JohnIt’s been awhile since I’ve blogged – primarily because I have nothing to blog about. So here I am, deciding to blog about my hunting trips; a diary if you may. Hopefully you enjoy.
It’s the 2:30 PM on October 1st and it’s pushing 80 degrees. The light blue sky has a handful of clouds but the sun’s heat is still making me excessively sweat. I’m contemplating whether it’s worth the effort in hunting tonight, but I make the decision to go to the edge of a swamp that borders a horseshoe looking pond. The only intel I have from a previous speed-scout mission is an old rub a single hoof-print.
I slip on my rubber boots, throw my Lone Wolf Custom Gear (LWCG) .5 stand on my back, and start making my way into the woods. I slowly creep through the lowland deciduous area until I reach my tree. By this time, I’m assuming mosquitoes have sucked nearly 30% of my blood through their proboscis. When I unpack all of my gear, I realize this is my first time climbing a tree with the LWCG and Tethrd One sticks. In previous years, I would’ve finagled my way to complete my setup as quick as possible. However, I decide to take my time to develop a new repeatable process for the future. Probably an hour later, I’m finally sitting in my stand and ready to hunt.
Some time has passed and I’ve only seen a squirrel feeding on acorns at the very top of an oak tree. I’m thinking that maybe two hours have passed; I look at my phone and it’s only 4:30. I sigh, whisper some cuss words, and chalk it up to the heat affecting my perception. Becoming squirmy, I figured I’d stand but I realize my LWCG sidekick is attached to my seat so I can’t lift my seat. If I do, I don’t have anything to hold my bow. Feeling more frustrated, I find myself moving around way too much for deer hunting and decide to hold my bow in my hand for the time being so I can stand.
Eventually, I cool down mentally but the sun’s heat still remains. Around 6:00 PM, I catch a doe moving in the swamp; it’s headed directly towards me. I thought, this is my chance to shoot something on camera. I point my camera in the direction I expect the doe to come out of and patiently wait. Ten minutes later, nothing shows up and I’m a little discouraged. But what do you know, just as I give up, I see the doe slowly making its way into this little acorn patch. As I’m watching it, I notice that even though the leaves are dry, the deer’s footsteps make no sound; it’s mind-boggling. I shake out of my self-talk and turn the camera on. I find it incredibly difficult to capture the deer in frame, all while trying to get ready for the shot. It’s either I draw my bow and the doe is out of my camera’s view or the deer is finally in frame but I can’t make a move. Eventually the deer wanders off in the thicket and I wallow in my hunting videography skills.
It wasn’t until 7:00 PM until I saw the next deer. It was a shooter 8-point buck that made a circle around me. Mind-blown that he didn’t venture through thick cover, but instead, traveled through the most open area. My thought of being in my location was to border thick trails and use the horseshoe shaped pond and the swamp as a pinch point; but I didn’t consider deer would use the very edge of the pond as a trail. Just 10 yards out of my comfort zone, I couldn’t believe it. I watched as it slowly made its way around me, stopping every few steps to check for danger by looking off in the distance and smelling the wind with its nose. Again, I wallow, but in my poor tree selection.
Quickly after the buck disappears, a group of does make their way through opposite of the buck. I no longer have interest in anything without antlers – at least the size of the 8-point. I sit and watch the does graze until dark. I turn on my headlamp, make my way down the tree, pack up, and walk towards my truck to head home.
Though no arrows were released from my bow, it was still pretty cool to have all those deer encounters. Frustrated in a tree is probably a lot better than doing many other things.
Until the next hunt.
