This past weekend I was blessed to be able to sit a few times in the woods.  The weather was pretty nice.  The mornings and evenings were nice and cool, just the way I like it.  Most of the weekend I sat in an old wooden stand my dad and I built a few years ago.  It overlooks about a 5 acre field that is usually planted in corn.  This year however, it was not planted and is pretty grown up.  I didn't end up getting to bed until about 3 a.m Friday night/Saturday morning and "attempted" to get up around 5:30 a.m.  I awoke with rays of sunlight peaking through my blinds.  Once I was fully conscious, I jumped out of bed in a panic.  I looked on my phone and it was 8:30 a.m.  Now at this point I could've easily just went back to sleep and just hunted in the evening, but I love hunting too much to do that.  So I unplugged my Mckenzie Scent Fan Duffle Bag, grabbed my clothes out (which was washed in Atsko's scent free detergent), and started getting dressed.  Luckily, the hunting land is just across the road so I was dressed and in the stand by 9:15 a.m. 

After spraying down with Atsko's scent spray, I headed for my stand.  I was skeptical about hunting the old wooden stand since there was no corn planted, but decided to try it out anyways.  Once I got in the stand, I suddenly was annoyed.  Two branches had grown substantially since last year, one on each side.  The one to my left wasn't that bad because I could still see the majority of the areas I needed to see.  The branch to my right blocked a major inside corner of the field.  The majority of the deer travel comes from my right, so I was definitely disappointed. 

After about 45 minutes of sitting in silence, I decided I would try my hand at a little rattling.  As I got ready to bang the rattle pack together for a third time, I saw ears sticking up in the middle of the field.  I didn't see any horns, but I still looked in the binoculars to see if it was a big doe.  If it was a big doe, then I was going to try to get on the board.  When I peered in the binoculars, I actually found out that it was a little button buck.  At this point I knew I'm wasn?t shooting the deer so I grabbed the video camera and just filmed.  When I first saw the deer, it was straight ahead out in the field (it had been bedded down there).  He browsed as he headed for the woods to my right.  I filmed him until he got behind the tree branch and then forgot about him.  I figured he just kept going into the woods.  About 10 minutes later, I caught a glimpse of something about 15 yards to my right through the branch.  The button buck had circled back toward me and entered the woods just to my right and kept circling until he got right behind my stand.  This wasn't good because the wind was blowing directly in my face straight to him.  However, he never knew I was there because of the dual threat of Mckenzie and Atsko.  I sat until about a quarter to 12 and then got down for some lunch. 

Saturday afternoon I decided to try my luck in a new ground blind I put out a week before.  I like the setup I got going there, but unfortunately I didn't see any deer.  When I was exiting the blind, I bumped a few deer that were trying to make their way to the deer feed but didn't get there before dark.  Sunday morning, I decided to sit in the old wooden stand again.  I have been choosing stands on the outskirts of the woods or just inside the woods because it has been too dry to walk deep in the woods.  I would scare every deer in a country mile.  About 8:30 a.m., I heard deer coming to the field on the same trail the button buck exited.  When they popped out into the field, I could tell right away there were not shooters.  When I zoomed in with the video camera, I noticed that it was a pair of button bucks.  I filmed them for a while.  They kept bedding down and then about 10 minutes later stand up and browse some more.  They never were further than about 80 yards away.  I looked at my phone and it was 10:30 a.m. and these deer still hadn't left.  They both finally bedded down and didn't get back up.  So I slipped out the stand and quietly headed to the truck.  Sunday evening, I sat in a two-man stand that is about 30 yards inside the woods at the inside corner of the field.  There has been a lot of deer travel there, but it just wasn't in the cards for me to see one that moment in time. 

Even though I didn't see a shooter, I still had a productive weekend.  Anytime I can have the privilege to sit out in the woods and enjoy God's beauty, then I consider myself thankful.  Seeing deer was just icing on the cake.  If you notice, the deer I did see this weekend were all pretty close encounters.  There are several factors that helped me achieve this interaction.  Paying attention to wind is a big one.  I know a lot of guys that will just go to a stand no matter what the wind is doing.  A deer relies on its sense of smell, hearing, and eyesight to survive.  Do what you can to fool these and you'll have a better chance at seeing deer.  I washed my clothes in Atsko scent free detergent, stored my clothes in my Mckenzie bag (it ran all night), and then sprayed down with the Atsko scent spray.  So when that deer got downwind of me, I was pretty confident I would not get winded.  Like I said early, I have been picking stands that I can get to without having to step on a lot of dry leaves.  Deceiving their eyesight is a little easier.  I have a lot of back drop behind me to break up my outline.  I also have another arsenal.....I have a camo made for the Carolinas!  I wear my True Timber Southern Pine camo and just blend in with my surroundings.

I hope you guys are enjoying this hunting season as much as I am.  Remember to cherish every moment you get to spend out in the outdoors because you never know when it will be your last.  Also, spread the fun and show others how fun hunting can be.  There is nothing any better than getting in the woods well before daylight and listening and seeing the woods wake up.  That's a scene I will never get tired of!!! 

Good luck, be safe, and God bless! 

Adam