Well I came back early from hunt camp on Friday, News Years eve day. My cold had worsened badly and I couldn't stay in my stand anymore. Coughing sneezzing just doesn't make for a good day of hunting. Between my diabetes going crazy and the stomach virus in the early part of my season and then this last sickness, bad year for deer or should that be me?

I went to the doctors on saturday and had an upper respiratory viral infection. Oh great. I am on the mend.

But actually the worst part of this last trip was missing Bullwinkle. I was in one of my evening stands in a piney area and in runs Bullwinkle. He had to stop as he came to the clearing and he was a very mature buck with a wall hanging rack. I did everything right. I lined up my sight to the sweat spot and pulled the trigger just right and he did the old mule kick and ran off. I felt great and wasgoing to let him bleed out. I collected my stuff and started my track in about 30 minutes of the shot. I could find no blood, but he left a good disturbed trail to follow. I track him for a while and never found any blood. I got worried that I may have missed him and this really bummed me out. I went back to the originaly spot I shot and looked more closer. I found lots of white hair and no blood. A few feet away I noticed a long trough in the ground of about 6 or 7 feet long and that told a bunch. I shot very low and gave him a nice haircut. What I forgot to mention is he was only about 20 yds away when I shot. The worst part is I missed him, but the better part is he will live another day and I didn't wound him.

This, along with my sickness didn't make for a good day. But folks remember I am an optimist and there is always next year. Oh and we still have the rest of the years hunts: Coyote, Crow, Squirrel, Spring Turkey and oh yes whistle pigs.