Deer
Good afternoon Jon and Susie,
I wanted to touch base and share my harvest and game camera picture from my 2018 hunt. This year I switched to a rifle tag. It was hard to give up the bow tag but family life and other obligations pushed me to focus my hunting on a shorter time frame. From the previous few years of bow hunting with the association I had a good idea of where there would be a few mature deer. I put out game cameras at a few locations and hedged my luck on two spots. One farm I set up for a north wind and the other for a south wind. I did not have any good pictures on camera to start the rifle season but I knew these spots would become active when the cold hit. I hunted 9 days of the season and saw some good younger bucks the first few days. The first time I got a north wind I hunted the south farm and I saw a great mature 8 point but he hung up around 400 yards. I scooted closer the next night and he came out with just a couple minutes of legal light left and it was just not an ethical shot in such low light. The wind then switched back from the south so I headed to the other farm. This farm had yet to produce any good pictures but I did see a couple of good young deer again the next few days. On the last night of the season I had a very light north wind and I went to the north farm with every intention of pulling my camera and stand and hunting the other farm. Luckily I brought my laptop and checked my camera card. Three days prior a very good mature 10 point was showing up on camera in the middle of the night every day. I decided to go with my gut and hunt the north farm even though the wind was not perfect. I got on stand about 1pm and the first does funneled into the field about 2pm. I watched a few small bucks chase does around the rest of the evening. The sun began to set and it was a beautiful sunset. As the sun finally disappeared over the horizon I sat their sad that my season was coming to an end but thankful to be able to get out and enjoy creation. I was glassing the far side of the field with my binoculars watching a few small bucks and some does for an extended period of time. My arms grew tired and I lowered my binoculars. I was caught off guard, this old 10 point had popped out of the woodline about 150 yards to the west. I got my gun and settled in for what was finally about a 250 yards shot. He went about 50 yards and fell over. I have never had a hunting season where I was able to have success on the last day. This was truly an awesome hunt to remember. Thanks for the opportunities you offer. Sorry I don’t have any better pictures but I am a one man crew.
Please feel free to share on the updates page I really enjoy hearing and seeing others success.
Brad
