Rather than sitting around the house, smelling turkey and wondering what I was going to do for the four-day weekend, I loaded all my hunting paraphernalia into the truck and headed out Thanksgiving afternoon. This was, of course, after prepping the turkey for SO to take care of.
Pulling into Mike's property, temperatures were around 60F with light winds and moderate clouds. It really doesn't get better than this in late November. With rain forecast for the late weekend, hunting felt like a must.
Rather than sit in old reliable, I decided to try a new spot I had wanted to sit in but hadn't ever done it. I'm sure old reliable had "reset" after the deer opening morning, but the new spot was a superfunnel nearer the ravine with a well worn deer trail. The spot is a little risky since it is in the ravine, and any disruption can affect major deer travel. Plus, I think it is not too far from where Mike's neighbor often sits.
I chose a tree, set up the climber and get settled for the afternoon. Sitting there, I was very thankful that I can spend Thanksgiving this way: No crazy pre-black-Friday lines, no football, and no cabin fever!
It was a fairly quiet afternoon with low to, at times, moderate wind. Fat squirrels were running around. There are several creeks in near the area all of which were trickling. It is amazing how "loud" a creek can be after a while spent sitting quietly. With the warm temperatures, it was hunting nirvana.
As it started to get dark, I heard light scrunching behind me. It didn't quite sound like squirrels, and as I turned around, I saw an anterless deer about 20 yards behind me. Since I already shot a buck, a doe was what I was after. I slowly shifted to be able to get a shot as the deer continued to move, behind me toward the left. Either she smelled or heard me, or both, and bounded away, taking a second slightly larger deer that had been in the thicker brush away. I watched them for a while as they hadn't ran that far.
As the light faded more, about 15 minutes later I heard something run towards me and saw the same two deer running back towards me. This time, they seemed quite unconcerned, but in the last bit of twilight, there was not enough light to be able to shoot, especially given the brush they were walking through.
I had to sit on the stand well past dark so let them meander away. I was planning on coming back in the morning and didn't want to spook them getting out of the treestand.
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Friday morning came very early as I got up and quickly got ready. Temperatures had only dropped into the mid 50's, but with rain forecast for the afternoon and continuing through the weekend, this would likely be my last hunt for Indiana's general firearm season.
At Mike's, I found my climber in the darkness, which wasn't guaranteed given the new location. I was settled in the stand about 45 minutes before shooting light. Sitting in the darkness in the woods is something non-hunters will never experience in the same way.
It sprinkled/rained a little, but the precipitation was so brief as to be inconsequential. It was a sign of the change to come.
After light, I heard noises behind me that was definitely not coming from squirrels. Turning around carefully, I saw two coyotes in one of the creek beds behind me. They stayed in the area for quite a while as I saw them running in another direction some time later.
I did see one deer around mid-morning, a doe running through the edge of the grass finger that runs down the steep hill off in the distance. The distance was moderate, but with so many trees a shot was impossible.
After a very peaceful Thanksgiving evening and Friday morning, I was ready to call it quits around 10:00. Compared to all the shooting around opening day, late season is almost serene.
I slowly walked the property, noting my usual stand and even the remnants of where I field dressed my deer opening morning (basically just some fur left). I was a bit surprised I didn't jump any deer, but late season usually has them holed up tight.
Deer sign around Old Reliable was quite good and I probably should have sat there. But with a deer in the freezer, it was the right time to try the super funnel, even if it was a bit riskier.
Indiana still has the muzzle loader and late doe-only season so my hunting doesn't have to be done yet. If we get a few more unseasonably warm days like Thanksgiving, I may have to take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the woods.
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