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Marsh Musings
hoi kl marsh musings

There are two “morning songs” on my smart phone play list  (isn’t technology great?).  They are “Morning has Broken” by Cat Stevens and “Touch the Morning” by Don Gibson.  I am a morning person and am positive that it is the best part of the day.
Archery deer season is in progress, and the rut is just starting as noted in the Tribune this week.  The deer get crazy this time of year.  The morning hunt is my favorite.  I get to my blind or tree stand at least a hour before sunrise.  In the dark of the moon, or a cloudy sky — the “dark” is amazing.  It is so “thick” you can almost feel it with your hands.  It is in your eyes and ears, and seems to muffle the sound of breathing.  It is calm and comfortable — like a warm blanket on a cold day.  
The night belongs to the owls.  There are two pair in my spot that have a pecking order to start calling the morning.  The black turns dark gray, and the blue jays, robins and woodpeckers  start their morning celebration.  Pheasants cackle, and occasionally a coyote will talk to some friends. It is in that first hint of morning that I see amazing things — like elephants, big cats, huge deer — all of which are figments of my eager eyes peering into dark spots and conjuring up shadows.  Sometimes deer really do appear, and I am certainly eager to whack a big buck.  It is amazing how very seldom that happens, but to be able to share the dark and the morning with our friends in the marsh is a treasure beyond words.  You can’t buy a ticket to anything that wonderful and I wish everyone could experience it.
You have to be up by 5 a.m.....

Doc Witt is a retired physician and nature enthusiast.