Illinois Live Hunt: Dealing with Mother Nature

Man, after an awesome hunt last evening, we were really pumped for today. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans. We awoke to a steady rain, and conditions didn't get much better throughout the morning. I sat until 11 a.m. and saw only one yearling buck. Tory did see another big, 150-class 10-pointer at 55 yards. He was with a group of seven does, but they moved through early in the morning and then he didn't see anything else.

On days like this, I am at least thankful for quality gear - especially a tree umbrella. These $20 items are real hunt savers, and while the hunting wasn't what I wanted this morning, at least I was able to say dry and comfortable. That tree umbrella really kept me in the game!

The rain has let up a bit now. Time for some hot soup and then back at it. I hope the deer are moving this evening.