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November 18, 2009

Rick Bramwell: Deer season off to disappointing start

Opening day of the whitetail deer gun season makes me feel 10 years younger. I’ve watched the sun come up on 49 seasons straight. For years, I hunted Jefferson County but now hunt close to home.

Last Saturday morning, I parked behind a landowner’s barn and walked a long lane to my tree stand. The morning before, the big buck I shot at on opening day of archery finally showed himself again.

He exited standing corn about 120 yards from my position. I used a grunt call to turn the 10-pointer my way, but he wouldn’t close the deal. All I could do is wish it were gun season. The buck stood broadside at 50 yards, then turned and walked away.

The big buck came back through awhile later. I tried rattling fake antlers and blowing the grunt call again. The deer looked my way, and then melted back into the standing corn. This was the only deer I saw from my stand.

My truck was parked at the edge of an open woodlot. The only cover was where a tree had fallen. At that spot, weeds and a few briars had grown. The area was no larger than the average living room. It turned out to be a bedroom for a big buck and doe.

Rather than try a running shot, I took a chance the buck would stop. He did stop for a second. I shot, and the buck and doe ran across the road. I watched them run the length of a plowed field and enter a woods.

I was pretty sure my slug missed its target, but I went the distance of the open field looking for blood. I found no sign the buck had been hit.

If I made a mistake, it was using Jourdan’s youth model Remington 870. It is more accurate than my 12-gauge with a lot less kick. The shorter stock on her gun would not have been a problem shooting from a rest in my stand, but in this situation it didn’t fit.

That evening, I hunted another woods down the road.

Squirrels kept me from getting bored until the deer showed up. One squirrel buried a nut and then neatly covered dirt over his tasty treasure. I watched a piney squirrel chase a fox squirrel from one tree to another.

At 4:40 p.m., movement caught my eye. A small doe came from my right and stopped. She kept looking over her shoulder. I saw a deer cross behind her. The doe stood almost motionless for 10 minutes, occasionally browsing the tips of a small tree.

Something was holding up the doe. Two woodpeckers next to me were making a lot of noise, but the doe paid them no mind. She kept staring straight ahead.

Finally, a small buck appeared and slowly walked toward the doe. Her tail went up, and she ran off. It was if to say, “I’m not ready for you yet — stay away.”

The buck slowly walked in the direction the doe took. He was very relaxed and browsed along the way.

I reasoned the deer were headed for a cornfield on the other side of the woods. I fought my way through heavy cover and eased into the edge of the picked corn. My gaze covered 400 yards of wood edge. There was not a deer in sight.

I keep telling myself, I enjoy the hunting more than the harvest. To that, I’m glad to still be looking for a nice buck.



Contact Rick Bramwell at rickbramwell@aol.com.

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