2024 Deer Hunt - The Ethics of No Guts No Glory

The last six weeks have felt like a lurching scramble as I tried to get fall chores done when the weather was still mostly summer.  I reluctantly parked the motorcycles, but realistically only lost a day or two of mediocre commuting.  Final lawn mowing was late and hopefully late enough.

Work has been lurching from one issue to the next as well – yet every issue is also the same.  Amor Fati.

 With a pig in the freezer keeping my bear company, there isn’t that much room.  I was borderline about even going out for deer (the warm weather hasn’t helped).  Then Mike told me a neighbor was planning on hunting near the 2 creeks and his property line.  Ugh…

But I have the time off and even if Opening Day mayhem is not my favorite, it would not be fall without deer hunting; I would miss it.

So Friday after work I squeaked out of work a few minutes early.  After stopping at home to let the dogs out, I headed out to Mike's to put up my stand.  The recent rains had made the creeks hard to get through, but I found a way.  I didn't see the blinds on the neighbor's property, and where they were I decided would be almost a non-factor for me.  As usually happens, just walking back to put my stand up made me a bit more excited about hunting.

Saturday morning came and I woke up at my usual way-too-early hour.  I gave myself the luxury of a single cup of coffee as I watched TV with the dogs for a while.  "Hunting Tech" was on Modern Marvels which seemed only fitting.  Based on what it showed, it was probably at least 20 years old (I subsequently looked it up:  2002).  It was so nice just sitting with my older dog in my chair; she was absolutely content just snoozing under a blanket.  I almost didn't want to leave, but time eventually demanded it.

I was out the door right at 5:45 and made my way to Mike's.  Temperatures were warm for November in the mid-40's but were expected to change little through the day with clouds and only light wind.  Overall - I'll take it.  I hoofed it down to my stand and got set up easily enough.  Sitting there in the dark listening to ... nothing - it was almost magical.

Right near legal shooting I heard Mike's neighbor on his 4-wheeler going to his stand.  I don't think he hunted the last few years, at least not while I was there.

Since I'm nearly out of space in the freezer, I had decided that I was only going to shoot a nice deer or maybe if an absolute gimme walks in front of me.

Morning came slowly with the clouds but it was nice just being out there.  The squirrels were overactive, also taking advantage of the nice day before the cold front a few days in the future.

Mike's neighbor shot around 9:30.  It was LOUD; I almost jumped out of my skin.  Normally he climbs right on his 4-wheeler and noisily drags his deer away, but I didn't hear that this time.  It was one of the only shots I heard on opening morning - a far cry from some previous years when WWIII is happening in Eastern Indiana.

About a half hour later I saw a small buck in the ravine.  It plopped down on the ground after milling around a bit.  I thought, "I guess it might be bedding down, but that is just not normal."  A short time later I heard Mike's neighbor on the 4-wheeler - coming from Mike's property.  The buck got up and scooted toward the east, but not fast.  "Hmmmmm," I thought.  "I'd bet a paycheck Mike's neighbor did a poor shot."  Best thing for him to do would be to leave it alone.  I thought about what I could do, but decided there was really nothing I could do at that point.

After annoyingly buzzing around for a while, Mike's neighbor left.  I wondered what actually happened.  Did he do his best to track for a bit and the 4-wheeler was just a last ditch effort?  Was it just a half-assed attempt to find his deer from the start?  Poor shots happen - no question.  But I couldn't help being a little judgey about his roaring around and hoping.  I felt really bad for the deer.  It will probably hole up and die a painful death or the coyotes might get him.

The morning progressed into afternoon.  I was enjoying the time in the stand.  With the nice weather I had dressed old-school in some of my ancient hunting clothes; this just always feels right with deer.  But I did desperately wish I had my neck gator.  With even light wind catching my coat, I felt a brutal chill.  It was sitting on the seat in my truck and I almost went to get it, but decided to tough it out (real old school).

Around 2:00 I caught the glimpse of a big deer way at the south end of the property.  It looked to be a small-rack, large-bodied deer.  I could only see bits and pieces through the brush, but it was nice to see.  About a half hour later a small buck came in to my left.  I watched it as it milled around toward me.  It finally made it about 15 yards away - about as much of a "gimme" as I was going to get.  But I chose not to shoot and just snapped a few pictures.  Watching animals in a totally natural environment is one of the best things about hunting.

About an hour later I saw a deer in the ravine.  When it plopped on the ground, I (almost) knew it was the deer the neighbor had shot.  I watched it get up, move a few yards and bed down a few times, "Gosh that thing looks like it is in pain."  Then I saw the exit wound...

What are the ethics here?  I have almost no shot due to the distance and brush, but that animal is obviously in pain.  It also is not the deer that I "want."  No ... if it gives me the shot, I HAVE to try.

I watched it for another 10 minutes until it stood up with what looked like a clear lane to the vitals.  The last thing I wanted to do is shoot and wound further, "Make this count, Beagle."  The gun went off almost without me thinking about it.  The deer ran and I heard a crash.  It was likely the longest shot I've ever had on a whitetail.  So if my original plan was a nice deer or a gimme, this was neither.

I walked my climber down the tree and went over to the ravine.  The buck only ran about 15 yards.  Sometimes I do things and instantly know it was a poor decision - any introspective person does this.  This time I instantly knew it was the right thing.  Nope - a small six isn't what I "wanted" and I wasn't desperate for meat, but six hours of misery was already too much.  And yet, I won't claim it to be a righteous or courageous ... hopefully principled.

I packed out my stand and came back with my knives and sled.  I had tons of daylight to gut the deer and get it out.  That crappy sled makes hauling deer out so much easier.  In all fairness to Mike's neighbor, the shot wasn't terrible but not good enough.

I stopped in to talk to Mike and Mary for a few minutes before heading home.  It took a bit to get the deer strung up in the barn and things put away enough for the night.  Sunday would come with much work left to do.

________________________

I took the dogs out early Sunday thinking about the previous day.  It was a gorgeous morning and I was a bit wistful that I would not be hunting.  But a stunning moon halo told me that nature is its own gift, even without a rifle in hand. The stillness of the morning, the soft glow of the halo, and the energy of the dogs reminded me that the outdoors always holds something magical, whether I'm hunting or simply taking it all in.

2023 Indiana Deer Hunt (Part 2) - Moonlighting

After a very rainy and blowing Tuesday at work, I had Wednesday off.  I opted to not go out in the morning allowing me a chance to have a quiet morning and walk the dogs.  I also watched some TV as I've been working through rewatching Moonlighting.  It is shocking how quickly this show went from pretty good (even ~35+ years later) to very bad.  Fonzie is all lined up on that shark.

Early afternoon I packed up everything and got changed into heavy camo clothes.  After telling the dogs they are awesome, I headed out to Mike's.  While driving, 7-8 deer ran through a field with one going right in front of the trucklette.  I saw this as a good sign?  Maybe not for hunting this year, but with the population low, seeing healthy does makes me glad the EHD outbreak wasn't worse.

Once at Mike's I got all my gear and hoofed it down to my 2-tree.  In the daylight I was able to set up easily and get comfortable.  Temperatures were a bit cool but with quite a bit of wind - at least the direction of the wind was almost perfect.

Not much was moving however - not even the squirrels.  But I was really enjoying the time in the stand ... outdoors ... in my element.  At one point I noticed a healthy-looking coyote behind me walking off to the west.  Even with minimal shooting, no doubt it's had a fill of offal over the last few days.

I let my mind wander where it wanted to.  I couldn't help but think how much more I like morning hunts than evening hunts.  Not only does stand fatigue set in during the end of the hunt, but the world is an intensely noisy place - both literally and figuratively.  Mornings are usually blessedly quiet.  Somewhere not too far away someone was chain sawing with a vengeance.  It was annoying, but at least far enough away that I could mostly tune it out.  Much more annoying was a really, really loud dog barking all afternoon.  No doubt the deer are used to it, and barking dogs living in rural areas are kind of a thing.  But every time it started up again I grumbled.  I was looking forward to the quiet of the following day's Thanksgiving morning hunt.

Shadows started to get long as the afternoon approached evening and I noticed movement ahead of me to my left.  A small deer was very carefully working its way towards me on the ridge in front of me.  I told myself that it could be a spike, although I knew it definitely wasn't.  I carefully got my gun up and looked through the scope - doe confirmed.  I put my gun down but kept it in my hands only to avoid more movement.  I sat watching the doe.

I noticed more movement directly in front of me on the ridge.  I'm not 100% sure where its path was from, but saw the hard antler of a buck; without looking closely I knew it was a shooter.  I had only seconds to act so brought my gun up, the deer paused, I fired.  I was a bit worried I missed as it quickly took 3 running steps, then 2 slow steps, and it dropped.  I reloaded my .243 and watched for a few minutes.

I got out of my stand and walked the short distance to it.  I may be am the luckiest person in the world with every deer over the last fours years a 10-point or better.

It was getting dark so I quickly packed out my stuff and returned with my knives and sled.  Field-dressing was a messy issue since the Hornady SSTs have a tendency to turn the insides into deer soup - but they do work.  The deer was much larger than the sled, so I had to wrap the antlers in my pull chord to lift his head when I pulled.  But all things considered, it wasn't too bad getting the deer out.  I paused for several minutes after crossing the creek at the bottom of the ridge.  There was just enough water for a small, clear pool to exist.  The moonlight reflected in the water creating visual poetry.

The drag is about a quarter-mile, but a difficult one - especially the last hill.  Many deadfalls and evil honeysuckle make this much worse.  I was drenched in sweat by the time I made it to my truck but was still able to slide the sled into the Maverick bed.  Mike came out around this time, "Mike, you need to grow smaller deer."  Mike graciously let me wash up my hands and I talked with him and his wife for a bit before heading home.  

Right near home, four more does ran across the road in front of me.  I slowed down to let them pass.  Out the passenger window, they almost glowed in the moonlight.  The next day is Thanksgiving and I have much to be thankful for.

_________

Post Mortem

SO suggested we hold off on our Thanksgiving feast to be able to take care of my deer.  She is wonderful...  And Thanksgiving day was a day of cutting, grinding and freezing followed by deer nachos for dinner.  The turkey will wait.

My shot was a few inches farther back than I would have liked, but I can't argue with the buck only taking five steps.

I noticed two things while processing my deer.  First, there was some kind of damage in the neck of the deer that wasn't from my bullet.  I couldn't see much external damage, but a thin area in the lower neck might have been from something healing; I'm really not sure what was going on.  I ended up cutting through the skin in this area so my back and forth on what to do with the deer is going towards a skull mount.

Second, I was able to recover the bullet on the offside right under the hide (48% weight retention).  This is nearly perfect performance since it means that little bullet dumped every bit of energy inside the animal.  Two holes may bleed more for tracking purposes, but I'll take five steps over tracking any day.

2023 Indiana Deer Hunt - The Great Skunk Hunt (Part 3)

I generally like how the Indiana DNR manages deer.  While it would be a change likely to cause revolt, I think more states should adopt the one-antlered-deer-per-year rule.  There are some years I see as many bucks as does. It can be frustrating some years, but it can make people think before breaking the trigger on a small buck. 

The county where I hunt must be ground zero for 2022 EHD outbreak as the state said "NO!" to shooting any does.  I am glad the state is taking action, but I also see a few years of tough hunting ahead until the population rebounds from the 2022 outbreak.  Estimates are that the deer heard is around 30% of what it normally is.  That is brutal.  This makes it start to look more like the deer hunting I did when I first started hunting about a million years ago.  I may at times look at the past with rose-colored glasses, but not when it comes to those kinds of deer numbers.  The "DNR expects the population will recover in about five years."  So it goes...

I always internally debate putting my stand up the day before the gun opener.  It makes opening morning much easier, but it is extra human intrusion right before hunting.  Friday was very rainy, but it was lessoning after work.  After going back and forth several times, I made the quick trip to put of the stand; this was the right decision since the remaining rain broke up overhead, leaving my stand dry.  It also got me more excited about deer hunting seeing "my" woods all ready for me.

________________

I woke up opening morning at my usual too-early.  My usual angst and love-hate relationship with deer hunting had given me a low-grade migraine.  By getting up early I was able to nap with the dogs; this also made them very happy.  Soon enough it was time to get ready and head out to Mike's.

Once at Mike's, I made my way to where my stand was set up and easily got it up the tree.  Temperatures were cool with clear skies and almost no wind.  The love-hate relationship was leaning heavily back into love.

Shortly after it got light, I saw a decent(ish) buck working generally toward me after wheezing a few times.  He was moving and through some thick brush, making getting him in the scope difficult.  Additionally with no wind my scope was fogging up from my breath.  Adding to all this, the lighting was weird since I was looking toward the sun while the deer was in deep shadows.  I finally got a grainy bead on him in the scope, but knew better than to try to shoot.  I let him continue on.  Had I known how the next few days were to go, I might have tried harder, but there is no question I made the right decision.  A short time later I heard shooting off toward the southwest where he was headed; unlikely I'll ever see that deer again.

The morning continued on and I heard much ruckus across the ravine - seeing turkeys on the ridge.  With turkey populations struggling in much of the East, it is nice to be able to see them.

If it weren't for my headache, it would have been a nearly perfect day.  Temperatures rose from just below freezing to around 50F with bright sun and no wind.  It was so sunny, it was actually annoying at times since I was generally facing south.  It was also a very long time to sit without seeing anything else.  I was glad for the rambunctious squirrels since they at least gave me something to watch.  As it got darker, I started seeing bears in all the shadows; I must be mentally ill - or deer hunting was bringing me back to Manitoba.  Eventually it got dark and I was done for the day after seeing only the one deer.  I couldn't help but think back to several years previous when I would routinely see double-digits of deer most times I went out.  It wasn't only me though as I heard unbelievably little shooting for opening day.

________________

Sunday came and I felt a lot better, but the energy level was a bit low after seeing so few deer on opening day.  But after spending a bit of quality time with the dogs, I was out the door again.  I was in the stand well before light.  It was once again just below freezing with a crystal clear sky and no wind.  I sat comfortably in my stand and let my vigilance rise.

As it started to get light, I saw one deer on the ridge across the ravine.  It was too far away to see whether it was a buck or doe and was too far to shoot anyway.  I could just see it milling around before working its way off to the west.  

I like hunting in the ravine, and for the last two years it has worked well for me.  But I was seeing deer go back to the pattern which would put them past my "favorite" stand.  And as much as I know the ravine can be a deer highway, my untested belief is that it tends to be used more during the pitch black of nocturnal behavior.  Around 11:00 I decided to head up to my favorite stand.  It took a few minutes to get down and pack up my stand and I was sweating when I made it to my two-tree.  But it was worth it.  Once settled in, I instantly felt at peace.  I'm not sure if this was because I like the openness a bit more, or because I was away from all that heinous honeysuckle, or if the stand just has better feng shui (can deer stands have feng shui?  I say, "YES!").  This was supported by hearing something behind me just as I was finishing a snack and seeing four does go bounding toward me and off to the south.  It seemed like the universe was briefly aligned.

But that alignment was short-lived or I was imaging it.  Other than one more (maybe?) deer in the ravine, the rest of the day passed without seeing anything.  It was still a great hunting day - if a bit (a lot) slow.

________________

Monday came as a vacation day from work and I was once again headed to Indiana.  It was a bit warmer, but felt colder since there was a stiff breeze.  I got set up in the stand and once again waited for daylight.  I was wearing my windproof fleece - so I wasn't cold, but it wasn't like the first two days.

