Well with the opener I was found hunting what I assumed would be the least intrusive stand...not necessarily the one I expected the most movement as I realized it is early and nothing needs rushed.
So I hunted the Oak stand that is central on the swamp property just N of the food plot and to the NE of the micro plot just yards up the two track from the larger one. For reference in 2013 this puts the Hay all the way to the East of this stand, the corn E and SE, and the beans already picked to the S. (the corn was picked too).
Wind was SSW, not the best but not the worst either really and I was hoping the pre-dawn wind would suck a deer worth an arrow up into the northern bedding...Temps were mid 50s at light and creeped up to the mid 60s by 11 when I started packing up.
-Had an unconfirmed buck subtly grunting and visibly shaking a branch but never got confirmed visual.
-Around 8:15 had two does come in from behind and get nervous when hitting access trail...no stomping or blowing just slowly leaving.
Had to get a lot of work done for my one business scheduled to have a big day October 2nd so left at 11am. Oh how great it was to be back in the saddle!
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Friday, December 7, 2012
12-1-2012 The good, the bad and the ugly
Well between being sick after Thanksgiving and not having anymore vacation time for hunting purposes it's been awhile since sitting up a tree. I decided going into this hunt I would finally fill the freezer, meaning the does were targets for the first time in my season.
Specs of the hunt:
Where: Homestead
Stand/Location: Far Northern stand at the base of the northern hillside.
Time in: 7:00am
Time out: 11:30am
Wind: S/SE
Man this day had more in store in it than I ever thought possible. First I got on stand early enough to spread a little S&P (frozen upon harvest) estrous urine out in front of me along the trail 20-25 yards away. I made sure to spray it out over the scrape in hopes that if a buck came moving quickly it may stop him just long enough to get a shot.
Slid back up the stand in the dark, still 30-45 minutes from legal light, and began to get settled. Once I was 100% set and ready I noticed something moving off to my right...small, looked like a fox or coyote. It hung around for 5 minutes or so but worked off about 5 minutes before legal light and never gave me a clear sight line to confirm whether fox or coyote.
Legal light came and went with no sign of deer...hour passed and nothing...then finally deer movement in from the west (to my right). I was finally filling the freezer so I had bow ready upon first sighting and stood waiting to see if I'd get a shot presented to me. It was a group of 5 does, two of which were mature enough to take. The leader of the group wasn't the largest of the two but was easily 3 maybe 4 years old and I decided I'd try to take her if I could. Needless to say they played around and meandered for quite awhile...even had two of the smaller ones bed down...one well check it out:
The above video was shot with my camera...obviously not best quality but wanted to show you how close these deer were...and they were here for a while!
Well the two biggest ones finally decided they wanted to start heading East and did so right in front of me. They were in no big hurry and were nibbling here and there...the whole time I was attempting to get to full draw on one of them, but either one would be looking my direction. Twice I had clear shots at each of the does but couldn't pull back due to all the other eyes. Finally I had a shot on the bigger of the two (not the leader) so I raised my arm to draw and bam one of the yearlings picked me up. I froze and she eventually stopped looking but the doe I was gonna shoot was now moving off to my left and I had no shot. So the lead doe now down and to my left gave me a slight quartering away angled shot down through some tiny branches...picked an opening I was confident it'd be good and drew and let it fly. Till this day I am not sure what happened but I remember thinking immediately it wasn't a good hit and that it had nicked a branch. I regret taking the shot now after in hindsight...but at the time there wasn't a person in the world that could have convinced me the arrow wasn't gonna find it's mark. I would later learn the deflection had caused a gut shot and from where I saw it impact it had hit low...
Not knowing this I decided to set on stand for an hour before getting down and checking the arrow...dreading what it would show. At the 58 minute mark and while standing up to get ready to climb down I catch movement in front of me. 4 does were coming from the food plots on our property and working North right in front of me. I quick grab my bow and get set....lead doe is very big and presented me a 21 yard shot, I settled the 25 yard pin (thinking she was back slightly farther than I found out she was) and squeezed it off. I could tell this deer was hit good, but did notice the arrow hit touch right however she was double lunged and I didn't know it but was pounding blood out as she ran around and down the hill on a death run.
