Northeast Pennsylvania Deer Forecast: Weekend of November 3
Another week of frustration here on the struggle bus. This kind of frustration can send me into a Bobby Knight tirade.
“I am not here to get my ass beat on Monday. This is absolute bullshit. You better get your head out of your ass.” Rest in peace, Bobby Knight.
My week started with an afternoon sit on Monday. High winds were forecasted and I wanted to get in a particular stand that blocked a Northwest wind. I started to walk toward the stand location and 20 yards before I reached the stand, the woods exploded with deer running everywhere.
I decided to back out and go to a different stand and I was rewarded with an awful sit in the cold and rain; as a bonus, 10-15 mph winds blew. The only thing I saw was a doe and a fawn running about 90 miles per hour across an open field. This sit was comparable to listening to your aunt’s visit to the doctor to have her corn on her foot looked at. If you’re lucky maybe she’ll even let you take a look at it.
On Tuesday, I had a very uneventful sit at the stand that I couldn’t get in on Monday. Around 5 p.m., I saw a lone doe and she never came into bow range. I decided to grunt around 5:30 and immediately I received a response.
The tone of the grunt was definitely in the Michael Jackson range. Kind of more like when he was 8 or 9 singing ABC with the Jackson 5. Anyway, I’m trying to say I didn’t get my hopes up based on the tone of the grunt that I heard.
A short while later, I saw a doe moving through some thick stuff and there he was. The Afro haircut, bell bottom denim patch pants and pre-pubescent voice of a pencil-racked y-buck. More Bobby Knight rant in the tree: “I’m tired of this shit, I’m tired of an 8-10 record.”
Monday and Wednesday my forecast predicted 10-15 mph winds out of the Northwest and I decided the stand I would hunt would be a steep bank that faced Southeast. The hope was that the wind from the Northwest would roll right over the hill and provide calm conditions halfway down.
I reached the stand and calm conditions were exactly what I got. I barely pulled my bow up to my treestand and put on my release, when I noticed some movement in the thick brush in front of me. The brush was so thick that I could not identify if the deer I saw was a buck or a doe. A few minutes later I saw movement to my right and saw a doe coming my way with another deer following closely behind.
This was the classic type of doe followed closely by buck pursuit. The doe came into full view and she looked like an old Cadillac or maybe a stretch limo with one of those tiny U-Haul trailers behind it. She was long and rectangular, and looked about 10 feet long. In other words, this was that old veteran aunt ready to tell you about that nasty corn on her toe, smart but also one to ruin your day.
I thought about what I wrote last week, “The best and most successful hunts that I have had during the rut seem to occur when a doe that is on her feet feeding leads that big boy right past my stand.” I couldn’t help but think, “Man, I am really freaking smart.”
So the doe continues down the perfect path to my shooting lane at 25 yards and the buck is still following behind. She gets to the opening and something tells her this just isn’t right. She stops the buck and for the next 20 minutes, she gives me the head bob and weave, the rope a dope, the lift the front leg and put the hoof down, over and over again.
I freeze in the stand, but she refuses to continue down the trail and eventually heads straight away from me. I think that the buck could possibly step into my “oh shit, I gotta let one fly” hole, but he never does. Opportunity missed. Story of the year. “I’m f’n tired of losing to Purdue.”
Alright onto the conditions for this weekend and an early preview of next week.
Friday and Saturday look very good with ratings from 3.8 to 4.2. We are still in the midst of an incredibly high barometric pressure situation. Major feeding times fall within the early morning and late evening time frames and temperatures are below historical averages. The early forecast ratings for next week look good and Friday, Saturday and Sunday look outstanding.
Thank you PA Game Commission for generously allowing us one Sunday to hunt in archery season. Get your ass out there and hunt. If you need some added motivation click on this video.
If you are the tenderbone sensitive type please don’t watch it. If a good pep talk from a coach for you includes the words golly gee and darn it, definitely don’t watch it. If you’re a little messed up like me and you need to get screamed at a little then go ahead and watch it. “ This is absolutely f’n bullshit . You better get your head out of your ass. ” Don’t forget to turn your clocks back this weekend. Now go hunt and put your time in!
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