We start this first Monday of deer hunting season with a most unusual photo from the archives, taken by Kristina Blockland. She was riding with a friend, heading into Iron Mountain in 2002, when they spotted this Yooper deer hunter. They had to run to the local Shopko to buy a disposable camera to snap this shot, because they didn’t think anyone would believe what they saw. Must have been before cell phone cameras were an everyday item.

Our next archive photo isn’t a photo you’ll see every day, either. Back in 2003, Brian Rendel shared this photo, snapped by Bonnie, of their friend Ben as he was hand feeding Chickadees. Pretty amazing to get a wild creature to trust you enough to land in your hand and eat.

The photo from 2010 was a surprise actually, also. I was surprised to see these Canada Geese in Torch Lake here in Lake Linden, dipping their heads in the cold water to grab something to eat. I would have thought that most of them had already flown south by now. They probably moved on when the lake started freezing over.

Today’s video goes right along with the second photo here today. It contains footage of Chickadees and Nuthatches feeding out of someone’s hand. At the end, he replays the chickadee giving a scolding call to another, in slow motion to hear detail in the call that we can’t hear with our ears. It’s pretty interesting!

I am surprised that the boy from 2002 is still around and did not get himself shot. Lord knows that some hunters will shoot at anything. Even a deer riding a bicycle.

Hi
Is anybody familiar with the writer Pat McManus, who wrote humorous hunting & fishing stories? He had a story about a boy who went deer-hunting when his only transportation was a bicycle (My First Deer and Welcome to It); the 2002 photo made me think of that. It's very funny. If you haven't read it, I don't want to be a spoiler, but let's just say things did not go smoothly.

Great pix! I always thought that 2002 was a typical UP trip to the grocery store; "Bring me back a quart of milk, butter and some venison. Oh yeah...and a newspaper."
I titled the video..."Trust".

Pat McManus stand up...funny story.
https://youtu.be/1eKEgtappZg
(copy & paste to Google)

Wish I knew Sharon Smith, a view from the field, e-mail address. The one I tried would not go through.

Great pictures and a great video!