02/17/2026
I remember climbing up those sticks into my tree for the afternoon, with every step up I had to be extra careful to not slip & fall. Every branch & stick was covered in a layer of ice. I settled in but not very quietly.
I waited, but not for long before I could hear the thin layer of ice breaking above the snow. Not far, maybe 100 yards down in the timber. Then I see a rack. He’s slowly making his way toward my food plot. With every step he takes, his hooves break through the ice into the snow. He’s here now, 15 yards & broadside.
A hunt I could never forget from the 2020 season that I never shared here.