By Mac Arnold
MAHFS editor


Here I am halfway through my first deer sabbatical and I have little to show for it.

Best thing to happen, er, two best things to happen were I found a friend's bolt he lost while hunting with me behind the house and uncovering a hind quarter at the bottom of the freezer.

I admit, I'm a little discouraged. Not the first time I've been down during the bow season.

There were also some good times as well early into past archery seasons. But then others have gone like the 2010 one.

I'm a big believer in the theory that one good buck can change a season.

Might not come during bow.

Occasionally it happens during the gun season or not at all and then I'm just happy to fill a couple doe tags.

I know this: I am definitely ready to loose an arrow at deer, let alone at a buck.

This blood lust can be dangerous at times, usually in the form of me standing over a small deer that is just plain embarrassing.

True, they do cook up well but are more hassle than they're worth to process and I do all my own deer.

So I must be vigilant on watch.

Then again on years where I have embarrassed myself with a midget deer I have often gone on to knock down a nice buck later in the season. Seems to be a good omen.

Some of this slow action is on me.

I don't know if I took the dairy farm I was deer hunting on for granted but nothing lasts forever it seems. Unless, of course, you own the property. But I'm a long ways from being there.

What I should have been doing was looking for another spot or at least doing a little scouting on the known spots -- private and public -- near my house.

That's all behind me now so there's no use ruminating over my past failures.

At least I'm seeing rubs at a couple of the setups and some does here and there.

I know that if and when a deer does step out in one of the shooting lanes it's gonna be in trouble.

Just a matter of time. I need to have more faith in myself and the Man above.

Now if only this stupid wind storm would get down the road, the deer would be more apt to come out and play.