Yesterday Nov. 12th I saw deer! I haven't seen a deer since Nov. 2nd. I would have never thought it would be possible. That I could spend virtually every day in a stand, during the first two weeks of November, and not see a deer, but it has happened. I don't know what happened to the rut. I don't know why I haven't been seeing deer, but I do know that I am not the only one experiencing this problem.
Yesterday at 8:30am out in front of my stand about 80yds I could see a large doe heading my way, with this years fawn leading the way. My stand is located on a ridge that runs north and south. I come in on the east side of the ridge, which is very steep but it allows me to get into my stand without the fear of any deer cutting my track. The deer were coming from the north on a run that travels 20 yds to the left of my stand. The wind was out of the Northwest, which meant there was no chance these deer were going to wind me, it looked like I may fill my doe tag. The deer were feeding on acorns and slowly walking toward me. When the fawn reached the 40 yd mark she dipped into some thick brush that is a little further west of the run and disappeared, the mother did the same. I could hear them in the leaves and within minutes the fawn came out almost dead left of me, still heading south past my stand. I let her pass waiting for the mother. The fawn fed within 20yds of my stand behind me and continued south. The mother never came out...no filled doe tag.
At 9:30 I could hear a deer walking from the same area the does had come from, maybe the mother was bedded and was coming out. Nope, I could see a buck, that I thought was a big spike heading my way. Like I said the does came from the same area but he did not seem to be trailing them. He was not searching, he would sniff the ground but he didn't seem to be on the hunt. At 40 yds, where the does had gone left, he went right. He did not seem to even notice that the doe's were there, and that they had gone the other way. He continued toward me until he was directly in front of me at 20yds (the only place I don't have a shot due to the pine trees that hide my stand). He stood there and ate acorns for about 5 minutes. During this time I realized that he was not a spike but a small six point, he had 10 or 12 inch beams, each had two small (less that 2'' tines). He ate acorns, cleaned himself, shook off, he basically didn't seem like a buck looking for doe's, more like a deer that just woke up from a nap. After eating some acorns I figured he would continue his trek south past my stand either on the right, or left on the main run. Nope, he walked straight to my stand, under the pines that hide me, until he was sniffing my tree steps. One good sniff and a quick look up, and he was off to the races, blowing loud enough to alert every deer in the area (not that there were anymore). If you asked me on November 2nd if I would fill my 2nd tag on another small buck, I would have said "no way". Seeing a deer has been so difficult, the thought had crossed my mind, and if I had been given the opportunity...I may have ended my season on a 120lb 6pt. But.... I didn't... and now I'll have to keep hunting, hopefully not for another 10 days without a deer sighting.
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