Bow season has been open for a little more than a month and I’ve hunted a total of one time. The reason for that is simple: I spent two weeks camping in the mountains chasing elk. After a demanding hunt like that, I needed time to recuperate. Because the weather was more suited for fishing in shorts than hunting from a stand, I chose to go musky fishing over bow hunting. I will save that story for another day.    

When a little northwestern wind finally blew in some fall like temperatures, I grabbed my bow hunting gear that was stored in the ready position for just such an occasion. It’s easy to stay away from the woods when it’s hot and buggy but when the temperature drops and the air smells fresher, it’s time to hunt.  

I picked a stand that was best for the wind conditions but also because it was a good place to sneak in and out of the woods without spooking deer. Well, that was the plan until I got within sight of the stand and saw a doe and a fawn feeding in the beans only 30 yards past the stand. I made it a personal challenge to slip in without alerting the hungry deer. I had both the wind direction and speed on my side making it possible to climb in without anyone being the wiser. 

Once in the stand it hit me that I had already accomplished the first objective of the night which was to simply see deer. As always, I’m never too concerned about shooting anything the first time out. Seeing that first deer of the year makes it feel like all is right with the world. Laying my eyes on a buck would put my world in perfect alignment.  

I sat quietly checking the important things on my phone like the hourly weather forecast to make sure that the wind wouldn’t switch on me or that it wouldn’t rain. I guess that’s my excuse for not seeing the buck enter the field some 70 yards away. He was a small basket eight-pointer and on a guess he would have to put on at least two, maybe three seasons before he would be eligible for my coveted buck tag. But, he was way more interesting to look at than WeatherBug.  

Having seen my first deer and first buck of the year, I was pretty content with my outing and considered it a win. It got even better when a much nicer buck entered the field near the small basket racked buck. This new bigger guy was a nine-pointer and had some pretty good mass with maybe a 16-inch spread. He still wasn’t big enough to enter the Dave’s Buck Tag Sweepstakes but he was pretty decent. Watching deer is always fun but watching bucks is better.  

The light started to fade so it was time for the second challenge of the night: slip out of the stand, into the cover of the cornfield, and escape without alerting the deer. The wind had died down a little and there were more eyes in the field but I managed to ease away without notice. It was a great night and just what the doctor ordered. Now I’m ready to hit’r a lot harder. Stay tuned…

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