by Darcy Dean
To read the first installment of Darcy's "The Call of the Wild" column, click here.
I quickly padded through the dense undergrowth of the woods and watched the soft beams of moonlight filter through the treetops. I was on my way to my deer stand to go owl calling for the second time ever.
It was another frigid night, but that did nothing to tamper my excitement. I could already hear the occasional hoot of an owl as I made my footsteps as quiet as possible on the freshly fallen leaves. I could already feel my toes going numb, and I regretted not wearing a second pair of socks. But there was no way that I was turning around when I was so close. I was preparing myself for the long hours of waiting ahead but there was no dread, only anticipation for calling into the wild.
I slowly made my way up the twenty ladder rungs that lead to my seat at owl-level. I’m not entirely sure why I prefer to call when I’m in my stand, but I think that it’s because I feel more connected to the owls and to nature in general up there.
When I got to the top, I had to maneuver myself around so that I could hook my safety harness into the clip that keeps me secure to the tree, and then I had to find a spot that was comfortable. When I finally got into a good spot, I simply stopped and listened before I even started calling. I listened to the crickets playing their tunes and the leaves rustling up high in the tops of the trees; but, most importantly, I listened for owls. That is when I knew I was ready to call.
I didn’t hear any right away, but soon after I started calling, they started calling back. I got my first one to call back at 12:30am, and another joined him soon after that. They only called about three times, though, but I was not going to give up. About five minutes later, another one called to me. This one was really close and that got me excited. We called back and forth for about ten minutes and then more owls joined in. At 12:45, the most amazing thing happened.
All of a sudden, one owl started calling to us from across the creek in my woods. Then another that was close to me joined in. Slowly but surely, more and more owls joined our chorus, until the night became alive with our magnificent melodies. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. The pure elation that I felt from knowing that there were so many of these graceful and wonderous creatures living in my short expanse of woods alone was enough to cheer me up from any despair.
I continued my communing with them for another fifteen minutes, but I didn’t want it to end. I felt as though I could listen to them sing forever, and that is all that I wanted to do. Eventually, I got too cold and decided to go home, but it made me incredibly crestfallen to have to leave these extraordinary birds of prey and my deer stand that had a perfect vantage point that was right at owl level in the woods.
The walk home felt a lot longer on the way back than the way there. Even though I knew that there was a warm bed and heat waiting for me at my house, I would’ve rather stayed in the woods and called to my owls out in the wild.
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