I sat back down texted my father, who now decided with my color blindness and having two hit he'd come home to help. It was 10:30am only and he said shoot another so I sat down and decided I may if given a chance....wouldn't you know it almost happened to. I had more does work in from the West into the thicket to my right. Wish they'd have come by me because it was the big group with the doe that is like a mini beef cattle...I hope to harvest her at some point.
THE RECOVERY...and what followed.
Well let's make this abbreviated as much as possible. We started searching for the first doe, and knew instantly it wasn't a good shot. I knew immediately I wasn't gonna give up but knew in the back of my mind this one could end bad. We honestly would find just specs of blood...at times only my father seemingly could find them. It would take us a half hour just to move 10-20 yards...after a while he decided to stay on the blood and I would start grid searching the 40 acres worth of woods she'd ran into. I seriously grid searched this woods twice in the coming hours...at one point my father now possible 40 yards from where I'd left him at last blood was at a stand still for blood...I just happened to look down where I stood in one of my circles and along the main trail that rain from where my father now stood and saw blood. This progressed us another 50 yards or so...and again the search was ridiculously slow. We did eventually figure out she had ran down into a thick spot where some creeks dumped together along a county road. After searching that thick spot completely we knew she had to have made it across the road (we heard some take off when entering the thicket...now 4 hours into the search and well over 6 hours after the shot). We walked the road and decided to go recover the other doe, which didn't take long at all before dark would hit us and if we had time we'd go walk the property across the road (my dad knew the landowner and actually hunts it). *Quick note we did hear some shots...remember that as I feel it is crucial to where my doe now is.
I won't go deep into the other tracking job...let's just say the Slick Trick Magnum 125gr heads had blown through with ease and she was spraying blood both directions at times 3 feet out each side. We found her piled up heading for our properties bedding area (which is an awesome feeling she was trying to make it there!!!). Here she is:
I'd estimate her to be 3-5 year old range and plenty big...well after that recovery we went and tried to find blood from the first doe now on the neighboring property as one last ditch effort...nothing. However we did notice on a neighbor's property two dead does laying in this guy's yard. We decided to pull into the guys driveway....now this guy is crazy...not nice...and well all around jerk to nearly everyone...but I had to try. The guy claims he was sighting in a gun early (explanation of the shots) and that the deer we saw were roadkill ones. He didn't wanna talk any longer and gave us an ear full about our hunting does and well whatever...guy was crazy. I'll just leave it at this...the shot wasn't good...and this is only the second deer I've never recovered and it has me torn up. Could that deer still be alive...yeah...is it? Sadly probably not...however I really think it may be one of those two "roadkill" deer that didn't looked banged up or road rashed at all from the distance we were standing.
Moral of the story is hindsight is always better...would I take that shot if presented again...maybe...after I clear it out some more, because obviously it wasn't open enough. Some guys would say don't sweat it, it was just a doe...but honestly I can't do that. I'll own up to my mistake and learn from it. That doe deserved me making the shot and I failed...you can count on me planning on making that the last deer I never recover for as long as possible...not a good feeling at all!
To close out this long story....I'll share the fact that it was a fox I saw in the morning. I know this because the little booger came back as I was in stand waiting on my father to arrive. Here's some pics of it:
Specs of the hunt:
Where: Homestead
Stand/Location: Far Northern stand at the base of the northern hillside.
Time in: 7:00am
Time out: 11:30am
Wind: S/SE
(as always click on any image you want to see larger)
Man this day had more in store in it than I ever thought possible. First I got on stand early enough to spread a little S&P (frozen upon harvest) estrous urine out in front of me along the trail 20-25 yards away. I made sure to spray it out over the scrape in hopes that if a buck came moving quickly it may stop him just long enough to get a shot.
