Orion smiled on me as I walked on the porch this morning. It was in the mid 20's. I drove to the area I wanted to walk into. The moon was almost bright enough to hike by. My headlamp lit up the frost covering the trail sparkling off the many ice crystals. It was a perfect morning. I walked two hours in the dark. The rising sun peered from beneath the building clouds along the horizon. Ravens awoke on their roosts. Varied thrush and winter wren soon followed. The world was so quiet. Only my footsteps on the frozen muskegs could be heard. I called at a familiar place having a doe spend maybe five minutes in front of me... No suitor. I moved to the next small muskeg. I am not sure if I completed the second calling sequence of not. A fine forked horn ran in to 39 yards. The Hawken spoke. The four mile trek out would be heavier. For the previous seven days I had the pleasure of hunting with two good friends. We called in a few bucks, one giant, that just never gave them a shot. The rut was just not cranking....So this one was for you Jim Heffelfinger...wish it could had been yours! 60# of some of the best meat anywhere...I love these deer.. Of note, this buck just showed up on several cameras the night before 250 yards from where I shot him…