My most memorable recent unexpected hunting event happened just last year while hunting at Pappy's. I've told this story already, but maybe some of you missed it.
It was a fine cool afternoon and I left Pappy's with high expectations. Pappy was busy working on a bow I think, and was not hunting that afternoon. He put Hanna and Sadie up in the pen while I headed to my stand. I had been up in the stand less then 5 minutes when I heard something running toward my tree. Sadie wanted to share my hunt with me apparently, and her nose was way too skilled in tracking for my taste...at least when it's me she's tracking. She quickly tracked me right up to the tree and looked up at me as if to ask...what are you doing up there?
I sit tight hoping she would leave, but instead she started smelling around the area and a little marking of her territory by taking a leak here and there. Finally I had enough and decided I'd take her back to the cabin. I got down and started heading back and Sadie soon ranged far in front of me running back toward the cabin.
I really wanted to hunt that evening and decided just maybe Sadie would go back on her own, so I headed to a second stand site. You guessed it, she waited for me to get up in the tree again before showing up. Well I was beginning to get slightly agitated by then, and got down the second time and started heading back to the cabin. This time I ran into Pappy with the truck, he was looking for Sadie. She was following the truck back to the cabin, and I thought for sure I'd be safe to head for a third stand. I really did want to hunt that evening. Well, it was not to be again...yes Sadie had looked back and didn't see me following and I guess she preferred a Greg in the woods over a Pappy at the cabin!
She may have actually known what she was doing and was gaining some sick sense of enjoyment from all my walking and tree climbing that I was doing. This time I pretty much had given up and decided I wasn't climbing another tree until I saw Sadie securely locked up in her pen!
I got back to the cabin behind Sadie, and found her resting in the pen where Pappy had just put her. I think she was actually a little tired from all the exercise she'd been getting!
Well all of this had been taking some time, and I wasn't sure if I had enough time or strength left to climb another tree!
But Pappy told me about a stand close to the cabin and I went to it and made it up the tree. I'd been sitting there about ten minutes when I saw a dead dog (not Sadie or any other dog I knew) about twenty yards from my tree. This dog was looking pretty bad as it had been dead at least for several days. I just didn't feel much confidence in that stand with the dead dog there, so I got down the fourth time of the afternoon and walked clear across the road to the other side of the farm to another stand I knew of. I finally got to sit in that stand until dark, without seeing any deer by the way. I was probably stinking so much from sweating that a deer would be able to smell me upwind 200 yards away!
I hope I paid some dues that afternoon! It took me a while to forgive Sadie, but I finally did realizing she was only doing what came naturally to her. Pappy if you read this...please don't let Sadie out of the pen next time I come hunting!
