What a morning! I hiked into the muskeg complex at first light. Took me about 30 minutes to get up the hill, then another 30 to creep along the edges of the muskeg to the calling rock I pinned my first time there.
I was going to call from this spot only, then get back to town for a 1 pm appointment, which means leaving there in the truck by about noon. I got to the rock at 830 am, and started calling. I called for an hour, and nothing moving. The sun wasn’t yet up into the muskeg, and I was glad I took my extra jacket, as I gradually got cold.
Then there he was. About 930, here comes a medium fork horn buck in the back door from behind me. From the same area I saw the huge buck here the first time. He was sniffing the air, and then started to come right over under the rock. The gun was already loaded and all I had to do was roll over and get ready- a shot from prone position. As good as it gets.
He was kind of cautious as he got closer. He was downwind of me, but I thought since I was 20 feet above him, my scent would carry over the top. He was behind a tree when I looked through the scope, but looked like he was going to come right over to me.
Then he turned around the way he came, more cautious. And he walked along the other side of this little finger sticking down the muskeg with trees on it. Out of sight. A little tweet on the call didn’t bring him back. E gone!
I hung out another half hour. The sun finally got into the muskeg but I was cold and headed back to the truck about 1015 am and got down to the truck at 11 am. Everything went as planned, except for getting the deer. I sure like this spot. I’ve seen one buck both times, and there’s lots of scat, tracks, and rubs in there.
Now she’s gonna blow 30 for til at least Tuesday, which is as far out as the forecast goes. That might be the last deer hunt of this season.
I was going to call from this spot only, then get back to town for a 1 pm appointment, which means leaving there in the truck by about noon. I got to the rock at 830 am, and started calling. I called for an hour, and nothing moving. The sun wasn’t yet up into the muskeg, and I was glad I took my extra jacket, as I gradually got cold.
Then there he was. About 930, here comes a medium fork horn buck in the back door from behind me. From the same area I saw the huge buck here the first time. He was sniffing the air, and then started to come right over under the rock. The gun was already loaded and all I had to do was roll over and get ready- a shot from prone position. As good as it gets.
He was kind of cautious as he got closer. He was downwind of me, but I thought since I was 20 feet above him, my scent would carry over the top. He was behind a tree when I looked through the scope, but looked like he was going to come right over to me.
Then he turned around the way he came, more cautious. And he walked along the other side of this little finger sticking down the muskeg with trees on it. Out of sight. A little tweet on the call didn’t bring him back. E gone!
I hung out another half hour. The sun finally got into the muskeg but I was cold and headed back to the truck about 1015 am and got down to the truck at 11 am. Everything went as planned, except for getting the deer. I sure like this spot. I’ve seen one buck both times, and there’s lots of scat, tracks, and rubs in there.
Now she’s gonna blow 30 for til at least Tuesday, which is as far out as the forecast goes. That might be the last deer hunt of this season.