I was hopeful as it got light and kept a vigilant watch.  With the wind, it was hard to hear anything.  The most interesting thing I saw was a cute little raccoon working its way to the south.  It was young and struggled to climb a large tree, only to give up and work its way back down.  Trash panda...

By around 10:30 I was clock watching.  The forecast was for a good chance of PM rain and lots of rain on Tuesday.  I wasn't seeing enough deer to justify sitting in blowing rain.  I called it a morning.

The Start of Something Big Day 4 - Home

Madison, Wi to Home:  476.9 miles

After waking up to cats all over me I had one too many cups of coffee before saying goodbye to Sis and her SO.  It's always great to see them and I was glad they could make the time.  With the oil and tires checked, I headed out of Madison on nearly-empty Sunday-morning roads.

As I left I found my mind wandering back to the issues at work and home, and I realized looking back 40-50 years can be like peering into a box of broken toys.  Stuck in the netherland of work-eat-seep-repeat for too long is soul-crushing.  I miss boundless curiosity for curiosity's sake.  I would like to explore all the possibilities of where the Mississippi River starts, and decide for myself.  I would like to follow my stick down the Mississippi River and watch it enter the Gulf of Mexico.  I'd like to create my own runestone.  But I'll have to settle for exploring the cultural starting point of the Mississippi River - which is still a great thing to be able to do.  I'm very fortunate to have been able to do this.

I motored south to Bloomington then headed east towards home.  Temperatures were cool, but not cold and it was easy to stay comfortable.  This can sometimes be no small feat after four long days on the bike.

Sometimes the ride from Sis's house to home goes by fast, on this day there were spurts where it felt like I wasn't getting anywhere.  I let my mind wander as I rolled along.  A north wind at times gave me chills, but it is better than an east wind - nothing good has ever come from an east wind.

Back at home Tibbit was really happy to see me and quite curious about all the smells.  I contemplated going to to work on Monday, which would have meant mowing the lawn after getting home.  That just felt like too much.  So a quick wash of the bike was in order allowing me another day to own my own time.

2021 Deer Hunt (Part 1?) - Getting Older Hurts

The deer season approached with the usual odd mix of anticipation, anxiousness and dread.  About two weeks before the season I walked Mike's property.  Deer sign was not good at all, several of the reliable runs were almost hard to see.  There were only a couple scrapes and I saw very few rubs.  But I'm happy with a doe, so I was still looking forward to venison in the freezer.

Just like the year previous, I had the day before the opener off and went out to put my stand up.  This did get me more excited since the weather was nice and after getting my stand set up, I did climb it to make sure it looked good.  Instead of my usual "2-tree" I went down into the area between the creeks.  Because of the steep hills, this area is harder to hunt.  But the deer runs did look better in this area.

The rest of the Friday before the season was spent watching Seinfeld reruns.  I enjoyed this, but was also saying that hunting is going to be a better thing to be doing with my time.

Opening morning came with me watching the clock until the older dog started barking, "It is time to eat!"  I watched TV with the dogs before getting ready and heading out.  Temperatures were right near freezing which isn't too bad, but forecast highs were only near 40 with considerable wind.  Being low in the valley will help with the wind.  I was on the road at 5:45.

Once at Mike's I headed down to my stand and easily got up in the tree; I was able to do so without breaking a sweat which was nice.  There was just a hint of icy snow on the treestand reminding me that winter really is coming.  Sitting in the darkness was really nice - it always is.  Between everything being wet and the creeks running, I wasn't going to be able to hear much.  Slowly it got lighter.  In the darkness I saw a small racoon run right by the creek.  I always say these things are running recon for the deer when I see them while commuting in the morning, so I assume they do the same in the woods.

Right at first light I noticed a few deer off to the east (I was facing south, so this was left).  It was dark enough and with enough distance and brush that it was hard to see well, but I distinctly saw a buck making a scrape.  I'm not sure I've ever seen this before.  He must have got bored with it and turned to destroy a tree with his antlers.  As it got lighter, I was able to make out at least two bucks chasing a doe.  Eventually the doe high-tailed it across the ravine to the west, taking the bucks with her.

There was a considerable amount of shooting through the morning, but most of it wasn't too close.  And I either saw the same deer several times, or lots of deer.  Either way, I was sufficiently entertained.  I did attempt to put the cross hairs on a few of them, but brush and distance were not cooperating.  I also had two does come right down the hill behind me to my left.  They were very close and I would have shot one, but they moved too quickly to be able to.

Finally I saw a buck headed toward me.  I'm not sure if he was one of the ones I saw previously or not, but I didn't wait too long to tell.  He was extreme quartering toward me when I put my crosshairs on his shoulder and let loose a handloaded Nosler.  He was dead before he hit the ground and didn't move at all.

I got out of my treestand and walked over.  He was a pretty nice 10-point.  Not a monster, but not a bad deer at all.  I almost feel guilty sometimes that a deer like this would have at one point in my life gotten me all jacked up.  I'm still quite happy, but not as excited as I once would have been.  

I drug him closer to the trail and packed out my stuff, returning with my knives to field dress him.

Then the work really started as I dragged him out.  It actually took longer to do this than the time I was in the treestand.  When I got to the bottom of the hill below my truck, I went up to drop my knives off.  Making my way back down, I saw another buck standing in the creek about 10 yards away from my deer.  He seemed happy with the condition of his competition.  And the one that got away appeared a little bigger.  So it goes.

I recently turned 50 and that last hill let me know this ... mercilessly.

When I was about 15 yards from the top, I felt a streak of lightning in my back as I heaved the deer.  That last 15 yards was absolutely brutal.  Then I stood there trying to figure out how to get him in my truck with my back in severe pain.  Thankfully Mike yelled if I needed help.  I think his help goes way beyond land-owner duties, but it was very kind of him.

Back at home SO helped me a bit with the deer after getting a few more pictures.  The neighbor's dog Sweet Tea came over too; she was interested, but less helpful.

Sunday was spent processing the deer.  I took my time both because my back was still on fire and because I wanted to get as much meat as possible.  I did recover my bullet which is probably the first time I've ever recovered a 30.06 bullet from a deer.  The bullet hit and went through most of the shoulder before lodging near the base of the brisket.  I suppose it is still a bit unexpected to recover the bullet, but that is a lot of animal to get through.  Recovered weight was 98grains (60%).

The ballistic tip is probably one of the more contentious bullets out there, but the bullet is not the same beast that was originally introduced in 1984.  Given the amount of damage to the deer, including heavy shoulder bone, this is stellar performance (albeit n=1).

By the following morning, my back was doing a bit better, but I wasn't so sure it would tolerate a treestand, let alone dragging another one out.  I may see about going after the squirrels Mike hates so much instead if timing for that works out.

____

Belated Edit:

I ended up boiling out the skull since I still had a few days off.  I had a hard time getting the base of the skull as clean as I could have liked, but I know from experience that it will be fine once I let it dry completely.  I thought it turned out well, although I am not sure what, exactly, I am going to do with it.

2020 Deer Hunt Part 3

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.  

__________________________________

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.

__________________________________

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?

2020 Deer Hunt Part 2

 After taking some time to get my deer in the freezer, I decided to also do a European mount of the skull.  Once I had the head mostly skinned, I knew this was the right thing to do since the antler bases were so thick that they looked even larger on the skull once the skin and muscle was removed.  Creating a European mount is a little on the gross side and this one seemed to be very sinewy making it even tougher.  But with just enough boiling and some work with a wire brush and a screwdriver the skull cleaned up nicely.  I'm not sure what I'll ultimately do with it, but it is a nice enough one that it will probably go on the wall ... somewhere.

Tuesday came with moderate temperatures but a biting wind with gusts around 20MPH at times.  Normally I'd be back at work, but with much vacation I must use before the end of the year, I'm quite happy to take advantage of a few days off.  I hemmed and hawed most of the morning about whether I should go hunting again and try to get a doe for the freezer.  At nearly the last minute I decided I would and quickly got ready to go.

