I posted this in my hunting journal on FB where many of my (non-hunter) friends will see it and I'm braced for people consoling me on the "bad" day. Seemed pretty great to me... By the way, Dylan (SquirrelBane on TG) is my son.
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Dylan and I were out before dawn on this beautiful morning (16-Oct-10). The temps were in the upper thirties and the slight breeze was from the northwest. Dylan saw a few squirrels as did I.
Got up about 8.30 try some stillhunting. The footing wasn't as quiet as I had hoped yesterday's rain would make it, but it wa...s quiet enough for a very slow stillhunt. Spotted three or four does a couple of hundred yards (and an hour) later but they were well out of range.
Saw a number of new rubs including two huge ones where I saw the three big bucks a couple of years ago. I'd like another crack at that area before next week's muzzle loader guys make a bunch of racket.
Dylan has to work but I may be heading back out.
This evening was certainly eventful. Made it back to the spot with all the rubs around 2.00pm where I hunted ... in theory. Until about 5.00pm, in practice I was more of a cross between a loafer under a tree and a Wal Mart greeter.
Saw a hiker on the way in - we chatted for a bit and he enjoyed messing with my bow for a bit (he's not a hunter but a traditional archer as well). Shortly after that, three horses (and riders) came past my spot . I stood so they could see me - learned a few years ago that if one is lurking in the woods near a horse trail, it's best to de-lurk while the horses are still some distance off. No point startling a horsey. It's bad for the rider who may get thrown and for the lurker who may get the taste kicked out of his mouth. Kung Fu Clydesdales - no thank you!
Anyway, shortly after that another pair of hikers came by and then finally five more horses. Before they were in sight, one of the riders bellowed out a pretty respectable 'yahoo'.
Once the traffic finally died down and the woods quieted and things got more interesting. This position features a bedding area to the west and food to the east. In the morning, deer tend to move east to west and then in the evening west to east. In a two to three hundred yard stretch there are six or eight spots where deer cross regularly and with a bow, I can pick one to ambush.
About an hour before dark I could hear deer moving around in the bedding area so I stood to be ready for a shot if one was available. A few minutes later, a mature doe crossed at one of the trails just out of range. She was followed by a one and a half year old fork-horn buck. He chased her around a bit and she ran back to the west, using a trail well within my range. She was moving too fast for a responsible shot so I let her go.
The buck stayed on the east side of the trail - more or less at my back. Soon, another doe appeared in the thick stuff on the west side, directly in front of me at about 40 yards. A nice mature buck stepped out of the bushes next to her and they browsed around for a bit.
She moved to my right - north - which was a problem for me in that the wind was blowing more or less south to north. If she continued that direction, sooner or later she'd smell me. She got within 15 or 20 yards, but was at a bad angle (quartering toward me) and had brush between us, so again there was no shot opportunity. About this time, I lost track of the mature buck but another doe stepped out from the same area.
Doe 1 continued until she was about two steps from a clear spot where she would have been broadside to me... and she got a whiff of my manly aroma. She didn't panic but turned back into the brush and was gone. Doe 2 knew something was up but had no idea I was there. Unfortunately, she was smart enough to follow Doe 1 - no shot.
Nearly dark and the forkhorn shows up back on the west side of the trail - must have crossed when I was fiddling with the ladies. He followed the path of the does (not that I would have shot him anyway - too young) and that was that.
A fun night - no deer for the freezer but no gushy bits either. Ready to go again!
Topic: Was this a success or failure - what do you think? (Read 415 times)
