[VaRedneck]

Jan 1, '15

The old axiom....hunt with the wind...couldn'tve been more true today. Sucks though I only had the one stand to go with.

Cold and clear this a.m....still...30*...beautiful. With the exception of the frost heaved trail I used on my way to the stand...couldn't ask for much better. Sounded like walkin on gravel. I settled in....and just before light...somethin came outa the creek bed and crossed the first lane. I heard it go on into the second before losing it in the laurel. When I cut those lanes last spring, I wove/stacked the brush into the edges...low and wide....not threatening...but not quiet. They tip toe through frozen leaves just fine...but dead frozen sticks will tell you where they are even in a breeze.

Here's where I was wishin for a different stand. The wind started out of the s and sw. Second hunting day in a row...and sure enough along about 9a.m. I had three does? cross my northern fence and head my way...before I could stand to face them I had one 15yds at my 5o'clock. It stopped dead....and that pretty much ended it right there...everyone beat feet back the way they came...and that was the last deer I saw for the day.

With Saturday being my last day I won't move my stand. But this spring, if I don't replace it with a better one...I'll be re-orienting it from the w to the nw. This'll at least give me the opportunity to swing further to the E on the creek w/o having to move too much in the stand...engage them sooner...before any errant breeze betrays me. At least if it does I'll already be putting cross hairs on one even if it should rethink it's path...it'll be too late.