2025 Indiana Deer Hunt - Denny's is for Winners

It seems like everything snuck up on me this fall.  I dutifully went through fall chores, check-marking the to-do list shorter and shorter week by week.  But deer hunting was all of a sudden – here.  I guess things are in a good enough situation, but there are still things I need to get done this year.  My truck is desperate for tires, and I need to get them before the trip to South Carolina which isn’t all that far away.  I haven’t done near enough target shooting recently.  As I age I try to keep up on health appointments, but I'm overdue for one.

Life can be exhausting.  Even on the best days it just keeps going tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow... 

Which is a good reason why I need to step back and sit in a tree for a few days.

A sudden and brutal cold snap a week before Indiana’s deer gun season had me rethinking my sanity.  It came with snow which stuck around longer than it usually does in November.  But overall it was short lived and forecast for the first few days of the season are blessedly warm.

I buzzed out to Mikes Friday after work to put up my stand.  I don't like the extra intrusion right before hunting, but it makes opening day so much easier.  Mike was working on his lawn mower; after putting my stand up, I helped him get the mower belt back on.  Mike said that was good payment on 10 more years of hunting - best job I ever had!

Opening day came with an early morning.  I was up early enough to watch TV with the dogs.  My older girl was so happy to be snoozing under a blanket next to me.  But then it was time for a quick shower and head out the door right at 5:45.  I grabbed a Snickers bar as I headed out for if (when?) I got a deer.

I was in my stand with plenty of dark left.  I had lots of time to sit there in the magical darkness.  I thought back over the last year; it's so easy to get tied up in the everyday business, to relive errors and inelegant moments.  Sitting in the dark in a treestand is like a salve for the soul.

Forecast was for warm temperatures and potentially high winds.  A racoon sidled right past me while still in the dark.  It was followed a few minutes later by a deer; it was too dark to see what it was other than a deer.  This had me thinking it could be a good day.

Daylight slowly came since it was quite cloudy.  Two more racoons came and made their homes in trees right near me.  For quite some time, one of the racoons spent much of its time watching me.

The morning progressed and I saw several deer through the day.  There was one buck in the mix, but he hightailed it into the ravine.  As usually happens, I had a deer go behind me as well.

I thought back to my South Carolina deer hunt.  I've been increasingly kicking myself for not shooting the buck that I could have.  As the afternoon progressed, I was kicking myself even more since all deer movement seemed to stop.  I kept my spirits up until the last couple of hours.  All day sits in the stand are hard.  The wind wasn't making it any easier.  The wind makes hearing deer almost impossible.  And with leaves blowing and everything moving, even seeing deer can sometimes be challenging.  The only thing helping was it was a south wind - bringing temperatures to near 70F.

Right near dark, I saw a deer silhouetted at the far south end - some day I'm going to hunt down there (yeah, right...).  That was the only deer I saw in the afternoon.

As darkness fell, I was looking forward to moving again.  I climbed out of the tree and my legs felt swollen.  I'm used to being very active so sitting all day is painful.

Driving home I looked down at the Snickers Bar I had on the console and said out loud, "Denny's is for winners."*  The candy bar would not get eaten until (and if) I got a deer.  

*This is a reference to the TV Show Community.  I fully admit this reference is a bit obtuse, but sitting in a treestand for 12 hours does both wonderful and terrible things to the mind.

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Sunday came and I again watched some TV with the girls before heading out.  Weather was tolerable with sun and a bit cooler than Saturday, but still windy.  I again had some blessed time in the dark to sit and just be.

Lightness came earlier since the sky was cloudless.  Right at legal shooting light, a buck walked past me.  It was still a bit dark, so I was looking through the scope at it and it just ... vanished.  It was the oddest thing.  I would have heard it run if it was spooked.  It was just gone.  I've had deer sneak in and almost appear out of nowhere, but never one vanish before.  I spent an inordinate amount of time staring where the deer was and the area around there.  As I write this, I can't help but wonder what happened (hopefully not a mental episode)?

Most of the deer I saw on Sunday were bucks.  I had one come from behind me; I don't mind being a contortionist to get the shot, but it does take time.  He was OK, but I let him walk.

