Stuck in the Rut

Headed down to Maryland’s Eastern Shore Wednesday evening for a three-day bowhunt with  B&J Guide Service of Chestertown.  B&J owner John Kostick is a great guy, and he has a number of prime farm properties under lease. I had hunted with him for the first time last fall, and although I did see a couple big bucks, I never had one close enough to draw the bow.

 So, I have been looking forward to a return visit all summer, and I’m glad it’s finally here. The weather this morning was perfect - just  about 32 degrees and very little wind. Despite that, the action was slow. In fact, out of the five hunters in my group, only one saw deer - two does and a buck. However, the creek bottom where I was hunting was rife with deer sign. Lots of fresh tracks and rubs. We just didn’t catch them this morning, but I am hoping for better luck this afternoon.

 The highlight of the morning actually happened after our guide, Travis, picked us all up. We were riding in the back of his pickup across the farm when he pointed out a large buck that had bedded down with a doe along a little hedgerow. We looked over and saw this HUGE buck standing there. He and the doe ended up sprinting away pretty fast, so none of us got a great look at him. But you could tell from his body size and high, wide rack bouncing up and down across the field, that he was a shooter.

 So, the moral of the story is, they’re out there! Now, I just gotta see one like that under my tree.