Pennsylvania Game News - December 2019 - 20

tracks of a fox that noticed the mouse, too.
You probably chased him away from his
breakfast even though you thought you
were being as quiet and as stealthy as
possible. There is always a good chance
of being privileged to see the tracks of a
cat or bear.
You notice that the dull, dark-gray
trees have yellow polka dots from the
various kinds of birds picking into the
inner layers of bark and wood for dormant
grubs and insects.
Then, crossing in front of you, are the
heart-shaped prints of a deer. The tracks
are deep, down to the wet leaves lying
under the snow. And broad, they were
bearing a lot of weight. And they don't
meander like those of a feeding deer.
This deer is headed in a definite beeline.
It knows exactly where it is going and is
wasting no time in getting there.
It gradually adds up in your mind, this
is probably a buck.
What next? Well, the deer's path leads
toward a patch of brush and rocks and
downed timber only a hundred yards
away. He could very well be in that tangle
this moment, relying on his natural camouflage and obstacle course to hide him.
All of his senses are fine-tuned to detect
the approach of danger.
Or, the tracks could lead on through
this tangle and the deer could be a mile
or more away. But, it seems useless to
wait him out. If he is in there, it would
take a crowbar to get him out, and there
aren't too many hunters on this part of
the mountain today. So, it isn't likely that
he'll get pushed out.
If he is there, and if he came out on
your side, and if you were alert enough
to see him, it would still be too far for a
bullet to stand a good chance of getting
from here to there without hitting a branch
first. That is, if it is a buck, and a legal one.
20

So, you decide to go have a look at that
tangle close up, what the heck?
But you'd better stop and figure out
the best approach.
First, the wind. There really isn't any to
speak of, but the sun is up so the warming
air currents will be going up the mountain.
You and that patch of logs and laurel are
parallel with the ridge, so you should be
safe, if a stray breeze doesn't come up,
which they do constantly on the ridges.
If there is a deer there, he will be
watching his back trail. So, you decide
not to follow the tracks directly, but
a couple of dozen yards off to one
side.
But which side? To the right you
would have cover all the way. But, that
cover makes noise. All you have to do is
step on a twig, or kick a stone loose. Both
could be, and probably are, hidden under
the snow. That could be all it takes for that
deer to squirt out the other side like a bar
of soap, so quietly with nose low that you
won't know he has been there at all.
To the left, the trees are unusually far
spaced with almost no brush, a quiet easy
route. Also, the ground is a little higher,
giving you a good view of the patch. But,
both of these factors could work in the
deer's favor just as well. If you can see
him, he can see you.
You decide you'd rather take a chance
with his mediocre (only as good as yours)
eyes than his radar ears. Before you move,
you pick apart the brush patch, twig-bytwig, leaf-by-leaf, with your eyes.
Nothing.
Then, ever so slowly, you look all
around to make sure no other deer have
drifted into the area, or, have been there,
though you haven't noticed them.
You grip the rifle tightly, make sure the
safety is on and keep your finger out of the
trigger guard and safely up on the side of
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2019

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