Archery Deer Season

My 2017-18 deer hunt has not been successful, at least not if you measure success by the amount of meat in the freezer.  I brought the boys out during the youth hunt, hunted the second weekend of gun season, then bow hunted a few times along the way with nothing to show for it.  So I just had to get out on the last day of bow season to see if my luck would change.

 

The St. Louis area received maybe ½” of snow overnight, and falling temperatures promised to keep the deer moving.  I was optimistic as I got out of my truck and began my ritual of spraying myself with cover scent and layering up to fight the cold.  The wind had really picked up so I opted to stay out of the climber and instead hunkered down in a big log pile that offered excellent concealment as well as a great view of the trail that the deer follow almost every day.  It was mid-afternoon and I felt like I got into position in plenty of time and confidence was high.  

 

As the day wore on and the wind increased, my confidence waned as no deer showed up.  I was visited by Carolina and Winter Wrens and several Cardinals who shared my log pile and practically landed on me.  A few Great-horned owls hung out together on the power poles separating the bluff I was hunting and the large corn fields across the road.  Canada Geese flew over in large noisy flocks, battling the wind.  And of course a few squirrels showed up to taunt me one last time.  So while I trying to feel disappointed at my lack of success, I was reminded that I was blessed to be able to be in the Missouri outdoors enjoying nature’s show.  It was easy to forget that I was still in St. Louis County, not far from a busy highway and all of the rush hour traffic inching along.

 

I was also reminded that I really didn’t put in the work to deserve a successful deer season.  I cleared some shooting lanes, but not enough as a few obvious cedars blocked our view of some deer during youth season.  I passed on a few shots with the bow as my lack of consistent practice left me without the confidence needed to make the shot.  While I did some scouting, I didn’t take enough precautions to sneak in and out of the woods or control my scent, undoubtedly spooking some of the pressured deer in the process.  As the sun set on another deer season, I pledged to work a bit harder this coming year to earn the success that I was hoping for.