Where: Homestead
Stand/Location: Same far NE stand
Time in: 6:00am
Time out: 6:15pm down
Wind: S/SE
Well, it was here. The gun season in Indiana officially was starting...I'd put in 169 hours on stand to this point without connecting on a big buck yet for the first time in 4 years prior to gun season. I knew this was the day a ton of the small bucks I'd let walk would meet their maker, but that is nothing out of the ordinary and can't dwell on it.
This day started unusually quiet for opening day of gun season...usually sounds like WW III is commencing. I had does all around me and actually at roughly 9am I would have a group of 10 does come in from my East and walk right under my stand. The neighbor would eventually get them nervous and they turned around...however not before I got to study the lead doe. I kid you not this doe looked like a 55 gallon drum on it's side. She was HUGE! Looking back on it now and knowing how my season is going I should have shot her. She easily was the biggest bodied deer I'd seen at the homestead property (bucks included) on hoof during the season. Hopefully I get another chance when I will feel like filling my freezer later in the season, because I'll be honest she was like a small beef cattle!
My father would be on the other side of the property from me hunting all day as well. He had deer all around him pretty much all day. He sent me a text a mere 1 hour and 56 minutes till legal time was up that the neighboring hunter just now was entering woods. He proceeded to hook up a climber tree stand, then had to go get gun at truck, and then climbed.....oh brother. I silently thought, "You know what he'll probably shoot something knowing this season...probably the little 7 or 8 that we got running around which seem oblivious to anything".
Wouldn't you know it my father would have some does run right under his stand and proceed over to the neighbor...only to be followed by the little 7 (picture below). My father had him under 10 yards away and watched as it headed over to the neighbor....he knew it was as good as dead and sure enough. That's hunting...
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My night ended with me actually heading over there to make sure the deer wasn't on a neighbor's property I promised to keep on eye on her property. Knowing his deer appeared to head there I did in fact call her and left a message (no answer) that she should be getting a call to legally recover his deer. Well long story short after actually going over and talking with the hunter while recovering his deer it didn't appear to go on the neighbor's property...however a very heated discussion would take place over their anger about signs being posted for trespassing issues and how we'd hinged cut our Northern border. It was absurd how angry they were when they were the ones who had poached a deer on our property last year...but whatever. It was so bad I actually for the first time all year didn't hunt the next day when I could have....ugh.
Oh well...more on what we're doing to fix our issues with them (not to their liking I'm sure) in future postings this off-season.
To all you out there still chasing a buck or filling the freezer good luck and be safe. Also be considerate to your other hunters.
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