Slid back up the stand in the dark, still 30-45 minutes from legal light, and began to get settled. Once I was 100% set and ready I noticed something moving off to my right...small, looked like a fox or coyote. It hung around for 5 minutes or so but worked off about 5 minutes before legal light and never gave me a clear sight line to confirm whether fox or coyote.
Legal light came and went with no sign of deer...hour passed and nothing...then finally deer movement in from the west (to my right). I was finally filling the freezer so I had bow ready upon first sighting and stood waiting to see if I'd get a shot presented to me. It was a group of 5 does, two of which were mature enough to take. The leader of the group wasn't the largest of the two but was easily 3 maybe 4 years old and I decided I'd try to take her if I could. Needless to say they played around and meandered for quite awhile...even had two of the smaller ones bed down...one well check it out:
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| One of the two does bedded down...right beneath me. |
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| Same one zoomed in closer. This deer would lick my tree steps at one point. |
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| The other yearling doe bedded 15 or so yards to my right at the same time. |
Well the two biggest ones finally decided they wanted to start heading East and did so right in front of me. They were in no big hurry and were nibbling here and there...the whole time I was attempting to get to full draw on one of them, but either one would be looking my direction. Twice I had clear shots at each of the does but couldn't pull back due to all the other eyes. Finally I had a shot on the bigger of the two (not the leader) so I raised my arm to draw and bam one of the yearlings picked me up. I froze and she eventually stopped looking but the doe I was gonna shoot was now moving off to my left and I had no shot. So the lead doe now down and to my left gave me a slight quartering away angled shot down through some tiny branches...picked an opening I was confident it'd be good and drew and let it fly. Till this day I am not sure what happened but I remember thinking immediately it wasn't a good hit and that it had nicked a branch. I regret taking the shot now after in hindsight...but at the time there wasn't a person in the world that could have convinced me the arrow wasn't gonna find it's mark. I would later learn the deflection had caused a gut shot and from where I saw it impact it had hit low...
Not knowing this I decided to set on stand for an hour before getting down and checking the arrow...dreading what it would show. At the 58 minute mark and while standing up to get ready to climb down I catch movement in front of me. 4 does were coming from the food plots on our property and working North right in front of me. I quick grab my bow and get set....lead doe is very big and presented me a 21 yard shot, I settled the 25 yard pin (thinking she was back slightly farther than I found out she was) and squeezed it off. I could tell this deer was hit good, but did notice the arrow hit touch right however she was double lunged and I didn't know it but was pounding blood out as she ran around and down the hill on a death run.
I sat back down texted my father, who now decided with my color blindness and having two hit he'd come home to help. It was 10:30am only and he said shoot another so I sat down and decided I may if given a chance....wouldn't you know it almost happened to. I had more does work in from the West into the thicket to my right. Wish they'd have come by me because it was the big group with the doe that is like a mini beef cattle...I hope to harvest her at some point.
THE RECOVERY...and what followed.
Well let's make this abbreviated as much as possible. We started searching for the first doe, and knew instantly it wasn't a good shot. I knew immediately I wasn't gonna give up but knew in the back of my mind this one could end bad. We honestly would find just specs of blood...at times only my father seemingly could find them. It would take us a half hour just to move 10-20 yards...after a while he decided to stay on the blood and I would start grid searching the 40 acres worth of woods she'd ran into. I seriously grid searched this woods twice in the coming hours...at one point my father now possible 40 yards from where I'd left him at last blood was at a stand still for blood...I just happened to look down where I stood in one of my circles and along the main trail that rain from where my father now stood and saw blood. This progressed us another 50 yards or so...and again the search was ridiculously slow. We did eventually figure out she had ran down into a thick spot where some creeks dumped together along a county road. After searching that thick spot completely we knew she had to have made it across the road (we heard some take off when entering the thicket...now 4 hours into the search and well over 6 hours after the shot). We walked the road and decided to go recover the other doe, which didn't take long at all before dark would hit us and if we had time we'd go walk the property across the road (my dad knew the landowner and actually hunts it). *Quick note we did hear some shots...remember that as I feel it is crucial to where my doe now is.
