It was pouring rain this morning when we headed down the road. Knowing it wasn’t the wisest choice I’ve made, I considered sleeping in. I can barely function, and my head feels like it’s going to explode. My sinuses are clogged. I have a minor fever, and my sore throat and cough prevented me from getting much sleep. Dad has also been battling sickness. In all likelihood, he’s the one who passed it on to me when he was coughing and hacking all over in the tent last week. Brian has also come down with the illness, so none of us are in any shape to be tramping through the mountains. Brian’s been dealing with Encon the last few days while attempting to press charges against a trespasser that he caught on his land
By the time Dad and I got to the place I found yesterday, we were drenched. We split up and tried cutting off a flat, figuring if the doe went by one of us, she might have a buck behind her.
As it turned light, the heavy rain turned to heavy, wet snow. It definitely wasn’t getting any better. Within minutes the trees were covered with snow, and it was impossible to see more than 30 yards in any direction. We decided to wait it out.
Around 10:30, it stopped snowing and became warmer out. The warmth led to the snow melting off the branches, creating a mess. It was hard to see well, and the noise made it difficult to hear anything.
Suddenly, I saw two does running toward me, and I knew something was chasing them. I shouldered the gun and got ready. They stopped 10 yards from me and turned in the direction that they had come from. I heard a few grunts, and could see a buck coming. I clicked the safety off and readied myself to take him. I figured I ‘d wait until he got right up next to me. He was fairly wide and was carrying a rack.
As he got closer, I eased my finger off the trigger and decided to let him walk. I just killed a big 11-pointer in another state less than a week ago and had no need to take this deer. Instead, I enjoyed the moment. He stopped directly in front of me, stuck his neck out and let out a long guttural grunt. Blood stains soaked his ear and the side of his face. A competitor had surely just stuck him in the face with tines, but the buck had one thing on his mind, and it wasn’t his sore face and head.
As I watched him walk away, I felt good about it. He was a mature deer, but he just didn’t have great headgear. He was a 7-pointer, the second Adirondack 7-pointer I’ve passed this year. With the way Dad and I are feeling right now, I’m not sure how much hunting, especially hard-core hunting we will do this week. I probably should have taken him and called it a season, but I chose to do what most Adirondackers would never think of doing, probably simply because I don’t feel well at all, and I just killed a beautiful 11-pointer. I could care less at this stage in my life I I shoot a deer. I just enjoy each and every moment of every second I get in the woods. Every day, I hope I can learn something and improve upon my skills. Today was a good day. I found where there was a hot doe last night, and she led a nice buck right into my lap, a buck that most people would die to shoot. I’ll probably regret it, but I’ll always have the memory.
I barely made it out of the woods tonight. I stayed until dark in the same area in hopes of the doe attracting another buck, but it didn’t happen. My blood sugar levels were high all day. I changed my infusion set, which could have been part of the problem. I ate one Oreo cookie today. On my way out, I realized I was weak from not eating or drinking and from being sick. I’m not sure if I’ll have the strength or will power to go out tomorrow. If I do go out, I’ll probably sit close to the road somewhere so I don’t have to expend much energy. As sick as I am, I loved being in the woods today and seeing deer.