Once at Mike's I got my treestand set up and was sitting comfortably.  It was sunny with a temperature around 40F.  The trees blocked some wind, but my left side was quite a bit colder than my right side.  I guess the wind is both a blessing and a curse.  In addition to making it feel colder, the wind makes it really hard to hear anything.  There was also a loud combine working somewhere to the northwest.  But I do feel a little more comfortable moving when the whole world is blowing back and forth.  Overall it was a fairly comfortable afternoon all bundled up in my snowsuit.

About an hour before sunset my spidey sense went off and looking to the east I saw four does making their way across the small ravine.  I knew there is less than a 50% chance they will work my after making it to my side of the ravine.  And they did not, slowly going south and west, safe from any of my handloads.

As it started to get darker the wind quickly died down until it was just a very light breeze.  The dark shadows played tricks on my eyes as I passed the evil few minutes when I know I should not shoot, but still could probably try to.  This time passed without any deer showing.  I climbed down out of the tree and headed back to the truck.  I could see well enough to not use my flashlight - I thought.  But I ended up sounding like a noisy clodhopper on my way out, seemingly snapping every stick in my path.

_________________________

After sleeping in the next morning, I headed out again to Mike's.  The temperature was near freezing with absolutely no wind.  I was able to quickly and quietly get my treestand up to my spot.  Then I got to enjoy that magical 1/2 hour of time to just sit there in the dark.  It was so still I barely felt like I could breath.  My mind wandered - I wasn't even sure I wanted another deer, so I was there in the woods at some level to just be there.  I realized that I hadn't thought about work, or at least very little, for over a day.  This has been the several-day break that I needed.

Squirrels started their hectic running as it started to get light.  It was cold, but I was comfortable.  The sun took a very long time to get high enough in the sky to see, casting long shadows to the west.  I kept a vigilant watch while listening.  The deer were somewhere else on this morning.

I did see a mink to the south.  At first I thought it was a small cat, but after getting a better look it was obviously a mink.  There are not many of them around, but this is the third time in the past year that I've seen one.  I was quite glad I got a chance to see this one while hunting.

By late morning I was squirming and walked the back part of the property before packing out my stand.  With a decent buck in the freezer the pressure is blessedly off.  I'm still thinking of if and when I might head out again; as I dropped my stand in the bed of my truck I was already rethinking the afternoon.

2020 Deer Hunt

 I took the day before Indiana's opening day off of work.  This was Friday the 13th.  The last Friday the 13th was March - which marked the beginning of the bonkers, crazy, insane year that is 2020.  I'm not sure it was smart to take Friday off.  I tend to obsess about deer hunting, mostly the negatives - about the weather, about how I don't really like the mayhem of opening day, about how the deer hunting in the area I hunt doesn't seem to be as good as it used to be.  I was also slightly over-caffeinated in the morning which didn't help.  But taking the day off did allow me to put up my stand the day before.  This is an extra intrusion right before hunting, and I'm not sure whether this is better or worse than the trouble, noise and sweat of putting up my climber in the dark on opening morning?

In marked contrast to snow and last year's early November frigid temperatures, the weather earlier in the week was record high temperatures.  Things had moderated down to more typical conditions.  So I did need to bundle up in my hunting snowsuit.  This made the decision to put up my treestand feel a little more right.

After waking up I stared at the clock for too long before finally getting up with tons of time to get ready.  The dogs were cooperative although the younger one really wanted to sit with me in my chair while I watched TV, but I didn't want to have even more dog scent on me.  I was out the door near 5:45 headed to Mikes.  Temperature was in the mid-20's which was tolerable with the light wind.

With my stand already set up I got my stuff together and hoofed it down into the woods.  I was sitting quietly with an easy 20 minutes before shooting light.  While I don't really like the fracas that opening morning sometimes is, the still darkness before shooting is one of my favorite times (and favorite times in life, frankly).  The night animals are drawing down for the day; the day animals are just waking up making an interesting mix of noises.  I thought back to my 2019 deer hunt and how different the world seemed now looking back.  Covid infections are skyrocketing.  The election from over a week previous is over even if not everyone wants to acknowledge it.  People are being told to do Thanksgiving virtually - and the last thing I need is another online meeting.  But sitting in my treestand waiting for daylight is just right.

As it started to get light I began to look and listen for anything.  I heard a couple squirrels before hearing the unmistakable scrunch scrunch of something else; it was a little hard to pinpoint the direction.  One doe was walking close behind me with a really small one following a short ways behind.  I thought about the bigger doe in front, but the angle was awkward (behind me to the right) enough that I wasn't going to try on a doe so early in the season.  After all the work that goes into getting ready for hunting, I wasn't in a hurry.

The two does worked their way into the ravine.  I heard more scrunching which I thought was the same deer circling in front of me.  I was mentally rethinking about the bigger doe when I saw antlers breach the hill.  Looking closer as the buck kept coming on the deer trail that originally put me on my opening day stand so many years ago thought, "I have to make this happen."

The buck was calm - he must have passed within a few yards of the does but they were headed to who-knows-where.  He paused about 50 yards in front of me to the right giving me a chance to get my gun up.  Taking a few more steps, I didn't want to give him the chance to smell me or for his deer brain to decide to go back to the does.  With a clear site of him I let a bullet loose.  I knew he was hit hard and he ran forward around 75 yards and stopped.  I fully expected him to fall over then, but he just stood there.  My ammo was in a fanny pack (don't judge, my snowsuit doesn't have many pockets) and I dropped another .243 into the TC.  Still an easy shot I hit him again.  He ran forward, stopping again in some thicker brush.  I watched a few more seconds, again expecting him to fall over.  Another Hornady SST was sent his way, although with the brush I figured (correctly) the chance of hitting him was almost zero.  Then I lost sight of him.

I was sure he was dead at the first shot, just not real sure he knew it.  I climbed down and reloaded and headed over to where I last saw him.  I didn't see much blood, so slowly walked in the direction he was headed - feeling a little unease.  After a few minutes I saw him at the base of a small cliff floating in creek.  If the bullet hadn't done him in, he would be drowned by now.

Working around to him I pulled him out of the water.  He was a huge bodied deer and while his antlers weren't very wide (inside spread later measured at just over 14"), he had some of the tallest thickest brow tines I've ever seen.  I drug him farther into Mike's property before resting and heading up to pack out my stand and grab my knife.  Back at the truck I took off most of my underlayers of clothes to cool down.  I laughed as I took off my snow suit and started steaming like a Thanksgiving turkey in the still-freezing morning.

The deer had my first two bullets, both fatal, within a few inches of each other in the onside shoulder - utterly destroying it in the process.  After gutting him I began the long heave of getting him out.  He was a big heavy deer.  That last hill before the truck gets taller and longer every year.

Mike came out and helped get a few pictures as well as get the deer in my truck.  We talked for a bit before I headed home and got him hung up in the pole barn.  Dave (fishing) has asked to see how I butcher deer so I called him and he came over to hep me process the deer.  I didn't really feel like I wanted to take care of him on the same day, but temperatures were quite warm and were supposed to stay that way overnight (with heavy rain and dangerous winds forecast, making Sunday's hunting unlikely even if I hadn't gotten a deer).

It was a long afternoon taking care of the deer.  The onside shoulder was devastated, but much the rest of the deer provided tons of meat.  I even recovered most of one of the bullets in the offside shoulder - weighing 56gr (60% weight retention which is pretty good for an SST).  The burger grinding had to wait until Sunday.

I thought about getting him mounted, but ultimately decided against it since I don't have much room and while a deer with a lot of character, he didn't have a great story to go with him.  It's a bit funny to me how that becomes important to what I think about my taxidermy.

Seeing as I still have too much vacation to use, I'm still taking several days off.  I have at least a day to recover to decide if I want head out to try to get a doe yet this year.  For now, I'm just thrilled that things turned out the way they did.

