I love the outdoors, I love deer hunting but sometimes, it makes me want to pull my hair out. To sum up my weekend hunting....I didn't see squat. Technically not true, as my pet 4 pt made an appearance Sunday morning, but I'd be a fool to shoot him, he's going to be a monster when he grows up.

To recap, I set up a new stand on our ranch and for the first time in 4 years, have gotten back into hunting. I chose my location poorly but after putting in a game camera, I had some nice pics including a nice 9 pt with a little drop tine. My game camera also snapped pictures of the brush clearing bulldozer and culminated in a heated argument between my father and I.

So, the following week, I had less than half the pictured I had from the week before but the big buck did indeed make an appearance in the middle of the night and then again Friday morning during daylight. So, I was excited but alas....no deer this weekend except my pet. No hogs, even.

So Sunday morning, I get out of my blind after the 4 pt left, got my truck and went exploring. There was one area I wanted to check out that is largely unexplored. A little history: We bought the property about 20 years ago to mine limestone for roadway products....we own a large construction company. The operations have changed hands a few times but we've always owned the land. The current operators are very good at keeping to their area on the corner of the ranch and we essentially have 700+ acres of unmolested land....save for where my father has seen fit to clear brush.

Anyhow, there is a sliver of land that hooks around the back of the quarry and butts up to the property line. I feels kinda wasted but it is in fact, deceptively large and has alot of game running through there. The main thing is that its left alone. So I did a little walkabout through there and found a heavy trail and a nice clearing right off of it as well as a few stands of tall oaks, perfect for a tree stand + bow hunting.

I also found a hidden road in another location the twists and turns and then opens up into a 1500yd sendero. It is awesome and I don't know that anyone remembers that its there. There are game trails all over the place and long, flat sight lines. So...yeah, definitely setting up there next year...I might throw down a cheap little feeder now and stalk/rattle hunt up there some this year.

So, once again, I'm disappointed but looking forward to the off season/next year. to rub salt in the wound, I'm coming back through the middle of the ranch at 10 am and my dad has a stand on the main road. There was a niiiiice buck under it. I grabbed my binoculars and he looked at me and .....I couldn't cound points, he showed me his rear and was off like a shot but I grabbed my rifle and took off jogging down the road, hoping to catch him on the other side of the brush. He never emerged but it was fun.

So..to top it all off, I was a little peeved because my dad and brother went on a management hunt with the bank this weekend and my brother got a 150 class buck. He has to go hob with the nobs, as it were, but he's not a big hunter like I am...he'd rather go fishing.

I also found out this morning that the motor on the dozer is hosed. Poetic justice, I guess.