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6:00 p.m. - November 16, 2008

After today's hunt, I understand the saying, "waiting with bated breath".  

About an hour and a half after I settled down for the afternoon hunt, I heard what sounded like a sneeze.  A few minutes later I heard a snort.  I figured I was hearing things, because I didn't see anything.  But five minutes later, the rustle of leaves sounded different than when the wind gusts picked them up.  It sounded like someone, or something, was trotting just north of me. 

I looked to my left and saw antlers.  My body froze while my heart sped up at the same time.  I quietly removed my glove and slowly raised my gun.  By now I wasn't breathing, afraid to startle the deer. I could only see one antler.  Sadly it wasn't three inches long.  Four or five small poplars blocked the deer body and right side of its head.  Suddenly it turned and looked right at me.  He had two outer points, roughly six inches long, plus the two inner, that were about two inches.

By now adrenaline had overcome me and I could hear my heart thumping in my chest.  I was sure the deer could, too.  He was still frozen, 20 yards away, but the trees, closely together like a defensive lineup at a soccer goal, blocked any shot I had.  I prayed that he would take just one step, so I could drop him.  By now my legs were shaking, something he probably noticed.  I willed them to stop, but they wouldn't.  He turned and bounded north, but then he turned up the hill I have been watching for the past two days.  He stopped, turned, and looked at me again. 

Did I have a second chance, I wondered?  He now stood in pine underbrush that covered his entire body, minus his head.  I couldn't tell if he faced me straight on or was standing sideways with his head turned.   By now he was 70 yards away.  My 30-30 has open sights.  I wanted to squeeze the trigger so badly, but knew in my  heart I couldn't.  I would get another chance; maybe he would come back down.

A minute or two later he turned, bounded back down the hill and out of sight. 

My hands and feet were still shaking as I sat underneath the tree, rehashing the previous five minutes.  Could I have taken a shot?  Did I pull the glove off too fast, startling him?  Was it my scent that caused him to freeze or something else?  Could I have done things differently? 

And as the excitement of seeing and potentially killing a deer passed, disappointment swooped in, crushing the moment.  I hadn't see a deer, doe, or buck in two years, and when I finally did, I couldn't get a shot off. 

As I sat chiding myself for potential mistakes, I thought about why that deer crossed so closely to me in the first place.

About fifteen minutes before I heard or saw him, I had used the rattle bag I got from my parents last Christmas.  It was the second time I hit it this afternoon; the first time I've ever used it.  So, even though I did not have a chance to kill the deer that I rattled in, I had rattled it in.  I was a hunter, using the deer curiosity to draw him toward me.  Maybe I could do it again.

I rattled the bag three more times, thirty minutes apart each time, until the sun went down.  I didn't see another buck, but I wasn't disheartened for two reasons.  I had successfully rattled a deer in, confirming that I had picked a place in the woods where deer cross. 

As I climbed the hill to my car, I looked up and along the ridge stood a doe, watching me intently.  I stopped and we stared at each other for a few seconds.  I don't have a doe tag, so I kept on walking.   She turned, her tail went up, and she bounded away. 

Two deer in two hours...not bad. 

Hopefully I can get out for some night hunts this week.  If not, next weekend I'll try rattling again.

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7:00 p.m. - November 15, 2008

Still no sign of a buck, doe, or fawn.  I didn't even hear other hunters shooting today.  I saw a couple cars drive past this morning as I hiked into the woods, so I know others are out there.  I talked to a few friends a few minutes ago.  They didn't see anything either.  That's somewhat encouraging, although I'm still disappointed I'm empty-handed.

It snowed a few times this afternoon, but nothing measurable.

When I got to my lookout, I realized I had left the rattle bag in the car.  I didn't want to disturb the woods further, so I just sat down.  Maybe I'll use it tomorrow.  Right now I'm hoping my toes will thaw. My feet warmers stopped giving off heat around 4 p.m., which might explain why I am cold right now.

My car thermometer said it was 43 degrees this afternoon, but I felt colder quicker on my afternoon hunt, than this morning when it was in 32 degrees.  Maybe I didn't eat enough lunch or didn't eat the right thing to get my blood sugar up.  I guess I'll have to buy more candy.

As daylight faded, I kept thinking about the fork horn I passed on three years ago, hoping for something bigger.  I'm really regretting that today.   I respect the saying "Let 'em go, let 'em grow".  But as someone who's never killed a deer, I think taking a smaller buck would be alright. 

I just wish I had seen a doe or something to keep my hopes up about the possibility of success in my current location.  There are 14 more days, and I'm not ready to give up yet.

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1:15 p.m. - November 15, 2008

I'm getting ready to go back into the woods after coming into town for lunch.  I didn't hear or see anything this morning, but I did find evidence of deer, runs, buck rubs, etc.  So, I'm hoping to see at least a doe or fawn on the afternoon hunt.

I don't bait and generally find a tree to sit under where I have a good shooting lane.  I know that decreases my chance of drawing in deer, but I just don't want to bait.  It's not for me.

I did get a rattle bag and grunt call last Christmas.  I'm planning to rattle a little this afternoon. 

It was 32 degrees most of the morning, and I'm disappointed it hasn't snowed yet.  I'm nervous to track a deer in leaves and undergrowth, but I guess I shouldn't get ahead of myself.  I have to shoot a deer first.

Surprisingly I wasn't too cold this morning.  That's unusual for me; I'm always chilled.  But I layered and found foot warmers that I could adhere to my socks to keep my feet warm.  Brilliant product.  I"ll be buying more soon. 

Out to the woods I go.  Maybe the moth that sat on my boot all morning will still be there.

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For some it's the camaraderie, other's a vacation from work.  For me, November 15th, the first day of firearm deer season is about finding that ever elusive buck.

Am I a hunter you ask?  I would say yes.

I've sat in the woods for six years, gun in hand, ready to claim victory.

But sadly my record is 0-6, almost as bad as the Lions' (0-9) season this year.  So, you can imagine my mood.

It's not that I haven't tried.  It might be because I am a late starter, getting into the sport as an adult, instead of a teenager.  I took Hunter's Safety during college.  As the oldest enrollee, most of the participants were 10, 11 and 12 years old; I was behind others my age in the woods.

But all those Saturdays I spent with my Dad in the woods growing up, developed my desire to hunt.

And so I started my unsuccessful run.  Either I didn't see a single deer, or only spotted does, which I don't have a permit to shoot.

And who can forget, although I try, my first year hunting in the Upper Peninsula, in 2005?  Some call it a case of "buck fever," but I prefer to tell people I was cautiously safe.

A few of you might remember that report.  I spotted a four point, but when I squeezed the trigger, nothing happened.  As it turned out, when I reloaded my gun after moving from one deer stand to another, I hadn't racked a bullet into the chamber....well, you can guess the rest.

So, although I've never actually fired a bullet at a buck, I haven't given up hope.  I figure I'm very motivated, stubborn, or both.  And I've got enough warm clothes, snacks, ammunition to keep me going in the cold weather.  I'm learning how to use a rattle bag, something I hope to use this year.

Either way I'd like to share my hunting experience with you.  No, I won't be telling you where I plan to hunt, but check back regularly for what I spotted, how I'm dealing with the cold, and the methods I'm trying to kill a deer.

Feel free to leave tips or encouragement.