I left for my destination at 9:48AM, 12 minutes earlier than I wanted to be, and I wasn’t complaining. Roughly 120 miles were ahead of me as I settled into the seat of my vehicle, music loud and cruise control activated.
The land I would be stepping upon is the very place where I hope to drop a deer in early November, and with about a month until my hunt, I needed to do some more thorough scouting. I know this land pretty well, but I wanted to make some final decisions on where I would hunt, and try to find some deer or promising deer sign.
Rather than driving straight to my place of camp and to my proposed #1 hunting spot, I decided to take a detour. My #2 hunting spot was somewhat on the way, and nearby is a good spot to call in some foxes, so I decided to go and check it out first.
Did I mention that there were tons of cattle?
Upon arrival, I was struck with October’s newly-induced cool winds. The air fresh, crisp, and clear, I took off to spot #2, all while leaving my pack at the vehicle. Camo on, shotgun in hand, I started my ascent of a larger hill, circling my way around so that I would be on its south-facing slope. I found a good spot to call for foxes and settled in, ready to shoot any predator that came to my call.
After about 20 minutes of using the Primos Double Jackrabbit, I ended the stand with nothing but a leg that fell asleep. I followed by walking more towards the south, further away from my vehicle.
I suddenly came across what appeared to be multiple deer beds, one of which seemed to be heavily used. A game trail intersected these beds, and had relatively recent tracks and some scat. Walking more of a south direction would have me upon a larger mountain that I planned to climb the next morning, as it was on the other side of this mountain where I wanted to hunt for my #2 spot. Pleased with what I saw for the time, I headed back to my vehicle as the sun’s rays began to increase in temperature.
I continued to my place of camp.
The primary problem with my #1 hunting spot is traffic. This particular unit is one of the hardest hunted desert units (probably the hardest), and the severity is increased by the other recreationists who use this area to ride ATVs, horses, go shooting, and more. However, I was confident that I’d be able to get into some mountains to glass and get away from most people.
Upon driving to my camping place, my nerves were being tested with the amount of people that were on this dirt road on a weekday. Two groups of people that were horseback slowed my travel significantly – there was one point where I had to wait nearly ten minutes to pass because of horse issues. I was already frustrated, and it wasn’t even hunting season.
What I believe to be a nightsnake.
While traveling down these dirt roads, however, I did come across a DOR (Dead On Road) nightsnake, a species of snake that I hadn’t ever seen before, though I wish it was still alive. I continued driving only to come across another snake, this one a Western patch-nosed snake that barely alive. I always told myself that I wouldn’t kill a snake of small size, as it provides nothing but its skin (and a small skin at that). With this almost dead Western patch-nosed, I decided to take it.
A couple miles later, I came across ANOTHER snake. I barely saw this snake, as it was only 3-4 inches long, but it was wide. The only snake that matches that description is hog-nosed snake, a snake I’ve never seen in the wild and have been searching for years for. I immediately got out of my vehicle, but the snake was gone already. I tried to track its trail, but it disappeared into a thick grass patch.
I made my way to the camping place. It had a nice flat, open area where I’d be able to set up my tent, along with a bigger fire ring where I’d be able to cook dinner for my one night stay. The wind blew lightly as a few clouds crept in front of the sun, immediately reducing the severity of the sun. I took my time as I began to setup camp.
I first setup my 4-person tent, which was a perfect size for my cot to lie within. I staked down 2 corners, but a rock on the inside of the other 2 corners, and put boulders on the corners with the stakes. I then followed by placing my cot inside.
Now, I almost never stake down my tents, as I just don’t feel as if it’s necessary. Usually the items that are inside are enough to hold them down, and if not, I’ll throw some rocks into the inside corners. I decided to stake down 2 corners because I had 2 stakes and it was a little windy. I also wasn’t planning on putting anything else inside while I was away, and I wanted to be sure that it was going to be alright.
It was at this moment that something in my brain told me to look to the east. It was almost as if I could feel that someone was watching me and, sure enough, someone was.
I looked up to find a black Dodge truck about a mile away, in an “overlooking” position. I immediately retrieved my binoculars and found two men glassing me up with some binoculars. I watched them for a minute or two as they stopped watching me and began to glass the hillside.
To be continued…