My dad was back at it again this morning. He got into the woods an hour before daylight. Last night he mapped a plan out to get a buck out of the woods if he got lucky enough to get one. He said he felt extremely confident that he was going to get one today.
When he got to his stand, the plan didn’t unfold as he would have liked. The fog made it almost impossible to see more than 40-50 yards, and the rain made it uncomfortable to sit.
After he got up, he still-hunted up the hill toward the swamp above him. Although he didn’t see a deer the rest of the day, he found some impressive sign. He couldn’t believe that nothing wandered past him earlier in the day.
My buddy Doug is chasing a big buck, and his brother spotted one that was bedded on their farm with four does. Doug gave it his best effort but came up short. It’s amazing how bucks can be so easy to see when we aren’t hunting but disappear once we put a weapon in our hands and head into the woods.
Dad is headed north first thing in the morning. Since my mother wants me to keep an eye on him, I’m going to head up after I get out of work. Hopefully, I’ll get a few minutes to sit in the woods next to camp somewhere. Sometimes it only takes a minute to get lucky. Maybe that will be the case for me tomorrow. I’m looking forward to the piece and quiet of the woods. I’m hoping that piles of people aren’t tramping through the woods like last weekend. Unlike the old days in the tent, I never know what to expect in this place. We’ll see what the weekend brings. My confidence level is much lower than it has been in previous weeks.
Here’s a buck I killed when I only had a few minutes to sit. It’s one I will never forget.
