It took a few evenings, but it came together! Last night, December 3rd, was a beautiful evening here in the rolling Palouse, and mercifully a little warmer than it has been. After a weekend of hunting a friend's property in the special unit, I had gathered enough clues to be confident in a tree stand location in a fire-scorched ponderosa pine. I set the stand on Monday, and had some does work towards me, but did not arrive within range for me to shoot. Tuesday was a day where work did not let me get out, with the silver lining of letting my scent "cool off" around the stand. Last night I watched deer move all around the valley as a nearly full moon rose over the snow-covered fields. Finally, three yearlings work down a draw forty yards away, coming from the wheat fields above, not the hawthorn below. The largest (and most alert) of them tempt me, but I personally want to let such young animals live a little before they are turned into venison! I watch them graze their way down the draw, content with the evening's hunt as it was, when I hear more rustling from up the draw. I turn slightly, and there she is, an adult whitetail doe, exactly what I was waiting for, at 65 yards. She drops instantly into the crested wheat-grass at the shot from the Knight Mountaineer, more meat for winter, a beautiful gift from this land that I love.
Good luck to everyone with tags remaining! I am mentoring a new hunter this weekend- hopefully we can get her her first deer!
