Queeche, VT Balloon Festival--2010

I am posting some old photos from the Queeche, VT balloon festival a few years back. We had a great time OUTSIDE, it was Father's day, and as you can see in one of the photos I got lifted with my G's. Great weather + great company = a great time. I'll say it again...Get Outside!

California Dreaming--Yosemite Summer 2011

It took me four summers to get to Yosemite, and all I can say is...It was worth the wait! I was fortunate enough to tag along with Yusuf O'Connell and Erin Bliss--seen in some of the photos. We only had 36 hours, it felt like our time was stretched us. What an amazing trip! I hope to get back there soon, this time...for like a month. Get Outside!

X-Mass Day Outside

Last year on X-Mass day we headed out to Occom pond to get on the ice with our skates. It was crazy cold, but that did not stop us from getting outside. When the weather is challenging we experience our surroundings in all situations, warm, cold, hot, windy, rain, or anything else. It's a great reminder of our limited control. What ever condition you find, make it work!

This year on X-Mass day I headed out with the G's on a short hike. The plan was to build a fire and grill some venison kabobs for lunch. The challenge was to start the fire without matches or a lighter. We did not take it to the the level of a Bow Drill, but we did use a Steel and Flint set up. They loved it! The temps were a little warmer than last year, nonetheless, it was in the low 20's. There were a few complaints about cold toes and fingers. However, once they started eating, all discomforts were forgotten.

Don't use the weather as an excuse to remain inside. Remember, there is no bad weather only bad gear and bad preparation!

Bows & Afro's -- There's No Place Like Home!

I love New England! For the last few years Northern New England is where we call home. When we moved up here I could not wait for bow season to start. I could not wait to get into these Big Woods and get on the deer. However, three seasons later I am still waiting for it to happen. There are many factors that have impacted my hunting, and to this day I have yet to taken a deer in NH or VT. The 2011 season was no different! Zero, still no deer for me in Northern New England.



In the early season I had plenty of photos of deer on my trail camera, so I knew deer were frequenting the areas where I hung my stands. Then, all of sudden they disappeared? Perhaps, it is the abundance of acorns that keeps them from traveling far from food these sources, I am not sure? What I do know is that I only saw about 6 more deer over the next 2.5 months.

The buck in the photo represents an interesting story. On Thursday, November 17th I flew down to Charleston, WV to pick a van I purchased. The plan was to drive back to New Hampshire in two days, pick up my wife and kids and drive to Cape Cod, and catch the ferry across to Nantucket to spend Thanksgiving week with my mother et al...and hunt really hard. While driving back to NH, I saw more deer between WV & NJ in two days, than I have seen in the last three years combined while hunting in NH & VT.



After arriving on Nantucket Sunday November 20th, I connected with my good friend Patrick Topham, and we looked at a few spots I wanted to hunt in the morning. We saw deer on their feet feeding--always a good sign. The next morning I got up early and headed to Polpis (an area on the Island) in a light rain. Under the cover of darkness I walked into the property slowly and sat on the ground nestled-up in some dense scrub oaks. At first light I began calling, trying to get a buck to respond to my simulated doe bleats. As I waited in silence anticipating a response...nothing! I thought, "here we go again, no deer!" I made a quick decision to change spots and make my way to a stand a couple hundred yards away.



Creeping across a field I saw these rubs and was stoked--tree rubs are caused by deer marking their territory, leaving their scent for does, and strengthening their necks for the ensuing battles. I knew a mature buck was working the area making these rubs, and my hope was that he received my text requesting his company.

I quietly made my way to the stand and slipped in without bumping any deer. I waited a few minutes for things to settle down, and began to bleat again. Almost immediately I see a deer creeping off the salt marsh walking directly towards me . This deer is completely oblivious to my presence. I remain motionless and let him walk in front of me. When he is 10 yards in front of me, I stop him with a grunt call. I am fixed on him the entire time, holding my bow at full draw. I release my arrow and watch the deer jump straight up and kick out his hind legs. I thought to myself, "did I miss?" The arrow was traveling so fast I could not see it. I watched the deer run off, and in about 3 seconds his front legs collapse, a clear sign that my arrow found its mark. The arrow was perfectly placed, resulting in a complete pass-through. The deer expired right in front of me. My wait for this year's deer was over!



This deer will provide halal, organic, pure, ethical meat for me, my family and any friends willing to share it with us, and for this gift I thank God.

I hope some day I can hunt the Midwest, and Kansas is pretty high on my list. However, for now, all I can say is....There's no place like home!

Can You Bear It?

