Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024

September 28, 2024

I've been out in the woods more than normal this year leading into opening day yesterday. Brian and I found the shed in the picture last week when we were on a scouting mission. After all of my treks through the woods, I reckoned we were going to see piles of bears, as there has been bear sign every place we've gone.

On Thursday, I headed into the woods to hang a stand where I know a lot of bucks have been feeding in oaks. It's a hit or miss place because there are so many bears there. If bears are feeding in the oaks, then the deer don't show up. The bears have made a mess of a number of places this year due to the abundance of food. They are stuffing their bellies for winter.

I opted to go in the pouring rain so I would avoid leaving any scent behind. Since I have service in the area, and it's close to home, I hung a cell camera there and have been getting regular pictures of a nice 8-pointer. Well, after my 10 minutes of walking to get to the place, I jumped a doe. She stood still and looked at me in curiosity. Then, I spotted movement to my right. The buck I was after stood up and stared at me too. Carrying a rifle, it felt automatic to flick the safety off and put it on him. It surely would've been an easy task to pile him up on the wet leaves had the season been open. However, since I was after bears on that day, I continued on my journey to get the stand hung.

That brings us to today. Dad and I hunted together this morning. It was a relatively quiet morning and not much animal movement at all. I didn't even see or hear any birds or squirrels. I found that somewhat odd, but I paid no attention. I had a lot of things to do in the late morning early afternoon, so I hustled to get everything done. It didn't take long for the temperature to climb into the mid 70s.

Something inside of me told me I had to be in the woods in the afternoon. It was one of those feelings you should not ignore when it appears in your gut. I listened to the inner voice and headed back into the woods, even with the temperature being so warm.

I settled into the tree about 3 p.m. and decided to wait until dark to see how I would fare. About a half hour before darkness, I spotted a bear moving across the ridge in front of me. I was cruising at a quick pace and quickly disappeared. A short time later, I spotted another bear headed in my direction. Undecided if I wanted to shoot it, I left my bow on the hook until it was in an opening in front of me.

As it ate acorns, I finally decided I would take a shot if one presented itself. After drawing my bow four times when the bear was in four different positions, I just couldn't get a shot, and the bear went down the hill. However, he only stayed there for a few minutes before returning. Finally, I saw a place I might be able to get a shot and drew my bow. As he stepped out from behind a big oak, I put my pin behind the shoulder, and all hell broke loose. He get fidgety and started moving, at which time I made a piss-poor shot and pulled my hand away from face, sending the arrow to the right. I hit him a little back. Although the height was good, I didn't like the looks of where it hit. I found where the arrow hit a tree on the other side of the bear and took a gouge out of the tree, but I can't find the arrow. It was right before dark, so I got down and wanted to get right out of the woods to make sure I didn't disturb the bear. I'm pretty sure it was a gut shot, but I didn't waste any time heading back to the truck. When I walked to the tree where the bear was standing, I turned around and saw the deer I was hunting looking at me. He blew and quickly disappeared. Overall, the night was hectic, and I'm not feeling well about what's in front of us tomorrow. Jimmy and my dad are going to help me look for it. I don't have the best of feelings about it since I saw no blood where I hit it. It will be a restless night tonight. I hate wounding animals. It cuts me to the bone, and I'm the one who is responsible.

A few days ago, a bear in the area gave me a picture that I will never forget. It brought a smile to my face and made me laugh. Animals do amazing things in their own element.