Another deer walked the far south end of the property - again just a silhouette in the morning light.

I saw a real nice buck across the ravine.  A short time later I heard the neighbor shoot - couldn't help but wonder if he is gone?

Another deer came up behind me.  I contorted myself and saw he was at least pretty nice, but was already too far away - with brush between him and me.  I watched him anyways as he made his way south.  Right about where I would lose sight of him, he turned and started walking east, then northeast.  He was headed back towards me.  As he got closer, I thought, "This might actually still happen."  But I was worried the wind would push my stink to him and cause him to bolt.  He was behind me to my right, but I was confident I could make the offhand shot work.  He was, oddly, within 20 yards of where I shot my biggest deer ever several years previous.  There was a bit of brush in the way, but it was now or never.  Bang-Flop - good as it gets.  He was on the ground.

I watched him for a bit and he was still moving - I never want to make an animal suffer, but he was behind a deadfall.  I watched for a short time before deciding I had to finish this.  I was quite nervous that he could get his feet under him and run - so I did struggle to wait a few minutes.  I climbed down and walked up to him, giving him the coup de gras.  I hate having to shoot twice, and deer generally can't take a bullet (like wild hogs can), but this one did.

He was brute of a deer - a very respectable 8-point with very good width (outside spread of 19"), good mass.  Maybe a bit short, but still a deer I'm honored to be able to take.  I am very very very fortunate.

I packed out my stuff and hoofed back to field dress him.  Then the real work started.  Every year the drag gets harder and this boy was so big that it took over two hours to drag him out.  He was big enough that he looked ridiculous in my small plastic sled.  The last hill took an hour alone (and even getting it into the truck after that was painful).

I talked with Mike and Mary for a bit before heading home.

As I pulled out of the driveway, I started eating my Snickers.  

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Belated Edit:

While butchering the deer, I found the (initial) bullet lodged in the offside shoulder.  My shot was a bit high - either due to me slightly duffing it or deflection from the brush in the way.  The 95 grain SST bullet did its job as well as it was able - plowing through a shoulder and spine before stopping in the offside shoulder.  I guess I'm not surprised it was an instant drop or that he didn't die quickly; I'm not sure how he could still move at all given the condition of the spine.  I'll take the bang-flop any day, but would still prefer heart/lungs over shoulder with lighter bullets.  The fact that the deer was recovered to look at the bullet (recovered weight of 40grains) is ultimately the most telling tail...

2025 SC Deer Hunt Days 5 & 6 - Heartache and Home

Brad and Denzil ended up sleeping in the main room of the lodge so I (oddly) had the room to myself.  I was up with a cup of coffee and a shower ready to go out for my last morning of hunting.

It rained as one last insult as we got ready to leave.  But the day was an entirely new one.  Temperatures were cool and it was a bit breezy.  Compared to the heat and humidity, it was splendid.

I was dropped off again on the Powell farm.  Having sat in the blind several times, it was easy to get comfortably situated while being mouse-like quiet.  In the dark I could just make out a large deer pop out in front of me and make its way down the lane.

As it got light, deer were filtering in and out of the area.  At one point a pretty decent 8-point came in.  I tried to figure out if it was the large deer Rick had told me to take if I could.  But just about any deer would look large next to the very small doe it was with.  And I just wasn't sure if the antlers would meet his minimum requirements.

I had the crosshairs on him twice, but just didn't think it was the right deer.  I was brought back to my bear hunt only a few weeks previous when I waited to shoot until the bear started to leave.  This time, I held off and watched the deer leave.  As its butt disappeared behind some trees, my phone buzzed.  Rick texted, "That's Him"

We chatted a bit and there were some expletives.  I can't shoot something once it is gone just as I can't suck the bullet back in once it has left the barrel.  I was hoping it would come back, but I also knew that was very unlikely.  Rick "kindly" sent me a cell trail cam picture, pouring lemon juice on a growing open wound.

I did see several more deer through the morning.  Most were small bucks.  One more decent one came in which I oddly liked as it was kind of goofy with a long cow-tine on his right side.  I thought this was the "busted off" deer Rick said not to shoot so I just watched it.  Turns out, Rick would have been OK with this one as well based on body size...

