Here's the doe I took Jan. 1 in Sanilac County, Mich.
MAHFS photo by Marysville Dan



By Mac Arnold
MAHFS editor

Unbelievably the blind I inherited from a friend came alive Jan. 1 and started to tumble across the farmer's field I hunt on in Sanilac County, Mich., as if it grew legs.

Wouldn't have been that big of a deal except I landed funny on my right shoulder when I snared it like a defensive back barely tripping up a receiver. After picking myself up, immediately I felt pain shoot throughout my arm.

So now the good shoulder is ailing. Just great.

It's only fitting as the 2011 deer season fades from the radar that I'm on the injured reserve list.

Well, it wasn't for long. I've already been coyote hunting twice since Jan. 1 and I have two other gigs planned -- another coyote and one for rabbit -- this weekend.

The story behind this blind is something. It's like that movie where the car tries to run over people.

Back in muzzleloader season, the blind so confounded Walt that "he threatened to light it on fire" when I asked if he was possibly bending the metal inside it.

The darkened December woods echoed as I roared with laughter.

It was cold, and the thing just wouldn't twist right to fit in the pack it came in. Another funny aspect was how I started thinking about it and said he could've just left it up since he was just going to "toss it in the garbage."

"Oh, now you tell me," he said in a disgusted tone.

I figured in the light the next day at the house I could re-bend it and get it to hold sturdy with stakes.

I was right.

When I mentioned so on Facebook, Walt wished me well with it as if he knew something I didn't.

And it worked great all the way through the late deer firearms season, which resulted in a downed doe Jan. 1.

But little did I know it was conspiring an escape and a double-crossing.

As Marysville Dan and I began trudging 300 yards across the squishy barley field, the wind began howling as predicted, making it an arduous haul with the blind -- which would NOT fold at all at this point -- two folding chairs, packs, shotguns and a doe.

Dan was being strangled by the one chair draped around his neck (another point made by Walt as we originally slogged across the field -- that the straps were too short in these dumb fold-up chairs).

So I took both of the chairs along with the blind and went up ahead toward the truck.

I was never so relieved to finally see the blue bomb.

Dropped the blind and my pack on top of it to keep it from blowing away while I started loading up the gear but the blind had other ideas. One of the 40 mph gusts whipped around the truck and away it went with me hot on its trail.

It's alive! And it didn't go a mere 10 yards, try 50 at least.

I had another friend say I should have just let the blind claim its freedom.

Despite me agreeing in part with that assessment, I have other plans for it but I'm wondering if it's wise.

With spring gobbler coming in May, the blind would be nice to have for bow hunting toms. Another goal of mine is to take a bird with either a compound or a recurve.

So far though the only blind I've been using for coyotes is the tried-and-true pyramid one I've had since 1994.

Much easier to deal with even though it's on its last legs, so to speak.

And besides the "living" blind is still in the back of the truck in its unfolded glory.