Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023

 

  With hunting comes a lot of frustration, and I experienced that to the fullest today. Deer hunting is a lot like any type of sport you watch. When you think you've seen everything or experienced all the sport has to offer, something always comes up that blows your mind. 

  Jimmy and I hunted together today. I looked into my database of memories and collection of pictures from when I used to run a zillion trail cameras and decided to base my choice on where to hunt on those things. If deer tend to move in an area year after year at the same time, there's usually a pretty good reason for it. So today I chose to go to a place to hunt where I've seen a lot of deer come to scrapes during the few days that surround Halloween. However, there hasn't been much scraping activity in the place the last few years. 

  About an hour after it got light, I thought I heard some leaves rustle, and knew I wasn't going to have very long to look at anything due to the amount of leaves still on the trees. Then, I saw a good buck come into a hole and disappear as quickly as he appeared. My chance was gone. That was the last I saw of him. Disappointed, it took it on the chin and realized things like that is what makes hunting so challenging. 

  Settling back into position, I thought back on other instances where I experienced similar things. Hopefully, I'll get another opportunity as time progresses this season, but I also know how fleeting the chances are while hunting big tracts of wilderness. That could've been my chance for the year. I guess I won't know until I see how things play out. 

  About 10 a.m., I heard a bunch of racket to my right. That's when I saw a deer running at me. I quickly shouldered my gun and got ready. She stopped about five yards in front of me with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. She was panting badly, but that could've been because it was 70 degrees. Then, I saw another deer behind her. Thinking it was probably a buck, I got ready. I could see the deer was larger than the first, and the doe in front of me was a healthy specimen. 

  Quickly identifying the deer as another big doe, I knew something wasn't right. That's when I heard a buck grunting. The does were uneasy, and the buck was grunting like a pig, but I couldn't see it. I could hear it in the leaves but the thick cover prevented me from catching a glimpse at the animal that was grunting. 

  When the wind hit the back of my neck, the game was over. The does bolted toward the buck trailing them, and the woods became quiet once again. The fun was over. I was ever so close, yet so far away. When I heard the buck grunting, I was pretty sure my tag was going to be punched. That's how quickly things can change. The picture I posted to start this entry is what I was looking into when I heard the deer grunting. I simply couldn't see anything. Another week from now, I probably would've been able to score. 

  The rest of the day was uneventful. Jim didn't see any deer today, so I was the big winner - or maybe loser - for the day. Once again, the same guy who was in this area the last few years was in there again tramping all over the place. I'm pretty sure he was smoking cigarettes too because I thought I could smell the smoke. The last few years, he has blown this area up by tramping all through it and scaring deer willy nilly. He doesn't have a clue what he's doing or how is actions affect the animals that live there. It doesn't take long for people to blow areas up and not even know what they've done. This guy has been a prime example of it the last few years