It is finished!
Posted By
indiana
at
1/5/2010 12:00:00 AM
Well, it's official now. We are finished here in Indiana. The
2009-10 Swan Song was heard from Gary to Terre Haute; from Evansville to Ft.
Wayne, and from Angola all the way to the Ohio River yesterday. I had one button
buck come out and offer me the ultimate shot. Of course, I didn't take it. It
was cool to see this little guy seem so vibrant, and so full of life; something
I wasn't at that point. In a way I was glad it was over. I didn't have to deal
with any more of the horrors that seemed to plague my season personally since
way back in September.
Like all of you I was pumped up to be a part of Midwestwhitetail
this year. I've been wanting to get into the videography end of deer hunting for
awhile now, and this would be my golden opportunity to begin. For me it started
with a dissappointing Urban hunt that never fully materialized. An unseasonably
cool October showed much promise as many up-and-coming bucks were spotted during
the Pre-Rut. Things were looking on the up-and-up for sure. A nice bonus came
when my brother, Dr. Dan Weimer D.V.M., arrowed his first/ best buck to date on
Oct. 29, a very good 8-Pointer.
The first week of November arrived and we all looked forward to the
best time of the year. But, that early November full moon, coupled with endless
miles of standing corn statewide, in addition to unseasonably warm air
temperatures (that seemed more befitting of early October) put the jinx on the
Primary Rut from here to Kansas. We all held our collective breath.
Then the bad news started piling in: my best Hit List buck was gut
shot by someone and found by a neighbor of James Zehr's. He brought it over to
James' house and he recognized that buck immediately. A message on my cell phone
from him was the first real "sucker punch" of the season. James told me it'd go
in the 150s net somewhere.. I remained positive; my hunting did not.
Not long after we found out that James' "Big 10" was arrowed by
another archer on a neighboring property. This buck is reportedly going to score
in the 180s gross as a typical. This isn't to mention what happened to my him in
Illinois (I'll let him save that for a future show). And, I know from watching
the show that many of your bucks were taken out during the season at some point
as well. It's never any fun when someone kills "your" buck. But, as they say,
that's the way it goes. We have no control over the wonderings of the bucks that
we conveniently watched and filmed over the summertime. It's Mom Nature's way of
making sure that genetics remain diverse and strong.
The corn was still up over much of the state due to some wet,
warm November weather. It no doubt saved many a buck, and offered much
convenient breeding and security cover. This then became the rallying cry for
those of us who hadn't scored yet.. Gun season came and went. They'll show
up during late season after the farmers get the corn out became the
rallying call for all of us.
For me the first week of muzzleloader season saw arctic
temperatures and winds more befitting of The Yukon than N. Indiana; I hunted
anyways, albeit without the camera. There was too much wind and snow for that.
On Wednesday December 9 I finally, and truthfully, questioned my own sanity.
Winds were blowing over 30 miles/hour and there I am looking like the Michelin
Man with every piece of gear I owned overlooking a couple of food plots (on the
ground of course). While the next week's weather did improve with a bit warmer
temperatures, snow, and lighter winds, the hunting got tougher because the
remaining deer were ultra-spooky. Three times I got busted by wary does that
should've never seen me.
Late archery brought the perfect late season weather, but the bucks
were all gone....or so it seemed. I personally couldn't get close enough to any
of the remaining shooters from Christmas to yesterday. And that is how she
ended. Deer-100, Me-0...a thorough butt kicking as it were. I know I speak for
several members of the Indiana Pro Staff in saying this was a dissappointing
season. I did manage to put two does in the freezer, but it was supposed to have
been better than this.
And so, I walked out of the woods yesterday a bit dejected,
wondering if it was all worth it really. I even think my mind allowed me to
utter something about quitting the madness; about giving up on dreams...maybe
even taking up a less disappointing hobby.
And then that same voice, the one that doesn't allow a person to
let negativity overtake their own concious, convinced myself that I'd never,
ever give up. After all, this is who I am, or who we are as Indiana deer
hunters. And then...it happened.
Walking out through the corn stubble, on the final evening of my
25th Indiana deer season, I see not 5, but 7..no 9,10....actually 15 deer
feeding against the white backdrop. I raised the binoculars up to see a couple
decent looking racks as light was fading. And it all made perfect sense to me as
I unconcsiously said Man, I wish we had one more week...
Congratulations to all of the Indiana Pro Staffers that scored this
year. Many of you persevered and tasted sweet victory. Many also persevered and
tasted...tag soup. All of us, I'm guessing, wouldn't trade it for the world.
It's been a fun journey for sure. It was great meeting Todd Stone, who worked
his tail off to pull this inaugural season off, and try to keep everyone happy.
It was also great to meet some of the Pro Staffers; I hope to meet all of you in
the next coming months. I'd also like to thank Bill Winke for the opportunity.
In the coming weeks I will be amassing a list of some of the top
bucks harvested in Indiana this year. Interestingly, although many of us
struggled, there were several hunters statewide who harvested ginormous bucks.
In fact, one of them is probably destined for a top spot in one of our record
book categories. It seems this may be a record year for Boone and Crockett
"book" bucks. More on this to come.
Yours in whitetail hunting obsession,
Dean Weimer
