Sat out in the cold for two days for nothing...

[BedroomHowitzer]

...but I did catch up on some z's here and there. Even if you don't see anything, it is still incredibly peaceful.





And to prove it wasn't my intentions to go out and just sleep...I brought this, just in case you know.

[alnitak]

Sorry to hear your efforts didn't produce meat, but still seems like it was a worthy endeavor. Nice scenery...a man needs to be alone with his thoughts every now and then...preferably while in tune with nature.

[rjohns94]

Sorry u came home with no meat. Perhaps next time

[RIHMFIRE]

Me Too
Saw only one doe and she fed in front of me for 2 hours
but you would never find her in this pic.. I am more than 25' up a pine
she is in the florida hollies on the other side of the palmettos...
most of it is above her head...Most of the time all you would see is the top of the bush moving.


she came out of this stuff...theres a trail , a tunnel really, about half way up the pic

foggy morning....and nothin,...but birds and bald eagle



hope you have better luck next time and nice shooter

[ollogger]

Sorry ya didnt get anything yet, but thanks for posting another pix of your gun,I have a mount
& scope for a 94, I took it off the gun without shooting it, your pix is telling me maybe I should
re think my thinking, or maybe its my age


ollogger

[Blaine]

I truly feel your pain.....All in all this deer/elk/late buck season(s) I was 14 or 15 days without. Saw a spike during elk season, and heard a few elk during elk season, high and dry on bucks during buck season, no bear, or lion either......I had a grand (if wet) fall....looking forward to next year. I'm sorry you didn't get anything as you were prolly colder than we were.

[gak]

To the OP's thread title, sure been there and done that - two days nothing but cold one year I remember in particular. Back in 1971, my dad and I were taken by a neighbor-friend (150 miles in the back of an then-old Scout) to a spot in N. Arizona. Next morning at 4 o'clock and about 10 degrees, we got up, broke camp and rode another five miles on jeep roads to a spot "guaranteed." Nothing, not a squirrel, rabbit or even the usually ever-present guardian of the forests, the bluejay (what we would have given even to hear one of those sounding off!). We had very similar views to the OP's pics. Gorgeous mix of pine, spruce, aspen, some hardwoods and an enticing meadow. The kind of environment you say "if I were a deer, I'd definitely be here!"

Discouraged, next day we worked a similar area a few miles over that included a more "obvious" watering hole versus the intermittent seepage creeks we'd seen earlier. No fresh or even "semi" fresh prints!! No fresh sign of any sort anywhere. Not even a coyote. That whole second day we saw and heard nothing again. Learned later that some college professor had studied and identified the area as "temporarily biologically dormant" - fauna challenged (my words--long time ago!) or some such for some odd reason (he speculated a variety of reasons IIRC)! Sure wish we'd seen that article earlier! Truly wierd. Our friend, who'd had great success with elk and mulies in the area in years prior was dumbfounded. Those two days, he'd worked an area about five miles over with similar observations except a few small birds. All that time I don't think it got above 25 or at best freezing - still cold of the penetrating kind.

Still, those few days we had that great high country air and the type of good time with my dad I sure miss these days. I'll take a lot of those without taking any quarry versus hunting success without him any day! Of course, the best is with both!

[2571]

Opening day had a big doe show up. Had a land-owner's anterless tag & decided I'd harvest her. Just then fawn steps out of brush and approaches her to nurse.

Couldn't shoot a mom. Satisfied just to watch them for a few minutes.

Brought home a nice Christmas tree.

[mudgunner49]

We got skunked for animals due to wind and wolves but time in the woods is never a waste. Some of my clearest thinking is done sitting on the side of a tree...

[Ji in Hawaii]

Worst day of hunting better than best day at work.

Lovely scenery, thank you for sharing those pictures.

[AJMD429]

...but I did catch up on some z's here and there. Even if you don't see anything, it is still incredibly peaceful.

Yep. That's often the best part.

[KirkD]

I've sat out for days with no deer to show for my efforts but, like you say, it was a great time anyway to catch up on some Z's and slow down and unwind in God's creation.

[Canuck Bob]

Some of my most memorable hunting days did not end in a deer harvested. Of course those that did were always great days.

Beautiful country, no jerks, no traffic, no cell phone, can't be all bad!!!