Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020

Although my heart wasn’t in it, I decided to go anyway. I had a feeling the big buck might hit the scrape today. Nothing moved while I was sitting, but I clearly saw where the big buck had walked through the area earlier in the day. I guess I just wasn’t there at the right time. It was pretty disappointing to see.

I bowed my head and headed out of the woods when it got dark. I was saddened that I wasn’t able to connect with the buck. was chasing. I probably won’t return to that spot until late muzzleloader season. With the heavy pressure the area gets, I would be really surprised if the big deer I messed up on doesn’t get killed. There are a few others in the area that are quite visible right now, too. I’m guessing the deer herd is going to take a good whacking in the next few weeks while I’m gone. Then, next year, everyone will wonder why they aren’t seeing any bucks. It’s all cyclical in heavily hunted areas. Fortunately, unlike fishing in trout ponds, deer tend to come back after a few years. The fish don’t usually come back to a pond once they’ve been fished out. If you keep all of the fish you catch in a small pond, eventually the pond runs out of fish. The same type of things happen in the woods but to a lesser extent. There are a few good bucks running around right now, but they don’t appear to be too smart to me, which leads me to believe they will get shot. They’re just walking around way too much in the daylight right now, and that doesn’t work in areas where a lot of people are toting around with rifles.

I’m headed to Illinois tomorrow with Dad and Josh. I’m not feeling it this year. The weather is supposed to be in the 70s and 80s for the next week or two. We’ve never had much luck when it’s like that. Dad can barely walk up the hill behind his house, so he’s going to have a tough time. I had to help him pull two crossbow bolts out of the target tonight because he wasn’t able to get them out. He has lost almost all of his strength. I don’t think it’s a good idea for him to be going, but he wants to go, and I want him to do what he wants to do. I just hope we stay safe and are able to have the best time we are able to have under the circumstances. As I walked out of the woods tonight feeling somewhat defeated, this was the sight I left in the Adirondacks as I thought of my journey to the Midwest. I will not be updating the journal until I have service when I return from the Midwest.

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