Hunting for Sheds or Walking the Dog

 Maxine and I walked down to the valley Saturday am to get out and look for shed antlers.  I've seen one buck that had dropped a side an a buddy from fatman's bball already found his first shed down along little mill.








Here's what's left of this old stone foundation

 We hiked some pretty heavily used deer trails.






 I find it amazing that we ever find a shed when you stop to think of all the ground a Buck might travel in a day.

 Here's another foundation.

Twenty five years ago, when I was working on getting the rock supply for the gallery addition to the school house, I loaded out many loads of rock from an old foundation just up the hill from this foundation.  I can't believe I missed this cash of stones

 Little den under this rock out crop.

 Ok, we might be on the right trail... time to scan the hillside.

Upon closer inspection I recognized this skull.

I came across this one last year during mushroom season.  It's from the remains that some local tossed into the ravine after butchering his deer the previous deer hunting season. 

You can see where the rack was cut off, right behind the eyes with a saw before it was thrown out.


Oh well.  It'll make a good candle holder for down in the sugar bush.

No sheds...  But, a good walk for a good dog. 

Dog Days of January.

 It's been a slow start to the New Year,  Hanging close to home.  But, as the sky's cleared the sun warmed things up enough to wet a line on Big Mill.

With the snow on the ground it was easy to see the old train bed of the Bellevue/Cascade Narrow Gage Rail Road. 
The 36-mile, 3-foot narrow gauge railroad was organized as the Chicago, Bellevue, Cascade and Western R.R. in 1877.

Leaving Bellevue, the railroad headed up a steep grade into La Motte continuing into Zwingle, Washington Mills, Bernard, Fillmore and ending in Cascade.
The railroad was notorious for sharp curves and overcoming roller coaster hills.

Down in the flat bottom Big Mill flows along.

I haven't  yet caught a fish in 2016 even though I've hit the stream several afternoons.

 I hit a few little pockets looking for a Big Brown.














With no luck.... not even a bump.

 But, all and all still a nice day to be on the stream.

 I took the level B's up one hollow and down the other side of Seiverding Ridge.

 Stopping briefly to admire some of the old limestone structures on my way over to the cabin.






From what I understand, this was an old school house up on the ridge.

 Back down the next hollow there was several wildlife sightings, deer and turkeys.

 An old church and cemetery   

 And this old homestead just down the road.

 The sun lit up the ski slope at Chestnut Mt.

 Even though January got long, we did manage to get the dogs out for a walk each day and sometimes several times in one day.




















Maxine spotted this little guy and he thought it was her soccer ball.









Ace spotted him too and thought he was a snack.



After a shake or two the opossum did what possums do.

With the days getting longer it's time to quite playing possum and get outdoors and do something.