Day One — Friday
A spike-head buck came down from Widow’s Knob behind me and took off back into the woods when I turned to get a look. I should have been more patient. Later, a doe came across Safariland from Robin Lick in my direction, and it seemed to be staring directly at me. When it turned slightly, I put the cross-hairs on and fired. She promptly pranced right back down into the thicket by the creek. Did I miss? After a 90-minute search with no blood sighted, I concluded that I had indeed. When I got back to the barnyard I decided to test fire my rifle in the silo field. From about a hundred yards, I didn’t hit the target area at all using the scope, but came within 2 inches of my bulls-eye with iron sights. That explains it. Lesson learned: don’t assume the scope is still zeroed in from the previous season. That evening I found a great spot near the borderline wash on the Brush Creek side of the tree tunnel. The only deer I saw came crashing down the gully at a full run, chased by three dogs. My luck was still cold.
Day Two — Saturday
Back at the wash, I saw one deer of decent size at Bottle Neck, but it was crossing fast enough to prevent a clean shot. That was it for the morning. That evening I was skunked back at Safariland. Tony came driving through with his ATV trailer about dusk, turned around, and left, waving to me. I didn’t wave back. Hey, if you are not going to hunt, then stay out of the Valley when others are waiting to spot a deer. I think he just drives around and drinks if he isn’t hunting.
Day Three — Sunday
I did not see a deer the entire day, and it feels like I have no more good joss in this valley. I set up at daybreak beyond Blue Bank, at the entrance to the long hay field, because Susan told me that multiple deer had been sighted along their lane, even at mid-day. Later in the morning, I worked the area near the collapsed tobacco barn, and went back out after noon for an hour or so, but no luck. It was back to the wash before sundown, the last place I had made a sighting. There is a certain sound of a deer moving through the woodland bed of dry leaves that gets my heart beating faster. It’s different than the sound of a squirrel, which is a series of abrupt rustles, rather than a more continuous brushing, punctuated with tree-branch cracks. That doesn’t mean a squirrel sound won’t occasionally bump the adrenaline; it’s an unconscious response. At one point, a squirrel ran down a fallen tree and nearly ended up at arm’s reach before it saw me. And then it began barking and hissing at me like I’ve never heard before. Well, at least I knew I had reasonably good concealment, but that was it for the session. Darkness was gaining on me, and I doubted a deer would now proceed into such a noisy scolding zone.
Day Four — Monday
At first light I headed back to the location I had mishandled on Friday, since it had offered the most action of the hunt so far. I discovered another good spot to view the expanse of Safariland, but there was no sign of deer all morning. I decided to climb up to the flat of Widow’s Knob. I got to see one deer when I startled it from its resting place, but, as usual, I don’t get a shot opportunity when that happens. I guess I just wanted to see if one was up there again, near where Marty and I once camped, like there was last month, when I was carrying my muzzle-loader. Finished the four-day hunt back at the Realm of Greystone, and was sad to lose the light without a sighting. Well, I’m a “next-time guy.” See you in December.
