Small openings, big timber.

[Danny boy]

It was the last day before the 2nd muzzle loader week. The deer are spooked and I haven’t seen anything all week. I recall Dan saying if you go in after him you have one chance. So you got to push them hard. So I started heading towards some thick bush. Bam , fresh buck tracks, for fingers wide. I crept up until I hit a small opening. I stopped thought about moving ahead more, but I stopped and sat where I was.1.5 hours went by and I could the crunching of frost 50 yards, 30 yards. Not steps but just a single crunch. Then I hear the foot steps, and you can tell this is the big guy I’m after. He was to the west and it was a west wind. He was milling about and could hear him nibbling on brush maybe 20 yards away. I could not see him. All of a sudden I feel the Breeze switch to an east wind for 2sec. Man he blew a storm at me. I just finished watching “small openings in big timber”. I did a lot of things right, but still am a student of the wind. I was happy enough to get close to him. This buck is a legend around this neck of the woods. No one has seen him only big tracks out in the open. Next year he is burger.

[NorthStar]

Sounds like a great encounter! Its nice to be in the game! What was learned from this exactly?

[Danny boy]

I observed that in a small opening in a wood lot, that a steady wind creates a swirling pool of scent and a steady wind direction isn’t a constant in these areas. I also learned one of the bedding areas he uses during heavy pressure. I picture the wind as water dropping into the opening. Probably even more do as the air cools.