Only Deer Hunters seem to Know!

[swamp buck]

Why do we love the pre-dawn walk?, the sound of the woods waking up?, the first crunch of the leaves when were are on stand? Getting cold feet and wet arse, and actually bragging about it back at camp! What a disease we have! I can't wait! Any others I missed? Can't wait to hear em!

[rgoi812]

remember the look on that kids face when he was standing over his first trophy whitetail on opening morning and telling him its really an awesome deer with all them really big feet and then the rest of the guys informed him of the old ritual for the beginners first deer back at camp just before the heart and liver were put in the fridge.i never will forgive them myself and probably won't pull that one on my two beginners this year if the chance arrives.just hope they get one.

[not_nuf_time]

Or how many times you scan the woods visually and see all the different objects that you swear are deer in the distance, till you put the binocs up to it. Or how you swear you've never been more cold in your life. And why do we open our eyes wider when walking to our stands in the dark, it certaily doesn't help us see more clearly. And only deer hunters seem to know of the little bit of fear or exhileration(sp) as we walk to the stand in pitch black hoping no monster is going to jump us, finally the relief when we climb the stand. Admit it, you feel it.

[Coach1310]

That cool, crisp, pure air. The anticipation. The sacredness. The feeling that time doesn't matter. Who cares what day, what time, we're hunting. All that matters in the nature around us. The smell of the leaves, the nip in the air, that crazy squirrel that keeps running back and forth through the oak leaves or the woodpecker that just won't stop or the chickadees that land on your boot. Nothing like being lost in thought while sitting in the stand only to hear that twig snap behind you, your heart races, you can't get yourself to turn around, "it's a squirrel anyway" you tell your self, you finally muster up the courage to turn, your heart is pounding and you are sure the woods can hear it and you turn and there it is......I love that feeling!!!

[buckpredator]

I agree with what you wrote not nuf time, I can't tell you how many times during a session on a stand I lift the binocs only to see the same pile of rocks or a log. Its the times you look at a pile of rocks only to see a deer that makes it worth it.

[Big D 1]

Kicking a porcupine out of my stand

The rustling of leaves

The crisp rifle shot in the cold air

sitting back at camp with dad and brother (dad died in 99)

ahhhh, I can smell the coffee brewing now

[UdeLakeTom]

When you flush that grouse in the dark walking to the stand and have to almost turn around and change your clothing....or why aren't them grouse just sitting there when we have shotguns with us instead of rifles. Those chickadees sit on branches 1 foot from your face seem to be

unaware that you are there. I dropped my glove, do I climb back down to get it, or just wait....what if the buck comes by when I'm going down to get it??? Dang my hand is getting

cold. Were those tracks under my stand when I went up? How come I just saw them now? I know I didn't fall asleep.

Did something walk under my stand when I was watching those squirrels fight looking the other way.

[DinnerPail]

Having a cup of coffe at the truck cuz you caught a chill and could sit any longer, hearing a shot and know it was your son because you told him we need to sit until eleven.

Feeding the gray jay some of your peanuts and he returns with all of his friends and you don't have enough to go around.

Just being in the woods and enjoying the great out doors.

And of course still having the bigest buck on the wall at the cabin and pointing it out to the rest of the crew.

[snapcrackpop]

Saying at the end of the season, "Well only 9 more months to go!"

[HuskerBen]

When nature's dimmer switch starts up, and everything is still gray and blue and black, and the sun finally peeks over the hill to the east and the colors around you suddenly explode with a wash of gold... When your toes become little chunks of ice inside your boots and you think you can't possibly last until 10:00, but by 11:30 you still don't want to leave... When you see nothing on stand all morning, but jump three bucks on the way back to your truck... When you pass up a shot opportunity because you don't want your season to be over just yet...

[Beeber]

Some of my favorites are:

Sitting in the stand when it is -?? F with the still air turning your once warm checks numb your feet into blocks of ice and your fingers into useless pieces of flesh. Than hearing that twig break which you swear is right next to you but is probably hundreds of yards away but your heart races and all of a sudden you start to sweat.

When I was younger my father would put my cousin and I in stands (see the comments above) and walk around in the woods to chase something our way only to reappear hours later with his coat open and steam pouring out wondering why we are sitting there shivering unable to make our fingers work to unzip our coat pockets to get a candy bar out to stave off the hunger pains which developed because we left the house to early to have any breakfast.

The last one I will mention is the thrill of posting and having a fawn come within a few feet of you remaining there only to paralyze you for minutes which feel like hours because you do not dare spook it and possibly the monster buck which is sure to come down the trail behind it.

Man those are good memories.

[Gus]

Getting to your stand an hour before legal shooting just so you can take a quick nap in the cold morning air.

[buckpredator]

Or when you hear a shot or multiple shots out in the distance. You try to imagine what the hunter might be shooting at: how big, how many points, how many deer there must be by him or her to take all those shots.

[buckpredator]

Or do I shoot the coyote or let it go cause my big buck is just about to step out in the open.

[UdeLakeTom]

And if he missed all those shots, how soon will that buck come running by my stand????

