Deer season for 2009 was a bust at camp again. I took no pictures. Mike, Bill, Charlie, Joe, Steve, Frank, Rich, Greg and son Pete were there. Frank was the only one to actually see anything. He saw a group of does up near the Green Camp around lunch time on Monday. Greg and Pete got soaked because the water proofing in their hunting clothes somehow got washed out when I cleaned all their and my hunting gear. Mine was okay so that's another mystery. They came back to camp about 10 AM to dry out.

I also came back mid morning to dry out a bit then I went back out. Rich hunted his old stand at the far end of the laurel above the "hole". Greg and Pete were heading back out when Greg noticed Pete's scope was loose. They called it quits right there and left before I came back to camp around 2 PM. I helped Pete sight his rifle the week before and didn't notice any problems. (Later at home I checked and found the main mount screws on the Weaver mounts were slightly loose. All they would have needed was tightening up by finger pressure, it's a removable mount system - Oh well, live and learn).

At the time I didn't know what was wrong because the scope came mounted on the rifle when we got it and they left before I had a chance to look at it. I was ticked off as well so I left Monday after noon. The rest of the guys stayed another day or two and left. Zero deer again for Camp. It's getting very discouraging to spend all the time and money to go out there and see nothing. I saw tracks but they were pretty old. I'm not sure of the exact times everyone else left.

I hunted some more at home and also took Pete to Johnstown the next weekend to hunt with Eric and his crew. We saw nothing that day either. The place we hunted up on Chickaree was Eric's brother-in-law's land. Cousin Johnny Laslo was there but came later and we already were in the tree stand and didn't see him. He shot a doe mid morning. Eric walked all over trying to move the deer.

 The ground was covered with snow and ice and it was tough walking. Eric loaned us some crampons to make it easier. It was cold but thankfully no wind like we had on the drive up to Johnstown. About 2 PM Pete and I walked back to the cars. Eric was there eating some lunch. He said Danny and Johnny were still where Johnny shot his doe. Anyway, we decided to hang it up. Pete wasn't used to staying in the woods that long. We were in the tree stand at first light so that was about 6 or 7 hours. It's tough to stay tuned in to the hunt when you never see anything. We went back to Eric's for a while then came back to Annville. I found out later Danny and Johnny had pushed a nice buck up past the tree stand Pete and had been in, darn, left too soon!

I'm still kicking myself for passing on the small doe and her brother that walked past my stand the first week or archery. Oh well, live and learn some more!

I'll dig out the pictures Eric sent me of his and John's deer when I can find them. Too many digital pictures on this computer!