Friday, December 09, 2005
Why Am I Here Tonight?
A thought kept running through my head tonight. What is a nice guy like me doing in a place like this?
I was in one of my ground blinds near a huckleberry marsh. It’s a spot that has produced a good number of bucks for me over the years, but it wasn’t to be on this evening.
It was bitter cold outside. My little catalytic heater seemed incapable of putting out anything more than a feeble bit of warm air. I held my hands next to it, and the wind seemed to be eating its way through the wooden coop to get at me.
It was a nothing night. No chickadees, snow buntings or turkeys came to visit, and the deer stayed home as well.
Once I thought I saw a movement, but on second glance it was a snow devil twisting across the snowy woods. I’m supposed to know a good bit about whitetail behavior, and I pride myself on my common sense.
I know that deer seldom move through the open on nights like this. I asked myself: what are my chances of seeing a buck in these strong winds? The answer was clear.
None, boss. It’s time to head in.
I walked to the truck, turned off my heater, climbed inside and the cab felt like an ice cube. Five minutes later I was pulling off my coveralls, and soaking up the warmth.
My many years of hunting whitetails has taught me one thing. If a person is masochistic, and enjoys self-inflicted pain, they can stay outside and hunt for some deer that won’t come. Or ... we can head for the house, snuggle up to the warmth, and hunt deer another night.
That’s my plan, and I hope tomorrow evening is not a repeat of tonight. If so, more years of hunting deer tells me that it would be another good night to sit at home.
Deer don’t move in strong winds, and my smartest move was leaving the stand when I did. If I were truly smart, I would have stayed home and stayed warm.—The Whitetail Wizard