Scouting

This story was written on November 7th. However, due to the cloak-and-dagger nature of deer scouting, you had to wait to read it until deer season ended here. Now it can be published.

November 7th, 2017:

It is getting hard to get my walking in these days. 10,000 steps is more than it seems. It takes a lot of time to cover enough ground, and on these rocky hills a good deal of effort to get it done.

Thus this morning I started early, while the rest of the house was asleep, almost as soon as it was light. It was cold compared to recent weeks, and grey and rather gloomy. 

The birds were nothing exciting. The usual winter sparrows plus a few leftovers from summer. A couple of geese, a handful of jays, some lingering robins and the like.

I didn't mind a bit; just getting out and seeing them is reward enough for me.

Thus when I was done and headed down behind the barn I was content and full of happy comfort.

Suddenly I became aware of a loud rattling in the dead, brown goldenrod behind me. Now, even a Downy Woodpecker can make a lot of noise in dead vegetation, but this was loud. It made me a little nervous as it kept coming and coming and yet I couldn't see any thing at all.

I realized that it had to be a deer to make as much noise as that and then I smelled it, the rank stink of  buck deer. A buck smells a lot like a goat only less sharp and more musky. Alan taught me to recognize it on a trip to Montezuma a few years ago and now I find a lot of deer that way.

I waited and waited as it crashed around out there, still seeing nothing but I sure could hear it. Eventually all went quiet and I started back down to the house.

However, something made me stop and look back up the hill. Out of the western half of the field sprang a little four-point buck that lept across the farm road. 

Hot on his heels was a magnificent, calendar-picture, six-point, or maybe even an 8. It was hellbent on catching him, flashing fore hooves slashing at him as they ran.

They were so close. 

They never saw or smelled me though and only got out of camera range so quickly because they were intent on other things..one on getting out of Dodge, and the other providing the impetus to do so promptly.

I would share this with you today, but alas, I scout for just one guy....and he is in New Jersey right now.

Anyhow, that is the scouting report for the first week of this past November.