I have been in the woods a lot this year since I am retired now. I have seen 14 different bears not counting my trail cams. I have seen 5 different bobcats, and many blacktail deer along with tons of elk. Among those elk have been huge bulls.
The first day of late buck early in the morning I see a shootable two point buck and pass on it. I have been following a certain buck for four years now and this one is not him. A Short while later a spike buck walks within a short space of me and I just watch him for a bit. I am positioned against an old growth stump in an area that I know where deer come through. I have a ravine behind me with a ton of brush that I figure that no animal would come through. After a while I hear something coming through that brush that I figure nothing would come through. I is a tall two point buck, but not the deer that I am hoping for. I hunker down and it walks within about 20' of me. I hangs around for a bit. During this time I am texting with two other members of this site and they are writing back to shoot it. I guess that I am getting older, so I just enjoy watching the bucks for awhile.
The buck that I was hoping for never showed, but I truly feel that it was a great year for me. I did not shoot any animals for the first time in many years, but am very happy with my outdoor experiences. I have many great photos and encounters and feel very satisfied. I guess that I am just getting older and the experience is very good for my health and well being.
Side note, I pulled trail camera cards yesterday and had a two point deer on one plus a spike bull elk on another. I was very pleased with those and hope that they grow to be larger next year.
