Breechplug

After the second straight hunting season with none to a couple of days of snow were finally going to get some this friday night after out late MLing season ended on tuesday.
After last season being the warmest winter on record I prayed this hunting season that we'd get some snow, well we did have about 3 days with some snow but other than that the temps were above normal with no snow.
We sometimes have no snow for opening day wich falls on the second saturday of November but usually by Thanksgiving were into the snow, and by Late MLer Season we have so much snow in some places we cant even hunt there and temps so cold you pray for the sun to set so you can get back to your truck and warm up, that is if you can open the doors and use you hands to do it.
This season was the same as last season, pretty much snowless. Hunting was tough but Connie and I did manage to put 2 bucks and 2 does in the freezer, I passed on around 75 does and 25 bucks during the season waiting for the right ones to come by, the right buck never did.
I hunted this last tuesday wich was our last day of late mling season, I have had the flu for over a week but went out anyway I had to, I wish I had'nt.
I got almost to my stand when I saw 2 big does and a med sized doe crossing the trial about 30yds in front of me. Since it was the last day and it was 3:00 pm with only 1 hour and 45 minutes left in the season I decided to backtrack and go to a stand where I knew the deer were headed. I knew my odds were'nt good for taking a nice buck so I decided the 2 big does I saw would fit nicely on one of my last 2 does tags I had left.
I backtracked and snuck quickly to the other stand, as I got there I saw a white flash, it was a deers tail. I stopped by a tree and scoped it out. I finally made out the deer, was it one of the does I saw a few minutes ago......NO It's a GOOD BUCK! I started to shake, he was BIG, he had his noes to the ground and moving. He was about 125yds away, I cocked back the hammer and tried desperately to find a shooting lane, there was none. Should I yell and try and stop him.....should I just wait, times running out he's going....he's gone!
I could have got off 1 shot for a split second but I did'nt want to chance it because he was moving, should I have....No I convinced myself I did the right thing, I'll wait and see if he comes back by. I did'nt get in the stand but snuck into the woods further and found a big old oak tree near where I saw him and sat down.
All I could thing about was how big he was and how I waited all season for a buck like him and I had him but did'nt shoot, still convincing myself I did the right thing I looked into the woods like I never had befor, I looked for anything that could possibly be a deer and mabey him. I thought to myself should I just wait for him, I know he wont show but he could, should I take a doe if I see one, I only have 1 hour left of hunting season, if I take a doe I could possibly scare him away if he's near, what to do.........
Time was ticking away, no big buck, finally I saw movement. it's a deer, is it him???? no it's a doe, let her pass you still could get a shot at that buck. I tried so hard to see that buck somewhere but he never showed.
It was now 4:30pm and legal hunting time ends at 4:48, all I kept thinking to myself was I still have 13 minutes I could still see him, then it was 11 minutes and 9 and 8 then 5 and now 3, I saw movement again, another deer, is it him. I scoped out the deer and it was another big doe, I only had about 2 minutes left to the season and I had a legal tag for her and had a buddy who still needed another deer, should I shoot??? I can still get a chance at that big buck I saw I still have 2 minutes. I have never in my hunting career been so confused on what to do, I let her pass.
Convinced I should have taken one of the big does knowing that my odds of seeing that big buck again were nill to none I still could'nt do it knowing that mabey just mabey he'll show. I looked at my phone and it was now 4:48pm, then end of the season, just as I did that I saw movement...I scoped out what I saw and I saw antlers, just for a split second, as hard as I tried to see the deer again he was gone, was it him, I'll never know.
I looked at my phone again and it was 4:49, the season was over. I as I always do look around at the woods hoping GOD lets me visit them again next year and I thanked him for letting me be able to hunt another season with good health and thanked him for the deer connie and I harvested that will feed us throught the comming winter and summer. But I mostly thought of that Big Buck I saw not just him but of the does I saw too, they managed to avoide me and other hunters through archery and rifle and late mler season, they were special and smart and I had to hand it to them, and boy did I hunt them hard or so I thought.
I gathered up my things and walked back to my truck thinking of that buck, will he survive the winter, will he make it to next year and if so how big will he be then, will I be here. I walked back to my truck with my head held high knowing throughout the season I made the right decesions on what deer I took and the ones I passed on, I have no regrets execpt for the darn SNOW!!!!!! this is a pic of what our last few days of late mling seasons weather was like, it ended on Tuesday, and the others are pics of our weather of whats to come now that it's over. Now I have to decide on what to do with all the Hand and Body Warmers I bought for this hunting season, never once did I wear Mittens to keep my hands warm, all I wore was 1 light cotten glove on my left mler hand and none on my shooter hand, usually by now I have mittens on both hands with a hand and body warmer in each glove just so I can feel my fingers, not this season......mabey next.
How was all of your Weather this Hunting Season? Happy or Sad? And Im Jealous for all of you that get to hunt through the end of December and into january and even Febuary.
(BP)