No cover scent please

It is before daylight on Election Day as I leave my truck. I grab my gear and begin walking quickly down a mowed path toward my stand, without a light as always. As most people know, when you walk quickly in the dark, you see and hear very little. In this case, a very subtle sound very close startles me and I stop. Not 5 feet from me I immediately see the back end of a skunk, tail raised and stomping his feet. Uh oh! As much as cover scent is a part of bow hunting, I surely would like to pass on this one! I stand very still, and fortunately the animal begins to relax and ambles off without actually spraying. I then head on into my deer stand, with no sightings of my intended quarry at all. As I sit, I find myself hoping that whoever is elected today is nowhere near the worthless greedy bum their opponent has made them out to be. Then again, most of them would be in a mental ward of a prison if what was reported was true. But, enough of politics.

Right now, I am hearing a great many bow hunting success stories from friends and family. Congratulations to each of those hunters, and good luck to those still hunting. What an exciting time to be out there!

The Iowa deer rut is peaking, which causes the normally nocturnal and reclusive bucks to be active and at least somewhat more vulnerable to both hunters and, unfortunately, vehicles. Ie: The next few weeks is when the car/deer accidents are most common. Be careful out there, I don?t want you running over the buck I want to arrow! Teasing.

Personally, I have thus far harvested just two does. One of them was a large ?matriarchal? doe with three fawns from a farm where this was needed. I have now shifted my full attention to the ones with antlers, and have truly enjoyed some vacation days spent in various stands. Rattling, grunting, scent tricks, and quiet waiting have all resulted in antlered deer ?visiting? me. Several have eventually ?busted? me, with an eight pointer doing so last night from a distance of 5 horizontal and 6 vertical yards. IE: He looked up and found me, but would have been a little late. Far more of them have busted me at greater downwind distances, likely most of which I never even saw. If a big one comes along I will love it; if not, I am certainly loving getting away! I would not trade that experience for a trip anywhere on earth, although the sleep deprivation becomes a factor at times.

I hope that everyone is enjoying this great time of year in their own way. Be safe out there!