike’s dad explained what he wanted and that this would be Mike’s first deer rifle. He let the owner know that they’d be hunting whitetail. The owner asked Mike what he’d shot before and how good he was. Mike told him about the .22 Ruger, the classes he took and how he was target shooting. Blake recommend a rifle in a .243 Winchester. It had the power to take down a whitetail and didn’t have the kick of a bigger rifle. Later, Mike could graduate to something heavier, but for now this was fine. If he could do half as well at 100 yards with a deer as he did with a target, then he’d have no problem. They settled for a used Remington 700 and added a Simmons 3X-9X scope. The scope cost less than $30, but the owner assured them that it was a perfectly good scope, especially for someone just starting out. Blake then took them out back to the range to try it out. The rife felt good and Mike was easily able to hit near the bullseye with every shot at 100 yards. So, they took it.
The next items on the list where hunting clothes. They picked out some waterproof pants and a waterproof jacket both in cameo. Next came a nylon vest in Blaze Orange as well as a hat in the same color. Mike wondered if the deer would see them. His father assured him that deer didn’t see that color very well. What it did was to keep other hunters from shooting you. While there, they got hunting licenses. Mike had his hunter education course certificate and his license would be good until he turned 16. His dad had his old license so there was no problem with him getting it renewed. The vest had a pocket on the back for his hunting license and Mike immediately put the license in the pocket. Finally, they picked out a two-man tree stand. This was for Mike and his father to use. John made sure it was high quality and had all the proper safety equipment. Jack would use old one that was in very good shape, even after 5 seasons.
Mike wanted to know when they could go hunting. His father explained that the hunting season was short in New Jersey, just a few days in December. But they’d go up to his Uncle Sol’s near lake George in early November. They had a much longer hunting season. Also, that his mother would like to see her sister.
November rolled around and his Dad took a 4-day weekend. On Thursday evening they packed up the Caravan and headed off to his Uncle Sol’s. His sister Sharon, his mother and his dad, plus all their hunting gear. It took a little under four hours for them to make the two-hundred-mile trip. Uncle Sol lived in a large ranch house overlooking Lake George. He was the chief of emergency medical services for the local medical center and a former Marine and then Navy surgeon. He’d been a rifleman in Viet Nam and then went to medical school. All that time he stayed in the reserves. After he got his medical license, he was commissioned into the Navy medical corps. During Desert Storm, he served as a surgeon. Although he said that he mostly worked on wounded Iraqis. Once they got there, they settled in for the night. Mike’s cousin Issac had come home from college at Cornell where he was in pre-med to join the hunt.
The next day they put two tree stands in the back of Uncle Sol’s 4X4 F-250 and headed out to get licenses. After they got the licenses, they drove up some back-country trails looking for good places to set up to hunt. It was bumpy ride. They wound up at an abandoned farm that Sol knew about. There was some new growth but there was plenty of places for deer to graze. In fact, they saw a couple of whitetails take off as they drove up. There was also cover for the deer to bed down at night. Mike’s dad, Uncle Sol and Issac all agreed that it was a great spot. Mike had no idea. Uncle Sol promised to take him around after they set up the stands and show him what to look for.
It took them almost two hours to find appropriate trees and get the stands set up. They were going to use two man stands. Uncle Sol showed Mike all the safety tips for setting up a tree stand. He emphasized the need for a safety rope to be used at all times. Also, never try to set the stand up by yourself. It takes at least two people to do it properly. Mike’s dad and his cousin Issac also chimed in. Mike got the message. Once the stand was set up, they’d leave and the deer that they’d spooked would come back. They’d be here before dawn and get up into the tree stand. The truck would be left about a ½ mile away and they’d then walk in. The stands were situated a little more than ½ mile apart and faced a big abandoned pasture. The hunting areas were divided up and Sol used a golf range finder to mark ranges using objects in the field. They didn’t want to take a shot more than 200 yards. Ideally, they’d be shooting at deer in the 100 to 150-yard range.
