GRAND FORKS, N.D. _ On paper, at least, the itinerary looked as if it might be overly ambitious.
Fun, for sure, but perhaps too much to cram into three days: Muzzleloader deer hunting. Skating, shinny hockey and ice fishing on a frozen river. More muzzleloader deer hunting. Hanging out by the fire. More shinny hockey on a rural skating rink. Heading east to Lake of the Woods for an overnight stay at Ballard's Resort. Getting up early and ice fishing the third and final day before heading back to Grand Forks that night.
Whew!
That was the much-anticipated scenario three friends and I faced recently when we headed north to the getaway in northern Minnesota for a long weekend of hunting, hockey, fishing and _ best of all _ camaraderie.
For the first time in what seemed like forever, the weekend forecast called for clear skies, a welcome turn of events from the relentlessly gray, dreary weather that has dominated the region most of the fall.
The temperature didn't look too bad, either. Not a heat wave, by any means, but not subzero cold.
Two of us had muzzleloader tags, but after spending several hours in the stand and seeing only one deer the previous two weekends _ after shooting hours, no less _ my enthusiasm for venturing out before daylight last Saturday was at a low ebb. I stayed back at camp and drank coffee while my buddy with a license joined a neighbor for a morning hunt.
They saw deer and came close to pulling the trigger, but things didn't time out quite right.
It goes that way sometimes.
