May Day
an ominous lump on
the radiograph

a woodchuck hole
still filled with leaves -
spring pasture

hay field -
at a woodchuck burrow
fresh dirt

two geese
circling the woodlot -
melting snow

retriever pups
fight over the rabbit's head -
proud breeder

freezing rain
the cold sting of sleet
on my neck

postseason
letting sleeping dogs
lie

dusk on the
last day of grouse season -
darkness falls

spring snow -
in the thicket a grouse eats
withered berries

icy night -
deer on the shoulders
lick road salt

evening sun
we hunt grouse in
melting slush

photo courtesy of Cagey and Elon Weinstein

February thaw
brief snow goose reunion
frozen in retreat

hunters
on the frozen mud flat
waiting

at the door
asking permission
chuck hunter

the truck fishtails
through muddy spring goo -
trout opener

season's end
hunting gear at Wal-Mart
goes on sale

a cold cold
snow blowing sideways -
crows in flight

a grouse
bursts out of the cattails -
pheasants cackle

after the bird falls
the sound of the shot
from the next blind

season's end -
a bucket of empty shells
in the duck blind

winter beaver pond
ducks on the open water
feeding quietly

season's end
the long night of the
decoys

all that remains
of wandering ducks' dreams -
feathers

photo by KGT, hole by Stedman

January
we hunt a hole in the ice -
late season ducks

blood on the ice -
winter winds blow over the
open water beyond

indecision
making hunting plans
the night before

blizzard wind
at the edge of the decoys
ducks appear

New Year's resolve
the cancer patient orders
new hunting gear