Out There - Rebel Darling's Journal

[Rebel Darling]

I've been able to hunt the past few evenings.  Monday at Partridge Run, Tuesday in the back, and tonight (Wednesday) at the Pine Bush.

I enjoyed the P-Run hunt location.  I set up on a pinch-point, a narrow strip of land that runs between two marshes.  I know that doe bed along the marsh about 100-200 yards (maybe more) to the right of my set up.  The wind was coming off the marsh, over the bedding and up the slope.  My plan was to catch a buck scent checking that bedding area just upwind. 

I made a poor decision in my set up, though.  I climbed into a tree with the climber, which means I need a "perfect" tree, and it left me out in the open.  I should have set up on the ground in some cover.  About an hour or so on stand, I heard some crunching behind me, and then nothing.  And shortly after that, the barely audible sound of a whitetail bounding away.  I didn't see anything, but the locale was beautiful and it was a great change of scenery.

Many, many thanks to the veterans who help secure our ability to live out this lifestyle.  I thought about that quite a bit on my drive up on Monday.

Tuesday's hunt was delayed because power to the house went out, and I had to bail out the sump in the basement.  I bumped deer on my way out that might have otherwise walked past my stand.  Visibility was low due to heavy fog, so I tried some calling.  A couple bleats.  Waited 15 mins or so, and let out a single bleat followed by two grunts.  About 10 or so mins after that, I heard something take off downwind of and behind me.  Didn't see a thing.  Didn't see, nor hear a thing after that.  Erie evening in the stand, but I felt alive, and I loved that.

Today's initial hunt plan was to head up north and meet up with a buddy for a morning and afternoon sit.  He flaked on getting back to me until this morning when he cancelled.  I spent the morning hanging with the boy and the wife, and keeping the fire going.  Great way to spend time, but I'm also running out of opportunity to put any doe meat in the freezer this year.  This afternoon, I basically scouted for next year in the Pine Bush, checking out an area that I've always been curious to know more about.  Lots of buck sign from this year, but I think that the resident buck was harvested.  I got deep in the thick stuff, and while all the rubs were new-ish, there wasn't a fresh track in the two-day old snow anywhere.  I also found some doe bedding and some isolated early season food sources.  I hope that comes in handy next year.  I saw no deer.

One thing I want to address about the P-Run hunt.  When I first started hunting, I pounded the woods, and would be in and walking around all day.  At some point, I'd find a tree to lean against, and fall asleep.  It seemed that I'd often wake up to deer, or other wildlife around me.  So...  while at P-Run, on Monday, I kind of nodded off intentionally, letting nature flow through me instead of inserting myself in it.  It kind of seemed like the woods were more alive at that point.  Maybe I was dreaming, but I thought I heard more birds, and generally just felt more of a part of the experience than an infiltrator trying to hide out. 

I woke up to a red squirrel trying to climb my tree and getting spooked by my eyes when we made eye contact.  Fortunately the squirrel didn't cause a racket, which is rare with the reds.  It just buggered off chittering every now and again.  It wasn't long after that, that I thought I heard the deer coming along.

I hope to be able to find that same peace I found in P-Run again.  I've been feeling the pressure of not yet having meat in the freezer, and I'm not a huge fan of rifle season, and that peace is, if nothing else, a nice place to be.

Edited November 15, 2018 by Rebel Darling
grammar

[grampy]

Wonderfully spoken my friend. 

 

[Rebel Darling]

The “Doe Stand” needed some repair. Back up the tree shortly.




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