I live in the middle of a national forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  A national forest that comprises approximately one million acres. Where I live, there are literally tens of thousands of acres that may not see a human being in years and years. It is a wild area consisting of hardwoods, conifers, cedar swamps, bogs and lakes. This is the terrain where I hunt. I give you this information, so you will better understand what I am about to say.

I have spent more than fifty years hunting and roaming the woods. During that time I have never used a compass. I simply never felt the need for one. Let me explain with an example.

Many years ago when I was yet a young man, I trailed a deer into a large cedar swamp. I had come across an unusually large set of deer tracks. By trailing it I hoped…