What an awesome opening morning - Fan-Friggin-tastic!!!!
I hunted my PVC stand blind, got in the blind at 5:30am and started setting up everything.
30 minutes before daylight I started hearing deer walking in the cut beans but couldn't see them. I was using one of those game ear amplifiers and boy did it do the trick.
When I could finally see them (almost 1/4 mile away) there were 7 deer walking single file between the corn and beans (black horizontal line in the center of the pic above) heading towards the triangle patch and feeding along the way.
It was still to dark to see if they were bucks or does so I didn't get too excited.
Then they disappeared south of the triangle patch for about 30 minutes.
There was a slight south wind which was perfect for my location, as i was just north of the triangle patch.
Meanwhile in the west cornfield I watched a 150class buck chasing a doe around.
Movement inside the triangle patch, 1 2 3 4 bucks all 4 to 6 points - followed by 2 does??? - and then the big boy comes in - about a 130class 8 point that looked like he was sporting a mule deer rack. At this point I can't tell if I'm shaking because its cold out or from 'the fever', either way my blind was shaking a bit and I thought for sure I'd get busted. Well the big boy beds down right out in open view from my blind and only about 60 yards away.
2 of the smaller bucks squared off and started smackin antlers. 1 of the does walked over to big boy and put her foot on his rear - which pissed him off pretty good, so he chased her away in a huff but she didn't go far. Then the other 2 bucks started smacking antlers. All of this within 60 yards of my blind.
So for the next 2 hours I was forced to sit there and watch the deer play, bed, play, bed, lick a branch, bed, and a lot of butt licking - what a rough morning
Well the deer never did come in to range. The wind picked up to about 20mph and they eventually disappeared.
Just came home to get something to eat/drink and I'm heading out to the big woods to do a little stalk hunting the wind in my ghillie suit.
By the way - batteries were dead in my camera[:@] otherwise would have had some very exciting pictures to share. I won't make that mistake tomorrow
Good Luck All!