I finished my season last night... added another ten hours over the past couple days... no target buck, the big old bruisers are not stupid. I am not disappointed, I shoot deer every year, usually multiple, but only get the target buck every four years or so. I do not regret passing on all of the small and medium bucks to keep pressing for the big guys. The pursuit is what keeps me going, not the kill. The only time I am disappointed at season end is when I know I could have done more, should have tried a plan that I had in mind but didn’t act on. I did come close on one occasion, I name all of the bucks that I identify on camera, this one is "Admiral." He was walking through a saddle during shooting hours, which was rare because he was almost completely nocturnal. The wind was perfectly in my face, he was on a line to my shooting lane, I drew my bow when his head went behind a thick spruce tree, I was at full draw, a few more steps... he stopped, looked around, sniffed the air... detected nothing... continued on... I was stoked, "I got you sucker!" Two more steps and his chest is clear... one more... then from behind me PPFFFFFTTTTT! A damn unseen doe behind me blew, the buck did a backflip and bailed out fast, I almost jumped out of my treestand, swearing as loudly as I could inside my head... damn doe! God, I hate that sound... worst sound in the world... like a knife in the heart. After I settled down a bit, I started wondering how big Admiral will be next year... lol.
Lol, been there, done that, got the t-shirt.
It's amazing to observe the difference between the cautious nature of a big old buck (or doe...) compared to the carelessness of younger deer. An accidental metallic "clink" or perhaps the wrong breath of a breeze puts the youngsters on alert...but the old ones are just instantly gone.
I don't mind driving some distance to places where I will stay and hunt for a week or whatever but I have no desire to drive multiple hours just to hunt a single day; after a serious nighttime non-deer-related truck accident many years ago, which I surprised my doctors by surviving, I have a bit of a phobia about driving on unlit country roads after dark. It's why I bought my own patch of hunting ground and live there now. I like to get to know "my" local bucks...though I don't name them...but quite often the rut awakens the wanderlust of bucks from other areas who wander in during the season and sometimes stumble into the path of a bullet.
The hard part for me is the fact that I have been limited to a single deer per year. Most years I can tag a buck without needing to worry about does; I could have actually shot a decent 8-pointer with a fairly big body within about 30 minutes of the opener this year, but I don't want to do that. That old chestnut about not passing on an animal on the first day that you would gladly shoot on the last day...is utter BS in my opinion. I haven't needed to shoot a doe in the past 15 or so years, but I absolutely would do so...on the last day...because I also want to end the season with meat.
I vividly recall the 2014 season here; our single tag was for antlered only, and deer were very thin on the ground after a couple rough winters. I saw the same little forkie
every single day of the season, passing by one of my stands like clockwork at midday. Every day I watched him pass; I kept holding off, holding off, holding off...and eventually the season came to its end. I sat on that last day waiting to kill my little buddy when he showed up...and he never did. I ended up without a deer for the first time in many years, and although I had certainly enjoyed myself it was hard to walk by the empty freezer. Worst of all...the day after the season ended, my wife and I were sitting having our morning coffee when we observed a beautiful big-racked buck walking up my driveway, well after sunup. I watched him sashay up to the house, passing by the deck so close that I could have killed him with a hammer! He continued past and into the back fields. Later that day when I went out back to pick up my blinds and gear I followed his tracks...which led right past my main blind. That hurt!
But hope springs eternal. My deer this year is probably my best ever, but yesterday I drove out of my driveway to go into town and spotted an immense buck casually crossing the road a half-klick down. I had no binocular with me (which is rare) and I couldn't make out his rack but there seemed to be a lot of bone going on there. He was certainly among the biggest bodied bucks I've ever seen. My wife was with me and couldn't see him, kept asking if he was in front of or behind "the van". There was no van...that was the deer!
When we returned 90 minutes later, by some incredible coincidence he crossed the road in front of us again going back the other way, more or less at the same spot. Had to be the same guy. To be present twice at just the right time to observe him as he became visible for a few brief seconds...well, I'm not superstitious, but that's gotta be a good omen. Next year...
. I haven’t shot a doe in years either but when the pickings are slim wouldn’t pass one up near the end of the season. It’s always a tough call when you see a decent but not magnificent buck at the beginning of the season to pass and wait for something better, but sometimes this decision can bite you in the a$$.
