Making a change

Checking for fresh sign and being lucky helps when choosing a deer stand.

I've hunted the same stand three nights in a row, which for me, is something I've avoided in the past. My belief is that if a stand is hunted too often, the deer pattern the hunter rather than the other way around.

It's always been my policy to hunt a stand one night, and not hunt it again for several days. Each time I hunt a stand, I approach it from a different angle. I'd go in one way, come out another, and several days later, reverse the entrance and exit routes.

But, this stand is one I've got an enormous amount of faith in, and for three days in a row, the wind has been dead perfect for its use. Each evening I've seen a few deer, but they are moving late and that can be attributable, in part, to the current moon phase.

It was very productive last year and I shot a very nice buck from it. There were a few other bucks seen there last year. Two of those bucks were wall-hangers, both 10-pointers, and both having a Pope & Young minimum score of 125 points or higher.

Neither of those bucks were taken last year by a hunter during bow, firearm or muzzleloader seasons. Both were seen briefly in late December, and each rack was distinctive enough to make the sheds recognizable. The area was scoured this spring for sheds, and although some were found, none belonged to either of those bucks.
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Of course, one or both of the bucks could have been hit by a car, moved out of the area or otherwise changed their place of residence. But there was no need for either buck to move from the area.

That line of thinking makes me think they are somewhere nearby. I thought I caught a glimpse of one of them two weeks ago on a night with a heavy overcast and falling rain. I have no proof that it was one of the two "lost" bucks, but I feel certain that I'd seen one of them.

So, keeping that thought in mind means hoping they survived the winter, automobile traffic and other hunters. Both were patient bucks, hanging back, letting does go out in front, and they were always cautious about moving about before full darkness.

Both bucks seen last year moved late last year, and they always showed up with only two or three minutes of shooting time left. My problem is: if the wind is right tomorrow night, should I try that stand one more time? Is hunting it four night in a row a problem?

My mind logically tells me the answer to the first question is no, and the second question is yes. Will I follow my long-held beliefs about avoiding repeat visits to stands to avoid burning them out?

I wonder if the bucks are alive or long dead. I wonder if hunting pressure, although not heavy in this area, may have moved them two or three miles away. Should I run the possible risk of spooking them, or try a new spot tomorrow evening?

Decisions are a part of deer hunting, and we must live by our personal choices. I know it is foolhardy to hunt that stand four nights in a row, but I'm thinking I'll risk it if the wind remains stable and from the southwest again tomorrow.

All bets will be off if the wind swings from another direction. It will force me to move to a different stand, and then I'll wonder if either buck showed up at the stand I've used three nights in a row.

Win, lose or draw, my decision will be made tomorrow afternoon. Squawking about a missed opportunity is just meaningless noise. We pin our hopes on the proper stand for the proper wind direction, and we take our chances and live with our decisions.

I'll let you know if my decision was a wise one.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors