I guess a good thread for this post.
My parents are visiting for a couple of weeks (leaving the coming Sunday) and I wanted to take my dad out for an easy hunt. So I figured we will go out, I will take him walking the hills and some bush for a little bit and then we will shoot a mule doe at the end of it. Now note that all this walking and whatnot is only to make it appear as a "real" hunt. It usually takes me about 10 minutes to shoot a doe at that spot. And that's every single time I have a tag, no exceptions (well, unless I hunt elsewhere). So it's just a meat place, really, so to speak.
Now don't get me wrong, my plan was not to walk for the sake of walking. We are actually hunting the area and I was absolutely confident that we would be packing meet within an hour tops. If nothing turned up in the bush, the back up plan was to shoot a doe about an hour before sunset on the first evening (which was Friday). About an hour before sunset is when does usually come out at that particular spot: there are lots of them and they never miss a day.
I guess I should have mentioned that my dad used to hunt plenty when he was younger than I am now, but hasn't done it in decades. I was thinking to take him out for a whitetail, but his knees would not take that hunt. Even worse, he would be saying he is all good and dandy, while suffering later on. Thus, the plan I described above.
So we went out on Friday, walked for about an hour and a half, saw a decent buck, not a single doe. Did I mention that there are tons of does and there has never been a time when I haven't seen one when walking/hunting there? So yes, we came back home with nothing. Went out on Saturday morning, walked for a little bit (an hour or so), saw a buck or two, no does. We had dinner at my cousin's place, so we could not get out on Saturday evening. Comes Sunday morning, we move out, walk the hills - nothing! Sunday evening we go out again, walk the hills for a couple of hours, saw 5 good bucks and a couple of young ones (among the 5 good ones was one very very good one I would put down right there if I had a tag). Not a single female! Did I mention about the does at that spot? We did not go out today because it was just too warm for my liking to deal with meat, as well as a warm night and a very warm day tomorrow. Tomorrow evening the weather is going to be perfect and so it will be for the next few days, so we are going to go out and shoot one, for sure
I don't know if I mentioned, but...
Seriously though, I have no idea wtf is going on. They were there for years, every single day, including last Wednesday (I have not been in the area on Thursday, but I am sure they were there as well).
I am not complaining, it actually turned to be an actual hunt and more quality time with my dad. Hope his knees hold up!
Yeah, just wanted to share this weird experience.
P.S. The cow in the post above mine looks great! I do not think one can shoot a better one for the meat.