So yesterday I figured I'd try to hunt the last day of the gun season. OF COURSE the hunting Gods were against me. MY son is taking his honey to Hawaii for a week as a Xmas present.... we're all thinking it's finally going to be engagement time... we'll see. Anyway, to make sure they got the right flights she drove up from Greensboro and arrived Friday(well Sat AM at 2) I had to have her at the Dulles Airport at 6:45 AM which means no morning hunt. YUK Why do these things happen. Then she was flying to Seattle to meet up with my son and they flew out to Hawaii this AM.

Well, I said I'd go hunting in the evening.... NOT!! Yesterday was the wife's Birthday so I had to take her to dinner. So, I said I'd go hunting at noon for a couple hours. I slinked into the woods as quiet as I could about 11 AM. Took me the better part of an hour to walk about 150 yards in. I would take a couple steps and glass with my Swarovskis. I was trying not to bust some bedded deer. Our snow was all gone(although we got 3 inches of new stuff this AM). ANyway, I finally spotted a deer bedded about 200 yards away. I knew there had to be more. I sat right down in a small blow down and started picking the woods apart. With the sun moving and after about 45 minutes I spotted another only 7 or 8 yards away from the first. Funny how they can hide. I was in a good spot so thought I'd watch them for future reference and see if any thing moved.

For the next hour I glassed this big hardwood ridge that's covered with laurel and holly and a gully not finding anything. The deer were always becoming alert to something but I never saw what. About 1 PM they got up and started moving in my direction. WEll, at least I know they move at mid day after being shot at with guns for 2 or 3 weeks. Well as they moved my way at an angle I see another,...and another... and another. 8 deer in all had been bedded on the side of the gully. I had at one time contemplated seeing how close I could have gotten to them. WEll, it's obvious I wouldn't have gotten close before one of the others would have busted me. The deer dropped off into a small bowl between myself and them. After an hour the finally popped out about 60 yards away. I picked the woods apart but it was still the same 8 with no big bucks. One little spike was trying to get something started but an old doe chased him more than he chased her. They fed right out in front of me but never really came much closer. I'm sitting there and all of a sudden the wind that until then had been in my face shifted and I felt the chill on the back of my neck. Then it came back in my face. Whew I thought. One old doe got nervous and looked and looked but finally resumed her search for acorns and browse. I'm sitting there doing nothing. I look behind me.... I look back to the front and there are deer tails going everywhere. What in the heck was that all about. I can't believe they saw me.... must have been the deer Gods. So, that's how I ended the gun season. Back to the sticks tomorrow. I'm going to perch right in their dang bedding area and whack one of those does the next time out.

Amen to that. Gun hunters be gone)


Dave

We just started the second shotgun season here. I heard all kinds of shooting yesterday. They party hunt here and this morning ran about a half dozen across the road in front of the car. Very few here know what sitting is all about.

Nice post David. I can tell you had a real hoot of a time. So long to the MD gun toters. Good luck in the beds tomorrow. I'm looking forward to another great story. Sorry Joe and me struck out today in the Rochester, Ny snows. I knew they would be deep today because the snow started pretty heavy about 5:45 a.m.. After sitting still for 3 hrs. we were both pretty numb and with his 3 in the freezer we decided to let them go till next fall. Hope the boy gets engaged and mom enjoys her birthday dinner. Is it gonna be venison?

Nope... it was Rockfish or was it Grouper she had????? It was fishy anyway. Our boy tells us everything.... and has discussed every conceivable thing with us... but we're stumped on will he or won't he ask her to get married finally. She's in grad school in NC at present. He works for Microsoft in Seattle but attends grad school at Duke on weekends getting his MBA. His first masters was in Computer Science. She graduates in May... he in August. I do believe he may leave Microsoft when he finishes school... but we'll see. He loves working there but feels there's more room for advancement some where else. The stock options aren't worth what they were years ago so he's thinking of greener pastures. She's applying for a job in Chicago... no telling where he'd end up. He loved living in Colorado and always talks about going back to Denver some day. We're guessing engagement.... but we've been wrong before. Hell, I almost proposed to his last girl friend of 3 years for him. Came as a total shock to us when he decided it was time to move on.[]

Great story David. I have never been very good as that type of stalk hunting...especially with the deer always so skittish in my neck of the woods. It sounds like you are somewhat accomplished at it though.

I had a bit more action on our last day of the gun season but I did not shoot any. I am extremely eager to get back out into the woods though for our late archery season. I just love being out there during that time of the year with the bow.