Claude Pollington the Whitetail Wizard
Friday, October 01, 2010
Opening Day at the Ranch
About 20 people showed up at the Buck Pole Ranch to greet the archery opener tonight, and those hunters had mixed results. The weather turned with rain and northwest winds, and the temperature hovered at about 59 degrees, and the deer didn’t move well as the front came though.
Hunters were spaced all over my 1,000 fenced-in enclosure, and half a dozen people were hunting my land outside the enclosure. Reports of deer sightings this evening varied from none to 12 for one hunter, and another sportsman said he saw several bucks still traveling together in a bachelor group. The biggest buck in that group was a heavy-antlered 8-point.
One hunter shot at a buck and missed, and another hunter hit a buck but followed up on it too quickly and it jumped up and ran. He came in, had something to eat, and two or three people went back out later to look for the animal. So far, they haven’t returned.
I went to a spot where I’ve wanted to check for deer activity, and saw just two but both were bucks. One was a very nice 10-pointer, and the other was a nice buck with eight glowing-white points. Both deer stayed just far enough away to avoid me having the temptation to shoot one of them. The 10-pointer had a 22-inch spread and respectable G-2s. One more year on that buck will turn it into a dandy that any hunter would be proud of.
It’s been a long, hard day and I’m ready for bed. Hope your deer hunt went well today. Tune in here tomorrow for more on deer hunting. Good Luck!—The Whitetail Wizard