A Hot and Windy Situation Pt. 1

Saturday afternoon in western Kentucky wasn't the best I've ever seen for deer hunting. The air temperature was a more-than-crisp 90 degrees, and there was a stout 15-mph wind blowing ahead of the remnants of Hurricane Ike. Time was of the essence, however, and with limited days to bowhunt in Kentucky this season, Michelle and I weren't about to sit on the couch Saturday evening and whine about the weather.

The main problem we had, aside from the heat and wind, was the primary piece of ground where I'd been hunting is a long, narrow strip of woods surrounded by bean fields on all sides. The area I have permission to hunt is on the south side of this strip. With a west or northwest wind, our prevailing wind, this isn't a problem. We were faced with due-south gusts.

My one back-up plan involved a tiny (30 acre) block of woods sitting on the other side of the farmer's property. This block of woods is surrounded by corn fields this year. Last year, it was in beans, and slipping into it to hunt was nearly impossible without bumping deer. This year, I knew at least some of the animals would utilize the standing corn for cover as much as the woods.

To my delight, when Michelle and I pulled up to the woodlot on a side road, the farmer had picked some 20 acres of corn directly in front of us. With the stiff breeze, and silent entry of premium importance, Michelle and I elected to hunt from the ground, rather than pack in climbing stands. She carried in a dove stool, and I helped her build a quick make-shift blind in a fence row overlooking the picked corn. I eased into the woods and began still-hunting my way down the north side. A creek bed held several nice pools of water, and they were surrounded by deer tracks. I knew, even if the animals were using the corn as bedding cover, they'd come into these woods for a drink, and, with sweat beading off the end of my nose and the wind masking any noise I made (as well as a lot of my movement), I had a good game plan going. I'll check back in this evening and let you know how things turned out.

-Will