First evening hunting the refuge

Yep, so yesterday afternoon / evening was the first time I've hunted deer on the Refuge near my house. I've always wanted to, but you can only archery hunt for deer down there...they won't even allow access to walk in there unless you are physically hunting. Yea, even scouting is banned! That's what last night turned into for the most part. I left the house at about 1600 and was to the access point at around 1610...fantastic it's so close.

So I had an area I wanted to check out...a thicket of cottonwood and aspen trees tucked between two forks of the river. These thickets were adjacent to a levy that gave animals access to an alfalfa field on the other side of the highway...where I've seen them early in the morning. Anywho, it was pretty terrible trying to hike around down there...it's so darn dry I equate it to walking on cornflakes! Head-high grass with dead grass under that, covered in a layer of dry cottonwood leaves...there is no moving silently. I was trying to cross the slough without getting too wet, so was trying to move toward a shallow spot. Of course I had to contour around the bank of the slough because I didn't know a better way in...but the grass, brush, and trees made it a test of patience. Especially in 80-something degree heat. I just wanted to be able to move easily! Well, after crossing some logs and crossing this desert of a sandbar, then more logs, I made it close to the area I wanted to check out. There was no moving quietly to be done, so I walked slowly like a deer to a place where I could actually see a little bit. Thinking the deer might like the same thing. It was next to a small opening that was immediately adjacent to a THICK stand of aspen. Well, I sat down in the shade...pretty soon the earth moved enough where I was sitting in the sun. I put up with that for about 45 minutes until I was just entirely too uncomfortable to stay. I mean, I was sweating just sitting there! Bad deal and NOT very fun. Unfortunately, I had heard a lot of sticks breaking and whatnot in the aspen thicket (where I wanted to head because it had really thick shade). I figured that was something that slipped by and if I could just get in there, I might be able to wait for some more deer moving through. I walked over there and was just entering the thicket when two fawns jumped out to the east and probably their momma went west. I sat there in the cool, incredible shade and waited to see if they'd try to regroup. But, after a little more than an hour, that didn't seem to be the case.

I don't know, I was a little bored and tired. I didn't know where I wanted to be, having never seen that country before, so I just started cruising around and checking the place out. I walked along another part of the slough, trying to find where the deer cross and looking for high-traffic trails. Didn't see much, but found some spots that might be worth sitting near as well as some better places to cross the water. It's wild though, because I was only able to check out a very small corner of the Refuge. It'll probably take awhile to see a lot of it...good thing I've got lots of time! Let's just work on some early snow this year and I'll be good to go.

So, I was out at 1930. Not the best time to leave, I know, but I didn't really care. When you aren't into it and things just aren't working for you, why stay? Hunting is supposed to be fun, not something you feel obligated to do.