Special days

By Mac Arnold
Editor-In-Chief

I have to remember that these are special days as I slowly count down to normalcy. 

No, I’m not particularly happy about my ailments. I can’t run anymore. Haven’t been able to throw normally for quite some time now. (I used to have a rocket arm. Or so I’ve been told.)

But there is so much I can still do!

I’ve been taking a few shots at my hunting prowess or lack of it on this blog as of late yet I’m still out there and in the game. I feel like this is the year I score a breakthrough white-tailed buck.

RTWO Photo

by Mac Arnold

This smallmouth was hauled in in August on Michigan's River Raisin and came in just under three pounds.

And I didn’t post it on here back in summer but I boated, er,  canoed a pretty nice smallie all the while going backward down the roaring waters from the small dam on the River Raisin.

I’ve gotten through a rough two to three-year stretch where all I did was work and sleep while holding down two full-time jobs.

But I’m to the point where I no longer have to do this, and I’m not.

The thought of finally getting away from this leaves my mind so relieved.

It was hell. 

God got me through it. All glory be to Him on high.

Life should start being much more enjoyable in 2022. 

I think I’ll start it off by getting deep into the Ohio muzzle loader season, which opens Jan. 8.

Of course in the meanwhile I will still be hunting in Michigan's Sanilac County with the king of all seasons -- regular deer firearms season -- coming up next week on Nov. 15.

Talkin’ and walkin’

By Mac Arnold
Editor-In-Chief

Many thoughts are swirling about in my head lately.

This hunting season has already been a trial by fire with my troublesome left ankle.

I’ve been out four times since mid-September in three different versions — early firearms for doe, fall turkey and, of course, deer archery — all in Michigan and it’s been a real struggle getting around.

Walking on the hard-packed drive is not an issue, but get me looking for blood or hair in an dry, crusty soybean field or hobbling along a squishy two-track, and I’m barely able to stay upright.

However, that all could change with the modern miracle of this new brace I finally got around to putting on and giving a whirl. 

The first test came Sunday on the awful foot-breaking and mole-ladened yard while mowing.

Outcome? It was a success. I really was surprised at how much better I could maneuver around.

For hunting all I needed was a way to get both foot and brace into a boot. 

I’ve already bought one pair of rubber boots with the same result of intense pain after pulling my foot out of a tight muck-style boot. (Believe me, this bone-on-bone arthritis in a joint that is gone is extremely painful.)

Then there they were on the TSC shelf: rubber overboots! Perfect! 

You know the ones. The old-buckled black ones that would get you teased by other kids when you wore them in grade school.

But for my purposes I think they’ll be just what I need to stay upright while walking across a mushy cut cornfield. 

Anyway, so sadly, this blog has turned from an exciting see how the self-taught suburban kid hunter slams big game is now like a former challenging NASCAR champion relegated to riding around in 35th-place never really getting in position to vie for first place.

So all I can say is I guess tune in to see how this gimpy graybeard does with this improved outlook. At least I may have staved off ankle surgery, which is probably a good thing for now.

RTWO Photo by Mac Arnold

So here it is: the Breg wonder brace helping me along to mow Sunday.

Past notes update blog

By Mac Arnold
Editor-In-Chief

Written earlier this past summer:

Here I am at the end of another long stretch of paying child support.

Just thinking about it recently left me stunned when I realized it was 7 1/2 years this time. 

My youngest child — Zachary — turned 18 in August. 

Guess where I’m going with this is piggybacking off my last blog post published March 15, 2019.

Some of the rehash from that last post was how I was sick of having what I wrote about being used as ammo against me by my ex. 

That also should have ended in August but we'll see on that one.

Sadly I noticed that I had put up zero posts in 2020.  

RTWO photo by Mac Arnold

As promised, a quick glance at the 2020 hunting

log that I posted in the garage. Despite the small 

reproduction, each gig was noted on where and 

what was hunted.

But that really is more of a telltale of how busy I was working two full-time jobs. Beyond work at The Blade on the copy desk, I picked up a very laborious but decent paying job as a package handler at one of the larger shipping facilities. The corporation prefers discretion, and I will keep it at that.

However I was able to get out hunting — mainly for deer — more than I had in 2018 and 2019 in 2020 and even kept a pretty detailed calendar log. This may be worthy of getting shown on here even if it might bore most readers. But this is all things Mac hunts or has hunted, so I just may go ahead and do so. 

I had planned to post some of this spring’s turkey gigs, which had the best action in years. Mainly because I opted to pass on unfruitful Ohio outings and return to my native state of Michigan. If I remember correctly,
I got out four times to thee olde Thumb camp.

As I’ve long been saying: Great Lake State turkey hunting remains a downplayed golden nugget.

I’m hoping to put in some time for birds this fall

— before I get too obsessed over the white-tails
— and break up a bachelor brood party of toms.

I’ll be back on soon with what plans I have for the upcoming seasons. They certainly won’t be as 

ambitious as they have been in years gone by as now we will undertake Operation Restore Finances.

It was long ordeal, and I’m glad it is finally over.  Whew … relief! It’s going to take time to sink in that’s for sure!