112911 camera pull - Mange?

I moved my camera back to the feeder location.

Small 4 point.

 

A smallish buck with both antlers broken off!

 

A group of does and one with some skin issue….maybe mange??

Black Friday Bowhunt 112511

Black Friday bowhunt 112511

I watched the sun come up from the branches of the large oak in the field strapped into the sneaky sak.  I finally got the hang of that thing and I was fairly comfortable (no car keys in my pocket). 

I spotted two deer moving across the lower field toward my direction at sunup. 

 

They came up behind my tree and I saw it was that same 5 point I have been seeing.  He was bothering a very small yearling doe.  He never got close enough for me to even try to turn around in the tree…..I just watched him go up the hill over my shoulder. 

It started to get very warm (60s) so I got down and walked around a little around 10am.  I saw that lazy xbow hunter again driving his truck out of the lower woods road.   Thanks so much for driving through the area I am hunting because you are too fat and lazy to walk to your stand Mr. Considerate!

I had to go home at noon in order to get ready to travel for the Weekend.  This was the last hunt before the regular firearms season.  I hope there are some deer left to hunt next week when I get to go again.

I put some limb skins (diamond back rattler) on my recurve limbs to cover up some of those stress lines on the back…..looks great on the black bow!

scrape cam 112211

Not too much action from the big boys on the scrape lately.  I suspect they are too preoccupied right now and I am only seeing the "lesser deer".  I certainly did not have any pictures of that very large 8 point I saw in the front yard last week!

Chris and another selfbow harvest

Chris scored his second selfbow harvest on this doe.  Unfortunately, it was a questionable shot and the meat was no good once it was recovered the following day.

Here is his story:

Saw about a dozen deer on Saturday am.  Had a forky walk by at 10 yards about 8:15, head down and plodding, didn’t see him coming and he was passing me by the time I heard him, cant shoot a buck anyway and he was a little gnarly rack so I watched him go by.  About 9;15 saw deer coming from the East, saw four, three does and a buck, the buck was a nice wide tan rack. He drove off one of the does and left following her, never cam closer than about 150 yards. The other two does came my way and stopped to feed and mill about 40 yards out, as I watched them I heard something off to my left and took a peak, there was mr. forky about 10 yards out and moving around me.  I was still focused on the two does when one of them picked up her head and looked past me to my rear, I looked over my shoulder and there was a nice doe about 15 yards out and coming down the same trail that the forky had used earlier. She was walking at a steady pace and as she passed – I had to wait until she passed even- I pulled and had to make a quick shot as she wasn’t stopping. It hit a little far back and looked  like a gut shot, she took a hop or two then joined by the young one that was following her, headed off through the trees at a good clip but not running, I could see the bright neon green feathers sticking out back near her rump.

Still had the three in front of me – two does and forky, but  forky was staring at me and the does started fading away back to the East as Tom came up the trail and walked on up to  our meeting point.  Forky eventually just quietly faded back into the thick stuff.

Cant win for losing !   Found her, but made some wrong guesses and it cost me. She ended up in a dumpster. I had a swim meet for Irene Sat afternoon 1-5pm.  I shot the doe at 9:30 am but thinking I had a bad shot decided I needed to follow the book and give her 6-8 hours for a gut shot.  Well that put me right at dark so knowing I could not likely find her in the dark (no blood trail) high up arrow entry without exit) I decided I should wait until Sunday morning.

Made a good search Sunday am and found her after about 2 hours – no blood trail, she went about 250 yards all together, arrow was still in her. Post mortem showed she was dead before I left the woods, did not lay down just collapsed on a trail.  The arrow went in far back, just clipped the front of the back leg but then angled forward  and did not hit the intestines at all, and since I was fairly low on the tree the shot followed just under the backbone up into the left lung. The angle of her going away was a little more tilted than I realized. The shot was really not that bad.

Drug her out, probably at least ½ mile, hung her up, washed her out and skinned her, began cutting up the meat, took the back hams off, cleared away any nasty areas from the shot,   and then walked out to smell the good meat away from the cleaning station, packed her up and dumped her.   There was still steam when I gutted her.  24 hours was to long at that temp.  she smelled like rot throughout.  It was a real shame, she was a nice one, bigger than the photo shows, probably about 100 lbs.  but rotting meat is rotting meat…

111911 sat hunt

Sat. am I saw a big bodied buck about 80 yards out in the overgrown field.  It looked like a big boy, but was too far to make out much more then golden flashes of antler and white underbelly as it moved through the field edge, nose to the ground. 

I chased a doe out of her bed at about 10 feet on my way out.  I was walking very slow and quiet and actually went past her before she caught my scent and stood up / turned around.  Eye to eye with a doe at 10 feet and no arrow on the string...Oh well.

