Deer sheds, winter walk and scalloped potatoes

It was a balmy 32 degrees yesterday so the oldest and I spent a good deal of time outside to shake off the dust.  The initial idea was that we'd set up the game cameras as we've had a lot of canine-like tracks around the chicken pen this month. The yard is starting to get a distinct smell to it again, like how the last male fox stank. I'm actually hoping the tracks belong to a fox because they seem larger then they should be and we don't need to see another coyote. 

Frustratingly, neither one of the game cameras are working. One I think has an issue with the memory card but the other camera is just refusing to turn on. So we ended up just taking a long walk through the brush out back. He brought his little card for identifying animal tracks, along with a mask and snorkel. Because an outdoorsman can never be too prepared.

We kicked up two deer and found this area where a buck has been rubbing his antlers.

Identified some deer tracks although the little one argued they were elk.

We think the deer we kicked up were bedded down here. 

More deer tracks.

Trails.

We didn't find any sheds. It's probably too early but we had a fun time looking.

Here are the 2 sheds that I've found.  One was sitting in a cornfield in the spring and the other was laying by the side of a busy road. I nearly wrecked the car pulling over to get it.  It was in a spot where deer cross regularly and probably when the buck jumped off the bank by the road it just fell off.

Made another recipe from this book last night. Neither my husband nor I had actually eaten  scalloped potatoes from scratch before and they were delicious.  They should have been as the dish was mostly cream, butter and cheese. Yum.

Here was dinner. Venison steaks, scalloped potatoes and salad.  The oldest and I also made donuts from Magnolia Table again yesterday morning.