Of the 70+ posts I have made on my blog, most of them have been done by me.  Once hunting season rolls around, my uncle is also very active in chronicling his hunting journeys.  He hunts for geese and deer, here in Illinois, but has been on more unique outings, such as moose hunting in Alaska.  While this post does not have any pictures, the words will paint a clear one for you.  Here is the latest entry he sent me:

The car is packed. I showered in scent-free soap before leaving for work in the morning.
It’s 1:00 as I hurriedly finish up some email and stop by the secretary’s office to reserve a room for a Monday meeting.
Fighting traffic, I leave the concrete jungle behind.
I begin to scan the fields and woodlots as I leave the city further behind.
In the middle of some cattails I spy a magnificent buck standing in the clear crisp sunlight.
He stands with an air of confidence.
In my woods, he would not be so bold.
The protection of the Cook County Forest Preserves has made him careless.
I drive on, imagining the deer that haunt my woods.
Are they bedded down awaiting twilight? Or has the cold and snow forced them to seek food at midday?
My anticipation grows as my destination approaches, where the fields and forests become more common.
I arrive at my woodlot with plenty of light.
I strip out of my work clothes. The 10 degree chill makes me feel alive as I add layers of polypropylene and camouflaged gortex to fight back the cold.
The cold and the wind keep me out of my treestand, so I choose instead to explore a corner of the woodlot where I had not yet been.
Squirrels feed on leftover soybeans, til the screech of a hawk sends them scrambling.
The crunch of the snow beneath my Rockies sounds like thunder.
I scan the woods before every step.
A fallen tree is my destination.
Before I reach it commotion spins my head.
A deer crashes into my woodlot from behind me.
I stand frozen as the deer comes to a halt behind a tree.
After an eternity, the young doe proceeds at a brisk pace on her way.
Had she seen me? Smelled me? Why did she follow me into this wood?
A fox appears. Mystery solved.
He follows her path, nose to the ground.
My squealing mouse call does not deter him from her path.
With the fox out of site, I settle in to my spot.
I clear snow from the log that will be my home.
Another deer moves in the distance.
How many deer share these woods with me?
Squirrels nibble at seeds above my head, while others dig in the snow.
I scan the woods for other blinds. Should I move here or there?
The crunch of the snow keeps me on my perch.
More deer appear far in the distance.
In the blink of an eye, two deer bound into my corner of the woods, 60 yards away.
The simple act of standing still makes them disappear.
Was that fox up to more mischief? In my enemy, I might have found a friend.
How many more deer will he chase my way?
After minutes pass, a doe and fawn appear where the bounding deer had stopped.
They browse to the edge of the field.
The sun sits just above the horizon, and blinds me as I try to see as other deer join them among the soybeans.
Will the bucks follow these into the field? Will the deer retreat on the same path?
At this thought a dog barks in the distance, and the does retrace their steps.
While still far away, I make my move, and close the distance to their path.
The crunching snow halts my advance by a large oak.
I look around for a better blind.
I spy a deadfall near their path. Too close to the deer, I think better.
A pile of wood in the opposite direction? Another risk I choose not to take.
So behind my tree I patiently wait.
While two-by-two six deer retreat, right past the wood pile.

Thanks for the contribution Paul!  As always, your writing style and description of events will make the readers want to hear more from you.