Headed back out into the woods this afternoon after a let down yesterday afternoon. I went with a friend of mine this afternoon, we both hunted this one section of Loch Raven that I hunt some what regularly. It was a nice afternoon, but a little warm for hunting, but this didn't stop me. After a couple hours it was so nice out and quite I was falling asleep, but nevertheless around 4 p.m. I decided it was time to wake up and get serious. I hadn't heard or seen anything by this time, so with the full moon I decided to try grunting a little just to see if any bucks were near by and a little aggressive. I grunted one time and waited a second, then I heard a high pitch grunt and 4 does came running down the hill off to my left. The does got about 60 yards away and stopped in some thicket, I continued grunting. A few minutes later I knew where the does were but couldn't see or hear them and I was worried they gone the other direction out of the thicket, but I knew where they were last time I saw them. Well after a about another 10 minutes or so ( 15 or 20 minutes after I last saw them), I gave up and started looking off in a different direction assuming they wondered the other direction since I couldn't hear or see them. Well, the next thing I know I hear a stick break about 55 - 60 yards behind me, a small doe had started wondering towards me. Sadly, she was in thicket in this little ditch where I could only see her head. I was hoping the others were following her, but couldn't see them. So I grunted again hoping maybe the buck I had heard grunt when I first saw the does might still be around. He was, after grunting a couple times a decent size body buck ( never saw his head) grunted a couple times and walked across the top of the hill where the does had come from, the doe that I was watching watched him without moving till he was out of her sight. She started to turn to walk towards me and my friend, when all of the sudden I hear another deer run up the hill about 100 yards behind me past the other doe I was watching. As this doe ran up the hill and passed the doe I was watching, she too turned and ran up the hill towards where the buck had gone. Never saw or heard anything else all evening, but at least I had a little excitement. Just goes to she grunting in January can pay off if you find a buck that is still aggressive. I believe the buck I saw was small based of the pitch of his grunt as well as his body shape and size, he was not a mature deer by any means.
All and all, a better afternoon than yesterday and gave me some excitement.
Anyone else hunt this weekend? How did you do and what did you see?
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