Well, I took a day off work and once my daughter left for school I headed to a buddies farm to hunt. I don't have a buck tag but I really love seeing all the action. After a shower and stopping to get my coffee and a breakfast burrito, I got to the farm at about 8:30. I sat in one of his stands once i got there but about 10:30 I texted him and said I am going to hang one of my own. He said feel free to and at that I was off and on the lookout for a new location.
He had told me he had seen a group of does that had come out in the recently picked soybean field in a low spot in the same field so I thought what a good place to start looking. I walked in there and with the trails leading to the field and the good sign under a red oak tree I knew that was a good spot. The low spot was the result of a valley that came from a large creek bottom. I was set up in the oak tree at the top of it. I could tell by the well used trails around the top of the gully that this along with the nut tree would be a good spot. By 11:30 I was set and ready.
At noon the parade began. The first visitor was a spike buck that was on the cruise. He took the path along the top of the gully and right past me. All was looking well. at around 12:30 I heard more crunching in the leave down the valley. A yearling doe coming my way. I stood and readied for the shot. She was coming head on right for me. She kept coming and ended up walking right to my ladder sticks and smelled them. I didn't want to shoot straight on or straight down on her but she never gave me another opportunity. So I let her walk on by. She got around behind me and I had no shot that way as it was to thick with a large cedar directly behind me.
At that point I lost track of the sightings but the final tally was 15 or 16 deer all within 60 yards. I saw 4 bucks two of which came by each dogging closely behind a mature doe.
The best buck came right in from down wind inspecting the James Valley estrus scent I put out on either side of me. He paid no attention to my scent in his love crazed state. I have had great success doing that in year past and it worked again today. I dip a stick from my tree in the jar and sling it as far as I can on either side of me parallel to the wind direction.
Here is the deer that came to the scent from downwind.
My camera makes a shutter clicking sound when taking a pic and at this distance he finally heard it. After this pic he did the head bob thing for a few seconds and then hopped off about 5 yards broadside and looked back my way. If I would have had a tag and a will to take him, that would have been his last mistake.
At around 5 pm a passel of does came up the valley trying to get to the picked soybean field but ran into my James Valley scent. They didn't appreciate it as the fellas did and buggered and eased off not giving me an shot opportunities. I know does don't like the estrus smell but I sure like seeing the bucks up close so I just can't help myself. Haha.
Hope you all are getting some rut action. Our lead slinger season starts tomorrow so I'll be confined to the house for a while now.
Topic: All day in the stand! (Read 405 times)
