Another white-tail rifle season is in the books. As far as deer camp goes it was a great year hunting with friends and family. I think you have to look at it as something more than hunting because if you just look at the hunting part, well ... it was horrible. I don't know if it was the extremely warm weather, or high wolf numbers. Or possibly the deer numbers aren't what we are being told. But for the first time in over 25 years I didn't even see a small buck and only a few does and fawns. On a typical year I let somewhere around five small bucks walk and most years see at least one that has a nice rack and probably twice the does I saw this year. It wasn't just me, most hunters I talked to from Brainerd to Park Rapids were seeing the same thing. Some hunters saying they hunted the whole season without a deer in sight. As far as the DNR deer registration numbers being up over last year, I think people are getting used to shooting lesser deer. Likely shooting the first legal animal because they know that might be their only chance. Yes, some groups that manage their land and have food plots are doing good, but good old deer hunting isn't what it used to be.
With nine days in the deer stand behind me, I am back in Montana to see if I can fill my elk tag. The snow has arrived and the herds are moving down, so I had to go back and see if my luck would be any better. I guess that is what happens when you are an elk-a-holic.