I can Bear(ly) talk about all this Bear stuff. However, if that Bear returns Maryam will be ready to Bear down on it. Her rain of arrows will be unBear(able). Can you imagine that? Can you Bear it?

Couldn't Thread the Needle

I found this arrow after taking a walk in the woods this morning. It is the remaining section of my (31 inches) carbon fiber arrow that snapped when I tried to thread the needle on Sunday evening.

I am happy that every arrow shot was a clean miss and the deer was not wounded. Wounding a deer and watching it walk off after a non-lethal shot is difficult. An ethical hunter tries their absolute best to take an animal without causing it undue harm.

Humble Pie Tonight...Still No Venison!

After helping a friend hang sheet-rock in the new mudroom of his house, I headed home showered, put on my hunting clothes and ran for the woods. I moved a stand to a new spot this morning and wanted to hunt from it in the afternoon.

This is a special time of year for deer hunting. The full moon on Thursday evening (also known as the "hunter's moon)normally initiates the estrus cycle for does. Testosterone charged bucks begin "chasing" the does--or looking for a wife as we tell our kids. This cycle increases the animals' movement during daylight hours, which provides hunters with better opportunities for harvesting a deer. Nonetheless, it is the best time of year for deer hunting.

During this time of year I use scent lures combined with a simulated doe bleat in an attempt to attract the deer to my location. I have always have great success with this combination. Immediately after hanging my stand in its new location I saturated a few cotton scent wicks and hung them on tree limbs and squirted doe scent on the ground.

At 3:15pm I was comfortably seated in my stand. I am about 15ft. off the ground at the top of a East-West slopping finger ridge looking down into a brook bottom. The sound of running water and warm temperature provided me a great place to read my litany, reflect and unwind.

After letting out a series of bleats, it finally happened! I saw a deer walking towards me about 120 yards from where I was sitting. This season has been really slow up to this point.

The deer continues walking toward me and then I lose him in some tall scrub-oak. After about 15mins he emerges (from behind a tree) at what I think is about 30 yards. Now he is standing directly in front of me, broadside, oblivious to my presence. This deer has one thing on his mind, he smells a familiar (annual) smell and is fervently searching for the source of such an exhilarating and attractive scent.

I draw my bow and settle my 30 yard pin right behind his shoulder. I let the arrow fly, and to my shock the arrow sails clear over the deer's back. A clean miss! The deer is a little startled and runs off a few steps trying to figure out what just happened. What's amazing is that he did not leave the area. He stayed there and put his nose right back to the ground looking for the source of his desire. I knock another arrow and get ready to shoot. I am following him as he meanders up the ridge towards me. I take out my laser range finder and (range him) he is standing 20 yards from me. I settle my pin directly behind his shoulder and let a second arrow fly. I watch the arrow leave my bow seeking its mark. However, it never reaches the deer! The arrow hits a limb and is deflected up and away from the deer. The deer jumps at the sound and bounds off a few steps, again still remaining in the area. I knock a third arrow and leave him alone for few minutes; he scans the area trying to figure out what is happening.
The deer has now walked past me and is directly behind my stand. I turn all the way around (this is unheard of and I am not writing fiction) and range him again. He's now 30 yards from me, and is still oblivious to my presence. I wait for another opportunity and slowly draw my bow. The deer's head and neck are protruding from behind a large oak tree, but I can not see the rest of his body. At this point I've been holding my shot for a few minutes and the tension in my bow is getting the better of me. I am beginning to shake as the lactic acid builds up in my arms and shoulders. Now, the deer is looking right at me(or at least in my direction) he takes two steps forward and I let my arrow fly. It is deflected by the oak tree and the deer is saved again. It is my opinion that Divine protection is preventing me from taking this deer. The deer still does not run off. Rather he calmly walks directly into the group of small Hemlock pines where I sat Friday evening and disappears. I knock my fourth and final arrow!

I wait a few minutes, but the deer never emerges. I give a few bleats knowing that he will come running to the call of female companionship. However, it was not to be. He had an exit strategy that was perfectly executed. He must have slipped out the back door. How? I have no idea, my eyes were fixed on his point of entry and any movement would have been immediately detected. He was gone, and with him went my first chance of taking a deer this season.

Please excuse me while finish up the last few pieces of this very bitter humble pie.

Bear Prints

I did not plan to hunt this morning. Instead, I wanted to get some rest and then move one of my stands to different location. Around 8am I headed out to take down my stand and move it to an area where I have seen some good signs of deer in the past days.

On my way in to my stand I found this print on road. I think (assume) it is the print from the Black Bear I saw Friday night?

