Wednesday evening was a good one, with deer movement continuing to increase on our western Oklahoma whitetail hunt sponsored by Bushnell and Remington. (If you missed them, check out our earlier reports—Travel Day, Day 1 and Day 2.)
Movement started early with lots of does and small bucks. Much chasing ensued, as the rut continues here, and that was entertaining to watch. Finally, toward dark a nice deer came in from the left—a fairly tall 9-pointer. It was a deer that I would have shot when hunting at home, but I chose to pass on it here at Rut & Strut Guide Service, considering the trophy potential available. Hopefully I won’t regret that decision. Since then I’ve already second-guessed myself a number of times.
That evening, Mike Capps of Howard Communications took a nice 8-point buck, making five tags filled out of seven hunters. I had suddenly become one of only two who had not filled his tag yet. No pressure, as they say.
The morning of Day 3 was one of the most active times I’ve spent in a deer stand in more than 30 years of hunting whitetails. Because of all the movement the night before, I set up in the same location hoping to get a glimpse of one of the big boys this place is famous for. Incredibly, I saw 15 bucks in one morning, two of which were pretty nice, but young. Give them another year or two and they’ll turn some heads. The one I passed on the night before didn’t return, so thankfully I didn’t have to make that decision again.
In the end, I headed back to lunch empty-handed. Will my “go-big-or-go-home-empty-handed” mindset begin to waver as I head out to the stand later for the Day 3 evening hunt? Will I stay strong, or settle for a lesser buck than what I’m really wanting?
Find out tomorrow. In the meantime, don’t forget the score: Deer – 3; Mark – 0.
