First Hunt 10/6/2012

We I finally made it into the woods to chase the elusive whitetail deer. I can't express how awesome the feeling of that first hunt is, I think it's only trumped by the feeling right after you just put an arrow in a buck's boiler room.

Saturday marked the first time my father or I put rubber soles to the ground at the swamp property with any kind of weapon in hopes of putting BBD text out to our friends.

I chose to sit in the poppler stand, which is the star (map) located on the center North/South 2-track trail. The wind was suppose to be out of the West by 6 am, swinging slightly from a S/SW direction from the over-night hours. A very good wind for that stand as the deer will be working quartering into the wind heading back to bedding areas to the NW and some across the line to the W.

Being the first hunt I forgot how long it took to get dressed outside the truck (NOT TO MENTION IT WAS FREEZING OUT!) but I'd given myself plenty of time and was on stand about 25 minutes prior to legal shooting light, nearly an hour before "sunrise". After the pre-hunt prayer my hunting season was officially underway.

Sadly though the most action I had all happened right away and still before legal light. I heard the sounds of what I think were two deer slipping up the woods between my stand and the Western stand we have set up. It was just minutes haven't climbing and got my blood flowing thinking that was a great sign.....but I would be proven wrong. The next 3 1/2 hours would prove to be anything but good as nothing that didn't have wings or a bushy tail would show up. I was kinda surprised but not really once I realized the wind never shifted and was still coming out of the SW, meaning I was trying to hunt deer that would have had to tailwind back to the bedding...making me think the two deer I heard very early very well could have been a couple bucks slipping back to the bedding well before light (the only "safe" time to tailwind).

Oh well, I broke the ice of the season, froze my butt off (didn't layer for sub-40 degree weather) and did manage few decent pictures....the only thing I accomplished.

*On a side note, we've been learning EHD has been killing deer all around this swamp property....so we're just hoping there is still a couple decent bucks out there walking....I hate coyotes...but man I love them compared to EHD!

Some of the "bored" pics I took:

Here's to hoping my future hunts well include some deer in them. Still very early in the season.