Strictly Whitetails

It’s January 9th and most Michigan hunters have packed away the guns, bows, and hunting gear. The season is over and very few hunters are out scouting. But for the past week I have been anticipating another late season hunt. Just today I crossed the state line to chase after whitetails. For the past week I have been day dreaming, planning, and counting the hours to the weekends hunt.

I can’t tell you why I was so excited to hunt. I wasn’t going to great property that had big bucks roaming. I was freelancing into some very heavily hunted state land that has very low deer densities. It’s not uncommon to hunt for days without seeing a deer. Today was a different day, it wasn’t bout chasing big horns or even meat for the freezer. The hunt was about the anticipation, hunting with my brother, and taking on 10 degree weather.

A blanket of snow covered the ground making is very easy to see. The pine groves I hunted had very few tracks crossing them. But even with more human tracks crossing the woods then deer, my hopes were high. This new spot was very cool looking but I think the snow helped. And the winter blues have been swept away for another week. That is until I attempt again to chase bucks with my bow. That’s were the challenge really begins. Packing on enough cloths to stay warm yet thin enough to bow hunt.

Anyone enduring the bitterly winter cold comes to realize the great outdoors is the ultimate cure for the winter blues. If you’re still out, good luck.