Backcountry Bucks

    I had no intention to hunt today, but I did go pull a camera for Jimmy. He told me where it was located, so I decided to go get it in the middle of the day. As I neared the camera, I heard the unmistakable noise of a deer getting out of its bed.    As I scanned the forest looking for the perpetrator, I couldn't locate anything. Then, I caught a twitch to my right and saw a deer standing there looking at me. It had nice, little spikes on it. I imagined all the young bucks I had shot in this area in my teens, and it brought me back to my younger years where I shared so many pivotal moments in my deer-hunting education.    I watched the deer for about two minutes and snapped a few pictures as well as a few videos. Eventually, the deer trotted over the hill and out of sight. I easily could've laid him in the leaves, but I just enjoyed watching him in his own environment.    After retrieving the camera and walking back to the truck, I realized life really does pass in the snap o

   I could only hunt for a few hours today. On my way in, I could smell where a deer had pissed on its hocks. It stunk badly. Although I could smell him, I had no idea what he had done when in the area. I did know both of us had crossed the same path within minutes in the darkness.    Well, on my way out, I discovered he had rubbed two trees where I smelled him. I came out of the woods at noon, and it was 73 degrees. This weather is beyond unbelievable. I didn't see any critters today, but it was still a good day in the woods. 

   It really warmed up today, but the morning still provided good conditions to sit. I went to a favorite old haunt in the morning, but things were slow at best. I did spot a doe in mid-morning, and she eventually fed past me but nothing followed. Although I was disappointed, I still enjoyed my time. I covered a lot of new ground on my way back to the truck. Unfortunately, I didn't see any sign at all. It was void of deer sign in areas where there is normally a fair amount of it. I'm sure sign will show up, but it just isn't there now.    I made quick work of lunch once I got back to the truck and put my hiking shoes on to explore another old haunt. I knew it would take me the rest of the day to check that place out, as it's almost an impenetrable area.    When I got to the place I wanted to check out, the temperature hung just shy of 80 degrees. However, the scrapes were torn up, and the runways leading to the scrapes appeared to be quite active. I marked an area for J