Well, I finally saw my first of the season, yesterday evening. Unfortunately the nice, big doe saw me at the same time.
My young Friend, Chris, that I am in the process of converting to trad bows, and I were sitting in a "new" place. We were on opposite sides of a small, nearly dry branch (creek).
If I had stayed in the first spot I picked for my folding chair stand, I probably would have at least got a shot - she would have been closer, and facing at right angles to me. That's the danger of second guessing yourself. There was a nice nob of land just a little up to my right, so I moved (about 10 minutes after sitting down) up onto the pine nob w/mixed hardwoods. I figured that up there I could see the top of the nob as well as still watch the branch that I was there for (presumably a cooler walking/browsing place for the deer).
About 6:45 I heard a sound down near the branch, and then caught movement out of the corner of my eye, beyond a tree. I looked at the side of the tree nearer me and a doe was just emerging - coming out of a stumble (like deer are seen to do occasionally, in spite of their inborn grace). As she stretched/raised her head and neck out to come up out of the stumble, her eyes locked on mine - dead on at about 35 yards. I froze, as I am one who firmly believes in never looking a deer in the eyes. First time I've (knowingly) been busted in a long time. I didn't dare move but I averted my eyes as best I could, hoping she would turn to sneak away slowly, or decide to come on up the grade. However, she stared straight at me, head as high as she could reach. Suddenly she reared on her hind legs, doing a quarter turn, let out one scream, and leaped back towards the branch. After crossing the branch she stopped (she was covered from my actual view by the underbrush shortly after she turned), and started a "traditional" screaming series of about 6-8 blows. Then it was quiet as death in the bottom for a couple minutes. I heard noises in the brush that led me to believe she had turned and headed back towards where Chris was sitting on the far side of the branch. He later confirmed my believe - from his higher vantage point he had seen most of her antics but wasn't sure just where I was in relation to her, or if I had seen her. In no time she closed on him and as he got ready she raised her head from a check of the ground (how quickly they go into "browse mode"), and I'll be darned if she didn't do the same thing to him that she had to me. I guess she was already extra-hyper at that point. All I heard was another series of horrific screams as she busted him, and then busted out of there and back up the creek side.
When Chris and I met at the creek, on his side, about 45 minutes later, I asked with a laugh, "Did you see my "screamer?" At the same time Chris said, "Did you see that doe?" I replied with the same thing I started this tale with, "Yeah, I did, but unhappily she saw me at the same time." We both had a good laugh as we exchanged our individual views of the activity. It made for a good hunt though, and when we got out on the road, Chris father, Jimmy was just tickled that we'd both seen one. Us too, - - - - though I do wish I hadn't second-guessed my ground blind site - LOL
BTW, last night, Chris asked me to start looking for a good, hunting weight (45-50#) recurve bow that he could afford on his limited budget. He's ready to go trad. Something about being tired of fighting a "release", for one thing - says it really gets in his way all the time - now - LOL
Topic: First Sighting of Season (Read 292 times)
