Mike Foss Blogs
Bear scouting is always on my mind but the big buck rut got me real excited as I scanned through the pictures on my Cuddeback SD card reader. It’s been a week since I last checked my trail cameras and come to find out last week would have been the week to be on stand. Every buck, big and small seemed to be cruising looking for does that would be ready to breed.
After viewing the big buck pictures and with an inch of new snow on the ground I took the opportunity to do the combo Bear & Deer scouting into a new area for me that I have been researching. A month ago I found an old over grown logging road that visually I could see there was no human activity, foot prints or ATV tracks. Back home on the lap top I pulled up an aerial view of the area, and the closest residents was 4 miles away.
I was excited with the idea that this area rested in the middle of nowhere. So here I am one month later, fresh snow on the ground, all by myself. After traveling on foot a quarter mile down this old over grown logging road, my printed aerial map told me I needed to take a left off the trail to the natural funnel I wanted to hunt.
Suddenly, but faintly at first in the distance I could hear the putt, putt, putt, sound of an ATV. “This can’t be happening,” I thought as the sound drew nearer. “No indication of other ATV tracks or human activity, four miles away from any human dwellings…”
Yet reality is reality. As the very slow moving ATV got closer I could tell he was looking for tracks. It was a matter of seconds before he found mine in the fresh snow. As I was hiding behind a pine tree I could see a glimpse of him as he got closer.
“Keep going,” I thought. Don't notice my tracks.”
Just then he stopped, and more disappointment flooded over me. Then to my horror he shut the ATV off and started following my tracks. I was now being hunted! Slowing as he creped along, he paused often to scan the area and trees. I knew as soon as he determined that my tracks took a sharp right….our eyes would meet and the game would be up.
Lots of thoughts hurried through my mind; not the least of which was, what kind of person is this going to be?
Our eyes met, and his involuntary action was obviously of a man in the wilderness completely surprised. I held my ground for what seemed like minutes but certainly was only seconds. The only thing I could think of to say was…
“Hi, can I help you?”
Anyway, I now know what a deer or any animal must feel like when being pursued.
Mike