As I write this Tale the calendar says it is mid-December which means in our little neck of the woods in La Brasada, the whitetail breeding season is heating up. No matter the weather conditions, that pattern seems to be very consistent. I reckon Mother Nature has “seen it all” in terms of rain and temperature over the years and the rutting pattern has been consistent, at least for the 6+ decades I have tried to pay attention to it.
Taking advantage of the wind, I sat in a spot at our Family Place where the animals could easily hear my grunt call. I did not use any horns on this setting for the simple reason of NOT picking them up from the bed of my truck. Senility Reigns Once Again In My World!
After making a few “noises” I set back and waited to see what might happen. After a spell out came a 2.5-year-old that was sure enough walking stiff legged and looking to see what all the commotion was about. While a decent up and comer, this young fellow was in NO Danger from me or my trusty firearm. He passed within 25 yards of me, fully focused on finding the action associated with such a sound that I had made.
I doubt that youngster would understand that the animal I was seeking was at least twice his age and size from an antler development perspective. My guess is that he was hoping to “steal” a receptive Lady away from another male, or at least try and get into the chasing around that accompanies deer behavior during this time of year.
Either way he stood around for a while, confused and agitated with his lack of success. I found myself amused at this bewilderment until he finally walked off with the same determined gait. My guess is he was hoping to see IF the Party had simply moved into another area of the property.
While no harm came to this feisty young fellow spoiling to get into the fight, I hope he manages to Survive AND Thrive for 3 more years. If The Good Lord allows that to occur, I hope he will show himself again to me by falling victim to the same trick. If so, the story in December 2027, Lord Willing, might just have a different ending than this one did!