It's raining sideways here right now. Scattered thunderstorms this evening then rain all night, ending early in the morning.
I've been hunting that big 8 pointer the last few days after work. On Monday I started by walking a stream not far from where I saw him Saturday night. Found a spot where there's 2 crossings right next to each other, both with weeks worth of tracks stacked on top of each other. One of the deer using the crossings has a 4 finger track. I popped up the bank and into a tree where I'd be able to shoot both crossings. It's wide open hardwoods dominated by oaks on one side of the stream, and a thick swampy section on the other. Just after I finished setting up I spotted a deer way out in the open oaks; a young 8 point with velvet still hanging off his blood red rack. While watching him through the binos another buck stepped into my field of view. This one a young 6 point with a couple kickers/splits. Then right behind him out stepped the big boy... a heavy, long tined chocolate racked 8 point. They were bedding in a patch of white oaks and would get up, vacuum up as many acorns as they could, lay down, chew their cud and let a bunch more acorns fall, then repeat. The next day the plan was to ditch work a little early, sneak in there and set up right on that patch of white oaks. Well instead of hunting my way in, I was focused on getting to the destination and I bumped a big buck a half mile down the stream from there. Didn't get a great look at him, just a fleeting glance through the binos, and while I'm hoping there's 2 big dark racked bucks in there I have a feeling it was the big 8. He ran somewhat towards where I was heading, and I don't think he saw me or smelled me, just heard me sloshing through the stream so I stuck with the plan. The 6 pointer with the kickers came in but he was by himself this time. Then yesterday I set up on the same creek crossings I sat Monday and saw the younger 8 point and a pair of spikes. Just gonna keep checking all the crossings and hunting the ones with the freshest biggest tracks until I run into him or his tracks stop showing up. I know I'm in his core area and he's moving around in there during daylight, his "patterns" are just erratic because there's food everywhere. Plenty of cover too, but if anything this deer has shown a preference to bedding in more open areas where he has better visibility. Water is the limiting factor, so I think that's my best shot right now. Plus I can walk down the stream and just pop up into a tree on the bank, leaving minimal scent in the area. Sorry if I'm rambling lol ... Just talking myself through this.