Today was our first day in the woods. It was warm when we headed into the woods before dark. Not having been here in three years, I was unsure what to expect. The woods don’t look anything like they did the last time. A lot has changed since the last visit.
I got into the area well before daylight but waited until I could see to pick a tree to climb. After settling in, I was just happy to be in a tree. Around 8:00 a.m., I started playing with my phone because I got a little bored. When I glanced to my left, I could see a really big buck standing under a small oak tree on the edge of a CRP field that was 38 yards from my tree. His body was big and blocky, and the rack was more than good enough for me to decide I wanted to shoot at him.
As I watched him for a few seconds, a big doe bolted out of the woods behind him, passed him, and the two of them disappeared into the thick brush. I turned over my can call to try my luck at coaxing them back to me.
Although it didn’t work, a small spike came up the hill on a string. He ended up directly below me. He wasn’t the least bit nervous or jumpy. After feeding around for a few minutes he turned around and went back the way he came from. That was all of the excitement I had for the day. In the evening dad and I went north to another conservation area. It looked pretty good but was cut up really weird. I saw two does when I popped out into a field on my way out. Dad didn’t see anything in there. He covered a lot more ground than I did.
This morning dad hunted down along a creek. He didn’t see any deer. He did find some good rubs and scrapes. He left his stand down there.
Brian didn’t see anything this morning while in the stand, but he did find some really big buck sign. He also jumped a big buck when he was walking around. It was definitely a shooter. He is going to hunt in there in the morning.
Overall, it was a good day considering the temperature. It seems a little colder tonight as we are getting ready for bed. I’m hoping it will help us out tomorrow.