Thanksgiving is often one of my favorite days to hunt and two of my most memorable deer hunts have been on Thanksgiving. But 2020 is not a normal year and this year brought a family Zoom gathering. It was fun seeing everyone, if a little weird and also feeling a little like a committee meeting.
So on the day after Thanksgiving, I was back at it. Temperatures were near perfect in the mid-40's and there was almost no wind. After driving to Mike's I got out of the truck and was assaulted by the noise of grain dryers. Yes, the farms are what produce so many big deer, but with several dryers running at a couple neighbor's, it was brutal.
Feeling like an opening day I packed my stand down in the dark. The creeks were running from the all-day rains the previous Wednesday - luckily they were not so high as to be too bad to get across them. As I got to the far ridge I realized that the creeks were nearly as loud as the grain dryers. Whatever the source, this was not to be a quiet morning on the stand where I can hear a mouse squeak.
I tried (somewhat unsuccessfully) to quietly get my stand set up and got settled in the tree over a half hour before shooting light. Even with the din of dryers and creeks, I loved the early dark morning. I started to keep watch as daylight brightened. Around 8:30 a pretty nice buck and a doe walked to the west at the far south end of the property. I was hoping this was a good sign that deer movement would be good. Not too long after I saw 5 does milling around the south end of the property. They hung around in one form or another for over an hour. But I saw no deer nearby.
I spent most of the time thinking about where to put my stand for the afternoon. In the past I have chased where deer were only to have them show up somewhere else - sometimes even where I had previously been. And just because they were at the south end in the morning doesn't mean anything for later. So I ultimately left my stand where it was (or maybe this was just stubbornness) when I quit for the morning to head back home.
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After a dog walk and nap at home I was back at Mike's. The afternoon was partly sunny and comfortably warm. I probably would have really enjoyed the afternoon but I had a bonkers headache. I'm not 100% sure what migraines are, but I'm pretty sure I'm starting to get them.
Not too long after getting settled I saw a few deer to the east in the little ravine. They weren't in any hurry but made their way down into the big ravine. Not too long after losing sight of them I saw probably the same group of deer from the morning at the south end of the property. They sauntered around for quite some time, one even worked its way toward me staying just outside of an area where the brush thinned and I might have gotten a shot off. I was regretting not moving my stand. But as I constantly have to remind myself, I can't hunt the whole world. I did hear quite a bit of shooting as the afternoon wore on, but I suspect much of it may have been recreational and not deer-hunting related. The deer worked their way off to the east shortly before it got dark. In a way, I was almost glad that they didn't come closer since my head hurt so much the thought of shooting and dragging a deer was almost incomprehensible. As I made my way out in the dark, I heard the unmistakable thunder of hooves as I got very near the truck. I never did see them, but a mess o' deer had been camped out right there. So it goes.
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Awake early even by my standards I rationalized getting up so I could have a (single, one and only one) cup of coffee before heading out. It was the right decision, drinking it while watching TV with a sleeping beagle in my chair. While getting ready a short time later I noticed the soles on my hunting boots were coming loose. They will be sufficient for now, but I'm obviously on borrowed time.
I got to Mike's - it was calm and damp with temperatures near freezing and just a hint of wood smoke in the air. I stood for a few minutes outside my truck; mornings are the best. Even if 2020 has been a screwy year and I've squandered vacation, I can still take in those brief magical moments. I made my way to my treestand and got situated. The caffeine from my coffee didn't let me get in a quick nap, but I didn't mind; I just sat there enjoying the early dark.
Not much at all was moving. There was no wind so as the sun rose high enough to be seen just a hint of fog formed in the woods. Around 8:15 I saw movement again to the far south, but this time it was a couple turkeys. The previous year I had seen lots of turkeys so I was glad to see at least a couple again this year. The turkeys were followed a half hour later by a single deer to the south. It was moving quite quickly, and I was once again regretting not moving my stand. The rest of the morning passed quietly with even the squirrels barely making any ruckus. After playing mental games to stop myself from constantly looking at my watch I got out of the tree late morning. I wasn't planning on going out again so I walked the south part of the property. There were definitely deer trails, but I didn't see anything which screamed deer sign more than where I had been sitting. Still ... I made a mental note of a few clumps of trees that could be used in the future. Every year is a little different, but it does seem like the general movement of the deer has been different this year. But if I hadn't sat in my normal tree, I wouldn't have gotten the really nice deer that I did get. And regardless of any deer in the freezer, I have thoroughly enjoyed the time in the woods.
I packed out my stand and loaded stuff into the truck. Indiana has generous deer seasons with the upcoming muzzleloader and late doe-only season lurking out there. As I left Mike's, headed toward home, the air inside the truck was a little melancholy. I couldn't tell if that was because I failed to get a second deer, or because I wasn't planning on going out again, or something else altogether?
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