One of those afternoons in the woods

So....in case you didn't know, I'm a hunter and I pretty much live for this time of year. We are in the first week of PA's rifle deer season and I'm still chasing one of the few mature bucks we've seen on the property we (My Dad and I) are fortunate enough to hunt.

We got some snow this morning  But by afternoon, it was melting fast as the sun came out from behind those dark cold front clouds. It gotten quite windy and combination of wet leaves and a gusty wind made for good conditions to do some sneaking (Still hunting) around in the woods. 

Still hunting has always been one of my favorite ways to hunt as it seems to quiet my mind while simultaniously heighten my senses. Leaving the world of 2020 behind for a few hours is always a good thing and having only to focus where my next footstep should go so as to remain quiet while always on the look out for anything that resembles even a part of a deer keeps my somewhat A.D.D. brain in check.

Today's plan was to hunt into the wind and cover 2 ridge tops in an effort to possibly bump some deer to my dad, who would be getting out at about 3PM.

I quickly had an encounter with a doe and her fawns who were feeding in our lower food plot. With the wind in my favor, and the silence of the wet leaves, I was able to slip by them undetected...until she decided to exit the feild with kids in tow right to where I was standing. She got within 6 feet of me before realizing "that tree" didn't belong there. 

Off she bounced leaving somewhat bewildered fawns chewing on branches just 10 feet from where I was standing. I giggled to myself as they pondered their next move until finally deciding that it was a good idea to follow mom.

I continued slowly about 75 yards to the north and into more open timber. The area had been logged in years past so the landscape has changed some but i found an old oak that I had sat near for years. 

It was 2PM and I had some time to sit. I perched myself against that oak and thought about all the times i sat under that tree.

I thought about the things that were on my mind over the course of those years and chuckled to myself. "You're still standing" I whispered to myself as if talking to a younger me. "It's gonna be ok".

I thought about how many other hunters sat nearby, the stories this old oak could tell, the excitement of hunts gone by, the hugs of congratulations after a harvest, and the good natured ribbing that only good friends and family can give after a clean miss. 

Shit... What' time is it? 

2:45PM..... time to move.

In the distance, I could hear my dad's UTV rumbling up the hill and I knew that soon he would be in position. 

I started to move diagonally up the ridge and movement catches my eye. It's the tell-tale "white flag" of a deer going away. But this deer wasn't running from me. 

"It won't go far. Take your time." I told myself. 

I covered another 20 yards, picking my way through the brush.

Then, 50 yards above me, BUCK! 

He's sneaking from my left to my right and as fast as I see him, He vanished. Sometimes, deer are truly ghosts in a landscape

Stepping forward to rest my rifle against a hemlock tree, i scoped the area. 

Nothing.... But he had to be there.

Which buck is he? Is he "Tall tines" a nice 8 point with long brown tines or the "The big 10", a buck a videoed on the first day of archery but decided not to shoot.

I searched impatiently through the scope and again caught his movement. I could see his entire body but not his head. 

Another step...Now my cross hairs are on his neck and my safety is off. i could see that he was a legal buck but couldn't identify him. I started squeezing the trigger trying to decide in my head which buck he was. 

Side note here...I'm a pretty competitive guy and have seen some friends take some really nice deer and while harvesting is never the primary reason I hunt, I want to be "successful" in a year where that's generally been hard to come by. 

I was within millimeters of the gun going off when I heard "You can't take a bullet back" in my head. 

While I knew this was a legal buck, I wasn't sure he was one I really wanted. The competitor in me almost made me make a decision I might have regretted. 

I watched the buck slowly disappear to my right. 

Was he one of  my target deer? I still don't know.

But I get to dream about another encounter tonight. That's winning.

My quiet stalk covered the next 2 ridges seeing 2 more doe and I ended the evening watching the light fade and the sunset against the beech trees i was standing under. The wind had died down and it was still.

So was I.....For the first time in a while.

I walked the remaining 200 yards to meet my dad. Even at 47 years old, still get excited to tell him about my encounters.

This afternoon hunt didn't end up in a harvest but what I got was so much more. 

In about 2 weeks, life will be back to normal. 

But between now and then, I'm going to pack as many of these afternoons as I can.....Hopefully for more encounters but more importantly, to spend time wth my dad....and to be still.