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Glenn and Don returned
this morning to their respective ICE Blinds. The
rain appeared to have let up, so I opted to hunt Casey's
Swivel Limb treestand while Casey hunted in my ICE
Blind, hoping to get a shot at one of the remaining doe
in the area.
It was much cooler sitting in the Swivel Limb than it
had been the day before in the warmth of the ICE Blind,
but other than a little discomfort, it wasn't
unbearable. I had a small 4 point buck come in
from the southeast and fed in my shooting lane. I
watched him for several minutes until I heard splashing
coming from the north. A lone doe approached and
entered the shooting lane to my left, but I wasn't in
position for a shot through that lane. The doe was
headed to the lane in which the buck was feeding, so I
thought I would have an opportunity at a shot.
However, the doe, for some reason, changed her course
and moved south through the brush behind me, never
presenting a shot situation. The buck followed
behind her.
More than an hour later, I saw a deer approaching
from the southeast. I quickly readied for a
shot. The doe was just on the edge of the shooting
lane, and appeared to be by herself. Following
behind, however, was the same 4 pointer from earlier in
the morning. As I compared the body size of the
buck to that of the doe, I realized that the doe was a
"mature yearling."
I contemplated shooting the little deer, but couldn't
make up my mind. I kept thinking a larger doe
would come in, but it never did. I watched the
little doe and 4 point for about 40 minutes, trying to
convince myself to shoot. I never could! I
probably should have, but I have one in the cooler, so
I'm not leaving empty-handed.
Casey had several deer around the ICE Blind,
including three bucks. The same spike that we had
seen both yesterday morning and yesterday evening, along
with a 4 pointer and a nice 10 pointer fed at less than
20 yards from the blind, paying little attention to it
or the hunter inside. Casey actually drew back on
each of the smaller bucks, opting not to do the same
with the larger, knowing that instincts might take over
and he would end up in a heap of trouble!
While the bucks weren't bothered at all by the blind,
the does remained cautious of it. None of the
several does ever crossed the fence to give Casey a shot
opportunity!
Glenn had a 4 pointer come in, along with a few
doe. He observed the same thing as Casey, that the
buck was uncaring about the blind, while the does were leery
of it. He took a shot at 42 steps, but missed the
doe cleanly.
We packed up our gear and returned to the Ranger
Station to get the trailer and re-situate the
gear. When we were finished loading, we got ready
to leave, but Glenn's keys had somehow become locked in
the truck! A locksmith was called to open the
door! The cost of Glenn's hunt just increased by
$40! He might ought to stay and hunt this evening
to compensate!
Thanks for joining us on the hunt, and
we appreciate your patience during our technical
difficulties. We intend to apply for this same
hunt next season, and hope to get a chance to
return. This is a fantastic hunt for only $75 for
the weekend. I hope you can join us then!
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