Deer Camp 2013

Before the snow came, we had major rain up here in the UP. Just a couple of days into deer camp, I sat in my blind and listened to the rain make the tin roof of my blind ping and pong as if it were hailing outside. There were even a few claps of thunder. But no leaks and no deer. It rained all day and all night and this is what we woke up to one morning when we didn't go out and hunt.

Our little foot bridge held up - barely.

(Steve put the vertical board on the bridge to keep the dogs off. 

The slats between boards are a little wide in some places and we didn't want their feet to get caught.)

And then the snow came. 

And I continued to anticipate a 3 point buck trotting to the bait pile.

Why a 3 point, you ask?

Keep reading...

But that didn't happen. So I took my first "selfie". 

Boredom had settled in.

These two ducks took pity on me. 

They entertained me for ten minutes, then they too got bored and swam downstream. 

And that's when I noticed this.

Do you see it?

With one eye open at 6 am that morning, I had put my boots on the wrong feet.

Hey, maybe this is a sign of good luck?

Yep! For Steve anyway. He shot this nice 5 point that day.

So the next day I purposely put my boots on the wrong feet.

Steve saw deer too far away to shoot.

I saw...

...nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Truth is, I had TWO perfect chances to get a deer. On opener morning, at exactly 9:08 am, I had a small spike walk into the bait pile. I thought wow, this is going to be easy this year. After five minutes the spike walked into the woods unaware I had been watching him through my scope. He was just too small, I thought to myself. I'll let him grow.

Then five minutes later, a huge spike walked into my other bait pile. Beautiful, I thought. I watched him through my scope for 20 minutes. Should I or shouldn't I????

I didn't. 

The reason being is I assumed that with the great turnout on opener morning, 

there would be more chances to get a deer with just another point on it's rack. 

Maybe a 3 point?

(Side Bar: I truly wasn't trying to be greedy. I've shot three spikes in my lifetime. 

This year I thought I could hold out for something a wee bit bigger.)

I didn't see another deer for the rest of gun season.

Sigh.

 I learned my lesson.

I also learned that what you don't take when offered the chance, 

the other hunters will.

That's the way it goes.

I'm just very thankful for the venison in the freezer.