I was beating myself up about not shooting and Rick didn't make it any easier - Rick likes to pour lemon juice on open wounds.  So it goes (with apologies to Kurt Vonnegut).  Other guys in camp were non-committal about whether they would have shot or not.  This did make me feel just a tiny bit better.  Maybe.

 After another good breakfast, I had a bit of down time at the lodge.  Then it was time to head out for my last hunt of the trip.

Rick dropped myself and Bradley and Denzil off and I went to the stand where he had seen the big deer while feeding two days previous.  I know I've sat at this stand before, but looking back through past deer hunts, I couldn't find when.

Temperatures were nice, but it was really hot in the sun.  I was glad when it clouded up a bit as the sun sank in the afternoon.

Time past slowly at first, not much was moving for me.  I farted around on my phone a bit to pass the time.  But I also kept a watchful eye on what was happening, seeing a small 4-point shoot across the lane at one point.

The late day presented, as I recall from the previous sit at this location, in a very similar manner.  Late in the afternoon, three does came out.  They fed for a bit until another deer popped out - possibly the same 4-point I had seen earlier.  Two does left, but one remained, seemingly unconcerned.

As it started to get dark, the doe left and the buck walked directly toward me (I definitely recall this same behavior at this stand) as I started to pack up.  It got quite close and I was curious if I could still shoot if he was close.  Affirmative...

Another deer came out, but I couldn't see it well down at the corn.  It followed the first buck giving me a chance to see antler, but very small antlers as it got close.

I finished packing up, my 2025 South Carolina deer hunt coming to an end.

Nobody had shot that night, but everyone had seen deer - and a few of them were just a nickel short.  Dinner was the most excellent taco pie.

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I woke up really early and was able to sort of sleep a bit more before deciding I'd rather be on the road.  A quick shower and I was out the door, early by even my standards.

I came exceedingly close to smacking a deer about an hour away from the lodge - and he was a big shooter of a deer too.  I'm glad I didn't, but I'm not even sure how we didn't collide.  Grow big and strong my friend!  (and stay away from cars)

I started off listening to the book Who Ate the First Oyster.  It was interesting, but I struggled at first since I really wanted a story.  After I almost hit the deer, I turned it off for a few minutes to mentally put perspective on the week and going home without anything.  I'll be second guessing this for a while, and while hindsight should be 20/20 (it isn't always), I can't say I'd do anything differently in the stand.  And to be perfectly honest, my freezer has quite a bit of animal protein, so it isn't like I'm desperate for wild animal meat.  Maybe that is just sour grapes...

After the pause, I really liked the Oyster book.  It covered many "firsts" from before recorded history.  While a bit of it was a little corny, it was overall written in a very entertaining style.  I didn't realize it at the time, but the second book I had was written by the same author (Cody Cassidy) and it was even better.  And Then You're Dead was about what really happens during very improbably ways to die - some theoretical, some not.  It was just sciencey enough to keep me thinking, but also entertaining; a few parts were very funny.  Some of the anecdotal and factoids were really interesting.

I ended up doing the entire drive with one and only one stop for fuel and coffee.  Getting an early start meant little traffic by Columbia or Asheville.  Even the I-40 construction went very smoothly and relatively quickly.  Sometimes the drive home can be painful, but I guess I was in the right frame of mind to enjoy it.

Soon enough, I was home.  S/O was gone helping her Mom, so I had the house to myself with two dogs who were very happy to see me.

2025 SC Deer Hunt Day 4 - Rain and Muggy

Evan and Don were "no" for hunting for various reasons, so it was just Aaron and me.  Rick dropped me off at a stand looking down a timber road.  It was easy to get settled and comfortable.

Sitting waiting for daylight, the morning air was heavy and unbelievably still.  The very bright moon made it almost light enough to shoot.  Almost ... but not.  I did watch a very large deer walk across the road, closer to me than the corn.  I never could see it well enough to know if it had antlers, but it was too dark (and too early) anyway.  I did hope that was a good omen.

Daylight came and I got a better lay of the land.  The corn was farther than I thought.  

