Today was our last day hunting in the Midwest. We will pick up all of our belongings in the woods tomorrow and hopefully get on the road before the sun goes down. We hunted the area where we got all the pictures.
On our walk in, we spotted a few deer in our headlamps. They quickly bolted away. After getting set up, I had a small buck go past me and head into the bottom where Brian was set up.
At the end of the day, I had seen five bucks, and one was a dandy. I had a beautiful 8-pointer go past me, turn broadside, stop, and look the other direction. He was 23 yards away. As he stood there, I learned a valuable lesson: do not let frustration get the best of you when you are amongst huge deer.
If I hadn’t done what I did, I could’ve wrapped my tag around this buck’s antlers. I’m not unhappy with my decision, as it was a really tough week of hunting. I will try my best in the future to keep it from happening again.
Brian saw five bucks today. It’s unfortunate that gun season is coming in. The deer are really starting to move, and I’m sure we could do well if we had a few more days. At the same time, I’ll be happy to get home and get into the mountains where my heart lies. I’m and Adirondacker, and I was raised to hunt with a rifle in the big woods where there are not many other people. I look forward to the challenge that awaits me when I get home.