Deer Day 3 - Monday, 06 OCT

I had commitments that kept me out of the woods, but that did not stop Kathy & Alex from going out Monday night.  They took Ole Brownie (1984 Dodge W100 pickup truck) and hit the field.

Kathy walked in the "long" way, following the outline of the corn field instead of cutting through it directly to her stand.  Alex went through the corn to the W stand.  Along the way, Kathy came upon fresh tracks that she determined were either made by a Large Doe or a Small Buck, such was their size.  She figured she was close behind him or her.  See photo below.

Fresh Deer prints in soft ground.  Deer traveling "up" the picture or away from Kathy.

You, dear reader, can go back to earlier posts to learn that indeed it is a small buck that made these tracks.  All the information you need to determine that is in the picture above.  Also note that the ground is soft due to all the rain we have received in the past four days - thus, the tracks are deeper than "normal" making the deer appear larger.  The "freshness" of the tracks is based on visual clues - but since there is no water in them and the ground is mostly crisp or sharp around the edges, these tracks are less than 2 hours old.  Kathy has decided wisely - she is closely following a small buck.

If you care, you can also see that this deer is not spooked.  It is walking, not running, based on the distance between prints.  The dew claws also left imprints, another clue suggesting that the ground really is soft.  And, there are three sets of prints in the above picture.  Three clear prints that contain both the front and back feet - three sets.

Back to the narrative.  Kathy walked N then W to her stand and found the area where she sits to be flooded.  That's right.  I forgot.  When we get a lot of rain (3.5" in four days), that low lying area holds water.  Here is what Kathy found when she arrived at the woods:

Flooded timber.  There's a deer stand in them thar waters...

Look all the way toward the top left of the picture.

Through the corn field you'll see more woods - that's where Alex is sitting right now.

Kathy decided that she would NOT wade through that to get into the stand.  She did however take out her phone to text Alex about her new plan.  So with phone in hand, Kathy stepped up on a log back toward the corn.  That's when she saw the deer - seven (7) yards in front of her (that's 6.4 metres for those of you on the other side of the pond).  Sure enough, it was a small spike buck.  Visual confirmation of everything noted above.  Of course he was walking around the water too when they bumped into each other.  He, however, did not wait around any longer.  He bolted W toward Alex.

Kathy texted Alex about what had just occurred.  Sure enough, Alex had already seen the buck - as it passed by him at Mach 3.  No shots taken - no meat in the freezer yet.

So how was Kathy able to get to within seven yards of a deer?  Was the deer that stupid?  First off, you can't walk like a human.  Take a step and stop.  Take two steps and stop.  Take another step and stop.  And all these are light steps - making as little noise as possible - not crashing down heel to toe.  Second, you need the wind in your favor to keep your scent from reaching the deer's "hound dog" nose.  Third, the corn helped camouflage her sight and sound - unfortunately, it also camo'd up the deer from her.  

It's a tough decision to make, but had Kathy seen the deer first, would she have shot it?  Indiana is a ONE BUCK state.  No matter what season (archery, firearms, or muzzle loader), once you shoot a buck, you cannot take another that season.  So waste a tag on a spike or let him grow?  Personal choice.  Not that it mattered, Kathy was not given the opportunity.  I probably would have passed.  Let him grow some more.  Easy decision since we still have venison and elk in the freezer from previous hunts.  Were we starving, then that's a whole nother story...

Kathy took some more photos as she walked around the flooded woods.

Deer beds in the grassy area.

Great spot for deer - well protected from weather and predators.

When the corn comes out, this bedding area will be abandoned as it will no longer be secluded enough to offer protection.

Crop damage.

Deer, Racoons, Squirrels and Birds love corn.

Why do Indiana deer taste so delicious?  Because they are corn fed.

The night ended uneventfully from there.  More hunts and memories to be had yet - the season is still young.