That afternoon, I got my sneaky -sak (like tree saddle) and climbed the big lone oak in the middle of the field. As soon as I get up the tree a see another big fat hunter with a x-bow on his back stand in the trail and look at me.  He heads off into the brush.  So much for deer coming from that area.   Brent saw a couple does being chased by a spike, but they were too far from him on the top road.  Around 4pm the fat hunter comes bumbling back up the hill.  He had so much gear hanging from his belt he looked like some kind of gypsy vendor.  He heads back toward the vehicles…..so much for deer from that area again.  Right at dark, I hear a buck grunt behind me.  Along comes a basket 5 point cutting through the field.  He smells my scent rag hanging from the tree and stops about 35 yards out in real skinny brush.  Stays there for about 5 minutes sniffing and tasting the air like crazy.  Then a big breeze kicks up and he about jumps out of his skin to run away.  Darn tricky air currents let him wind me.   He ran right by Brent as he was getting out of his tree. He could not shoot it anyway though as he got a spike earlier there with the compound.

 When I walked out I saw the xbow guy sitting on the corner of the field… lying prone on the ground.  It was 5:18 and past legal shooting light but he stayed there after I talked with him briefly????

She said he only saw 2 does that Brent later saw on his way to the truck. 

I do not think I will get out again until Friday morning for a quick hunt, but it is supposed to rain most of the week.

Tips on sitting still

I am getting a little tired of all the promotion of products camo, gear, blah zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, blah....so let's talk hunting for a while.

What are your tips for sitting still and seeing deer? 

Here are a few of mine:

- Use your peripheral vision. 

Do not move your head to look around, but move your eyes only.  This is a learned skill as we are accustomed to facing things we look at (people).  It is tough at first but try this.  Pin your head to your tree and see how much and how long you can just keep your head still and move only your eyes.  Amazing how often you "want" to turn your head.  If you do have to turn your head...dooo  iiiiiiit  slllllllloooooowwwllllly....super slow mo.  In  nature very few things move very very slowly like that.  You will be amazed at how much you can see without moving your head.

- Look 2 ways

Look for movement by trying to pic out details....a leaf, a twitch, a shadow...detail looking.   This is where most people stop.

The other way to "look" is broad.....fix your eyes on something distant but "look" at your peripheral for movement.  You will be amazed at what you can see to the sides movement wise.  Try to switch between these two methods often.

The other day I was walking out of the woods when "something made me look over my left shoulder into the open field"....here come 10 deer straight at me!  That "something" was movement in my peripheral...I could have easily ignored it!

- move but don't move

Especially this time of year.  It is cold and I have low BP.  I get cold quick.  To stay warm I am constantly moving my toes in my boots, my fingers in my pocket, and flexing various muscle groups to stay warm.....no one else would know though because all of these movements are not visible.

111411 scrape cam

Only a few does and BBs checking out my mock scrape this week:

111211 morning hunt - overrun!

Went out again Sat. am with orange hat as it was Jr. firearms day.  I had a rough morning finding a tree on the lower end.  I almost got my climber stuck on a tree that was too big for it.  I eventually found a nice area, and ended up only about 10 feet up a tree because of some cover I had with a clump of saplings that still had green leaves.  I thought this was better then being a bump on the side of a barren tree trunk and higher.

Around 9:30am I saw this large doe milling about uphill near another guys climbing stick / treestand.  She was about 70 -80 yards away and being very cautious in the still windy conditions.  I found out later there were a couple scrapes in that area she was visiting.  She never came any closer and I decided to call it a day around 11:30 and get down.

 

Close up:

I got down from my tree and made my way up toward where I saw the doe.  Moving and hunting slowly.  I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and glanced out into the open horse pasture.  There I saw a group, or should I say herd, of approximately  12 – 15 deer running directly toward me.  I had just enough time to kneel and nock an arrow when the first of the group hit the opening a mere 15 yards away.   When I was kneeling I caught a glimpse of bone so I was straining to pick out the one mature buck I was sure was pushing this party.   They streamed through the opening in single file, trotting at a good clip angling away in front of me but I was having trouble finding a clear shot window and a large deer to  shoot at.  Before I knew it they were all by me and no big buck!  I never even got a shot away!  In retrospect it looked like a big nursery group? I saw a few spikes but mostly small deer???

