With the rain on Wednesday, I thought to day would set up well with the bucks needing to refresh their scrapes and the drippers I put out Tuesday adding to the scent.
I was up at 5:00 to let Daphne out (she finally came into heat after 5 years and needs to be separated from the Wild Bunch, so she bunking in the garage) and figured I might as well hunt the morning, even though I was only originally planning on the afternoon and evening.
My plans quickly changed when I opened the garage door. The rain was going sideways, driven by a constant 25 knot wind with gusts to 50. So I went back to bed after dog duty (literally).
When I let the boy dogs out of the kennel at about 8:00, something want right. At first I couldn’t put my finger on it, then I realized that my ground blind was missing.
I hadn’t really intended to use it in archery (unless it was raining) because it is too far, 50 yards, from the scrape it covers, but set it up in case of weather or if I thought I could catch the deer coming or going at within 35 yards for the crossbow (my self imposed range limit). The primary purpose is to set it up for a retired state trooper friend to hunt the senior season and the rifle season.
Well, I guess, as the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished. The blind was 200 yards into the neighbor’s field, the swivel chair and trigger stick I set up in it for him were in the swale between the properties in the water and mud. Of course, the blind tie downs were still on the stakes stuck in the ground — ripped right off the blind.
I retrieved it all, which was like holding onto the tail of a kite because I couldn’t get it to fold up in the wind.
And the best part is that it is to be this windy until after dark, so no treehouse time today either.