We used today as a scouting day. We decided right from the start that we would cover a lot of ground and stop walking when the sun set. We started in an area that I had looked at many times on aerial photos. It had everything it needed to hold big bucks.
At daybreak when we were rolling along the dirt road, we spotted a nice buck in the woods over the bank. We turned around to get a better look at him, but he had disappeared into the thick cover by the time we got back to where we had originally seen him.
When we got out and started covering ground, we found all sorts of interesting things. One of the highlights was when Brian and I came upon an old Ford school bus that someone had used as a hunting camp at one time. I can only imagine the history behind it.
Dad didn’t feel well about the time of our discovery, so he decided to set next to a large tree while we mucked around out in front of him. As we covered all the ground in front of him, it didn’t take long to find some impressive sign. Giant rubs could be seen in a grove of thick beech trees. Although they weren’t mature trees being rubbed, they definitely weren’t saplings. The buck(s) rubbing the trees were definitely carrying some good headgear.
After spending about two hours away from my dad, we headed back toward him. When we got on a flat across the swamp from where he was waiting for us, I spotted a big buck headed right toward him. Brian and I grunted a few times, but it didn’t phase the buck. He had other things on his mind.
I called dad on the radio to tell him the buck was headed toward him. Fifteen minutes later, we were all standing together discussing the incredible deer that we saw. It was pretty good 10-pointer that none of us would have hesitated to shoot.
Without wasting any more time, we checked the area of as a definite possibility for a place to set some stands. Heading up the road, we pulled off in a spot that appeared to get overlooked because of the steep hills that had to be climbed to access it. We circled around the area once we were on the top. Dad saw a few small bucks, and Brian and I almost got ran over my one of them after dad spooked it. The small 8-pointer got to within five yards of us before realizing something was wrong. We found a few more good spots. Although it didn’t look great in here, I think it has the possibility of holding a nice buck. It will just be a matter of catching him at the right time. I’ll probably give it a whirl at some point in time.
After getting out of that area we continued north. Dad went on one side of the road, and Brian and I headed in on the other side. Brian saw a few deer here and there while he was scouting. I covered a lot of ground and went up some really steep hills. When I got on top I found where the deer probably bedded before heading into the low ground.
I jumped a big 10-pointer and a doe when I was unsure of my location. After stumbling around for a few minutes and trying to figure out which direction I had to go to get to the truck, I started walking downhill. Amazingly, the big buck was standing just inside the woods looking at me. He bounded off the side of the ridge and raced up the opposite side of it. Once on the other side, he stood there and stared at me. Well out of range, he knew he was protected.
Dad didn’t see anything tonight except for six tree stands. He was pretty disappointed with that. We haven’t walked a piece of ground yet without at least two tree stands. We’ve seen a lot of vehicles parked on the roads, too.
I’m not sure what we will do tomorrow. It was hot again today. We never had to wear anything other than t-shirts.