Wow! What a trip! Was fantastic to see friends you don't see all to often, and actually meet friends I didn't know other than with this site or E-Mail. Anyway, once we were through with the "meet and greets" and got settled in a bunch of us went out and shot some arrows and checked gear to ready ourselves for the much awaited first hunt of the trip. I think I was ready by 12:00 and the trucks don't leave until 3:00! I haven't gotten to do any hunting this fall with our move this summer to Kentucky and getting settled into my new profession at a mixed animal practice here in northern Kentucky. So, chomping at the bit was an understatement!
Well, 2:30 rolled around and Peanut and David gave their obligatory/mandatory speach for the rules of engagement during the hunt and guide assignments. I was assigned to Robert with Thomas, David, and Randy (also with Fred when he arrived on Thurs as unfortunately he had a death in the family and had to delay his arrival). Hindsight being what it is he was an excellent choice in my book! All go, no show, and truely wants everyone to get on the critters and is genuinely mad at himself if it doesn't happen.
Well, we grabbed our gear and piled into his truck, and that first night we had a wind out of the north (rarity for these parts), but he was excited to see it and we headed to "His" pasture he has setup for the rare northern breeze. We pulled up to the first stand and dropped Randy off I believe. Robert let him know were to expect them to come from and why and off we went to the second stand. I got out on the second stand with the same instructions.
I climbed up into the stand and was getting everything ready as quiet and quick as I could before the truck got out of site. When I sat down there were three deer walking in from my left, a doe, and two fawns which one for sure was a button buck but I treat all of the deer that size as a button buck as it's $400 and your buck tag if you bring one in. Make sure does are does if you go down there, and the easiest way I know is to compare the size of one deer to another and the "big" ones without horns are for sure does. If one deer walks in without horns it is tough to make sure, I always wait for something to compare it to as to make sure.
Anyway, I'm quickly settled and poised for action. Looking at my setup, I'm well hidden in the tree the ladder stand is set in with plenty of branches out in front of me to hide most movement (which there is little of, except for the time you need to move) with exception of a nice shooting lane just to my left. Can't even see or shoot at the feeder at this particular stand. But, on his way out Robert had spread corn from his automatic feeder (that's attached to the front of his truck) right through my shooting lane. That was nice of him...
Side note: as many of you know, these deer are JUMPY!!! I really don't know how to, or can't even begin to explain the degree of jumpy as you wouldn't believe me anyway... so, I'll just leave it at that. Standard point of concentration is bottom of the chest and they will drop into it when they jump, but even then that isn't enough sometimes as you will hear from some of my cohorts.
As the evening moved along, those first three settled in and fed on the corn Robert had spread until the feeder went off. And they jumped out of there like they were shot. 10 minutes later a small 7 or 8 point walks in, a number of "does" walk in (most of which I can make out buttons on), one bigger doe that I feel confident is actually a doe, a fork horn, another 8 point, you get the idea... a bunch of deer are down there. Maybe upwards of 20 deer feeding at the feeder and on the corn Robert had spread.
From behind me I hear footfalls at a trot which slows to a walk direcly behind me and continues out into my view...
Topic: Hunting in the 'New Year' @ Solana Ranch.... (Read 26443 times)