I won't go deep into the other tracking job...let's just say the Slick Trick Magnum 125gr heads had blown through with ease and she was spraying blood both directions at times 3 feet out each side. We found her piled up heading for our properties bedding area (which is an awesome feeling she was trying to make it there!!!). Here she is:
 | |
| No that stand in behind me isn't the one I was in. |
I'd estimate her to be 3-5 year old range and plenty big...well after that recovery we went and tried to find blood from the first doe now on the neighboring property as one last ditch effort...nothing. However we did notice on a neighbor's property two dead does laying in this guy's yard. We decided to pull into the guys driveway....now this guy is crazy...not nice...and well all around jerk to nearly everyone...but I had to try. The guy claims he was sighting in a gun early (explanation of the shots) and that the deer we saw were roadkill ones. He didn't wanna talk any longer and gave us an ear full about our hunting does and well whatever...guy was crazy. I'll just leave it at this...the shot wasn't good...and this is only the second deer I've never recovered and it has me torn up. Could that deer still be alive...yeah...is it? Sadly probably not...however I really think it may be one of those two "roadkill" deer that didn't looked banged up or road rashed at all from the distance we were standing.
Moral of the story is hindsight is always better...would I take that shot if presented again...maybe...after I clear it out some more, because obviously it wasn't open enough. Some guys would say don't sweat it, it was just a doe...but honestly I can't do that. I'll own up to my mistake and learn from it. That doe deserved me making the shot and I failed...you can count on me planning on making that the last deer I never recover for as long as possible...not a good feeling at all!
To close out this long story....I'll share the fact that it was a fox I saw in the morning. I know this because the little booger came back as I was in stand waiting on my father to arrive. Here's some pics of it:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
11-23-2012 Black Friday
Specs of the hunt:
Where: Homestead
Stand/Location: Trident Stand, stand on the SW bottom of hill by food plot
Time in:6:50am
Time out: 12:00 (noon)
Wind: W/NW
First time wind conditions were right for a day where I would be hunting the homestead property for this stand. My father had hunted quite a few times in bow season and after some stories from him I was pumped to see if the stand would come to life for me.
It was a frigid day, starting just above freezing and dropped nearly a degree or more every single hour till I got down. I had absolutely no movement till roughly mid-morning around 10:00am, when two does came from my North. The crazy thing was the wind was picking up and it seriously started gusting hard right as they walked in....those does honestly stopped dead in their tracks and bedded down when it started howling.
Seeing them do this and feeling the wind ripping into me I decided there was no way a deer would move in this weather so I had my father and nephew (up from Southern Indiana) walk back in the food plot to slip the deer away without busting my position.
End of hunt.
Where: Homestead
Stand/Location: Trident Stand, stand on the SW bottom of hill by food plot
Time in:6:50am
Time out: 12:00 (noon)
Wind: W/NW
First time wind conditions were right for a day where I would be hunting the homestead property for this stand. My father had hunted quite a few times in bow season and after some stories from him I was pumped to see if the stand would come to life for me.
It was a frigid day, starting just above freezing and dropped nearly a degree or more every single hour till I got down. I had absolutely no movement till roughly mid-morning around 10:00am, when two does came from my North. The crazy thing was the wind was picking up and it seriously started gusting hard right as they walked in....those does honestly stopped dead in their tracks and bedded down when it started howling.
Seeing them do this and feeling the wind ripping into me I decided there was no way a deer would move in this weather so I had my father and nephew (up from Southern Indiana) walk back in the food plot to slip the deer away without busting my position.
End of hunt.
Monday, November 19, 2012
11-17-2012 Gun Season Opens: I got my bow
Specs of the hunt:
Where: Homestead
Stand/Location: Same far NE stand
Time in: 6:00am
Time out: 6:15pm down
Wind: S/SE
Well, it was here. The gun season in Indiana officially was starting...I'd put in 169 hours on stand to this point without connecting on a big buck yet for the first time in 4 years prior to gun season. I knew this was the day a ton of the small bucks I'd let walk would meet their maker, but that is nothing out of the ordinary and can't dwell on it.
