As I type away on this post, I am thinking about how deep my legs are in the muck so to speak. I have just burned my retinas for over 2.5 hours on Google Earth, doing some digital scouting from the "bird's eye" view. I blame myself, mostly, for not playing the cards I've been dealt properly.
I always look forward to bow season on my favorite public hunting grounds, simply due to the number of deer that I get to see, along with the plentiful turkeys. I get to see the deer in their daily routines, unbothered by having shotguns slinging lead at them around every tree. Watching the rut take place, the sparring of bucks, even does setting their pecking order, by hoof boxing over a pile of white oak acorns. But change is the one constant.
I always look forward to bow season on my favorite public hunting grounds, simply due to the number of deer that I get to see, along with the plentiful turkeys. I get to see the deer in their daily routines, unbothered by having shotguns slinging lead at them around every tree. Watching the rut take place, the sparring of bucks, even does setting their pecking order, by hoof boxing over a pile of white oak acorns. But change is the one constant.
In what seems to have happened in the blink of an eye, nature changed the game. West Michigan's deer herd was hammered by EHD. Several townships were impacted heavily, while others only slightly noticeably. Most of my honey holes are in the heavy loss zones, or on the fringe. Last year, during the gun season, the reduction was quite noticeable, but deer were still in the heart of the area. It seams that we really wouldn't notice the big impact until this year, after the smoke cleared from last year's deer harvest.
I admit to taking a single doe from the area, on Thanksgiving morning. The DNR recommended minizing the number of antlerless deer that we hunters harvested, to help rebuild the herds that suffered heavy loss, no matter how many doe tags we paid for. I know other hunters in the area were not about to let tags collect wallet lint.
So here I am. First foot on a good gravel bank, second foot up past mid thigh in rivermuck. The only deer I have had visual confirmation on was a button buck that crossed the road in front of me, onto private land. Some of my spots have a few hoof prints, maybe a scrape and a rub, but trail timers have them cruising through in darkness.
It's t-minus 6 days until the Michigan Firearm Deer Season, and I am at a major crossroads. This weekend, I will be taking a huge gamble, scouting out the Allegan State Game Area. I have hunted several areas of it, but mainly only for turkey in the spring.
I ask you, what would you do? Keep the faith and stick with familiar territory, or take the leap of faith, and dive blindly into new grounds?
Thanks for reading!
I admit to taking a single doe from the area, on Thanksgiving morning. The DNR recommended minizing the number of antlerless deer that we hunters harvested, to help rebuild the herds that suffered heavy loss, no matter how many doe tags we paid for. I know other hunters in the area were not about to let tags collect wallet lint.
So here I am. First foot on a good gravel bank, second foot up past mid thigh in rivermuck. The only deer I have had visual confirmation on was a button buck that crossed the road in front of me, onto private land. Some of my spots have a few hoof prints, maybe a scrape and a rub, but trail timers have them cruising through in darkness.
It's t-minus 6 days until the Michigan Firearm Deer Season, and I am at a major crossroads. This weekend, I will be taking a huge gamble, scouting out the Allegan State Game Area. I have hunted several areas of it, but mainly only for turkey in the spring.
I ask you, what would you do? Keep the faith and stick with familiar territory, or take the leap of faith, and dive blindly into new grounds?
Thanks for reading!