Where: Swamp Property
Stand/Location: Morning hunt: Ground Blind by food plot...Evening hunt: Poplar stand along middle two-track
Time in:approx. 7:00am
Time out: approx. 7:30pm climbed down.
Wind: N/NE winds
Well I got to the property about 10 minutes later than I'd liked and got ready a little slower than I liked (downside of getting completely dressed at site). Due to all of that I decided I would just simply slip right into the ground blind and hunt the morning instead of traversing nearly double the walk by two track over to the middle poplar stand I intended on hunting that morning. Well I slipped into the ground blind on a very chilly morning (temps around 34 when entering). I called some, could of swore I heard something at one point rustling through some thick stuff to my NW but nothing....absolutely nothing. So I call my dad from the blind to talk over what our afternoon plans are as if a big boy hadn't shown himself yet I doubted one would. At the end of the conversation we decided to move the camera overlooking the track by the poplar stand...he didn't know where just said to move it where I feel we may get action....
So I proceed to wait another 10-20 minutes, slip out of the ground blind and go over to the camera and take it off the tree, had just a few pictures since the last pull but I didn't look at them and headed right where I knew I wanted it to be. The two-track that was dumping into the food plot had scrapes on it, and I'm not talking a couple it had 6 for sure with a 7th being possible as well, with dirt flinging in both directions I knew at times bucks are traveling here in morning and night (of course through the night as well)...but more importantly they are moving both directions. I quick set up the camera on a tree and as I'm leaving a spot an oak tree I'm fairly certain we could put a stand in if trail gets hot...moving the northern bedding stand which is hard to get to and not hunted much seemed like a waste to me lately and this camera could prove it worth a move.
Well guys, if I'd have check that camera before re-positioning it I'd have discovered that RD had come right down the poplar two track that morning!! Now I know it was before legal shooting time, but man so close. Here's the image (burst of 3 but just posting 1).
Anyways, decided to head home do some work around the house before getting de-scented again and hitting the poplar stand that night.
I got back to the property and up the tree probably around 3:30pm and it felt good. It gradually didn't feel good as hour without any sightings turned into 2 hours then 3...well at dark I started packing up. It would have been shortly after 7:10 a time I remember looking and even though I had till 7:15pm I started packing up quietly. Not hearing anything or seeing anything (could barely see then anyways) I decided to toss the two apples I had in my pack down as they were getting old....little did I know that the noise I heard shortly after has a really good chance of being RD...based upon the pictures we got at the brand new camera placement just 70 yards away along that two track....notice the time of the picture and yes...he's looking the direction of my stand!
Just imagine...if I'd hunted the plot blind depending where he entered the food plot (this picture would have been after he already walked by or through it) I may have had a shot.....OH SO CLOSE.
I didn't learn all of this until later on Tuesday of the following week when cold, rainy and windy weather prompted me to follow my gut and my father and I did in fact relocate that one stand over to over look the trail the above picture was taken on. THE CRAZY THING IS WE DIDN'T CHECK THE CARD TILL THE NIGHT AFTER WE HUNG THE NEW SET.....talk about feeling good about your new set up.
Now we do have some hunter interference being ran to the East from time to time, but we have no control over that and have to hope RD's instincts are sharp enough to not be fooled by him (not as scent conscious or wind conscious). There is a good chance though that he's running up to the woods from the sanctuary using the western tree line now that he can't do so with the cover of corn....hopefully we get it done.
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