[bigbucks]

That's what I was thinking.

You hear the first volley of shots about a 1/4 mile away, then in just about the right amount of time you hear another volley about 300 yards away, then in just about the right amount of time you hear crashing in the brush coming from that direction, there they are... Boom!

This has happened to me several times, what a rush!

[buckpredator]

Yes that scenario has happened to me as well, many times you can hear the dear panting with its mouth wide open. You darn near feel sorry for the deer. Until you miss it as well.

[swamp buck]

I love the drive "up North" and seeing the steady stream of vehicles with blaze orange showing somewhere in the vehicle! I also get a kick out of the "once a year" vehicles I see like the 2 man camper from the 1960's being pulled by a 2006 Dodge Ram! Or the beat up old trailers full of all the neccesary items like tree stands, coolers, atv's,etc. I am so pumped by all the reponses from my fellow hunters, I'm just glad we get to partake in this absolute marvel we call Deer Hunting!

[buckpredator]

Another is talking to fellow successfull hunters at the registration stations. Sharing stories about what was seen and taken as well as what was missed.

[Mark Christianson]

I hear Dad shoot...... Oh man, did he finally get a really nice buck!!!! Oh crap, he shot again. Did he miss it????? No, Dad doesnt miss!!! He must have gotten a nice buck and maybe filled an anterless tag!

I sit in the woods now and hear my Dad shoot and I dang near shat in my pants in hopes that he finally got a big one. He is 58 years old, has hunted since he was 12 and has never taken a big buck. His biggest ever was a 101 inch gross scored 8 pt in 2002. He didnt really smile or show much emotion, but I know he was happy as hell when he got that one.

But Dad doesnt really care that much what he gets. But I KNOW he would be pleased if he got a wall hanger.....

BANG!!!!! Did he get the big one???? I won't know until he comes hiking through the woods with his eyes as wide as peeled onions and says, "holy sh*t Mark, you gotta come and look at this deer I got!".

Oh, I sit there and imagine it for hours on end, year after year.... It will happen. And I will be the proudest son on earth at that moment. Oh its so dang fun to sit in the stand and anticipate Dads shot. It really is......

[Coach1310]

Anticipating the moment for weeks...not just the hunting but getting together with a group of guys who only get together that one time a year...camp...you don't even get out of the truck and the ****(you know what) is flying. reminiscing about past years...(think about how many memories you get out of that one week a year)that walk back to camp on opening day for lunch thinking, "I wonder who got what, I swear I heard Jim shoot"...knowing it was a great first morning even though you didn't see anything...when the weekend is all over you give thanks for the opportunity to do it again, thanks for everyone in your hunting party being safe and saying a little prayer while you ask for the opportunity to do it all again next year

[irvingdog]

A few things I noticed this weekend:

(Gus beat me to this one...) A 5:30 a.m. nap in a Birch tree, when the sun doesn't rise until 7:25, just somehow seems right.

Deer are perfectly camoflauged.

The word Chipmunk actually translates to "Walks with Buffalo feet" in Ojibwa.

I can hit a 5 inch diameter circle at 40 yards with an arrow while at the range. I can hit a 1/16th inch twig at 15 yards while in a tree stand.

As smart as a doe can be, when you miss them at 15 yards, sometimes, they give you a second shot. Re-nock an arrow. Every time.

A 130 pound doe is a lot easier to drag up a long hill than a 130 pound bag of sand.

Tastes better to.

[The_Duckslayer]

BLB N Joy those hunts with dad! I used to get those same feelings duck hunting with dad, hoping that one of those gorgeous drake woodies had met it's match at the end of dads old auto.

I think that the best part of deer hunting is becomeing one with nature. You become part of the woods and nothing sees you. Well, nothing but that dang smart deer! They are a very worthy advisary... you have to be a lot smarter to get one of them than you do a duck.

My son and I are going up north this year on a guided hunt. I will sit in a double stand with him on day one. It would be simply awesome to be there and see him get his first ever deer! Kind of like any time that I go hunting with him, I get far more joy out of him getting something than I do if I get it. I am hoping that this will be the first of many years that we can go deer hunting together. We went once a coule of years ago but that was on public land and there were WAY TO MANY folks out there that knew nothing about deer hunting. A group of 12 walked thru where we were hunting. I asked them what they thought they were doing and they were going to "jump shoot" a deer. Ducks maybe but deer? I doubt it.

Oh one other thing, did you ever notice that a sandwich never tastes better than it does in the tree stand or the duck blind? Have a good one and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo

[Bassboy1645]

How can anyone sleep???!!!! Im all about "lets get a good night sleep tontie" and retiring to our beds on the eve of opener at 1130pm only to stare at the cieling and think horns all nite until u cant take it anymore then getting up and making coffee and maybe playing a gam of cards to pass the time until the last three hours of dark when we leave to get in our stands OMG IM SO CANT WAit!!!!!!!!!

[Bad Catcher]

When you wake up and feel fully rested when you only got 3 hours rest, and have your friends look and smile at you knowing that you have waited a long long time for that second to arrive.