On my way to the stand this morning, I had deer running all over the place. Although I couldn’t see them, I could hear them. I’m sure the full moon probably kept them on the move most of the night.
Around 8:00, I spotted a huge deer coming toward me. I was almost certain that it was going to be the big buck that had rubbed the trees I found last night. My knees began to shake, and my breathing got shallow. After watching the deer browse for a few minutes, the adrenaline coursed through my veins. The chest cavity and neck where very large on the deer, but I couldn’t see its head, even though it was only 35 yards from me.
Finally, the deer took a step, and my heart sank. It was a doe. I was definitely fooled. I had to look two or three times to fully understand that there weren’t any antlers on its head. I was certain that it was a buck when I couldn’t see its head. Maybe I was trying to make it turn into a buck.
By the time I got out of the stand at 10:00, I had identified five does. Although I identified those deer, there were many more that went past me that I couldn’t identify. The place was infested with deer. I’m going to call it the deer hive because it reminds me of a bee hive.
I’m sure there’s a big buck in this place, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get a look at it. I really like the spot. I’ll probably sit there a few more times before our short bow season ends.
Doug didn’t see any deer this morning, and I spent the rest of the day with Brian. We went north to take a walk and check things out. I wasn’t impressed with what I saw, and I’m not sure if I will go back for opening day of muzzleloader season next weekend. There are so many leaves on that it’s almost impossible to see more than 30 yards. I’ll have to see what happens during the week and make a decision by Thursday.