tynimiller
5 year old buck +
Well as promised I'll include a quick story of the sit from last week.
Easterly winds needed to sit that NW almost corner of the property edge stand - overlooks a clover/chicory plot that is essentially paths weaving in and out and around islands of cover (bunch of apple and pear trees there too with just the Chestnut crab producing yet in year 3/4). Thursday calling for SSE winds, it would be risky as deer do bed in the overgrowth to the north just off my property, but it was November 12th (gun just 2 days away) and I hadn't been able to hunt for nearly 2 weeks due to illness - I needed to be up the stand!
It was a COLD 29 degrees when I got to the property, dressed and began creeping towards the stand. Videoing my own hunts (main computer is getting worked on so no video done yet, will share later) it can take a bit longer to get ready so got to the stand about an hour before legal, and was all set slowly but silently by 30 minutes till.
To condense the story down, I had movement basically the entire day of some variety (only once did I go an hour without movement). Spikes, fork horns and an awesome yearling 7 pointer all made multiple appearances, not to mention the does they were seeking and pushing around. This stand is awesome, but tough to hunt. You're only about 13 feet off the ground, way lower than I like, but only solid tree for a treestand along this treeline. Mix that with the insane cover all around the clover winding trails....the farthest you can see is about 45 yards, and farthest shot is 36 - if you looked away for a second a deer can already be 22 yards away right in front of you by just taking one step into sight. Makes for an intense hunt at times.
Plan was to sit all day, however about 1:30 and struggling and fighting off coughing fits became too much...fellas a grown man had tears forming from trying not to cough (deer can be bedded 50 yards away...). A cough slipped through and I knew I had to climb down walk to the truck and regroup quick. Hacking multiple lungs up at the truck, swig of water and I was back on stand by 2:10 or so. Instantly action came back at 230 with a spike pushing a yearling doe.
Fast forward through action, still not even an 80 inch buck had shown its face.
2 hours before legal was up, I had a HUGE doe I call silverback come down and begin to feed in the disc wide strip right by the stand I planted in cereal rye this September. She pounded it for what seemed forever and as she finally filtered down to some clover and to eat woody brows off a pear tree I catch a grunt to the NE, then a slight thrash or scraping movement from the sound of it....is there a buck with her? Is there finally a decent buck?
I catch glimpse through the young oak cover to my left sitting in the stand between me and the northern edge of the plot area...antlers...GOOD antlers. He stands there for a time and begins walking my way through a corridor between island covers (same she had used). He is taking his time though, I slowly put hand on grip of bow...he stands scanning area to his south (where doe is)...sitting bow down on my knee as I'm sitting in stand the wind begins to calm (NO!!!).
He takes a few more steps and has just cleared the opening of the corridor and turned south on the edge that is 18 yards away...still no shot...and I clip the release onto the bow...2 more steps I'll draw when he is still just behind some young oak tree cover I have there...wind hits my left shoulder and neck (NO!!!!!).
He slams on the breaks, nose up, tongue licking nose and his right front leg slides back a half step. The doe now is fearful too reading his body language of something as wind isn't hitting her...wind dies but doesn't shift. What proceeds at this point is over 12 minutes elapse where he NEVER moves, not even an inch.
At one point I noticing my hand has been clipped to the string test my index finger if it can bend (remember it is cold!) next to no movement....crap....slowly unclip, slide into pocket where handwarmer awaits. That was about halfway through the 12 plus minutes....finally Silverback wiggles her tail and starts to ease up and move...the winds have now a slight consistent SSE....his ear flicks, tail flicks...and shoulder muscles seem to relax...finally a step....
I slide the release out of the warm pocket, clip as he gets two steps out. I draw, he settles and stops walking looking south of us both to the doe....I attempt to settle pin, but an oak branch of that cover is cutting through his vitals. If I stand I have him.....knowing he is on edge I cannot wait....I slowly roll forward onto my toes, push up as slow as possible, he is now taking a step forward....I get about 8-10 inches up and he notices my movement and looks over right at me, knowing I cannot complete the stand all the way I settle the pin and fire with knees bent. Arrow disappeared inline vertically with crease behind front right leg, but higher up (think lower right of shoulder blade - deer facing right broadside)....exit I suspect to be bottom off side shoulder or right below it in the V. The sound the impact made and the fact the illuminated nock was left behind on the arrow stuck in the ground after he bolted told me I'd just blown through one shoulder...maybe two.
He peels E, 15 yards to far clover trail and then bolts N, then up into the NE woods where the logging occurred this spring. I could see tail about 50 yards or so than to thick and too many tails to know which one was him. Never heard a crash....commotion did occur 5 minutes later but almost sounded like another buck maybe attacking him or scraping who knows.
Self imposed rule of waiting an hour minimum if you don't see them go down I didn't even take up the track despite 20 minutes after shot, inspecting arrow and finding just bright bubbly blood all over it and good blood at impact.
He was found after a blood trail, even this color blind guy was able to decipher and follow - really only got thin one time for about 40 yards or so. He made it maybe 100 yards, and shot had broke through one shoulder and a rib on the other side.
Another blessing I do NOT deserve had happened. God is good! Now, I still have a reduction zone buck tag, which this property and one other of mine do fall in, so while I could push to get another shooter down - for at least a little while my focus is getting Pops a buck - we're a team and he's up!