2019 Deer Hunt Part 3 - Nothing Goes The Morning

I wasn't sure there was going to be a Part 3 this year, but I've got the time and have enjoyed (most of) my time on the stand this year.
It has also been a crazy couple of days at work leading up to Thanksgiving.  Basically more than a week's worth of work needed to be done in three days.  At least it was pay week.

So after getting to a good (enough) stopping point at work, I snuck out a bit early.  A storm had come through bringing some rain, and behind the rain was heinous wind with gusts in excess of 50MPH.  This is a terrible time to go hunting since deer don't move much under these conditions.  So I went hunting.  Actually, I just really wanted to get my stand set up so I'd have to go out on Thanksgiving morning.  Plus, not many other people would be hunting on such a blustery day.
I set up my stand and walked back into the ravine.  With the high winds, I really didn't want to get into a tree, so I used my camo bucket and set myself up in a thicket of honeysuckle.  I absolutely loath honeysuckle, but it does make good impromptu ground blinds.
The afternoon was one of sitting on a fairly uncomfortable bucket, listening to the wind roar overhead and watching crap blow all over the place.  Predictably, nothing was moving except one wild grape vine which looked suspiciously like a deer out of the corner of my eye.  By the time it was dark, I was ready to head home.
______________________________

Thanksgiving morning came and I was up early.  I watched some morning-news TV (ugh) with the dogs before taking a quick shower and getting ready to head out.  Temperatures were near freezing and the wind was still significant.  I got to Mike's and was glad that I had set up my stand the previous afternoon since I'm about 97% sure I wouldn't have gone out otherwise.
As it started to get light, I heard a tremendous racket above me as a turkey which had roosted above me in a nearby tree took off.  I'm surprised it didn't bolt when I climbed into my stand.  Throughout the morning I heard turkeys as they made their way around the woods.  Seeing and hearing turkeys on Thanksgiving morning made me smile.  I also couldn't help but think of all the things to be thankful about on Thanksgiving morning - among those things are that I have a nice place to hunt and have a doe in the freezer.  That and the new roof on the house as I thought about the previous day's ugly wind.

As it started to get light out I kept my eyes open looking for any deer.  The squirrels were in overdrive, running all over making a ruckus doing squirrel stuff.  Other than squirrels, not much else was moving.  With the wind and temperatures, I was surprised I remained comfortable, if cool.  But not cold.
I second-guessed leaving my stand set up in my usual "2-tree," but I never know if Mike's neighbor is going to be hunting, and setting up in a tree in the ravine risks putting me very close to him.  Overthinking this gives me something to do during the slow times.
Around the time I started to think I might as well head home, I looked off to my left and saw a deer right on the ridge.  I brought my gun up, but there was brush in the way; I saw her pass through a clear hole before going down toward the ravine.  A second doe came up behind her, I almost shot as she crossed the hole that I now knew was in the brush, but hesitated too long.  Second guessing myself, a whole mess of deer came out in the same area.  I only briefly had a clear shot at one small doe before they moved in a slightly different direction.  As they did, I saw one was a small buck and not one that I think I've seen previously.  Holding off shooting was probably the right thing to do.  I don't like shooting over the ridge - but probably would have if I hadn't already gotten one.  I guess the deer have something to be thankful for as well.
I briefly saw another deer directly across from me in the ravine (far too far to shoot with lots of brush in the way).  Based on where it came from and went to, I'm pretty sure it wasn't one of the ~8 I saw to my left.  I also noted it probably went very close to where I had been sitting the previous afternoon.

Seeing all the small bucks made me wonder why I don't see more that are at least moderately interesting.  Not THAT many people hunt this area, so presumably most of the small bucks will live for at least another year.  I'm reminded of my hunting guide in Wyoming during my mule deer hunt in 2017, "I just want one that is a nickel better.  But I think and say that every year."

I waited for another 45 minutes to see if the deer would double back - I've seen this happen enough over the years.  But the cold was starting to get to me and there was a turkey at home to get in the smoker.
______________________________

No crazy Black Friday shopping for me.  After watching the PBS Show Nova about human violence, I was out the door for another morning at Mike's.
Getting to my treestand, I unlocked it and started to climb.  As I did so, it started to sprinkle - no worries (right?), the forecast and radar said a slight chance of a few sprinkles.  Once sitting comfortably, the sprinkles turned into a shower.  Rain came and went most of the morning; It got bad enough that I wished I had had my rain gear on and waterproof cover for my gun.

Other than the rain, it was a nice morning.  Cool temperatures, cloudy skies and basically no wind at all.  Maybe the rain was a godsend since it allowed some noise with the calm conditions.

And it was a slow morning.  No turkeys.  No deer.  At least the squirrels were running their fool heads off which was at least something to keep my damp self company.

There are still a few days left in the season, but Saturday looks ferociously wet and I have other obligations.  And going out on the last day of the gun season wreaks of desperation when I have a deer in the freezer.  Still - there is still the muzzle loader season...
I am slightly (if pleasantly) surprised how much I've enjoyed the post-opening day hunting ... for the time just being in the woods and on the stand.  In many ways, this has been one of the most enjoyable deer hunting seasons for at least a few years.

When I first started hunting so many years ago, even seeing a deer was a near cause for celebration.  Days like this remind me how good I have it now.  As a primarily meat hunter, plump deer are plentiful.  These days when I don't at least see one are rare, and I won't get too upset at the reminder.

2019 Deer Hunt Part 2 - Being Picky

With a deer in the freezer and a few more days of vacation, I couldn't think of a reason not to head out again.  I have quite a bit of bear meat left as well, so I was (probably) going to hold out for a deer with interesting headgear or nothing.  Probably...
Monday started slow at home, with a lot of napping with the beagles and even a quick walk before heading out to Mike's again.  With warmer temperatures I was back in my "normal" deer hunting clothes and it just felt so much more right.  Setting up the treestand in the full light of afternoon is also much more enjoyable.
Soon enough I was comfortably in my spot.  Sadly, the quiet solitude that I so enjoy about hunting was not to be as there was an obnoxious, flatulent tractor plowing a nearby field.  Round and round it went ... all afternoon.  It would tease me from time to time, making me think plowing was done, only to hear it throttle up again and keep going.  I suppose that agriculture is what gives us these plentiful and large deer, but may I suggest a look into no-till farming?  Or perhaps I could buy you a muffler?

Not much was moving and it was hard to hear anything.  Squirrels were running around as they always do.  I caught some movement behind me and to the west - it was the turkeys again (or another group of turkeys?).  Regardless, I've seen more turkeys than deer by this point.
Time passed at a reasonable pace and I caught more movement behind me.  Taking time to look, I saw at least one deer at the far south end of the property.  It was too far away and through too much brush to tell if it was a buck or a doe.  And it was headed nowhere near me anyway.

It started to get dark very early as the clouds and thickened considerably.  The clouds gave up their liquid in the form of a mist or light drizzle.  A noise behind me that clearly wasn't more squirrels made me carefully look behind me again as I saw a small buck walk behind me, working around next to me.  It was was quite small, almost certainly a six-point, although possibly an eight.  Its short main beam was almost palmated and the tines were really short.  Definitely not a shooter, but he may look quite interesting next year if he lives.

Darkness came and I climbed out of my treestand, locking it to the tree overnight.  I walked away from the tractor as it continued its flatulence.  After packing up my gun in my truck, I left in a heavy drizzle toward home.
_____________

Tuesday ended up being one of those days where state-of-mind and opportunity meet in a rare and amazing way.  It ranks as one of my top deer hunting days in years - no trigger pull required.  It was good to have a day like that, since it reminds me of the real reason of why I continue hunting.