This day started unusually quiet for opening day of gun season...usually sounds like WW III is commencing. I had does all around me and actually at roughly 9am I would have a group of 10 does come in from my East and walk right under my stand. The neighbor would eventually get them nervous and they turned around...however not before I got to study the lead doe. I kid you not this doe looked like a 55 gallon drum on it's side. She was HUGE! Looking back on it now and knowing how my season is going I should have shot her. She easily was the biggest bodied deer I'd seen at the homestead property (bucks included) on hoof during the season. Hopefully I get another chance when I will feel like filling my freezer later in the season, because I'll be honest she was like a small beef cattle!
My father would be on the other side of the property from me hunting all day as well. He had deer all around him pretty much all day. He sent me a text a mere 1 hour and 56 minutes till legal time was up that the neighboring hunter just now was entering woods. He proceeded to hook up a climber tree stand, then had to go get gun at truck, and then climbed.....oh brother. I silently thought, "You know what he'll probably shoot something knowing this season...probably the little 7 or 8 that we got running around which seem oblivious to anything".
Wouldn't you know it my father would have some does run right under his stand and proceed over to the neighbor...only to be followed by the little 7 (picture below). My father had him under 10 yards away and watched as it headed over to the neighbor....he knew it was as good as dead and sure enough. That's hunting...
My night ended with me actually heading over there to make sure the deer wasn't on a neighbor's property I promised to keep on eye on her property. Knowing his deer appeared to head there I did in fact call her and left a message (no answer) that she should be getting a call to legally recover his deer. Well long story short after actually going over and talking with the hunter while recovering his deer it didn't appear to go on the neighbor's property...however a very heated discussion would take place over their anger about signs being posted for trespassing issues and how we'd hinged cut our Northern border. It was absurd how angry they were when they were the ones who had poached a deer on our property last year...but whatever. It was so bad I actually for the first time all year didn't hunt the next day when I could have....ugh.
Oh well...more on what we're doing to fix our issues with them (not to their liking I'm sure) in future postings this off-season.
To all you out there still chasing a buck or filling the freezer good luck and be safe. Also be considerate to your other hunters.
Where: Homestead
Stand/Location: Same far NE stand
Time in: 6:00am
Time out: 6:15pm down
Wind: S/SE
Well, it was here. The gun season in Indiana officially was starting...I'd put in 169 hours on stand to this point without connecting on a big buck yet for the first time in 4 years prior to gun season. I knew this was the day a ton of the small bucks I'd let walk would meet their maker, but that is nothing out of the ordinary and can't dwell on it.
This day started unusually quiet for opening day of gun season...usually sounds like WW III is commencing. I had does all around me and actually at roughly 9am I would have a group of 10 does come in from my East and walk right under my stand. The neighbor would eventually get them nervous and they turned around...however not before I got to study the lead doe. I kid you not this doe looked like a 55 gallon drum on it's side. She was HUGE! Looking back on it now and knowing how my season is going I should have shot her. She easily was the biggest bodied deer I'd seen at the homestead property (bucks included) on hoof during the season. Hopefully I get another chance when I will feel like filling my freezer later in the season, because I'll be honest she was like a small beef cattle!
My father would be on the other side of the property from me hunting all day as well. He had deer all around him pretty much all day. He sent me a text a mere 1 hour and 56 minutes till legal time was up that the neighboring hunter just now was entering woods. He proceeded to hook up a climber tree stand, then had to go get gun at truck, and then climbed.....oh brother. I silently thought, "You know what he'll probably shoot something knowing this season...probably the little 7 or 8 that we got running around which seem oblivious to anything".
Wouldn't you know it my father would have some does run right under his stand and proceed over to the neighbor...only to be followed by the little 7 (picture below). My father had him under 10 yards away and watched as it headed over to the neighbor....he knew it was as good as dead and sure enough. That's hunting...
