After harvesting my buck this 2012 archery season, I still have doe tags to fill so when I recently had a day off work I only had hunting on my mind. Like this whole season has been, it was hot with a SW wind which worked perfectly for my set up overlooking an alfalfa field leading up to a picked corn field.  Although I knew nothing would be moving until later in the day, I still headed out early as I would rather be sitting in my Ameristep then in my Lazy Boy.

As the afternoon wore on and the sun started to go down, the temperature started to drop some.  I looked behind me in the picked beans and saw a big doe heading my way. I kept watching her through my Nikon binoculers as I could tell she was acting like something was pushing her. I started to watch behind her and all I could see was a nice tall rack coming up over the ridge about 50 yards behind her.  Of course this would happen to me with only doe tags in my pocket – I had a deer I had named Peek-A-Boo coming straight into my lap!  Not huning this farm much I didn’t even know if he was still in the area after only getting velvet pictures of him during the summer months, but there he was.

As the doe crossed the fence and came into my shooting lane, I decided to pass on her. I love to just sit back and watch deer in their normal behaviors when they don’t have a clue you’re even around. It makes me feel like all the hard work from scouting, running trail cameras during the summer and picking the right tree to hang my Ameristeps in has all paid off and I have out-smarted them. Peek-A-Boo followed the same path the doe did, but when he came into my shooting lane he decided to bed down right in front me at 20 yards. You have got to be kidding me! It’s like he knew I couldn’t shoot him and he was taunting me. Maybe he’s the one who has me figured out! He laid there for a good thirty mintes while the doe was out feeding in the alfalfa and  then, when it starded to get dark, he got up and chased the doe all around until they were gone.

Even tho I did not shoot anything, it was an awesome evening in the stand. It’s not all about the kill – it’s about the hunt for me. Just seeing Peek-A-Boo, knowing he is alive and in the area made it a successful hunt. Now that shotgun season has started and I have 3 weeks until late season muzzloader, I been setting up blinds over some standing beans in hopes to connect on this great buck with the CVA. Pro Staff Justin Davison