With winds out of the ENE it felt right to set up in the South Central stand. This spot is on the south edge of some interior bedding and along an old logging path from when the woods were select cut some time ago. The deer have somewhat maintained the trail and I've always found good deer sign in this area.
I had been getting regular pictures of a deer I decided to call Norm, since he was showing up here in daylight on a regular basis. Well, at least that was his routine when he was still in velvet. Since shedding, I have zero pictures of him here and only a few younger bucks. The does were still regular here in the early morning and before last light so I was planning on drawing back on a healthy doe if provided an opportunity. No tension was placed on my bowstring during this hunt.
Couple pictures of the young bucks sparring...
The view from the stand to the north...
The view from the stand facing south...
I was settled into the stand by 4:40 pm but didn't end up seeing any deer. Plenty of fox squirrels kept me entertained and I definitely plan on returning for some of them after I put some venison in the freezer. These woods are absolutely filled with squirrels so it should be good entertainment for a youth hunt later in the season. Three turkeys also came through and roosted nearby. The one was a very nice Tom with about a 10" beard. He was beating the snot out of a Jake that probably had it coming to him anyway.
All in all it felt great to just be back in the woods. I'm already looking forward to sitting here during the next opportune wind.