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| click to enlarge |
My night ended with me actually heading over there to make sure the deer wasn't on a neighbor's property I promised to keep on eye on her property. Knowing his deer appeared to head there I did in fact call her and left a message (no answer) that she should be getting a call to legally recover his deer. Well long story short after actually going over and talking with the hunter while recovering his deer it didn't appear to go on the neighbor's property...however a very heated discussion would take place over their anger about signs being posted for trespassing issues and how we'd hinged cut our Northern border. It was absurd how angry they were when they were the ones who had poached a deer on our property last year...but whatever. It was so bad I actually for the first time all year didn't hunt the next day when I could have....ugh.
Oh well...more on what we're doing to fix our issues with them (not to their liking I'm sure) in future postings this off-season.
To all you out there still chasing a buck or filling the freezer good luck and be safe. Also be considerate to your other hunters.
11-14-12 All Day Sit
Specs of the hunt:
Where: Homestead
Stand/Location: Very NE one yet again
Time in: 6:00am
Time out: 6:15pm down
Wind: S/SE
With the wind looking good yet again for this stand I just couldn't help but head to it...especially my dog issues and heart break (pre-legal) hunt at the Swamp Property. This hunt would be busy all day long. I would see does every single hour, heading both directions and even bedding beside me at times. The crazy thing is I saw no bucks, not even a scrawny one till very late in the evening when I had a spike come by. Was nuts, starting to seriously wonder if we don't have too many does and not enough bucks.
Where: Homestead
Stand/Location: Very NE one yet again
Time in: 6:00am
Time out: 6:15pm down
Wind: S/SE
With the wind looking good yet again for this stand I just couldn't help but head to it...especially my dog issues and heart break (pre-legal) hunt at the Swamp Property. This hunt would be busy all day long. I would see does every single hour, heading both directions and even bedding beside me at times. The crazy thing is I saw no bucks, not even a scrawny one till very late in the evening when I had a spike come by. Was nuts, starting to seriously wonder if we don't have too many does and not enough bucks.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
11-13-12 BEAST @ 11 yards....but couldn't do it
Specs of the hunt:
Where: Swamp Property
Stand/Location: Middle Stand again
Time in: 6:00am
Time out: 6:15pm down
Wind: W
Well this hunt was one I'll dream about for years...and be tormented about for years. What would you have done...I hope the same thing.
I got into my stand at roughly 6am...well before I could legally shoot (7:00) and set listening to possible deer rumblings through the woods. I did put some estrous urine down on my walk in so perhaps it would lure something down the two-track I had walked.
At approximately 6:40am I heard something taking very heavy and strong steps off to my NE. Almost stepping like it was on alert and trying to find what it smelled. Well the steps kept getting closer and I could tell it was a buck as it did a couple deep grunts as it got closer to the tree I had splashed the remaining estrous urine on it's base 12 yards in front of my stand. I could tell this buck had obviously walked south along the food plot two-track to my E and when he'd caught a whiff of the estrous he wanted to investigate. I looked at my clock 6:45am...looked up and there he was. HOLY MASS-OLA! This buck easily would have been the biggest buck I'd ever harvest. I could see it, not vividly clear in the low light....but I could have easily put an arrow behind the front shoulder of this BEAST.
I couldn't though....I had my bow in my hand I even put the release on it and said "Screw it...no one will know." I couldn't though, I thought of how I'd feel looking at the thing on my wall everyday for the rest of my life...if I shot I would have chosen to break the law. I'd have been just as bad as the guys who poach, trespass, illegally bait or ignore any kind of hunting law. I'd be able to be lumped in with the guys I despise...couldn't do it.
I quickly said, "Thank you Lord, for just the glimpse" asked him for another chance and watched the beast walk S towards the corn....I simply couldn't do it.
I would set that whole day in that stand...and it replayed over and over again in my head. I was proud of the decision I had made but couldn't help but have regret. Gun season starts this Saturday, the orange army would take over these woods and I wouldn't be able to come back and hunt it till late season...part me was yelling at my self but the other part just kept saying "I simply couldn't do it".
I did see a small 7 pointer that day...couldn't do that either.