I was out the door early before SO left for work.  As I drove to Mike's, it was quite foggy in spots and I wasn't sure what it might look like in the woods. 
I got to Mike's and with enough light to see, made my way to my treestand.  Up comfortably in the stand, the sky above me was partially clear, but the fog hugged the ground in patches all around me.  It moved slowly with the wooded ridges - almost like it was alive itself.  Two owls were hooting behind me.  It was absolutely magical.  As the sun came up the fog slowly ascended, eventually dissipating into nothing as the sun burned it away.  Wow...

With the moderate temperatures and the now mostly sunny skies, the squirrels were really active.  They are fun to watch.
Hearing a non-squirrel noise, I looked ahead and saw a doe pop out in front of me, then another and another until 5 of them were right in front of me.  They were following the trail that originally made me choose this stand site - even though I don't see it used near as much as I used to.  After walking in front of me they turned around and headed back in front of me again, before making their way beside me and to the south.  I calmly watched them as they meandered away.
I saw more movement, and four more does were walking behind me to the east.  For the longest time the two groups of deer stopped and just stared at each other.  I stared at all of them.  I guess they decided all was OK because the mingled together before heading away to the east in one spread-out group.
I sometimes wonder if my scent control is enough, but when I can have five deer within 30 yards of me for an extended period of time, it gives me some confidence.

Shortly after the deer left I saw turkeys on the next ridge to the east.  They made their way out of the ravine and toward the south.  It has been a turkey-ful year.

More time passed as I just enjoyed sitting in the stand on the wonderful morning when two more does walked out right near where the group of five did earlier.  They were quickly followed by a small six-point buck.  I watched them for 10-15 minutes while they made their way around me.  At one point the buck looked right at me - a little confused or nervous for sure.  But he just side-stepped a little bit and kept on going.

The weather continued to improve as the day got even more gorgeous, with bluebird skies, little wind and pleasant temperatures.  I was thinking of making Tuesday be my last day to hunt, but with as much as I enjoyed the morning, I decided to take one more day.
The tractor heard the previous afternoon started its flatulence about 15 minutes before I was planning on heading home.  That told me it was time for an amazing day of hunting to end.

Even though I didn't shoot anything, seeing 12 deer was great - especially 12 deer that were almost completely calm only a few days after the mayhem of opening day.

It rained that afternoon and evening.  It wouldn't have been enough to make hunting miserable but would have been enough to be very uncomfortable - especially with how long it lasted.  I was hoping the cushion in my treestand wasn't going to be soaked.
_____________

Wednesday came and I had a little less energy to go out.  The rain had stopped overnight, but the air was still quite heavy.  Temperatures were a near-balmy 42F.
I got to Mike's but the clouds were so thick I actually needed my flashlight to get to my stand.  Thankfully the treestand cushion was only damp and I made my way up.
Once up in the treestand, it was unbelievably still.  There was basically no wind and nothing was moving.  A coyote howled very close to the west with the oddest howl I've ever heard.  I love hearing that sound while sitting in the darkness.
Daylight slowly grew but everything remained still.  I guess the morning's low energy wasn't just me since not even the squirrels were running around very early.  Wind remained negligible so it was hard to not feel like I was making tons of noise every time I moved.  Intuitively, I knew I wasn't.
I spent much of the early time in the stand trying to decide if I should take another deer that wasn't a big buck.  I'm not hurting for meat, but it always seems to get eaten - and deer does seem to last much longer than things like wild hog.  I sort of said I was going to stick to my original plan and only shoot a big one.  Probably.  Maybe.

Unlike the previous day, the morning passed s l o w l y .  V e r y  s l o w l y.
Through the first half of the morning, the only thing remotely exciting was when a squirrel fell out of a tree right behind me, breaking branches and crashing to the ground with a thud.  It chattered and headed back up the tree quickly.
Shortly after this a buck walked behind me from the west to the east.  It was another small buck and not one that I'd previously seen.  There was some brush between me and him and I wasn't going to shoot a small buck.  Sadly, that was the only deer I saw all day.  I guess my questioning what I was going to do wasn't really relevant.

Clouds remained thick and temperatures barely budged.  I was waiting for my time to leave, and as it approached I heard thudding off to the west.  It was obviously the sound of the rocks in the mostly-dry creek bed.  But what was making it was a mystery.  It wasn't something walking down the creek bed, and there was no indication any people were around.  The best I could figure is it must have been a raccoon flipping rocks over looking for a meal - I thought I had seen a raccoon earlier in the morning.  Weird.

None too soon, it was time to go.  I walked to the south end of the property but didn't see anything.  I did think about about a couple trees I could use on a future hunt.
So Wednesday wasn't quite the magic that Tuesday was.  That is how hunting works.  I did remind myself that hunting was preventing me from going to some work meetings that I wasn't too upset to be missing.  But that really isn't even a fair comparison.

2019 Deer Hunt Part 1 - Every Year is Different

It has been an unusual weather year and that continued with a very early snowfall on the Monday preceding Indiana's deer gun season.  I'm not sure if that is better or worse than the ice storm before the 2018 deer opener, but the temperature drop after this year's storm was brutally followed by temperatures in the single digits.  The weather had moderated somewhat, but I was still obsessing about it since it was forecast to be much colder than usual.  Granted, temperatures in the low to mid 20's are well within the normal range, but it has been a few years since I've had to do an all-day sit in that weather.

Friday came with a very stressful day at work.  Several people have left the department this year and none have been replaced.  This spreads the joy of the required, if painful and sometimes dull work, to everyone else.  The longer I've worked, the harder it can be to get away, even for a few days, with a clean brain.

But none of that mattered by Saturday morning.  Awake early, I tried to get back to sleep; I ended up watching the clock more than anything.  I could hear the east wind blowing against the house.  The cold temperatures are not too hard to deal with - wind is worse.
Eventually I got up and started to get ready.  Everything was set to go so it was pretty easy and the dogs were cooperative.  I was out the door shortly before 5:45.  Temperatures were well below freezing and thankfully the wind had died down.  On my drive to Mike's house I saw several other hunters getting ready to head out - this was in places I never see other people hunting.  So either it was going to be a busy year for the deer, or people were parking in unusual spots.
I got to Mike's and finished getting ready at the truck.  I realized my camo snowsuit - which I have never worn before for deer hunting - didn't have enough pockets for all my crap.  I figured out how to make it work ... well enough.
I got to my usual "2-tree" spot and got my climber set up.  No matter how quiet I try to do this I always end up sounding like a native banging gongs and pounding drums.  It actually isn't that bad, but in the dark cold morning, it feels worse than it is.  I was sitting comfortably a little less than 30 minutes before legal shooting light.  I was also drenched in sweat...
Settling in, there was lots of light, with a fairly bright moon and some snow still on the ground.  There was a constant din from grain driers which takes away a bit from the serenity of the beautiful, placid early morning.  Something was walking slowly near me, I'm nearly certain it was a deer, but I never did actually see it.

As it got lighter, the shooting started.  And there was a LOT of it this year.  Mike's neighbor shot very early and he shot a few times through the morning.  I'm pretty sure based on the various noises I heard that he shot at least two deer.  The neighbor shooting wasn't unusual; what was unusual was how close some of the other shots sounded - and from nearly every direction.
While it must have been a good opening day for most people, it was slow for me.  I typically see quite a few deer opening day, but I didn't see anything until around 8:30 when I saw two does walking at the extreme south of the property - far too far to shoot.  This was followed a little while later by turkeys in the same area.  I can't justify the out-of-state tag cost for turkeys in Indiana ... yet.

The morning wore on the shooting slowed.  It got warmer and the wind picked up.  Thankfully, while I had been a bit chilled, I never really got that cold.  I cursed Mike's neighbor getting his deer with his 4-wheeler.  But I'm sure he has cursed me a few times dragging my deer out when he is still hunting.  So it goes.
Shortly after that, a doe went right past me running 100 miles-per-hour.  By this point, with all the early shooting and mayhem in overdrive, I made the decision that any pickiness for opening day was gone.  And if I got a gimme on anything reasonable, I'm going to take it.