After they were all set up Uncle Sol took Mike around and showed him what to look for in a good hunting spot. The first thing was things that deer liked to eat. He showed Mike the trees that had already dropped their nuts and that the deer had eaten those already. Now they would be eating dried grass and some evergreens. These were plentiful in the open spaces of the old pastures. Sol pointed out the brush that the deer like to sleep in. This gave them cover and a safe place to sleep. “Mike” explained Sol, “deer get up in the morning eat and then hit the cover for the middle of the day, assuming they can get the food. They come out again near dusk. This way they avoid predators. The only predators around here besides us are coyotes, and there aren’t that many around here.”
When they got back to the house Mike wanted to know where he could learn all the things that his father and Uncle Sol knew. Sol turned to John. “You know John, there’s a very good guide up here that gives courses on tracking and living in the woods. Each goes for about a week and run consecutively. You could send Mike up here for a few weeks in the summer, he could take the courses and do some fishing on the Lake. It would be good to have a kid around the house again. We won’t have that until Issac, or his sister have kids of their own.”
With that Issac raised his hands warding off his father. “Dad you and mom are going to have to wait a few years for me to give you grand kids. And I’m not sure what Rebecca feels about that right now either.”
Sol and John both laughed. Mike was all for the idea of taking the course and spending time at the lake. Sol and John started to discuss the idea. Soon they were joined by their wives. The two sisters thought it was a great idea and plans were made for the next summer. Sol would check to see when the classes were and sign Mike up. Then Mike would come up a week before and stay for a week after. Everyone agreed.
Mike was too excited to go to sleep right away. But he must of fell off, because far too early his father was shaking him awake. He quickly got dressed and went to the bathroom. His father had warned him that they couldn’t have a bathroom break while sitting in the stand. After eating breakfast, they headed out for the stands. After parking the truck, they hiked the last ½ mile in to where the stands were. His Dad helped Mike get properly geared up with the safety rope. Then Mike climbed up the ladder, making sure to keep three points on the ladder at all times. Either two feet and one hand on the ladder or two hands and one foot. Once they were both situated, they loaded their rifles. Mike’s dad had a Browning in a .30-06 with a Nikon scope.
An hour after dawn three deer started to come out of cover and graze. It was two yearling bucks and a doe. Mike and his dad waited quietly for the deer to get in range. Mike was to shoot at any deer to the right side of the stand and his father the left. After what seemed like an eternity to Mike but was only around 20 minutes, all three deer where within about 125 yards. One of the bucks was side on to the right of the stand. Side on was the perfect shot for Mike. He lined up his shot and his father did the same.
“Shoot” his father whispered.
Mike carefully pulled th
e trigger and hit the deer just behind the shoulder. Less than two seconds later his father fired and hit the doe. The heavier .30-06 round dropped the doe almost immediately. Mike’s buck ran about 15 yards before falling down. Mike was ready to jump down immediately. His father reminded him to set the safety on the rifle, clear the chamber and carry it on his back pointing down as he climbed down the ladder to the ground. Mike climbed down and moved from under the ladder waiting for his father to come down. They went to check out the two deer. Both were dead. Mike was ecstatic and a little bit sad. He realized he took a life. Then he wondered how is he going to get this deer out of here?
“Mike, you don’t want to carry a deer over your shoulders if you can help it. Another hunter might try and shoot the deer.” Mike looked quizzically at his father. “Mike, some farmers paint cow on the side of their animals to try and stop hunters from shooting them. Not all hunters follow the safety rules and make sure of what they’re shooting at. Some just see something and blast away. Ask your uncle, he patches up a couple of hunters with gunshot wounds every year. Every few years a hunter is killed. Your uncle has a deer cart in his truck. Let’s go get it and haul out the deer. If you don’t have a cart, tie the legs together and drag them out.”
They retrieved the deer cart, put the two deer on it and hauled them to the Sol’s pickup. As they were putting the deer in the back. Two more shots rang out. “Well it sounds like your uncle and cousin may have bagged their deer. Let’s take the cart up to their stand.” So, they did and found Sol and Issac had both shot does. Those were loaded on the cart and then into the truck.
“Uncle Sol, what are we going to do with four deer?” Asked Mike.
Through the Gate: The Chronicles of Cornu Book 1 Page 9