I really wish I had some amazing story... or some amazing success pictures... or at least a close-call or two to share with you all. Fact is, this year's rut camp was anything but exciting for me. I hunted hard, I hunted long, I hunted flat out smart... and still couldn't get it done.
We arrived late Friday morning, checked in to the cabin, and did a little bit of scouting early in the afternoon. I went in to Saturday with some high hopes, even though I was hunting a "new" spot. Saturday morning was o.k., but it was fairly warm and the wind began to pick up. I passed up a 115" 8-pointer that came cruising through around 9:00 a.m. By Saturday afternoon, the wind was blowing steady and gusting hard... and of course stayed that way for three days straight. Temps in the 60's and high winds... needless to say, deer movement was virtually non-existant.
The wind came and went, but the forecast only got worse. A cold front came through, bringing 2 straight days of downpouring rain with it. I brought the rain gear so I hunted right through it... but even with the FroggToggs I still managed to get a cold wet ass. Once that rain came, the creek bottoms flooded and the only know entrance to my honey hole was blocked off. I was cold, I was wet, I was seeing no deer... no signs of the rut whatsoever... I was dejected, to say the least. Wednesday night I made a desparate last-ditch effort by converting my goatee into a fu manchu... a "rally cap" if you will. I also discovered a new entrance to my honey hole that night, which would allow me to come in from the ridgetop instead of the creek bottom.
Thursday came and the weather was finally looking better. The front moved through and the temps dropped, and the wind quit. I sat in that funnel for sunup to sundown, never climbing out of the tree. The only thing I saw was a 1.5 yr old 4-pointer at 3:45 p.m. He walked right underneath me, and got a free pass of course.
Friday morning was my last chance. We were checking out at 1:00 p.m., so it was a now-or-never situation. The weather that morning was absolutely perfect. It was down right cold, and the wind was blowing just slightly out of the North. At this point, I was just hoping for a doe to walk by me. But it just wasn't in the cards. I saw zero deer that morning.
Last season we saw more deer in that week than ever, so I had high expectations for this year's trip. Strangely enough, I think this year we saw fewer deer than ever before. I honestly believe the weather played the biggest role in that. We saw some deer, had a great time hanging out together, and enjoyed God's great creation... I just wish we could have brought some meat home with us. Heck, I even lost my title belt in our annual ping-pong tournament while fighting off an in-game nosebleed. It could have been a better trip, but it was a good vacation nonetheless. Hopefully next year we have a bit more success.
We arrived late Friday morning, checked in to the cabin, and did a little bit of scouting early in the afternoon. I went in to Saturday with some high hopes, even though I was hunting a "new" spot. Saturday morning was o.k., but it was fairly warm and the wind began to pick up. I passed up a 115" 8-pointer that came cruising through around 9:00 a.m. By Saturday afternoon, the wind was blowing steady and gusting hard... and of course stayed that way for three days straight. Temps in the 60's and high winds... needless to say, deer movement was virtually non-existant.
The wind came and went, but the forecast only got worse. A cold front came through, bringing 2 straight days of downpouring rain with it. I brought the rain gear so I hunted right through it... but even with the FroggToggs I still managed to get a cold wet ass. Once that rain came, the creek bottoms flooded and the only know entrance to my honey hole was blocked off. I was cold, I was wet, I was seeing no deer... no signs of the rut whatsoever... I was dejected, to say the least. Wednesday night I made a desparate last-ditch effort by converting my goatee into a fu manchu... a "rally cap" if you will. I also discovered a new entrance to my honey hole that night, which would allow me to come in from the ridgetop instead of the creek bottom.
Thursday came and the weather was finally looking better. The front moved through and the temps dropped, and the wind quit. I sat in that funnel for sunup to sundown, never climbing out of the tree. The only thing I saw was a 1.5 yr old 4-pointer at 3:45 p.m. He walked right underneath me, and got a free pass of course.
Friday morning was my last chance. We were checking out at 1:00 p.m., so it was a now-or-never situation. The weather that morning was absolutely perfect. It was down right cold, and the wind was blowing just slightly out of the North. At this point, I was just hoping for a doe to walk by me. But it just wasn't in the cards. I saw zero deer that morning.
Last season we saw more deer in that week than ever, so I had high expectations for this year's trip. Strangely enough, I think this year we saw fewer deer than ever before. I honestly believe the weather played the biggest role in that. We saw some deer, had a great time hanging out together, and enjoyed God's great creation... I just wish we could have brought some meat home with us. Heck, I even lost my title belt in our annual ping-pong tournament while fighting off an in-game nosebleed. It could have been a better trip, but it was a good vacation nonetheless. Hopefully next year we have a bit more success.