2004 Hunting Log In an attempt to document this seasons adventures, I am posting this "log-book" so to speak, on the site. If nothing else, it will help ME recap the season.

October 2, 2004
Dad started the morning off at one end of the Briarwoods, and me on the other. I was hunting the last stand location I had picked on Chilcoat’s end near the corner. Dad was hunting over the logging road on the other end.

Dad saw three doe in the morning, and I didn’t see anything but squirrels and the inside of my eyelids.

Got a bitch session from Mom as she had to runt he girls to Swimming for me (we didn’t hear the bell) so I didn’t hunt the evening.

Dad returned to the same spot and was rewarded with a sighting of two buck and three doe. He had his jacket hanging from the bow hook, white side out…which gave him away. I am looking forward to Monday.

October 4, 2004
I never made it out this morning. My “head-cold” had me pretty down, and just couldn’t get out of bed.

As usual, I am having a difficult time pin pointing exactly where it is that I want to hunt this evening. I thought about dropping off all of my gear at the gully in the Briarwoods, and then riding my bike back as Dad will need the truck. It is about 12:38 p.m. and at this point I am planning on Mom dropping me off, and hunting in the general area of where I shot my deer last season.

Ok, so I changed my mind and decided to hunt the right side of the Briarwoods. Mom dropped me off around 4:15, and I headed into the woods. I decided to go further down than my “usual tree” closer to the bottom.

Walking in I saw what looked like a deer laying down, and cautiously snuck up closer, bow at the ready. Turns out it was just a log. I walked about 30 yards more, and saw a head turn and antlers. Shit, there was that ole 7 point, laying down, looking back at me. He didn’t seem too alarmed as he turned his head back around looking the other way. I came to full draw on him, but decided that he wasn’t the one I wanted for the year. He stands up, and ¾ ‘ed away from me and I still had a 20 yard shot, but elected just to stand still. He finally got nervous and walked away into the thick stuff.

I still continued on to the stand (which was merely feet from where he laid), thinking…what have I got to lose? Maybe another buck will come thru the area too.

I sat all evening only to be entertained by squirrels, and annoyed by chipmunks..until just before dark, when a body and legs appeared to my left at 25 yards. The deer (acting like a buck would) stood still for 5 minutes at least, and finally took 2 steps forward, and showed me that HE was in fact a buck, and a nice one at that. He had really dark antlers, but his body size wasn’t that large. He slowly made his way down thru the thicket, not giving me a shot what so ever.

Dad had not seen anything that evening in his spot.

October 5, 2004
I returned to the same spot, in hopes to see what I saw the night before. It was a little windy, but not that bad. I was surprised at how cold it got so quickly, which made me also more optimistic about hunting. I thought maybe more deer would be moving.

I sat most of the evening not seeing anything until just before shooting light was gone when I noticed deer moving to my right outside of the woods on the grass road next to the field.

Doe, 2 of them.

They entered the woods and circled back up to me. It was too dark to tell if either of them was a button buck or not, so I let them walk.

All in all, it has been a good start for the season.