Bear v. Bear

I had an amazing encounter with a bear Friday. I ran home from work changed in to my hunting clothes and headed out the door behind my house (1.5 miles from campus).

I am sitting on the ground in some small Hemlocks. I call out with a few bleats, no response. I wait a bit, try it again...nothing! After the third round at about 4:40pm I hear some crashing through the woods something is running right to me!

My heart is racing and I turn to get into position (my Bear Assault bow is ready), I can see the small pines thrashing about; it must be a monster (I think to myself)! My heart is racing even faster, I am excited (it's been a very trying season to say the least).

All of a sudden the animal pokes its head through the trees and I am face to face with a large Black Bear--5yrds between us! I can't tell you what I was thinking other than, "oh...that's not a deer!"

The Bear took one look at me and ran in the other direction. I am glad it had some sense; I would not have wanted to break the law and arrow a Bear without a tag. =)

Pretty interesting to write about this, and it was even more amazing to see a mature Bear that close. Perhaps we will meet again, and this time I will have a tag and my Assault will prove worthy.

Shoot Straight >>------------->

A Wish and A Hike

When my daughter turned eight, she said she wanted to climb Mount Moolsilauke in New Hampshire, the peak is 4802 feet. So we made a plan and camped about 2 miles away for the night. The night brought a heavy rain, but we stayed dry!
In the morning we headed out and started our journey. I had an eight year old and an five year old as my hiking partners. We had an amazing hike up and only a few meltdowns before we reached the top!
However, coming down was another issue!
They agreed it was a tough hike, but, they both agreed they would like to do it again!

Think Outside the Masjid!

One of the most beautiful aspects of our tradition is the constant reference to the outdoors. Repeatedly we are told to reflect upon the Sky, Sun, Moon, Stars, Mountains and Rivers, which are presented to us as signs. These signs contain manifest and subtle meanings that humble us through beauty, awe and sheer creative magnificence. However, if we never stop to reflect and seek opportunities to take in these signs, then we risk limiting the depths our spiritual growth.

One of my greatest experiences in understanding this relationship occurred while sitting in a tree-stand early one morning. I was hunting whitetail deer in New England and as the sun began to rise I began to witness an array of colors both in the sky and on the trees. The brilliant colors of autumn that embellish the Northeast are breathtaking . However, this morning I was blessed to see beyond the leaves and trees into a deeper meaning.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a leaf falling, and as it floated down I followed it until it reached the floor of the forest. Immediately I was reminded of the verse in the Qur'an that reads: “And with Him are the keys of the unseen treasures--none knows them but He; and He knows what is in the land and the sea, and there falls not a leaf but He knows it, nor a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything green nor dry but (it is all) in a clear book.” [Qur'an 6:59]

I thought of this leaf falling in the knowledge of God, and after it landed I began to look at all the leaves on the ground in relation to God's knowledge. I then extended this thought to the leaves in the surrounding area, and then to the state, and then the region, and then to the entire East coast. Then I extended this thought to the continents and then thought about this occurrence happening from the beginning of time to our present day and beyond. It was an amazing experience!

With this thought I looked at the trees and was reminded of the following verse: “And if whatever trees upon the earth were pens and the sea [was ink], replenished thereafter by seven [more] seas, the words of Allah would not be exhausted; surely Allah is Mighty, Wise.
[Qur'an 31:27] Similarly, what if all these trees were pens and all the trees creation from the beginning of time to the end were used to write the word's of God? And what if the Atlantic Ocean that I grew up surrounded by and the Pacific Ocean whose cliff's I had stood upon and the Indian Ocean which I had swam in while in South Africa and all the remaining oceans, with their vastness, were ink? Endless pens and unlimited ink, yet the words of the Creator Supreme would not be exhausted!

With this new understanding I was able to connect the outward and that which is apparent with subtle meanings from the Divine. My immediate feeling was gratitude. How many times had I walked through this area, how many times had i walked among the trees and how many leaves had fallen in my sight? How many times had I looked at the floor of the forest only to see composting debris, devoid of any meaning? This time it was as if a veil had been lifted and these meanings were as obvious as they were visible.

These moments of clarity are gifts and I long for more of them. However, one thing I know for sure is that these moments will never happen by sitting inside!

Bow Hunting

One of the most beautiful aspects of our tradition is the constant reference to the outdoors.

The bow is a confirmed sunnah, and much exits throughout our tradition referencing its merits.

Whenever there is talk about the localvore movement it always surrounds fruits and vegetables. I would like to introduce the local (best tasting, organically raised, and ethically harvested meat into the equation).

I present to you--Venison. You can't get more local than that, you just can't!