Although the week brought us some hellacious weather, I figured the deer would be freshening scrapes after it passed. Knowing this, I knew exactly where I was going to go on Thursday. I figured the heavy wind that was forecasted on Wednesday after two days of heavy rain would keep the deer hunkered down. Well, my guess didn’t pan out.
When I arrived in the area I wanted to sit on Thursday, I realized the major scrape in the area had been freshened in the last 24 hours. I missed the boat, but I remained optimistic that the big buck might return for his second trip to it in 24 hours. The day was ideal for his return, with minimal wind and a low of 30 and high of 50.
I studied a lot of things today, and realized the place where I was hunting was a great location. Although I had always thought it was good in the past, I finally realized it is great. It has everything needed for a big buck. The terrain funnels them into a flat on the side of a mountain that is no bigger than a football field. There are steep cliffs on three sides and a good-sized pond in the vicinity. All of the buck sign from past years made me well aware that bucks use the flat annually during the rut. Unfortunately, I’ll probably be tramping around the woods somewhere halfway across the country during the rut, but I can only imagine how good this spot could be if I were going to be home. I found some giant scrapes and a little bit of old buck sign to keep me alert.
At the end of the day, it was another day of nothing. Things just haven’t been adding up this year, and it’s not for lack of trying.