Ah, the day I'll never forget and the buck I'll probably never forget....I just couldn't do it.
Where: Swamp Property
Stand/Location: Middle Stand again
Time in: 6:00am
Time out: 6:15pm down
Wind: W
Well this hunt was one I'll dream about for years...and be tormented about for years. What would you have done...I hope the same thing.
I got into my stand at roughly 6am...well before I could legally shoot (7:00) and set listening to possible deer rumblings through the woods. I did put some estrous urine down on my walk in so perhaps it would lure something down the two-track I had walked.
At approximately 6:40am I heard something taking very heavy and strong steps off to my NE. Almost stepping like it was on alert and trying to find what it smelled. Well the steps kept getting closer and I could tell it was a buck as it did a couple deep grunts as it got closer to the tree I had splashed the remaining estrous urine on it's base 12 yards in front of my stand. I could tell this buck had obviously walked south along the food plot two-track to my E and when he'd caught a whiff of the estrous he wanted to investigate. I looked at my clock 6:45am...looked up and there he was. HOLY MASS-OLA! This buck easily would have been the biggest buck I'd ever harvest. I could see it, not vividly clear in the low light....but I could have easily put an arrow behind the front shoulder of this BEAST.
I couldn't though....I had my bow in my hand I even put the release on it and said "Screw it...no one will know." I couldn't though, I thought of how I'd feel looking at the thing on my wall everyday for the rest of my life...if I shot I would have chosen to break the law. I'd have been just as bad as the guys who poach, trespass, illegally bait or ignore any kind of hunting law. I'd be able to be lumped in with the guys I despise...couldn't do it.
I quickly said, "Thank you Lord, for just the glimpse" asked him for another chance and watched the beast walk S towards the corn....I simply couldn't do it.
I would set that whole day in that stand...and it replayed over and over again in my head. I was proud of the decision I had made but couldn't help but have regret. Gun season starts this Saturday, the orange army would take over these woods and I wouldn't be able to come back and hunt it till late season...part me was yelling at my self but the other part just kept saying "I simply couldn't do it".
I did see a small 7 pointer that day...couldn't do that either.
Ah, the day I'll never forget and the buck I'll probably never forget....I just couldn't do it.
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| The little 7 I saw |
11-12-12 *Alarm clock mess up...first sighting of a shooter!
It's the old idea that when everything goes wrong, your chances go up. Well this day didn't start out great. My alarm clock messed up when I used the wrong alarm, one set to just vibrate not ring, and got up over an hour later than I wanted. I had planned on going to the swamp property to chase RD yet again, as the weather was switching from high 60's the days prior to now freezing temps with drizzling sleet/snow mix in the morning. I hated to but I climbed back in bed knowing it wasn't smart to be walking into the swamp property less than an hour early and risk bumping RD or another big buck out of the woods they so rarely use (see a new post coming to the SAH blog/site on why that is). The plan was to head out there mid-morning and slip into a stand.
Specs of the hunt:
Where: Swamp Property
Stand/Location:Was going to use far West one and enter it from the South...however the bucks I spotted made me swing North and decide on a gut reaction to hunt the Poplar (center two-track) stand.
Time in:11:00am
Time out: 6:15pm down
Wind: W/SW
Well this hunt would confirm a suspicion I'd had for a long time. If you've noticed going into this hunt, and it still holds true, I've only seen does in the woods ONE time on ONE occasion....why you ask? Well I'd suspected EHD as a factor...but the rising one in my mind is DOGS. We have gotten on cam photos pictures of dogs almost every pull...meaning they're probably on the property every day almost chasing deer....if you were a doe would you want to deal with the darn things everyday and risk losing your fawns to them? Well the dogs potentially cost me RD...yup that's right the buck I'd been chasing for well over 100hours was there one minute and gone the next.