I took a few steps and tried to regain my composure when here come 2 more deer from the open field.  Lagers.  These two looked very small and one was a button buck for sure as it stopped in front of me at about 10 yards and milled about grunting softly to the other, which would reply.    The one deer in the photo was slightly bigger then the near BB and I was at half draw at one point at the spot of the photo….but knew they were both immature….especially since they did not run when I started moving for my camera!  I knew they saw me.   They would start moving again and I would make a noise or grunt and they would stop again and look at me.  It would have been a gimme shot even with the recurve!  I just could not bring myself to shoot these little guys.  Too much trouble and so small.

Eventually they took off after the group which by now was coming back down the mountain around me about 80 yards away in a big line of running deer.  These crazy deer were just running in circles? I have never seen so many this early in the winter and never just running around before with nothing chasing them??  I was hoping there was a big buck somewhere but never saw one.

I dropped off the stand at the truck and walked the trails slowly and quietly hoping they were going to run by again, and second guessing the non-shot at the small ones…..but did not see anything else but squirrel.

I also got my new Birthday/ Christmas present in the mail.  I need to get it sighted in before firearms season opens next weekend!

111111 "The picket fence" hunt

I went out Friday am in the wind up on the top hill where Brent had that nice 6 point sneak up behind him.  When I rounded the field corner in the dark, what little dark there was on an almost full moon, I pushed a deer from its bed.  I heard its hoof falls making a deep thump, thump, so I am betting it was a big buck.  I sat on stand swaying in the wind and freezing my butt off, but saw no deer or yotes.  I did see another hunter come up into the woods from the field edge with an xbow on his back.   When I went back to leave there were no other vehicles in the parking area so I suspect he might have been a trasspasser.  Looked older and to have had a white beard.

The woods was open now and most of the leaves are down.

Temps were about 20 degrees with the wind chill!  Tough day.

 

110911 afternoon hunt

I took a short day at work and headed out to the hunting woods with plans to sit from the ground and try one last time with these rattling antlers.  It was calm and very mild at about 65 degrees.  It was nice to be able to dress lightly and not worry about mosquitoes. 

I was quietly walking in along the hay field edge (it had just been recently bailed), when I caught movement just inside the woodline. I glanced down at my floss and the wind was blowing toward me.   I checked with my binos and saw the rear end of a large buck moving uphill toward the middle trail.  I moved slightly and tried to get a view of the antlers. While I could not count them as it moved it was much wider than the ears and looked to be at least an 8 point.  The largest I had seen on this property to date.

I dropped down to one knee and decided to try to use my rattling antlers to get it to reverse direction and come back toward the thick brush I was behind.  I lightly clashed them together and immediately heard brush crashing! 

Only problem is it was a doe that was bedded down about 15 yards away that I did not know about.  Evidently, I spooked it well as I peeked and saw it high tailing up the hill toward the buck. 

Well, that was it.  They never came back.  I think in retrospect I should have circled wide around them and tried to head them off up the hill.  I instead, I was determined to sit in my rootball natural blind and call one in bow range. 

It was a nice evening but no deer came around after that initial encounter.

It got dark and I walked out of the woods via a top trail and exited into the field above the noontime action.  Three white tails bounded into the adjacent woodline through the fading darkness.  I am betting it was the group I had pushed.

Friday is 11/11/11!  Maybe it will bring me some luck!  I plan to try for that big buck around the same area.  I need to get it done before the weekend as SAT and SUN are youth firearms days and I expect a lot of company in the woods then. 

Scrape cam 110711 weekend pull

Just a few does on the cam this time.  Still keeping it clear of leaves and fresh though!

Sunday evening hunt 110611

I went out again on Sunday evening for a quick sit.  I decided to stay on the ground, and sat in a depression made by a rootball.  It was a nice spot to sit as the rootball made a natural recliner of sorts, and the wind was perfect for once.  I had 2 turkey walk up the trail about 25 yards from me and feed for about 30 minutes just out of sight, until one finally saw a slight head movement and “PUTT!”, they were gone.  No deer spotted on that hunt but it was a nice sit.

The turkey walked up in this area, notice the ladder stand to my front (gun hunter facing the meadow – wrong direction):

Sat. 110511 all day hunt

Can you find the spike buck in this first picture?

How about now?

How about a close up?

 

Tough to see when they are not moving ‘eh?

This guy snuck in on me in the wind and bedded down about 25 yards on stand Sat. am.  It was probably when I was watching a nice 6 point come up behind my friend Brent’s stand on the crest of the hill from me.  It winded, or spotted him, and he left the way he came.  Then after about 20 minutes he returned to the same spot looking in Brent’s direction for about 10 minutes before heading into thick stuff around the top side of his tree.  Brent never saw it but I got a good view through my binoculars.  