Easterly winds needed to sit that NW almost corner of the property edge stand - overlooks a clover/chicory plot that is essentially paths weaving in and out and around islands of cover (bunch of apple and pear trees there too with just the Chestnut crab producing yet in year 3/4). Thursday calling for SSE winds, it would be risky as deer do bed in the overgrowth to the north just off my property, but it was November 12th (gun just 2 days away) and I hadn't been able to hunt for nearly 2 weeks due to illness - I needed to be up the stand!
It was a COLD 29 degrees when I got to the property, dressed and began creeping towards the stand. Videoing my own hunts (main computer is getting worked on so no video done yet, will share later) it can take a bit longer to get ready so got to the stand about an hour before legal, and was all set slowly but silently by 30 minutes till.
To condense the story down, I had movement basically the entire day of some variety (only once did I go an hour without movement). Spikes, fork horns and an awesome yearling 7 pointer all made multiple appearances, not to mention the does they were seeking and pushing around. This stand is awesome, but tough to hunt. You're only about 13 feet off the ground, way lower than I like, but only solid tree for a treestand along this treeline. Mix that with the insane cover all around the clover winding trails....the farthest you can see is about 45 yards, and farthest shot is 36 - if you looked away for a second a deer can already be 22 yards away right in front of you by just taking one step into sight. Makes for an intense hunt at times.
Plan was to sit all day, however about 1:30 and struggling and fighting off coughing fits became too much...fellas a grown man had tears forming from trying not to cough (deer can be bedded 50 yards away...). A cough slipped through and I knew I had to climb down walk to the truck and regroup quick. Hacking multiple lungs up at the truck, swig of water and I was back on stand by 2:10 or so. Instantly action came back at 230 with a spike pushing a yearling doe.
Fast forward through action, still not even an 80 inch buck had shown its face.
2 hours before legal was up, I had a HUGE doe I call silverback come down and begin to feed in the disc wide strip right by the stand I planted in cereal rye this September. She pounded it for what seemed forever and as she finally filtered down to some clover and to eat woody brows off a pear tree I catch a grunt to the NE, then a slight thrash or scraping movement from the sound of it....is there a buck with her? Is there finally a decent buck?
I catch glimpse through the young oak cover to my left sitting in the stand between me and the northern edge of the plot area...antlers...GOOD antlers. He stands there for a time and begins walking my way through a corridor between island covers (same she had used). He is taking his time though, I slowly put hand on grip of bow...he stands scanning area to his south (where doe is)...sitting bow down on my knee as I'm sitting in stand the wind begins to calm (NO!!!).
He takes a few more steps and has just cleared the opening of the corridor and turned south on the edge that is 18 yards away...still no shot...and I clip the release onto the bow...2 more steps I'll draw when he is still just behind some young oak tree cover I have there...wind hits my left shoulder and neck (NO!!!!!).
He slams on the breaks, nose up, tongue licking nose and his right front leg slides back a half step. The doe now is fearful too reading his body language of something as wind isn't hitting her...wind dies but doesn't shift. What proceeds at this point is over 12 minutes elapse where he NEVER moves, not even an inch.
At one point I noticing my hand has been clipped to the string test my index finger if it can bend (remember it is cold!) next to no movement....crap....slowly unclip, slide into pocket where handwarmer awaits. That was about halfway through the 12 plus minutes....finally Silverback wiggles her tail and starts to ease up and move...the winds have now a slight consistent SSE....his ear flicks, tail flicks...and shoulder muscles seem to relax...finally a step....
I slide the release out of the warm pocket, clip as he gets two steps out. I draw, he settles and stops walking looking south of us both to the doe....I attempt to settle pin, but an oak branch of that cover is cutting through his vitals. If I stand I have him.....knowing he is on edge I cannot wait....I slowly roll forward onto my toes, push up as slow as possible, he is now taking a step forward....I get about 8-10 inches up and he notices my movement and looks over right at me, knowing I cannot complete the stand all the way I settle the pin and fire with knees bent. Arrow disappeared inline vertically with crease behind front right leg, but higher up (think lower right of shoulder blade - deer facing right broadside)....exit I suspect to be bottom off side shoulder or right below it in the V. The sound the impact made and the fact the illuminated nock was left behind on the arrow stuck in the ground after he bolted told me I'd just blown through one shoulder...maybe two.
He peels E, 15 yards to far clover trail and then bolts N, then up into the NE woods where the logging occurred this spring. I could see tail about 50 yards or so than to thick and too many tails to know which one was him. Never heard a crash....commotion did occur 5 minutes later but almost sounded like another buck maybe attacking him or scraping who knows.
Self imposed rule of waiting an hour minimum if you don't see them go down I didn't even take up the track despite 20 minutes after shot, inspecting arrow and finding just bright bubbly blood all over it and good blood at impact.
He was found after a blood trail, even this color blind guy was able to decipher and follow - really only got thin one time for about 40 yards or so. He made it maybe 100 yards, and shot had broke through one shoulder and a rib on the other side.
Another blessing I do NOT deserve had happened. God is good! Now, I still have a reduction zone buck tag, which this property and one other of mine do fall in, so while I could push to get another shooter down - for at least a little while my focus is getting Pops a buck - we're a team and he's up!
