Americana Outdoors E-Magazine - August 2022

Hunting the “NO” Buck in Early October BY WADE MIDDLETON A cooler than normal early October morning found me climbing into an old oak tree situated at the corner of a food plot as the sun began to break over the hill. I was slightly late heading to the stand on the Wendlandt Ranch, but I knew from experience to trust the words of Scott Wendlandt, who manages the land and deer hunting, that the deer would be in the area as the day went on. My stand that day was old school to say the least. It’s made up of old 2x4s, rusty nails, and an old plastic boat seat. This is the preferred design of Scott’s brother and a longtime friend of mine Clark Wendlandt. We often tease Clark about his stands. While some may be of dubious design and style they are rarely in an area where you don’t see deer. I quietly settled in to wait and enjoy the morning. I checked my safety harness, opened a Stink Stick made by Conquest Scents to help defeat the

swirling winds, and lastly made sure my NV-32 Blackout Bow setup was ready. After all that was in place, I enjoyed the sounds of nature waking up around me.

Ever hunted out of a boat seat before?

According to Scott (who has spent nearly 40 years in this area), lots of bucks congregate in this part of the property during the early season. With acorns dropping and a bit of corn spread around for added value, it was a matter of waiting now as I knew from experience this area of Texas is loaded with deer. It wasn’t long until we saw several deer. One buck that caught our attention was a chocolate-racked eight-point that looked to be a couple of inches outside his ears. The buck I was eyeing was cruising a far fence line and after

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