2023 SC Deer Hunt Day 4 - Frog Stand

After a morning cup of coffee Rick dropped me off at the same stand I was on the previous night.  I had to ninja in since animals being on the corn was a real possibility.  This was made easier since the wind had picked up overnight.  The plowed white, sandy field also made it easy to see without using any flashlight.

Since I had just been in the stand, it was easy to set up very quietly.  I sat and watched the world wake up.

Right as it started to get light I was able to see one deer on the pile.  It was there long enough to see that it didn't have any headgear of note.  As it got light, the deer quietly left.

Not much else was moving, but I still really enjoyed sitting for the morning.  It was between windy and breezy and the direction was perfect.  Temperatures had cooled significantly.

After sitting for a while, two turkeys came in.  That was the only animals I saw.  They were still fun to watch - starting on the corn, then they meandered around the field.  They fled the field when Rick came to get me.

After feeding a few stands, we picked up Will who hadn't shot anything either.  After breakfast at the lodge, Rick and I went out to feed up another bear stand for Tammy.  We cut some lanes and set up the area for bear.  It did look very beary (but much different than Manitoba).

Then we had to get a bail of hay for the donkeys.  This seemed simple, but it took far too many steps to get a round bail on Rick's trailer.  Nothing is ever easy in South Carolina.

This left a few hours of down time back in the lodge before we went out for the evening.  Rick dropped me off near my stand and I headed down to a large tripod stand.  There was a doe and two yearlings on the pile when I got there.  I once again ninjaed into the stand and did a good enough job that the deer didn't leave immediately.  I also noticed this little frog living inside one brace of the stand - it was too cute.

The three deer left and I was alone for a while.  The Air Force was running planes over the area and they were LOUD.  This wasn't the first time I had heard them while in South Carolina, but it never ceases to amaze me how brutal the noise is.  I can't imagine what it must be like in an actual combat situation with ordinance, etc.  Psychological warfare.

Around the time the jets stopped, someone nearby started recreational shooting.  Safe to say this wasn't a placid evening of hunting.

The doe and yearlings came back for a while, but they didn't stay around for long as turkeys came in and pushed them off.  As the evening got later, I saw several deer running around, mostly off to the lane to my left.  These deer were very nervous though - there was also deer wheezing as well.  I have no idea what had everyone nervous, but it wasn't me (I'm almost positive).

Darkness came and I quietly packed up and met Rick to leave.  The mosquitoes, which hadn't been bad all day were absolutely arrogant late in the evening.  Will had seen a few small bucks and does but hadn't shot.

Back in camp, we had another good dinner while Brian came in with one more person coming in late for hunting in the morning.