Outdoors - Bow season

   The season for hunting deer with a bow starts the first of October, but few people get very serious about it until the end of October or the first part of November. The reason being is that is when the rut starts. Bucks who have been getting fat and lazy all summer suddenly turn into complete idiots as they start chasing does. This is when a person will see bucks at all times of the day or night running around completely oblivious to their surroundings. Intent in finding a doe in heat, they will run out in front of cars or even into the side of a car without looking. Their normally cautious demeanor is cast aside. Their increase in daytime movement and showing less caution, increases a hunter’s chance of a buck getting into bow range.

   The challenge of bow hunting is a large part of the appeal. Though less cautious than normal, it remains difficult to get within the forty-yard range to take a shot. Most deer hunters hunt from stands placed in a tree along a trail where a buck will hopefully pass by.

   The last few days has been perfect deer hunting weather. It is cool enough, the deer are moving well but not so cold, a person freezes while perched in their tree waiting motionlessly. The hunt starts early in the morning before daylight. A person wants to get to their stand and up the tree without being seen. The pre-dawn hours are the coldest and most difficult part of the hunt. A person can hear things rustling through the leaves, but it is too dark to see what it might be. On the mornings that are cold, this is when a person gets really cold. As daylight breaks, adrenalin rush from the excitement of what lies ahead helps warm a body rapidly. The noises in the darkness can be tracked to what is making them. The shuffle of leaves turns out to be a raccoon, ambling home after a night out. The crunching of dry leaves that sound like a herd of deer passing by turns out to be two squirrels chasing each other from one tree to the next. A doe, passing cautiously under the stand, sounds like a person walking slowly across a layer of fresh corn flakes cereal.

   A doe passing by is always a good sign. If there is a doe, there will probably be a buck not far behind, checking to see if she is ready to breed. Over the hill on the lake, the geese are honking and squabbling as they get ready to leave for the day to feed in nearby grain fields. Things quiet down for a while as the sun rises over the trees. Small birds flit about, unaware of the hunter among them. Musical notes can be heard from the lake as the trumpeter swans get ready to leave. Before long, their big feet are slapping the water as they fight to become airborne and head out to feed. Air whirs over their wings as they circle the timber and gain altitude.

   The day’s hunt has periods of quiet peaceful enjoyment of nature interspersed with times of intense anticipation as deer pass by under the tree stand. The hunter must choose. Does a person want to take a doe or young buck for eating or wait for the big one. If he fills the tag early in the season, there will be no more opportunities to bow hunt. If he waits too long, he may not be able to get a deer at all. It is a dilemma faced by all deer hunters, but enjoyment of the hunt itself is more important than the deer harvested.