Oh yes, it’s that time of year again; a fresh coating of white covers the ground, and the sound of Christmas carols can be heard in many different locations as we move about. It’s also that time of year when we frequently hear that familiar greeting, “So, did you get your deer yet?” What usually follows is a lengthy explanation as to why that buck hasn’t been tagged yet or if a successful hunt did come to fruition the “device” comes out and you get to actually see the results of success. I know how this works because I do the same thing but at this point, I have no photos to show.

A successful buck hunt depends on a lot of things; certainly, experience increases your chances, weather plays a big role, what other hunters in the area are doing or not doing, are you hunting public or private land, what food sources are available and where deer are bedding are all factors. In addition, you must be careful of your movements, scent and your ability to move quietly and you’ve got to put the time in but even if you follow all of these steps carefully there’s still no guarantee that you are going to get that buck. I know of a number of very experienced hunters who have yet to tag their buck and at the same time I’ve heard stories of newcomers to the game who have tagged their first buck.

Over the past couple of weeks some of my coffee drinking buddies have shared photos of their grandchildren with their first buck; the size of the antlers didn’t matter-the big smile on their faces told the whole story. Last week my granddaughter related the story to me that her half-sister who wanted to get into hunting finished passing her online Hunter-Trapper Education course on Friday, bought her hunting license Saturday morning and killed her first buck later that day —Wow!

This year especially I suspect there will be a number of newcomers to deer hunting probably partly because of the pandemic stuff that we are being subjected to and the desire to get out and do something. Let’s face it, shopping in the woods with a 308 rifle beats the daylights out of pushing a shopping cart around in a crowded grocery store-well. at least for some of us. Speaking of newcomers to the activity of deer hunting after I complete this piece for my column, I will have the opportunity to take my granddaughter’s husband, Tyler out on his first deer hunting venture. It’s always a great opportunity to show someone how challenging and at the same time how exciting a deer hunt can be especially a successful one.

You can bet that those of us who have been in the deer hunting business for awhile will always be working on improving our odds of success-reading more, scouting more, analyzing more and putting more time in the woods but that does not necessarily guarantee success. I suppose there is still that element of “luck”, after all how do you know that the buck you just shot wasn’t spooked off the opposite hillside a half-mile away by a hunter moving carelessly through the woods? That same deer that was spooked by a moving hunter may have also changed directions suddenly when it whiffed the scent of another hunter sending him in your direction.

Be it experience or luck or both here’s hoping that this afternoon’s hunt is a success; in fact, I would like that “guarantee” for all of my hunts.