Around 10:00 another doe came up quite close to me.  She was nervous, but not panicky.  She was also a gimme.  Although it was a bit hard to find her in the scope, with her head looking away, I put the crosshairs on her boiler room and squeezed the trigger.  At the shot she bolted.  I said to myself, "I do not like the way she is running."  I was worried that despite being close, I had duffed the shot.  I marked the ridge where she cleared my view and climbed out of the tree.  More shooting was heard in the direction she ran and I wondered if she had been subsequently shot by someone else; I knew she was no longer on Mike's property.
I found where she had been running where she crested the hill and found her only a few yards farther behind a deadfall.  My shot was probably a bit low for the angle, but the bullet did its job.  I drug her to an easy spot to find here back on Mike's property and packed out my stand.  I changed into less clothes at the truck since wearing my winter woolins would be impossible for the drag.  Back at my deer, I field dressed her and started to drag her out.  That last hill to my truck seems to get a little harder every year.

Mike came out when I was loading her in the truck, we talked for a bit before he invited me in to at least wash my hands up a bit.  For this (and lots of things) I am grateful.
I talked with Mike and Mary for a while before heading back to my truck to check in my deer and head home.

Back at home, I cleaned up a bit and strung up my doe.  I was happy to have venison on the hook. 
Sunday was spent butchering the deer and getting her in the freezer.
I have some meetings at work I'm avoiding so I'm still taking a few days off.  I'll let the mayhem of opening weekend calm down at least a little bit and will head out again.

2018 Deer Hunt - An Anxious Start and Mixed Blessings

I enjoy deer hunting.  But sometimes I have to remind myself of that, and opening day isn't always my favorite.  Some opening days are too frenetic; this usually correlates to good weather.  If the weather is less than ideal, the activity may be slightly quieter, but that can make sitting there more tiresome.
These sort of thoughts make me seem loathe my own selfishness.  If the me of many years ago, when I first started hunting, would see my temperate energy levels as opening day approaches when I have time to go hunting and in a place where yesterday-me would have drooled over...
But yesterday-me is long gone.  Deer hunting may not come with the travel and adventure that bear hunting does, but if I ever opted not to go, I'm 100% sure I'd be kicking myself with even more self-loathing within a day or two of a missed opening day.
I do look forward to the placid moments on the deer stand.  A former coworker once remarked that he hated that part of deer hunting, "I guess I can't stand that voice in my own head."  I felt a little bad for him.  “It’s okay living inside your own head, provided it doesn’t slip into psychosis.”
The brain is the only organ in the body which doesn't tell you when it is malfunctioning.

The forecast for opening day had been all over the place.  Weather has been quite unusual in 2018 overall.  Winter refused to give up its icy grip early in the year.  Once summer did arrive, it was hot and very wet.  October brought July-like weather before abruptly transitioning to late fall.  Snow has already fallen.  I can't control the weather, all I can do is prepare for it ... hopefully.
An acquaintance has been bowhunting the same property I hunt on.  He took a nice buck a while back, "Congrats man!  You're killin' me."  While I'll gladly shoot antlers, deer hunting near home is more about meat.  I've been eating it so much that I've grown to not like ground beef or turkey in comparison.  But the ever-present question of what to do on opening day persists.  Hold out?  Memories persist of the lean years of 2011 and 2012; the amount of decent bucks I've seen while driving or walking the dogs this year is oddly enticing.  Shoot early (IF! I can) to put meat on the ground?  That takes the pressure off to possibly enjoy any more time in the woods.  Sometimes these decisions are not mine to make.

I've had lots of time to let summer wind down and finish fall chores.  I probably did a final lawn mow too early.  I almost waited too long to get the Triumph tucked in for at least a bit of a nap.  A very unusual winter storm coated the area in heavy ice.  I can't say that made me more excited about heading out to a treestand.  Yet after a few slow weekends, opening day arrived with temperatures just above freezing - which is good since it allowed the rest of the ice on the trees to melt.
I bundled up in fleece jacket and pants that I bought two years ago and haven't worn yet.  I never know how warm to dress, but I've been overall cold lately and with very little wind it seemed about right.

I got to Mike's and set up my treestand.  By the time I was sitting comfortably, I was cookin-hot and sweating.  "If you sweat, you're dead."  But it was actually pretty nice.  I was in and quiet a little over a half hour before light.  A deer came up behind me and grunted in a rather odd way; probably a buck.  It was too dark to see him, but I would have like to have gotten a glimpse of whatever it was.

Right at first light I heard the tell-tale sound of a few branches cracking.  Looking to the west, I saw a really big doe about 20 yards away and moving towards me.  Even in the dim-but-legal light, it would have been an easy shot.  But I didn't shoot.  For all my anxiousness before opening day, I didn't really want it to end after only a few minutes.  The doe milled around for quite a while before walking off to the east.  I did bring my gun up a few times, but let her walk.
A short time later a smaller deer, maybe a button buck, came walking from the east.  It would have been another pretty easy shot but I let it walk too.  Two deer passed already - I guess that answers that question.

As it got lighter there was a bit of shooting, but none of it close by.  Another deer came from the east.  It was late enough that I thought a bit more about this one, until I saw it was a pipsqueak of a buck - probably a really thin 4-point.  I let him go too.

I was cool, but never got too cold.  Wind remained negligible and I was quite comfortable.  After Pipsqueak, there was more distant shooting, but all remained quiet where I was.  I took advantage of the time to think and take micro-naps, alternating with looking all around me for anything.  Most of the deer I've seen in the last few years from this stand location have been behind me; I might have to noodle that for future stand locations.

I ate a few snacks around the time I heard Mike's neighbor head toward his house on his 4-wheeler.  His morning must have been slow since he usually shoots any deer he sees early.  I heard another 4-wheeler to the west which I figured was either another hunter or possibly the farmer checking his corn which was still up.
Pop.Tarts were probably not the best choice for the deer stand.  The wrapper was noisy and crumbs got all over the place including on my rifle.

Around 1:00 I saw another deer pretty far off to the west.  It was small and working away from me in thick brush so it was safe from me.  With things slowing down so quickly, I did start to rethink not shooting at first light.  Throughout the day there were no close shots and only a moderate number overall could be heard.

A short time later something small and dark went running to the Southwest.  At first it almost looked like a wild hog - but it was just a really big raccoon headed up into a tree.  I guess that is both good and bad.
Even with the slow mid-day, it was really pleasant.  Cool but not cold.  Little wind.  Good thinking time...
Deer season is a good measure of the passage of time.  I've been hunting Mike's now every year for 12 years.  It doesn't seem that long; I might have guessed half that.  It is hard not to think about all that has changed in a dozen years and all that hasn't.

I figured activity would pick up again as the afternoon wore on so I got a little more vigilant and was rewarded with a buck moving behind me (again behind me...) around 3:00.  I could tell he was pretty decent, but there was quite a bit of brush in the way making him hard to see.  The distance wasn't too far and I saw an opening in the brush if he continued.  He wasn't moving fast, and as he entered the small clearing I was ready, holding my gun stock against the tree using my hand as a rest.
At the shot he ran south and lunged like a hit-deer usually does.  Then he stopped and just turned around to look in my direction.  I thought the shot was good, but he was still standing and now at a much greater distance with more brush in the way.  I had another round chambered and tried to send another Nosler his way only to hear my gun go - click.  WTF*&&^^%$%^&&**  I chambered a third round it left the barrel with a bit too much hope.
Note to self - it is time to replace the firing pin spring in my 30.06!!!

I could no longer see the deer which might be good or bad.  At least there was lots of daylight left.

