Steve Bartylla
BUCKS &
BEARDS DEERHUNT 2000
With the wind still howling and rain pouring down, we took a pass on the morning hunt. Brent and I are willing to hunt almost any conditions Mother Nature throws at us, except for hard rains. In a hard rain it is all but impossible to follow a blood trail and chances for loss are too great. We owe these majestic creatures more than that and refuse to take the risk. With the winds still whipping hard, but the rain having subsided to a light rain, we headed for the stand I had hung on day 4 in the funnel along the river. If you recall, I had to do some major clearing to be able to have any shots at all. When practical, I would have preferred to leave this stand alone for several weeks, if not months, after such major disturbances. When you only have an 8 day hunt that is not an option. In these types of windy conditions deer typically shut down. The best chance for success is either still hunting them or hunting the bedding area’s doorstep. That is why we choose that stand. The afternoon’s hunt was no exception to extreme winds shutting down movement. Not so much as a squirrel moved. However, we proved that if you can predict where deer will be during any condition that you can bow hunt them. We only saw one deer, but it was a massive buck. Unfortunately, it skirted around our shooting lanes without offering Brent a good shot. He did grunt and rattle to try to bring him back in, but the buck hardly pretended he even noticed. I guess he wasn’t in the mood to play. Tomorrow: More Hunting
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