I looked back to my front after it had gone and noticed a deer head 25 yards away.  It wasn’t moving so I eventually determined it was bedded.  It was only about 5 yards away from a mock scrape I made, but the wind was blowing the scent away from him.  I saw through the binos it was a spike and determined right then that I would not shoot at it, even though it was legal for me to do so.  I wanted a bigger one for my “one buck” this year with the bow and not this spikey.

I watched and photographed it for close to 3 hours.  Even when a pickup truck drove through the woods trail at 11am, he just turned his head and watched it go by with me, despite being only about 60 yards from a truck in the woods.

The truck was the local poacher…. ‘er hunter…… I guess he was too fat and old to walk to his stand.  "Nice" old guy who admitted poaching deer on the property for 30 years on our first meeting. 

Anyway, the spike eventually got up and fed away.  I radioed Brent he was coming toward him.  He saw it, but I think the spike saw him as well.  I watched the stare down and cautious trot around his area.  Brent has already got his buck with the bow this year so he would not have been able to shoot it anyway.

We went back out in the afternoon and I shifted my tree closer to where that big boy was, but no real action.  I did see 3 deer busting through the woods at high speed.  The group ran down behind my stand and milled around a bit.  I suspect it was a small buck chasing 2 does around but I could see no real headgear on the training deer.  They did not return.

I did try my hand at ratting antlers, but it had no real affect.  I think that technique will not work so well in this area with low density of bigger bucks.  I doubt I will carry them in the woods to try again at this farm.

Mock scrape cam 110411

Getting some increasing action on my mock scrape now.  Does are hitting it and the buck is seen in shootable light.  My pee is just as good as "Tinks"....maybe I should bottle it!

110311 evening hunt

I took off 1/2 day from work to sit in the fall woods Thursday afternoon.  Hoping for a chance to get some meat with the recurve and perhaps get an opportunity at a nice buck.  It was a balmy 65 degrees and I broke into a slight sweat as I walked across the meadow and climbed into my tree.  The fall colors were bright!  They had just harvested the hay.



I set up with the wind blowing uphill at a trail junction.  I dragged a scent rad with estrus scent across the lower edge of the meadow and past my stand.  I made a mock scrape and hung the rag above it about 15 yards from my tree in a good shooting position.

It was a very slow afternoon.  No deer, no squirrel, a slight breeze and sleepy feelings for me until about 5 O'clock.  Then I noticed the darn wind had shifted.  That mountain is so big I think it acts like the ones out west.  As soon as the sun stopped heating the lower part the wind sinks downhill. It was now blowing right toward my mock scrape.  So much for that set up.

Then around 5:30 something makes me look over my left shoulder and here comes a doe.  It looks to be an adult doe but not a giant.  It is coming right down toward me and should put it 15 yards broadside....perfect!  Right is this opening:


After a short pause, it flicks its tail and walks right where I had hoped.  I draw without it spotting me and hit my anchor....then I start to get nervous as I focus for a spot....I see a tree coming up fast and it is still walking....shortly it will cover the vital area....I panic and the bow goes off....about 2 feet high my arrow hits a large Chestnut oak....CHER-THUNK!



The deer bounds off and stops on the trail, about 5 yards past my mock scrape....it is a little obscured by leaves.  It is obviously spooked but keeps looking uphill. I then realize there are other deer behind me in the group....they are keeping it from running out of the country because they are not running. 

I slowly pull out another arrow...every noise sounding like a loudspeaker...the head from the hood of the quiver...the brush of the fletching against my arm....  I get another arrow nocked.  Now if it will just let me draw again.

It does and I lean forward to clear the branch.  I come to full draw....focus on a spot behind the leg....pull through.....and I see my yellow arrow go flying up and to the right as the deer jumps a few bounds and stops again...then moves back and forth.  The others have not fled so it is still nervously hanging around....eventually it runs back to the group in a wide circle, but never with its white flag up.....just puffed out and down.

I am frustrated!



At this point I just want to give up....it does not get much easier than that first shot! 

The group never ran away and kept me in the tree until it was getting so dark I worried I could be able to find my arrow.  I got down from the tree and saw them all run eventually; having made their way about 80 yards North West.

I finally found my arrow (not in the tree) when I was about to give up on it.  The shaft needed some straightening and the tip was bent slightly (eclipse), but otherwise in good shape after some new bleeders.  The Chestnut oak claimed a vintage Razorhead as I could not get it out without mangling the ferrule.

I must have hit high on the second shot as well and bounced off some rocks. 

Tough season for me so far....I need to calm down.

scrape cam 110111 pull

A nice visitor cam to my mock scrape in the backyard.  6:17 am it is still too dark but that is a decent buck.  I am curious what else will visit in the coming weeks.