I climbed down in my treestand and headed in his direction.  As I crested the hill he was on, I easily saw him on the ground just a short distance from the south end of the property.
I walked up to him seeing the gnarly headgear.  Once I was next to him though, I saw his left antler was broken off right above the brow tine.  I've hunted with people in the past who would have been royally pissed at this.  Not me - even his one antler is pretty impressive and my taxidermy bill doesn't have to increase now.  There are always bright sides!
In addition to the broken antler, he had a bunch of other battle scars.  He was definitely a cool deer - a fighter with enough years to think he was tough stuff.  I guess as tough as the deer was, he was no match for a Nosler.  I hope I never cease to remember, that once I pull the trigger, something will probably die.

I'm pretty sure it was my first shot that brought him down.  It was a bit far back but through both lungs.  Given the distance, brush and misfire, if it was that second shot, that would bring all kinds of angst.
The deer was really big so I knew the work was just starting.  I drug him a short distance to where I could easily find him and packed out my gun and treestand.  I took off some of my warm clothes and headed back to field dress him.  He stunk like only a mature buck does.

Then the real work began.  Through two small ravines, down to the bottom of the big ravine, across the two creeks then up the final mother-of-all-hills.  By the last hill I was dragging him in short bursts only about 10 feet at a time followed by resting for a minute or two.  I'm in reasonably good shape, but this was painful and exhausting.  And yet, it was oddly a labor of love.

Finally at the top of the hill to next to my Ridgeline, Mike came out.  We laughed about yet another deer that died at the far end of his property, "After 2016, I wasn't going to ask for help this time."

Mike grabbed a few boards to help me load him into the bed of the truck.  I did the online check in before heading home just as it was getting dark.
Back at home I cut off his antlers and got him hung up.  I did minimal clean-up since there will be more time for that with a few days off.

Sunday was spent cutting and chopping and cleaning and cutting and then grinding and grinding.  I'm never sure which surprises me more - how much meat I get off a good whitetail, or how much (bones, hide, etc.) is left after.
The day started with a bit of residual soreness from dragging the deer and ended with more unusual pains from working on the deer most of the day.  But I know the meat will last a long time so it is worth it to take my time.

I still have vacation to burn for the year and a doe tag, but there isn't a reason to be greedy with a nearly-full freezer.
It is hard to be anything but thankful for another successful deer hunt.

2017 Deer Hunt (Part 1?)

The days leading up to opening day of Indiana's deer gun season were not optimistic.  The night before the forecast was for strong winds, even potentially damaging, and significant rain.  The forecast the previous day at one point said, "Steady wind-driven rain," on Intellicast.
But there was hope.  The local forecast said most of the rain would be late in the day and even Intellicast showed a lower probably of rain in the AM.
So I went to bed a little pessimistic.  I decided I probably would miss the first opening day in many years.

I woke up around 2:00 and peaked outside the window.  No evidence of rain, and while I could hear the wind, it wasn't screaming.  Back to sleep - sort of.
Over the next couple hours I fitfully slept while peeking outside every time I woke up.
Finally a little after 4:00 I got up and let the dogs out.  The forecast was now for rain by late morning, and the radar showed lots of heavy rain to the north but very little in the immediate area.  I fed the dogs and sat down to think.  I have a 0% chance of seeing deer if I don't go out and the temperatures were extremely mild.  I'm going hunting.

I didn't have time to take a shower, but I don't worry about that too much at Mike's.  The deer are somewhat used to human scent and with high winds and other hunters in the woods, the effect would hopefully not be detrimental.  Within a short amount of time, I was out the door.  My LED headlamp and failed since the last time I used it - with the batteries leaking and corroding.  It wasn't an expensive unit, but I had grown fond of its utility.

With heavy wind and the potential for rain, I didn't want to sit in my A#1 usual spot - I'd rather be on the ground with high winds and wet.  But I hadn't planned for this when I was scouting.  My plan was to find a low spot somewhere that I could use as a ground blind.  With the expected weather, I was only going to be hunting for a few hours anyway.

Once at Mike's I headed down into the woods.  It has been an odd, warm and wet fall, resulting in most of the trees leafless, but much of the lower undergrowth (especially the honeysuckle) still leafy and greenish.  Looking around in the dark with my flashlight, I found a spot among some honeysuckle that would give me some cover and good outline breaking stuff behind me.  I set up my SwiveLimb as a seat - this is a great versatile treestand, it is too bad that they don't make them anymore...

I settled  in for a long wait.  It was about 45 minutes to shooting light.  At least temperatures were at a friendly ~60F.  The wind was howling, but sitting low in the ravine, it was actually kind of pleasant.

As it got light, not much was moving.  Even the squirrels seemed subdued with the noisy wind.  Still, as it got light, I decided the spot I had chosen in the dark was actually pretty good - the biggest negative being that I was only a few feet from a well-used deer run.  I had a lot of time to think and mentally decided that with the adverse weather, I probably had about a 10% chance of seeing deer - still better than if I was sitting in my living room at home.
Sitting in a ground blind (and I use that term loosely), it felt very much like my first few years of hunting did in college.  Hunting from a treestand is "better," and it makes it much easier to see.  But there is something really visceral about being eye level with deer when hunting.
And even as the morning wind picked up, the ravine remained nice enough.  A few hickory nuts did aim for me as the wind blew them down.

I tried not to look at my watch, but around 10:00 I decided I should probably look at the radar.  If heavy rain was imminent, I wanted to be out before it got to me.  I was wearing my rainsuit as a precaution, so I started fishing around in my many pockets looking for where my phone was.
As I was looking for my phone, I saw movement way ahead to the left in the form of antlers bobbing up and down.  A buck was moving from the left, away from me and to the right.  My .243 was on my shooting sticks, so I got it up.  He was a bit far, and there were many trees in between us, but as he crossed the creek, he turned a little more to the right and into a small clearing.
To get ready for my mule deer hunt, I've been doing most of my target shooting lately at 200 yards.  So with a solid rest on my Bog-Pod, I took the shot.

The buck dropped at the shot.  I reloaded by .243 and after a short wait started walking toward him.  He looked like he was still moving, so I put a second round into him to be sure and to put him down quickly. 
As I got to the creek, I was looking for a way to get down and across it when a branch I was leaning on gave way.  I nearly fell in and bonked my head on a rock, but managed to roll onto some debris, keeping my gun out of the muck as well.

The deer was a smaller 8-point, with a spread just to the width of his ears - pretty good for the area where I hunt, with lots of other hunters and nearby public land.  I was happy.  I'm mostly after meat when I hunt near home.

But now the real work...  I packed up my stuff and headed to the truck.  The radar showed torrential rain to the north, but it was only heading slowly to where I was.  Shedding a few layers of clothes, I went back to the deer and field dressed him.  Then it was time to drag him.  Through the first creek, across the ravine.  Through the second creek and up that blasted final hill.

Once at my truck, I checked in my deer on my phone.  Mike walked up as I was finishing this and startled me - he was wearing a Tyvek suit as he was doing some work in his attic.  We talked for a bit, before I loaded the deer and headed for home.  I thanked Mike as he was walking back to his house and he thanked me for shooting the deer before noon - with memories of the previous year.

Once back at home, I unpacked and cleaned up a few things - laundry can wait for now.  The antlers weren't big enough to do anything with, so I took them off an skinned him to get the meat cooling down as quickly as possible.  As I was skinning, I found a major bullet fragment.  The .243 isn't a real thumper, and I'd prefer the bullets stay in one piece.  But the fact that I recovered the bullet meant that I had the deer and it had done its job.

  I decided to drop the head off for testing by the Indiana DNR - and it would make disposing of it easier since I left the hide attached.  The DNR check station appeared to be mostly college students - probably getting credit for their work.

I've had some fantastic hunting over the last 12 months.  My big whitetail in 2016.  Another wild hog in early 2017.  Mule deer a few weeks previous.  Once I process the deer, the freezer will be full again.  But with a lot of vacation to burn yet, it is possible I'll get cabin fever and will have to head out again yet this year.