Jake scores a nice Buck
In Jakes’s words: Luth, I’ve been meaning to write you about deer season. I got a nice five-point. Maybe it’s a four-point. Not sure how long a tine has to be to count. I took my photo from the correct angle though. The antlers look remarkably huge. It was a good year for me. I didn’t get a deer the last few years so I’m glad to have one in the freezer this year. It has already been in some tasty meals.
There were fewer hunters in the woods this year. It seems to be a continuing trend. Sad to see kids not taking it up but it does make for nice conditions in the woods for Feral and I. We have lots of land to wander around. We like to still hunt so it’s nice having miles of foot paths and deer trails to stalk through. I unfortunately wasn’t able to walk as much this year and sat frequently. I couldn’t seem to find a decent pair of boots and was wearing a St. Vincent’s pair that were too big for me. Ended up screwing up my knee and limping all season. I’m just now almost back to normal.
The hunting was good. Plenty of buck sign all over the areas where Feral and I hunt. Saw deer almost every day. The big bucks would not come out though. Each year I try to get to know the big bucks that lurk in the swamps and follow their tracks. I look for where they bed and how they move. I always run out of time though. If I had one or two more days in the season I think I could have got a monster. But at the end of the last day of the hunt, as the sun is setting, and I’m heading back to the truck I’m glad to see those big fresh tracks still crossing my path. Glad he outsmarted me again and can rest easy until next year. He earned it.
Of particular note this season – the increase of coyote tracks. They seem to thrive in this area and I wonder sometimes if they don’t move the deer away. Another new development this year was the copious bear sign. Feral has a good story of walking up on a bear and coyotes. Perhaps fighting. He was treated to sounds that have terrified campers and sportsmen for generations. I asked him if he got close enough to see the ruckus but he felt satisfied just being within earshot. Perhaps he didn’t want a “this happened to me” story. I’m not sure if I would have ventured closer for a picture. I like to think I would. I didn’t hear what he heard though. I missed only two days of hunting throughout the regular and muzzleloading firearms seasons. Much to do with bad luck regarding my guns. I was shamefully unprepared. I did not finish making new sights for my rifle in time for the season and my replacement weapon was also mechanically unfit for the hunt. So I borrowed guns from Feral, a collector, for both seasons. Next year I will be ready.
Fichigan 