Today was my first hunt in Illinois. Bobby knows I like hunting in the woods even though crop fields surround the area we’re hunting. He pointed me in the direction where the woods provided a good travel corridor for rutting bucks.
About 7:30am I had a doe come down the ridge from the CRP field above and bed 30 yards from me in front of a huge oak tree. I sat there watching her lick herself and lay in peace and quiet. She stayed for about a half hour.
Around 8:45 a saw a big mature buck. He had his nose on the ground and was headed someplace as if he were on a mission. Since it was pretty thick where I was sitting I didn’t get a good look at the headgear he was carrying, but I do know he was definitely a shooter.
I didn’t see anything this afternoon. I put my camera out right near where I sat this morning. I want to get a good feel for what’s using the area. It kind of sucks because the camera takes only one picture every 15 seconds. I hope I don’t miss something good because of this. I like the cameras that take pictures in 3-shot bursts.
I also saw a couple really large tom turkeys. One of them might have been the largest wild bird I’ve ever seen. It impressed the hell out of me anyway. It was 40 degrees and calm for the better part of the day. Hopefully things pick up a little tomorrow. Nobody saw much of anything today, even on the neighboring land where outfitters are running hunts.
When I was sitting in the tree this morning Doug sent me a text. I was excited to see that I had service. It even amazed me. He told me my dad had hit a pretty good buck but hadn’t got out of the tree yet to check it out.
After a little while they sent me a picture and dad had scored yet again. That guy could shoot a deer in a closet. He has a knack for finding the bucks. I’m glad I’ve been fortunate enough to learn almost everything I know about hunting from him. He’s taught me more than most people could ever remember. I’ll add photos when they become available.
It’s raining right now and the dampness makes it even colder than what it is. It’s supposed to rain right through the morning tomorrow. We’ll see what the day brings……
Here’s the buck dad got. It’s a crappy cell phone picture back at camp. I’m not sure if he’ll ever get around to download the actual in-field photos. He’s not up on technology.
