I was back in the Crawford/Orange county area this morning. I hunted behind my grandparents house which is an overgrown jungle of what used to be fields on top of a ridge. Most of the stuff just looks like big bucks should roam through it. I had not hunted in that area for more than 5 years, so this morning I did some walking.
I've gotten still hunting down to an art over the years. I'm not great at it, but I am organized. My goal is not to be entirely quiet. (That would be impossible with this dry weather.) My goal is to sound like a deer. No more than 8 or 10 steps at a time, stop for long periods of time (sometimes up to 20 minutes.) It was a successful method this morning as I learned about the lay of the land again.
At about 8:30 I was walking through some really thick stuff (what used to be a field). It was the kind of stuff that it's almost impossible to shoot a bow through. As soon as I stopped towards the middle of it, I heard some crashing brush and it was getting closer. Seconds later a doe jumped out and came straight towards me. She ran within 7 yards of me while another doe ran off to my right. I figured a buck was chasing them. It turned out that 3 bucks were chasing them. The first one was weird looking but I only got a glimpse. The second one came in grunting continuously. I watching pass in and out of sight with his head down. Then he lifted his head in a small opening and showed what may very well be the most impressive rack I have ever seen while hunting. He circled me at about 15 to 20 yards (too thick for a shot) and disappeared. The third buck was a cautious, but not overly smart 6 point. He walked within 4 yards of me. It's crazy to be that close to any deer!
You just can't beat this time of year!
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