This week signaled the true turn of the seasons weather-wise. I decent cold front moved in during the later part of the week. This cold front turned most of the remaining leaves to their autumn colors here in New England. As a matter of fact, chestnuts and black walnuts were pretty much the only trees I found, in the areas I hunt, that still had green leaves.
Tim picked me up on Saturday morning and we headed out to a stand he had set up for muzzle loader season. As we parked and loaded up our backs, he made a last minute decision to leave his bow, and we set off quietly down the path. We made it to the stand without much action. We did here ducks and geese flying over head which gave us hopes for the main waterfowl season coming up.
We sat in the stand for about three hours with a good wind. The sun was extremely bright, as is this time of year, and neither of us had remembered our sun glasses. We sat peacefully and relaxed enjoying the signs of nature around us. We took turns glassing the distant copses and knobs for any signs of deer, but found none.
At midmorning we called it and climbed down from the stand. We hunted our way out of the woods checking for sign and prey, but again found nothing new. After loading our gear in the truck, we made plans to set a stand on one of my properties. With a new plan in place, we set off again.
The trail head at my property was empty which is always a good sign. We both decided to leave our bows behind for this task. I shouldered the pack and Tim grabbed the stand, then we set off down the trail. We didn't find any sign until we reached the power line cut. From there on out, it was difficult to find a spot that didn't have sign.
Four fresh scrapes were found nearly in a straight line over about one hundred yards. We also found two to three rubs within 5 yards of each scrape. At the end of the line, we found a red cedar that looked like a buck had tried to murder it. We joked about having hunted the wrong spot this morning but were both fairly excited over all of this sign.
After searching the woods and comparing trees with cover, available shooting lanes, and good views, we selected a mature oak tree. It was good size, with plenty of shooting lanes both into the cut, and along the ridge that paralleled it. There was a black walnut tree behind it that provided plenty of branch cover, and for the next few weeks, would have leaves. The best part was that the particular tree provided me with three different approaches depending on wind.
We installed the climbing pegs and strapped the stand in place about twelve feet up. After giving it a test sit, we climbed down and set for a minute just observing the world around us. Squirrels and chipmunks ran around us, busily gathering resources to last them through the winter. Blue jays and crows squawked above us as house sparrows flitted from branch to branch.
After lunch, we both headed out separately to sit for the afternoon. Neither of us saw any deer then either, but we did enjoy the peace of the coming evening. Stalking back to the house in the graying light of dusk, I took inventory of how lucky I am to live this life.
I live in a country where I have a say in the future of myself and my family. I am lucky enough to be able to pour my thoughts into words on this screen. I have folks, like yourselves, that enjoy reading these stories. I have kids who find as much wonder in the natural world as I do. I found a woman to spend the rest of my life with who supports my pursuits, and when it comes to fishing, shares them. I don't think I could have dreamed up a better life for myself than the one that has been gifted to me.
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