A little after sunrise, I caught movement as two does and a small spike came out.  They didn't stay long before they were replaced with another small group of deer.  It was hard to tell which ones were out, but for a little over an hour, deer were in and out.

By 9:30 things had quieted down.  I packed up my stuff to meet back up with Rick.  Aaron had passed up a decent deer and seen a whopper that he couldn't get a shot off.  It was his last hunt so I was a bit surprised he passed the one up.

After a quick breakfast, Rick and I fed stands.  Forecasts for the afternoon were all over the place for both wind and rain; deciding what to do wasn't easy.  

For me this also made deciding what to wear challenging.  I didn't want to wear my rain suit in the stifling heat, but I also didn't want to get soaking wet.

It poured rain at the lodge for a little while.  This was followed by thick, heavy air.  It was painfully muggy.  There was no way I could see wearing my rainsuit.  I ended up going out in shorts; if I got wet, long pants would be far worse than shorts.  I was able to fit a lightweight rain coat in my pack.  Ultimately, I think the shorts were the right decision, even if a bit unconventional for hunting.

Doug had come into camp and he was hunting as well.  Rick took both of us out.

There was a doe on the corn when I got to my stand.  She stayed for a bit and I just watched.  Once she left, it took a bit to get comfortably situated.

Deer were running into and out of the area for quite a while.  None of them were too impressive, but there was lots of activity.

It was actually somewhat stressful for a while.  I knew Rick could see what I saw on the cellular trail camera.  It felt a little like the sword of Damacles hanging over my head by thin thread as it robbed me of my human capacity for denial.

The deer activity abruptly stopped around 5:30.

I did see a few more deer much later.  Right at sunset an 8-point came out.  I field-judged as best I could and just didn't think it would make the cut.  I let it walk.  It got dark.  It started to rain again.

Back in the truck, Rick agreed that the last deer was not big enough.

Back in camp, Brandon, Denzil and Brad had gotten in.  We ate pork chops with a healthy dosing of banter.  I was tired and turned in early.

2025 SC Deer Hunt Day 3 - Moon Unit

I was up for deer hunting and my headache had finally fully subsided.  And it wasn't raining.  Things were looking up.

I was dropped off at the same stand I had sat at the previous morning.  But it was an entirely different day.  It wasn't raining, so it was much quieter.  I was, however, surprised how much road noise was evident inside the stand.

Temperatures were mild and it was humid.  It was a really nice morning.

As it started to get light, a few does sauntered out onto the corn.  They stayed for a bit until most of them left.  One buck came in from the left and another from the right; the does fled except for one.  It was a bit of an odd mix.  Both bucks appeared to be 6-points.  They definitely weren't huge, but for a six - the one was relatively wide.

They stayed until a little before 8:00.  Then it was deathly quiet.  I was hoping for more activity, but it wasn't to be.

Rick picked me up and we made our way to get everyone else.  After breakfast, Rick and I went to feed stands.  It's always fun to see how the various stands look.

Rick texted me a picture of a nice 8-point on the stand I was at in the morning.  Having minimal deer movement in the AM followed by mid-day movement isn't unheard of, but isn't exactly common either.  It can be frustrating.

I had a bit of down time at the lodge before heading out again in the early afternoon.

I was dropped off on the Craw field in a box blind about four feet above the ground.  It was easy to get situated although I had to move around a bit to find the best spot.  Thankfully the box blind was pretty roomy.

Temperatures were hot and humid.  It was between breezy and windy which was nice.

Not many animals were moving.  It was  s l o w .  The only thing that was moving was this reptile, but it didn't stay long enough to keep me company.

As the afternoon wore on, the wind died down until it basically stopped completely - this made it stiflingly muggy.

About an hour before dark, I saw movement as a couple deer hopped out into the 2-track.  They didn't stay long; it did start deer going into and out of the 2-track for most of the rest of the afternoon.  I kept hoping something interesting would join them, but it was just does with maybe two spikes.  

One of the deer had something white on its ear.  At first I thought it was a tag, but Rick later said it was just a deer with some odd fluffballs on its ears.  Whatever it was, I hadn't seen something like that before.

The deer left as it got dark.  I was then treated with an amazing sight as the moon rose hugely directly over the 2-track.  I waited to pack up to try to get some pictures; I don't think they do the actual scene justice.

It was a pretty special way to end the day.

2025 SC Deer Hunt Day 2 - Does and Spikes

I was up in plenty of time to get ready for deer hunting, but not feeling 100%.  After coffee and a quick shower, I was better but still not good.  

As we were getting ready, Evan said something about rain, "Well, it's just wet."  Looking at the radar, rain was coming in from the east.  It didn't look terrible but didn't look good either.  I grabbed my rain suit before heading out on the porch.  Soon enough we piled into Rick's truck.  I guess a 10% chance of rain really doesn't mean 0% chance.

I was the last to be dropped off on the 48 acre Powell farm.  I found my blind easily enough and got set up.  I was glad for the covered blind since it was raining pretty hard at times.  The rain on the metal roof was quite noisy, but that was a small price to pay.  The chair was also quite comfortable.

The clouds and rain make daylight slow to make its appearance.  About an hour after daylight I saw movement as a group of four deer came in, two does and two spikes.  They milled around, in and out of the area.  They were a bit nervous, but only a bit.

Two more deer came in through the morning - another doe and another spike.  It was still a nice enough morning to start the week.

Aaron had seen one legal buck, but didn't shoot since it was too thin.  Evan and Don had seen deer, but no shooters.  Aaron had also seen hogs, but didn't shoot since they were in a direction where he wasn't sure where it was relative to the house.

Back at the lodge we had breakfast.  Still not feeling great, I tried to nap.  A walk down to the river also helped a bit.  I don't think I've ever seen the river this low.

Soon enough it was time to roll out for afternoon deer.

I was dropped off on the same stand Aaron was on in the morning.  The weather was hot and humid and the chair wasn't too comfortable - so it took a few minutes to get situated.  As I was sitting down, I saw a yearling right outside the blind.  It stayed in the area and came within a few feet of me.  It was so small that I could still faintly see spots.

The yearling left and came back a few times, but it never went near the corn which seemed a little odd.

It was a hot and breezy afternoon which did not help deer movement.  In the confines of the blind, it was almost uncomfortable with the humidity.

The afternoon progressed slowly.  Late afternoon a tall spike (maybe a 4-point) came out.  It rubbed antlers on a tree to my left, then milled around for a while.  A doe also made an appearance, but again, most of the deer showed little interest in the corn.

At one point I could hear pigs way off in the distance.  They were fighting and carrying on.  I hoped they would come in, but they didn't seem to be moving anywhere.

With time to kill, I asked Google Gemini to add a big dear to a picture from the blind.  I was surprised it did a reasonably good job - even making the deer a bit blurry fitting in with the lower light image.  I didn't dare send it to Rick, but did show him later.  I could see the steam rising for a few seconds before he realized it wasn't real.

As it got dark a group of 4-5 does came out to my left.  At last light, I saw them working toward the corn (finally).

It had been a slow night all around.  I had seen more deer than anyone, but not the right deer.

Dinner was rice and field peas, which I really like before calling it a day.

2025 SC Deer Hunt Day 1 - Ford Maverick Junked

Things are complicated as I get in my vehicle and head out.  Every time I think I'm caught up with the monstrosity of middle age, a new fiend pops it head out.  In hindsight, my 20s were all about drinking beer.  My 30s were all about wondering if I should sell everything and travel on the cheap for the next 30 years.  My 40s were all about scratching my head and both saying and asking, "This is it?"  My 50s are starting to look like lurching from one issue to the next.  But in all fairness, I won't really know what they are about until they are almost over.

S/O's Mom isn't doing too well, so we are scrambling to keep things going while her family is dealing with that; I have empathy.  I almost thought I should cancel this trip, but it sounds like things are under control (enough, for now).  I became an orphan last year.  I'm not afraid of dying, but I am terrified of the season before it.

I struggle not to drown at work.  A Quality audit coming up brings mountains of busy work and too many reminders that what is important for the audit is the Appearance of quality - the actual thing????  And yet another special project means something is rolling down hill to me.  I know I have a lot going for me.  My job is pretty good and I get to work with some phenomenal people.  And the reality is that I generally get along with my management quite well.  Having accepted that my career is over makes it easier to look at what I do as a job - all while counting down indeterminately.

