Deer Day 2 - Sunday, 05 OCT 2014

The weather has not been cooperating.  Very windy and raining - talking gusts up to 35 mph and over 2" of rain.  The rain bit included some sleet, as it was down in the low 30's with wind chill.  Yuck.  Wasn't quite ready for all that.  So, I spent Friday evening inside and all day Saturday next to a fire and watched some awesome college football games.

The wind let up on Sunday, so I went out to Marshall's and sat in Dave's stand in the Killing Finger - mostly because he wanted me to check it out for him AND because Harold said he saw six doe up there when he was cutting beans on Wednesday.  I walked in about 5 pm because I saw Davey mowing the yard, so I stopped and had a beer with him.  Otherwise I would have been earlier.  Spoiler alert, turns out it didn't matter what time I got there...

I walked in from the S because the beans were gone and it was easy walking.  At the point of the finger, I saw this:

Photo at SE end of finger

Looks like some buck has been using the finger as a bedroom.  The grass within the circle is all matted down, where the buck has been sleeping.  How do I know it to be a buck?  The size of the bed and the rub on the tree above, see arrow.  He's marking the territory as "his."

The stand was in good shape - all shooting lanes still open.  However, the trail we cut last year has grown over.  It does not appear as though the deer are cutting through the area as we had planned.

I took a few photos looking East and West.  Big Red even came out for a few minutes between the rains - yes plural, it rained at least four times, but never for very long.

From stand looking East

West-facing shot.  Looky there - Big Red.
Shooting lane W is to the right of this photo.

I had a visit from a squirrel.  Came down the tree next to me.  I thought he was going to end up in my lap, but he went on down to the ground.  I could have touched him with my crossbow, as he was that close.  Saw a few birds, but never a deer.

Squirrel sat right there in tree next to me

I gave up at 7:40 pm and took a shot of the sunset as I walked out.  Talked to the neighbor on the corner, as he was out grilling dinner as I approached the truck.  Like the lady on Wednesday, he said that he has seen maybe three deer all year in Marshall's field.  He put up a trail camera down the road on Lahrman's and got only two pictures of deer - in the last four weeks.

I figure that the deer are all still hanging out in the standing corn - I mean, that's where I'd be if I were a deer:  all the food and cover I need!  Smart.

Regardless, it's good to be out in God's Church and commune with Nature.

Sun setting on Hunting Day 2




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