An itch that needs scratching

A few of my friends have bet me with a friendly verbal wager that they would shoot a buck that night. I'd prod them a bit, and ask just how certain they were that a good buck would fall to their well-placed arrow.

Those that were staunch in their belief said they could feel it in their bones. Now me, feeling something in my bones usually means a touch of arthritis is acting up or a low-pressure storm is coming.

They continued to plunge on saying the wind was right, they were planning to hunt such and such a ground blind or tree stand. They had this dream developing in their mind, and I wasn't about to try to sway their thoughts.

Too many thoughts about killing can ruin a hunt.

We still have about 10 days before the archery bow season opens on Oct. 1, and a lot can happen between then and now. For some, their level of anticipation keeps rising to the point where it’s possible they would be too geeked to shoot straight.

Off they would go on opening day, a big grin of anticipation on their face. Over many years of hunting whitetail bucks, more often than not, a hunter with a no-fail plan will be the first to fold his tent when the deer go elsewhere.

It's my nature to let them natter on and on, and if they ask for my opinion, I offer it for what it is worth. Some pay attention, and others just fritter away a morning or evening of hunting without ever being within 100 yards of a buck.

Deer operate on instincts, and getting too hyped up in advance can make a hunter careless.  In their rush to get settled into the stand, something falls out of their pocket and is left laying on the ground where every nearby deer will see or smell it. They may not pay enough attention to the wind or their drifting scent.

Their giddy mood often makes them a bit antsy. The beat goes on, running through their brain, and in breathless anticipation of the shot they know is coming, their toes are tapping the stand in time with the thoughts paying in their head.

A buck stands back in the brush, hears a faint sound, and eventually the animal locates the noise high in a cedar, pine or oak, and heads off to visit his girlfriend 300 yards in the other direction.

Or, our hero sits in the tree, looking a bit southwest with binoculars to his eyes, scanning the terrain for a buck. Every so often, sunlight will glint off the lens and sent a flash of light on its way. A deer that looks up just in time to see that flash of light will be suspicious and approach that area with extreme caution, if at all.

Solid planning mean knowing buck movement rather than guessing.

Sometimes the buck does show, and after hours of dreaming of a close and deadly shot, the bow hunter becomes all fumble-fingered, and creates too much movement as he prepares for a shot. Or, he turns slightly in the stand for a close shot, and something falls out of his pocket and goes clattering across the stand floor or platform.

It could be a wallet or anything. The bow limb could rub against the tree, and some bark or pine needles could go drifting to the ground. A sharp-eyed buck may spot the falling duff, possibly wondering why he'd never seen it happen in that spot before, and before we know it, the buck is two fields away and still running, scared plumb out of his wits.

These things happen. I've learned never to predict a buck at the end of my hunting day. First of all, I'd have to see one I wanted to shoot, and that never happens on a daily basis.

I do believe in being optimistic. Feeling confident is much different than almost bragging about a buck that may not come within two miles of the hunter.

Being optimistic is far better than being pessimistic.

Respect for the animals we hunt is important. It's far more important than bragging about an animal that as yet has not been shot. It may be time for some hunters to critically analyze the reasons why they hunt, and those who have true convictions, hunt for the sake of hunting.

Killing a buck proves very little other than the hunter was in the right place at the right time, and made a good shot. That is seldom enough to make their well-made plans come true.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors