By: Ted Nugent
Well happy happy Halloween everybody! Surely everybody knows that Halloween day is one of the best deerhunting days in North America! Not only does vast unsolicited testimony and anecdotal evidence support this self-evident truth, but even the record books are replete with probably more beast entries on Halloween than any other day of the year!
Backstrap trick or treat like you mean it!
The exciting end of October is a virtual explosion of increased wildlife activity all around, but most importantly it signals the unleashing of the November critter firestorm of rutting insanity, and God knows we all deerly love the eruption of unleashed critter firestorm rutting insanity, do we not!
In my more than 60 years of gungho deerhunting, I think I have only missed a handful of Halloween days afield, due in my teenage years to the hyper rock-n-roll touring schedule that I had not yet figured out how to properly prioritize my sacred hunting time.
Then there were a few Halloweens where Ma Nature had a tizzy fit and threw massive snotfest rainstorms into our lives and kept us frustratingly under wraps.
October 31, 2018 was a day to remember, that’s for sure! I was nestled in my high-ridge ladderstand in the glory of the Michigan color peak with ace VidCamDude Ethan Whisker, and a good hour before losing camera light I glimpsed shadowy movement in the dense puckerbrush where the cattail and reedgrass marsh melded into the mature timberground way off yonder.
Bino’s instantly identified a hulk of a bulk of a blubberbuck stud strolling with purpose off to our north, and in one fell predator ballet swoop I was able to range a beachball size hole in the understory at 61 yards, come to fulldraw, burp out a half-ass doe bleat and launch my 400grain deathray up, over and arching on a mission of mercy square into the buckzilla chest cavity with a resounding WHACK!
Oh glory, glory hallelujah! All that 60 plus yard 3D range paid off in spades as the old monarch collapsed in a heap on the forest floor!
The six and a half year old beast was pushing 300 pounds and had a face, head and nose on him like Sea Biscuit after a good year of stud service and too many carbs.
There have been many thrilling Halloweens for me. Always getting the kids off to a fun evening of trick or treating after a dedicated vigil in my favorite ambush set, I felt I had performed my super-dad duties while not letting this magical wildlife frenzy day get away from me.
I know a bunch of dedicated, wise bowhunters that plan their annual vacation time right around Halloween for all the right reasons.
Crazy lucky me I get to hunt every day anyway, but Halloween morning and Halloween afternoon have me extending my time on stand, knowing that the planets are aligning, and this is the annual kickoff day for the best deerhunting of the year.
As killer as Halloween can be, it still always boils down to that infamous right place right time decision and goof fortune, but this is the day that goodluck can really be with us.
So don your favorite Whackmaster costume, put on your best scary facepaint, fill your hands, ignite your predator spirit, and get out there early and stay later than usual.
May your deerhunting trick or treat candybag overflow with joy and excitement, and may this be your best Halloween ever.