This is the second of a multi-part series about deer hunting at The Hut.

The room was dark when I opened my eyes. The clock indicated it was 6 a.m. The official hunting hours began at 6:50, so I rolled over and fell asleep.

I was alone at The Hut and didn't plan to head outside until my work was completed; this being the writing of three columns for the Herald.

Sunlight was streaming through the window when my eyes opened again. The burner on the Coleman stove was ignited and the large pot containing water was placed on top.

The large spotting scope was aimed at the winter-wheat field, 600 yards away. Four deer were feeding and, while I watched, three more entered the field.

Hot water was poured into a cup, a coffee bag, similar to a tea bag, was placed in the water followed by a packet of sweetener. The coffee was sipped as my fingers worked the keyboard. A banana was consumed for breakfast.

The columns were transmitted to the sports editor by a portable hot spot internet connection three hours later. It was time to hunt.

The walk north to the trail leading to the northwest corner took 15 minutes. A left turn put me walking west, toward the corner. Deer could easily hide in the tall sagebrush to the left and right.

The corner, a 100-yard long by 50-yard wide spot containing unusually tall brush, has been a highly successful place to find deer. A scan to the left and then to the right was continued throughout the walk, with an occasional peek behind me.

The thick sagebrush on the left gave way to a hill of yellowish grass, with sparse brush. Suddenly a deer neck and head was visible. I dropped to a kneeling position.

The binocular revealed a doe lying down and another doe to the left near a smallish sagebrush. Then a glint or sparkle caught my eye. A buck was bedded down to the right and under the sagebrush.

Two points were visible on the right antler and the left antler was hidden in the brush. The magnification of the rifle scope was increased, but I was too unsteady to get a good view. The crawl to the fence was painful on the knees.

I rolled under the fence by starting on my left side, was on my back looking up at the bottom strand of wire when flat on my back, then to my right side and back to my knees. The crawl to the closest fencepost was painful.

The support of the post helped steady the scope. The buck was clearly a 2-point on the right. The left side was still in the brush.

My thought revolved around the animal moving his head, allowing me a clear view. However, as I watched, this guy put his head down, with his left antler on the ground, and went to sleep.

This buck napped for 15 minutes, before a doe stoop up and stretched, then another and another. Finally the buck began to move and eventually stood up and stretched, making nine deer in the group. Still I couldn't get a good look to see if there was a third point on the antler. The deer all headed for the corner and, when they were out of sight, so did I.

I approached with ease, walking as silently as possible, when the lead doe appeared, saw me, turned around and headed southeast.

When I topped the crest of the small rise, the herd was in a tight group looking back at me from the top of the hill where they were originally beaded down. They saw me and bolted.

They became visible again after walking 400 yards in their direction. This time they were looking back at me, but before they moved, I backtracked a bit and circled to the right, generally in an arc; to the west, then south, then east.

My goal was to find them again, as I figured they were headed to the south, which would allow them to escape from our hunt area. The deer had not been visible for about 20 minutes when my direction turned to the north.

A slow pace was initiated as I moved ahead, scanning left and right in a constant sweep. Suddenly there was movement and 20 yards to my front stood the buck, with his left antler hidden in the tall sagebrush. He turned and took off, along with the eight others. I still wasn't sure if he was a legal 3-point buck or not.

They were at the crest of a 300-yard distant hill when next spotted. Again they were in a tight group, making a shot at a doe unethical. They departed in a cloud of dust, headed for the northwest corner, where I first spotted them.

The hunt had been successful, yet the trigger had not been pulled. I had been able to catch up with them several times and outsmarted them when able to be at their front unexpectedly. It was truly a most pleasurable hunt.

Next week: More insight into a week of deer hunting at The Hut.