No deer in the old stand.

I went on a three day hunt with my buddy Jim last weekend.  We decided to hunt at my old stomping grounds near Brainerd, MN.  It is the place where I shot my first deer many years ago (a four point buck).  I have not hunted this spot in at least 12 years.  I knew it would be crawling with critters of all sorts.  I also knew that the weather was going to be nice, perfect for tenting.   So Thursday night, with our Resident Archery Deer licenses, Jim and I traveled up North to begin our hunting adventure.

We found the perfect camping spot.  It was a State Forest, so camping was free.  The tent went up quickly and we soon found ourselves crawling into our sleeping bags.  Both of us could hear critters moving around in the woods.   My imagination filled with visions of monster bucks as I drifted to sleep.

The first day (Friday) proved uneventful.  I did come across a fresh scrape and rub. This was exciting for me because I have been looking for signs of deer all morning and could not find any because the leaves were falling off of the trees.  The fallen leaves were covering the deer droppings and hoof prints.  They were also very crunchy, no doubt the deer could hear me coming from miles away.  I also found some permanent stands near the scrape and rub.  These stands were very useful for Jim and me, as we posted in them for the evening and morning hunts.  

Saturday Morning was beautiful.  It was 55 degrees and the wind was 5-10 MPH.  Perfect for the morning hunt.  Jim and I got to a late start (I set the alarm wrong), but we were able to get out to the stands and give the morning our best.  Unfortunately, neither of us saw anything.  We met for some good chow (we ate like kings) and decided to hunt a section of the forest that had recent logging activity.

A couple of weeks earlier, I tried locating my old stand but could not because the forest path leading to the stand was destroyed by fallen trees (left behind by the loggers).  I had assumed that my stand no longer existed.  After helping Jim find a great spot to set up his portable stand.  I decided to look further.  I was able to locate where the trail that led to my old stand started again and I was pleasantly surprised to find it still standing.  In the image below, I took a picture of the tree where I had carved my name in 1997 and 1998.

Finding my old stand gave me an euphoric feeling and brought back some good memories.  My friend Matt carved HEAD SHOT into this stand because of how I shot my first deer.  Head Shot was no longer visible, so I re-carved it for old times sake.  Hunting from this stand enriched my experience of the weekend.  As I hunted, I was able to recall all the deer I had seen in the past.  I soon realized I was not alone in this stand.  A porcupine took residence in the tree above.  The euphoric feelings switched to slight nervousness.  I wondered, as the little guy studied me, do porcupines jump?   Later, Jim told me that they can shoot their quills when threatened.    As Saturday evening settled in, two owls landed in the tree 10 yards from me.  Their calls echoed the forest.   Another day gone, neither Jim or I have seen deer.

Sunday Morning was uneventful.   The deer were not active at all.  It's possible that it was simply to warm.  Perhaps the falling leaves kept them from moving around.  Maybe the deer were in some corn field.  Even though Jim and I were skunked, we had a wonderful time camping, eating, and enjoying the beautiful scenery.