Wednesday, December 4, 2024

   This morning was the coldest day I've hunted this year. When I got out of the truck, it was 9 degrees. Dad and I took our time getting into the woods, as we were plenty early enough to arrive at our destinations well before daylight. The sky was speckled with stars, and I could almost feel the coldness just looking into the dark sky. 

  On our walk, I felt like today was going to be the day. In my experience in the area where we were hunting, the deer tend to move well when the temperatures are in the teens and single digits. That's unlike most places, but I've hunted this area long enough to know its tendencies. 

  Dad's day started off quickly, as he had a few does go by him right at daylight. He said they kept looking up the hill, but he  couldn't see what they were looking at. Finally, he saw some movement and noticed a deer making its way away from him through some brush. Unfortunately, I have a cell camera in the area and we later found out that the deer was a really big 6-pointer. It was a keeper for sure. Dad just had a little bit of bad luck on his side. 

  I saw nine deer today, but all of my action was done by 9:30 a.m. I was sitting in a familiar area and most bucks come down a steep ridge from left to right when they travel through the area. Shortly after daylight, I saw two deer coming from left to right. I got excited since I know the deal with the bucks. However, it was two does and no bucks followed them. I ended up seeing a few more doe groups. They were all feeding while walking. They didn't spend much time in front of me. I can't believe no bucks found their way in front of me with all the does. Usually a buck will show itself when that many does go through an area. 

  When Dad and I walked out of the woods, he lost his balance and slipped a few times. That's when I decided to stay really close to him and put my hand under his backpack when he was climbing small hills or getting over logs. I'm not sure if he noticed or not, but he didn't have any issues losing his balance or falling afterward. 

  All I could think about is how he did those things for me when I was a kid. My hunting career (or life) never would've turned out like it did without his help, and I'll be forever thankful for his time and effort to make sure I succeeded in everything I attempted. He has always gone out of his way to put me first. I'm not sure I could have ever done that, but he did and still does. I'm not sure if he knows how appreciative I am of his guidance, help, reassurance and love, but I try to tell him as much as possible. I never could've asked for a better role model and father. 

  He will not be hunting with me the next few days, as he has to look after my mom. She has been doing well after her surgery. He wasn't able to hunt much this year, but her recovery has been better than expected, allowing him to get out a little bit. I'm glad he has been able to hunt. He really needs it. 

  

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