Is anyone else getting massive anxiety about the spot they chose? I’m headed to an area I’ve done some scouting in Region 3 for rifle opener. It was the most promising of the areas I scouted, but I wouldn’t say it was full of sign.

I still have not managed to see a deer while attempting to see one; this is my second year and I think that it’s getting into my head. Every ungulate I have come across has been when I am not actively looking.

Now I can’t stop worrying that I should be going to a different area for opener. I want an epic hike where I see at least one animal! I’d even settle for getting eyes on a single doe.

What if I choose the wrong ridge? What if all my efforts this summer leave me empty handed? What if I only manage to glass down cattle because I’m too close to a ranch? What if there are actually no deer in Canada and this whole thing is a massive conspiracy designed to undermine my computer skills?

How do I rationalize one spot over the other if I didn’t find one that said “Deer are here, right now”?