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Whitetail Deer Hunting Season Journal
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This was my first week of bowhunting this year and in one word the weather was wet. I had the opportunity to hunt all day Saturday and it rained off and on all day. Even though it wasn't one of those pretty fall hunting days I did spend several hours in the woods.
When we arrived on Friday evening I hopped onto one of our ATV's and headed out into the darkness to retrieve our digital scouting cameras. On my way out I ran into a seven point buck and an eight point buck in our middle clearing food plot. The seven point took off like I had shot at him but the small eight point paused long enough for me to get a look. Things were off to a good start.
I spent Saturday morning near the oldhouse food plot and feeder hoping to get a closer look at the nine point. I was also hoping that the big eight point from last year would happen to show up for the first time this fall as well. Unfortunately neither one showed up but I was entertained by a button buck, spike buck, five point buck, eight hens and four gobblers not to mention one squirrel.
All of the deer walked down through the food plot to get to the deer feeder and the breeze was blowing from me to this area. The button buck and the spike didn't pay much attention but the five point stuck his nose in the air and never went much farther even though he hung around in the area for a while. I never know which way deer are going to come from so it's hard to set up depending on wind direction.
The five point and spike did a little sparring but it was real short and there wasn't enough antler on their heads to even make a good clicking sound.
The spike and five point bucks that entertained me Saturday moring.
In the afternoon my son was going to join me near the middle food plot and feeder but the constant rain forced him to stay in the house. We figured that he could watch for deer coming to the apple trees and clover plots and I could watch the feeder.
As it turned out he saw more bucks from the house than I saw from my treestand.
On my afternoon excursion I jumped the seven point from the feeder and saw the small racked eight point from my stand. All of the deer that I saw were real jumpy. Ryan saw five bucks from the warmth of the house.
I'm going to move this stand next weekend. Where it is now a lot of the deer activity seems to be taking place over the hill in the woods behind me. Choosing tree stand locations is one of the things that makes deer hunting fun.
When we filled the feeder in the afternoon Ryan cut down a small tree to allow better sight for a planned blind location. The first doe that came in later that evening went straight to the stump and sniffed it. They don't miss a thing.
I also saw the five point at the old house while I was sitting on a large log taking a break. He walked by me at about 15 yards and never saw me. I always think it is real neat when a deer walks by at eye level without seeing me. It makes me feel like I've pulled one over on them.
The small eight point that I saw below the feeder on Saturday evening appeared to be chasing a couple of does around. It was difficult to get a good look at them but there just seemed to be a lot of activity going around in circles. Ryan also said that a couple of the bucks that he saw was bothering some does as well.
It looks like the bucks are getting feisty and bothering the does. So far the does do not seem to want any part of them.
The eight and seven point bucks that I saw on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.
Return from the October 22nd Journal to the 2005 Whitetail Deer Season Journal.
