One of the greatest things about hunting is the opportunity for self development and improvement. We always learn and experience something when we're open to it...
Saturday morning boasted sub 30 degrees in CT with a very bright full moon caressing the rustling autumn woods. My dad's best friend, who is my bowhunting mentor, and I set into the woods 90 mins before first light. You didn't even really need a flashlight to get around... I found a sweet spot in the middle of several active deer trails at the top flat of a ridge about 50-70 from a sanctuary of pines. My tree was a gorgeous white oak, about a foot in diameter. Having now hunted my tree saddle several times this year, I've learned why so many guys that use them have knee pads, and a brief run to Home Depot had my knees well protect for $20.00. It made ALL the difference. But I digress... Once in the tree and secured, I took time to absorb the woods in the moonlight, the stars, the silhouette of trees, and thanked God... "Some people find that they're closest to God in the cathedral of the pines."
With the light came the ringing sound of gunshots coming from the goose hunters not too far away (semi auto too, I think they better learn how to aim a little better), and the first glimpse of deer materialized 200 yds... my first sighting during hunting this difficult season. I had been given many other gifts from God... my favorite was a red tailed hawk that killed a chipmunk not 10 feet from my tree one morning... but this was the FIRST sighting of deer. As the morning went on, I decide to do some grunting and rattling as I had witnessed bucks pushing each other around in some fields while driving to work. Interestingly, not a few mins after sounding the tube, 2 does showed up. I was NOT ready for them at all. I had tucked myself into the tree, observing, and hung my bow on a broken branch. As soon as they came up, I waited a min to see what they were doing and then began to go for my bow. I was tricky getting the bow down and setting up for a shot. The first doe came up and 'scouted' the flat with the other hanging back, just her head visible. Then she came up and I was finally set up, albeit on that first spot they were in... by the time I was ready to shoot, they were moving, quickly, right into an area I did not anticipate movement, and so did not trim! The day prior I had found and set up this tree and I figured walking with 20 yards of a bedding area to trim was a bad idea... boy was I wrong. Both does went straight down a path, 15 yards away (well within my comfort zone with my Savannah longbow) with twigs and brush carefully protecting them from my intentions... figures. That all said, I finally got close to deer this season... and for a guy who was starting to say to himself 'What am I doing wrongly here??' it made ALL the difference. Brian and I trimmed up the area, scouted it out further and now the tree is really ready to go 360 degrees. Next Saturday I'll be heading in there again, same time, same tree, and with another lesson learned.
Topic: Close Encounters and MORE Lessons Learned (Read 141 times)
