With Hurricane Sandy out in the Atlantic, windy days are ahead for anyone on the east coast states. Windy days can be great hunting days. You find yourself relying on your eyes more than your ears. Take your time and examine everything around you. If you find yourself in a tree stand, double-check all your safety features. These are the dangerous days to be in a stand.
Colder nights and cooler days are forecasted. Get out now and take advantage of the change of weather!!!
Day 7 and 8 of the gun season have been less than encouraging. Arriving an hour before dark at the archery only area of Redlands WMA, I drifted into the woods. Heading down the trail, I quickly notice that the area is not traveled often. The area is a split of hardwoods and pines. There are trails that meander throughout the area. I quietly and patiently worked my way about 3/4 of a mile down the trail. Squirrels are playing in the trees, but no deer come out. As I get in the truck and head across the WMA and nearly hit 4 deer on my way out.
In the morning, I head to the area where I saw the 4 deer the night before. On the way, a six-point buck is standing in the emergency lane of the highway. It could be a good morning. The bucks are obviously starting to chase. Hopefully I can get to the area that I scouted at the end of last season. I left the house extra early knowing that weekends are difficult on public land. I arrive two hours before sunrise and find multiple trucks in each parking areas. I end up having to go down two miles from the area that I had scouted. I manage to get into the woods about an hour before sunrise. Not having a clue really where I am, I make sure to take my compass and map. I wonder into a pine thicket and wait for the sun to rise. 15 minutes after legal shooting time, I hear the first shot of the morning. That fact alone is disappointing.
After about 45 minutes, I decide to try to still hunt the area since I have never been here before. I find a fiber optic line and hunt both sides of the line. The only thing moving was some terrifying spiders and a few aggressive squirrels that decided to pick a fight with everything in sight. I had to get to work, so I wondered back out of the woods and knew better days were ahead.
Dirt Road Dispatch 