Lynn Blankenship of Troutville sent in these shots from this past season. Here’s his report:

“I was hunting with my two amigos Ed ( princess) Ward of Blue Ridge and Kevin (flashlight) Taylor of Roanoke who also had a good season. Kevin took a nice nine-pointer and a doe and Ed took a spike and a beatiful coyote.

I have been hunting this area for 36 years and have never seen a year like this one. Normally the place is crawling with does, and it is nothing for the three of us to see 10 or 12 does any time they hunt. But this year the does had disappeared. Between the three of us we did not see but may be 10 does from archery to the end of rifle season. I am guessing the farmers had gotten kill permits and put the hurt on the does before the season. That really worked out for the best. We had never seen so many bucks moving looking for does.
Every time we hunted it was bucks only being seen.  One morning alone I passed up five different bucks trailing one doe that came thru.

I took the seven pointer (top) opening day of black powder season and the six pointer the last day of rifle season, both were checking scape lines.”

Congrats on the good season, Lynn, and thanks for the interesting report. I would tell you to fix the date on your camera, but that would mean I’d have to fix the date on mine. And I don’t want to try.