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Article by: Frank Dickman - 11/2/2007

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As I mentioned in my earlier journal entry a property that abuts the local State Gamelands was opened up for archery-only hunting for deer and turkey. I stayed away from the property for the first week, not because of any type of anti-hunting incidents, but rather because I was gambling on the hunters pushing the deer off of the property into adjoining areas. I also wanted to give the gamelands a fair shake before the army of muzzleloader and smallgame hunters entered the woods the second and third weeks of our archery season.

I did some pre-season scouting of the area and found several excellent spots to hang a stand. Sadly though, I later determined that other hunters had been using those areas. So, I decided to review my aerial photos and drive around the outside of the property to see if I could locate a few new sites to hang a stand. I tried to find a mature stand of hardwoods that bordered some of the thick, autumn-olive undergrowth. I was also trying to find a location that was farthest removed from the main access point to the property. I wanted to try to avoid contact with other hunters as much as possible. With a little diligence and some scouting I found just the spot.

The next morning I made the long trek up to the new stand site. The situation looked promising as there were many trails all across the hillside and a variety of other deer sign present as well. After getting settled into the stand I sat back and decided to wait until the morning light started to filter through the treetops. It was a little after 7 am when I caught sight of movement uphill and to my left. A deer had just crested the hill about 60 yards away. Its head was down as it was feeding on the acorns that littered the forest floor. It eventually lifted its head up long enough for me to ID it as a small 4 pointer. After taking a few more steps it eventually laid down within 50 yards of my stand.

Only a few minutes passed before I noticed movement directly uphill and to the right of my stand. Five doe proceeded to head across the hill and directly towards the small buck. He noticed the movement and gave chase. They all disappeared directly uphill and away from me. A half hour passed and I, again, caught movement in the same location as where the 4 pointer materialized from. This time it was a small doe and fawn following the same path as the buck. They, too, bedded down in approximately the same location.

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