The opening weekend is officially in the bag, and I have to say it was an interesting!
Opening Day: I hunted an area of my property that I call "The Nest" all day. First thing in the morning, a nice tall racked buck comes in to my left...I try to get a shot, but can't, so I hit the bleat can, and he starts to circle downwind...He spotted me, and ran off...It was only then that I realized that it was a huge 4 point!
Oh well...so I decided to quickly switch positions and hunt the trail he had come in on. Turned out to be smart! 5 minutes after I sat back down (I only moved 10 yards, to an area where I had good shooting lanes), and here comes a button buck on the trail. Another hour passed, and I stand up to stretch my legs, when I hear a deer running. Down the trail comes a doe...and about 50 yards behind her is a MONSTER 10 Point...The biggest deer I've ever personally seen on my property. I finally got him to stop, but it was behind some brush. Finally he steps out, but being the rutting buck he is, he takes right back off after the doe. Now that I think back on it, I might have been able to shoot him while he ran through, but I just didn't want to take the chance of wounding him. I think I made the right choice. That afternoon, I saw 7 does, but was never offered a shot at any of them. Oh well...
Sunday: In the morning, I got in the woods late, and hunted another part of our property. Only heard a deer running through down the hill from me, but couldn't see it through all the downed tops. Around noon, I had to bring my brother back to Cazenovia, where he goes to college. I got back around 2:00, and was in the woods by 2:30. The wind was still perfect, as it had been on Saturday, so I went back to The Nest and set up in my climber. Around 3:30, a deer comes in behind me and to the right, on the same trail I was initially hunting the day before. It's a doe, so I turn myself towards an opening and wait...it took forever, but eventually she came into opening. I stopped her with a mouth bleat...BANG! The smoked cleared, just in time to see her flop over backwards, right in her tracks. Yes!! I reload my muzzleloader and go up to her...Turns out that she was really a HE...Nubbins!
Oh well, it was a pretty big button buck, and I could still use my antlerless DMP on him. I'm definitely glad that I was able to take a deer this early in the season. Now I just have to wait for another buck to make an appearance!
I'll post pictures in a little while.
-Zach
