Early season effort has its rewards . Don ’ t overthink it .
BOWHUNTING DETAILS
Handle With Care
Early season effort has its rewards . Don ’ t overthink it .
by Jeffrey Miller
Thanksgiving morning dawned cold and clear . As a freshman in college I ’ d made the nearly 250-mile trip one-way , back to the area around my home in south-central Minnesota a week earlier .
My uncle shot a nice buck with his shotgun during the preceding gun season in a corner of his land . He ’ d watched plenty of does as well , and my Minnesota archery tag was burning a hole in my pocket . I had hung a tree stand overlooking a heavy trail , climbing out of a deep , wooded ravine and into a tilled cornfield . It was some distance from Jerry ’ s blind , and the area hadn ’ t been hunted all season .
The first hour of shooting light was slow , and I was watching a grey squirrel burying acorns collected from a red oak when I happened to glance toward open field . I nearly fell from my stand as I witnessed a gorgeous buck , by far the largest I ’ d ever seen with a bow in my hand up to that point , striding through fallen leaves . His condensed breath billowed from his nose as he scent-checked the corner for a late estrous doe . My heart hammered in my ears .
As the buck approached from an area I hadn ’ t expected when setting up my stand , I searched frantically for an opening . Thankfully , I spied one ahead of the walking deer . As if it was predestined , he stopped precisely
Above , Jeff Miller carrying in a stand for a new hunt .
Bottom , Miller ’ s favorite hunt is the first sit in a new spot .
Page 76 , Dakota Country , September 2024 www . dakotacountrymagazine . com