Mighty thin soup

That was fast.

The general big game hunting season has come and gone.

Five weeks of mild, warm weather didn’t make for a great harvest, but it makes no difference. With the exception of a few shoulder season opportunities across the state, big game hunting is done for the year.

Unfortunately, it’s only now beginning to feel like hunting season. Or at least what I remember hunting season used to feel like.

I recall a post-Thanksgiving hunting trip up Eagle Creek above Gardiner years ago when the turkey sandwich I was packing inside my coat froze solid. That was back in the day when I wore gaiters to keep snow out of my boots, and leather mittens over wool gloves to keep my hands warm.

I still carry matches in my pack, but I can’t remember the last time I used them to build a fire while out hunting. That used to be a regular thing. I’d clear the snow from the ground in a protected area, build a fire, eat lunch, and usually doze for a while. On most occasions I’d wake up chilled when the fire burned down, and had to warm myself up with a fast hike uphill.

This season I spent a lot of time taking off clothes. While I may have been comfortable in a wool shirt and fleece vest when I left the truck and started walking, within half an hour I was usually down to a T-shirt. I sweated a lot more than I shivered.

At least I didn’t have to dig the truck out of any snowdrifts this season. There was a much greater chance of getting stuck in the mud. An early October deluge flooded the prairie and washed out roads. All that water is still there, only recently turning to ice.

That’s a far change from not-so-long-ago when you might need to chain up by mid-season just to reach the trailhead.

Whether you call it global climate change or simply an aberration in the weather, there’s no denying this was a much milder season than most of us can remember.

But I can’t complain too much. After all, how bad is this winter going to be if it hasn’t even started yet? Not bad, I hope. The freezer’s nearly empty and unfilled tags make mighty thin soup.

The countdown has already begun. Hunting season starts again in fewer than 11 months.

Parker Heinlein is at [email protected]