My favorite time of the year

I think if I was pressed to say what my favorite time of the year would be, I'd go with fall. Now, there's something to be said for spring because of the rejuvenation that occurs after winter. But, with fall, there are so many of my favorite things. Fall starts with the turning of the leaves, the beginning of football season and the fishing is excellent. However, the coupe de gras for fall for me is hunting. There is nothing I enjoy more than being out scouting some land or sitting in a tree stand with bow or gun in hand. Some of my best hunts have occurred when no game was taken. Being able to watch nature unfold around you with the animals unaware of your presence can be an extremely satisfying event. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm all about harvesting animals because my family uses them for sustenance and there's nothing better than homemade venison sausage, jerky or steaks. If I can get a trophy to mount on the wall, that's an added bonus.

Unfortunately, due to moving from Indiana to Michigan this year, I was unable to bowhunt (which if I had to give up all other forms of hunting to do, I'd gladly do it). But, I am able to deer hunt this year during the gun season and will go out with my trusty muzzleloader. My wife's relatives have some land and so I was able to do some scouting before placing the treestands up with a buddy. Here are some of the sights I saw:

These rubs are located on a major deer path between the woods where the treestands are located and the bedding area the deer are using. When I saw these I figured there might be a decent deer in the area. I KNEW there was a real nice buck in the area when I saw this one:

Whether I harvest a large buck or not, I'm so looking forward to November 15th. There is no better time to be in the woods and I don't plan on missing out.