By Mark Fike
Some of the best sleep, hands down, that I have ever had in my life has been on a boat or in the woods while waiting on game to show up. Going to sleep in the woods has its hazards though. What would you do if you missed seeing a trophy buck or elk walk by?
What if you never woke up because a grizzly decided you were a great snack? Unlikely, but again, sleeping outdoors has some great benefits to consider among the few hazards.
Being from the east coast I don’t worry about grizzlies. I just try hard to get some good sleep in when I can right after I settle in, while the woods settles down from my intrusive sneak into my spot.
One thing I have learned over the years is to wake up very slowly and peek around before moving much. You really never know what will be in the area when you wake up. I never just wake up and pull out my watch or phone. I always open one eye first and peer around and then the other eye and peer around.
One such trip I knew before I opened my eyes that I had slept more than a few minutes. My combat nap must have stretched to a half hour or more because my whole body was stiff and it had slid down the tree somewhat that I was leaning against.
I also heard a racket that was obviously what startled me out of my sleep. So, as usual, I popped one eye open very slowly behind my mask and started looking for what made the racket. I did not have to look far at all. In a bush just to my right was a Carolina wren.
I love Carolina wrens but I don’t think this one was liking me much. She was chastising me as she hopped from one limb to another at eye level flicking her long tail-feathers this way and that way as she scolded me. She grew increasingly bold as I opened my other eye.
Without warning she dove down to my boot toe and stood there weaving back and forth tearing into me with a fury. I had not moved at all except for my eyes opening, but she knew I was there. I tried to ignore her but that made things worse. I am not sure if this little fluff of fury wanted acknowledgement or what, but the more I did not move or make a noise the bolder she got.
Pretty soon the squirrels were standing up on their hind legs chattering away. A deer moved in the distance among the trees and stood stiffly staring at me. All I wanted was for the bird to shut up and fly off. As much as I like Carolina wrens, this one was wrecking my hunt!
If her scolding was not enough, I suppose getting in my face was enough. My crossbow was sitting in my lap and my quiver was attached to it. The little bird boldly hopped to my knee in a flash and danced around. Her little claws dug in my knee through the pants and tickled me a bit. I started to flinch but she did one better.
She flew up to my crossbow quiver and landed on the fletching and looked me in the eye. I began to wonder if she was going to get on my hat brim and maybe peck my eye to see if it moved again. With that in mind, I prepared myself to move.
I stared at this beautiful little creature God made and wondered where all its boldness came from. For such a little bird she had no fear, only consternation as to what I was and why I was in her space. Each little detail of her feathers, eye color and even her little claws were so clear at that distance.
While I admit it would have been nice to wake up to a big buck standing in front of me, I will never, ever forget my little angry Carolina wren who woke me up and came right up into my lap to visit and tell me just how upset she was that I was visiting without an invite.
She hung around for a few more minutes before flitting off. When she left, everything went back to normal and I actually was able to take a deer for the freezer not long after my encounter. Some of the best naps are honestly in the woods!