Steve Bartylla will bring you along as he hunts Missouri, Wisconsin and on a late season doe hunt at the end of the year.

BUCKS & BEARDS DEERHUNT 2000
 Day #1: Matt Parker Gets The First Buck | Day #2: Re-Scouting  | Day #3: Looking For Bucks | Day #4: I Get A Buck  | Day #5: Brent's Turn At The Plate | Day #6: Rain, Wind & A Massive Buck  | Day #7: More Hunting | Day #8: Final Day |

Day 7 - More Hunting

The morning found us back in the same stand. It was 24 degrees and the winds were still. At 8:45 we saw the same bruiser and he did the same thing he had the afternoon before. Brent pulled out all the stops on him with grunting and rattling. Once again he all but ignored us. At 9:30 we saw a yearling buck. He had a very nice rack for his age. 9:40 brought 6 does through and finally a lone doe at 10:40. After crawling down we scouted for fresh scrapes and yanked 3 of our stand sites.
 

Most of the woods we were hunting was bordered by fields of native grasses. At first glance they may appear dead, but a closer look shows that they are teaming with fresh and tender cool season grasses and forbs. Not only does this serve as an excellent source of protein, but the dead grasses also serves as good cover for bedding.

The afternoon found us in one of the stands we had hung in October. When Brent and I arrived at this spot in October all we had to do was exchange glances and nod. The location is hard to explain except to say it just looks so right and has all the ingredients for a harvesting a trophy: a pinch point separating bedding areas, food sources, thick cover, natural travel corridor, big buck sign and, for lack of a better phrase, the right feel to it.

It was an awesome afternoon with none stop action, turkeys offered Brent shot opportunities, but the steady stream of deer kept him from the temptation of whacking one. I lost count how many deer we saw, some borderline shooters, but Brent held out for a monster. This afternoon it didn’t happen, but that didn’t take from the magic of the sit.

Tomorrow: More Hunting 
 
  For those looking for every advantage in understanding whitetail deer, Steve Bartylla's column Becoming A Student Of Whitetail Deer is a must read.