I was on the road a little after 4:00 for the drive.  The early part of the trip was easy enough.  I made my way south into Kentucky.  There was unease, but I was mostly looking forward to the hunting and the trip in general.

I was listening to The Inner Life of Animals by Peter Wohlleben.  I suppose it kept me entertained enough, but I can't say I liked the book.  The "what" of animals was interesting enough and I learned a few things.  They "why" started out ok, but then got progressively weirder as the book went on.  It read more like a mix of opinion, editorializing with just enough supportable facts to keep things going.  I was glad when I hit the return button on the Libby App.

I had another beautiful sunrise nearing the KY-TN border.  Sunrise over the Cumberlands is pretty amazing.  As I was making my way towards the Cumberland Gap, my Ford Maverick became junk as I crossed 36,000 miles of the factory warranty.  It would have by time in a few weeks - so good enough.  The trucklette is now junk?  Definitely not, and anyways, the powertrain warranty still exists; I also just got a letter that my truck's half shafts are warrantied for another 100,000 miles.

About half of the miles on the Maverick are from my road trips to outdoor adventures.  No question every mile was 100% worth it.

The previous year I had to take a different route due to Hurricane Helene's impact to the Asheville area.  Interstate-40 is open now, but down to one lane.  It was interesting to see the enormous scope of the construction.  Thankfully, the slowdown wasn't too bad.

Traffic got oddly worse once onto I-26.  But I wasn't in any hurry.  I continued making my way south and east, even if the drive seemed more painful than usual.  Perhaps it was just my mood.

I finally got to Rick's.  There were two guys getting ready to head home in the morning.  We talked for a bit before Rick showed up after dropping other hunters off.  The lodge would be a bit crowded, but so it goes.  

But then the two guys decided to leave to get a head start on the drive home.  I blessedly had the lodge to myself.  It also meant I had a room to myself.

Dinner was a late cowboy stew and cornbread before calling it for the early morning.

2025 Bear Hunt Days 10,11 - Post Hunt Scramble

I was up early and with almost everything, especially my now frozen bear, packed up, it was a quick shower and I was ready to go.

I walked down to the bay to say goodbye and was struck with an absolutely astonishing moonlit goodbye.

But all things really, really must come to an end.  I jumped in the Maverick and headed out.

There was some fog as I made my way through Manitoba, but it was never bad enough that I had to slow down very much.  In a few spots the temperatures had dropped to well below freezing.

I stuck to paved roads and made my way through the two towns, before the final stretch toward the border.  Traffic was light and the final goodbye to Canada was once again stunning.

The border took a few minutes to fill out the form to import my bear.  The form was different from the example they gave me to follow, but I did my best.  The rather bored-looking border guard said, "Perfect!" and I was on my way.

I was listening to Cormac McCarthy's The Road.  I don't read much fiction, but I've heard several references to this book recently to the point I felt I had to listen to it.  It was good, but only good - brutal, dark.  The end was predictable.  It was worth listening to.

I made my way to my sister's in Wisconsin.  It was a long 12 hour drive to get there.  Because I left early, we had quite a bit of time to catch up.  It was great to see her for a bit.  Around dark we called it a night.

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After coffee with my sister, I was back on the road for the final leg home.  I was out of books, so I was just listening to podcasts.  Hidden Brain was oddly refusing to hold my attention.

I have planted several paw paw trees as well as given away seedlings.  I knew there was a Paw Paw in Michigan, but I did not know (more realistically did not remember) that there is one in Illinois as well.  I didn't stop...

Traffic was tolerable most of the day.  I timed Indianapolis well.  Working my way toward and down the familiar roads near home, I was looking forward to the familiar.

Once home it was a scramble to take care of the bear and get it in the freezer.  It was a late night (by my standards) and there was still much to do.  But work starts in the morning.

As I went to sleep, I relived many of the past week's amazing moments.  I thought back to bears and fish and the people I hung out with.  I am truly fortunate to be able to pursue my outdoor interests.