The hunt started with the spotting of two young bucks (little 6 and 7 it looked like) while walking the far Eastern two-track south. One of them popped out in front of me heading East from the food plot...he kept looking East across the two track before getting leary of me a mere 40 yards away and turned and headed SW out of sight. Knowing he had looked East and hearing something coming I quick drew in hopes of it being a 'shooter'. Sadly it was another yearling buck who just kept walking SW towards the other buck paying me no mind. I quickly decided to change up my approach and go N and then head S to the poplar stand on the middle two track.
I was set maybe an hour, texted my father the story of the bucks and gave the wife a UTS (up tree safely) text and decided to do a tickle of rattling and a few soft grunts. After that, I sat down...only to catch movement on the two-track heading into the food plot to my East....IT WAS ANTLERS AND THEY WERE BIG. I grunted and it turned it's head...grabbed my bow....grunted again and BAM! HE FLAT OUT TOOK OFF LIKE A BAT OUT OF **** HEADING SOUTH! Right on his heels was not just one neighbor's dog but two! All I could do was watch as the buck I suspected was RD tear off through the food plot and watch as the massive rack disappeared with dogs hot on his heels.
I would see nothing else the entire hunt....save the dogs come back through sniffing all around trying to "have fun" with another deer....needless to say I came very close to trying to shoot one...
I left my bow hanging and planned an all day sit for the next day, even though the dogs were hurting things the bucks proved to be moving for once and I wanted to see what could happen.
*A letter is planned and will be mailed out today or tomorrow to the owner of the dogs, with trail cam pics proving what they're dogs are doing, explanation of how it's illegal and a warning that they either need to chain or house the dogs. They also should be very thankful I did not shoot them.
Specs of the hunt:
Where: Swamp Property
Stand/Location:Was going to use far West one and enter it from the South...however the bucks I spotted made me swing North and decide on a gut reaction to hunt the Poplar (center two-track) stand.
Time in:11:00am
Time out: 6:15pm down
Wind: W/SW
Well this hunt would confirm a suspicion I'd had for a long time. If you've noticed going into this hunt, and it still holds true, I've only seen does in the woods ONE time on ONE occasion....why you ask? Well I'd suspected EHD as a factor...but the rising one in my mind is DOGS. We have gotten on cam photos pictures of dogs almost every pull...meaning they're probably on the property every day almost chasing deer....if you were a doe would you want to deal with the darn things everyday and risk losing your fawns to them? Well the dogs potentially cost me RD...yup that's right the buck I'd been chasing for well over 100hours was there one minute and gone the next.
The hunt started with the spotting of two young bucks (little 6 and 7 it looked like) while walking the far Eastern two-track south. One of them popped out in front of me heading East from the food plot...he kept looking East across the two track before getting leary of me a mere 40 yards away and turned and headed SW out of sight. Knowing he had looked East and hearing something coming I quick drew in hopes of it being a 'shooter'. Sadly it was another yearling buck who just kept walking SW towards the other buck paying me no mind. I quickly decided to change up my approach and go N and then head S to the poplar stand on the middle two track.
I was set maybe an hour, texted my father the story of the bucks and gave the wife a UTS (up tree safely) text and decided to do a tickle of rattling and a few soft grunts. After that, I sat down...only to catch movement on the two-track heading into the food plot to my East....IT WAS ANTLERS AND THEY WERE BIG. I grunted and it turned it's head...grabbed my bow....grunted again and BAM! HE FLAT OUT TOOK OFF LIKE A BAT OUT OF **** HEADING SOUTH! Right on his heels was not just one neighbor's dog but two! All I could do was watch as the buck I suspected was RD tear off through the food plot and watch as the massive rack disappeared with dogs hot on his heels.
I would see nothing else the entire hunt....save the dogs come back through sniffing all around trying to "have fun" with another deer....needless to say I came very close to trying to shoot one...
I left my bow hanging and planned an all day sit for the next day, even though the dogs were hurting things the bucks proved to be moving for once and I wanted to see what could happen.
*A letter is planned and will be mailed out today or tomorrow to the owner of the dogs, with trail cam pics proving what they're dogs are doing, explanation of how it's illegal and a warning that they either need to chain or house the dogs. They also should be very thankful I did not shoot them.
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