First "MISS" of the 2010 season

[Thwackaddict]

Saturday morning found me havin to find another spot to hunt as some dude was sittin three trees over from my stand stickin ou tlike a sore thumb so i eased on up the ridge and got around on the backside leadin into a flat filled with small brush and greenbrier.had a deer come in behind me at 9:00 am and bust me i think it caught me moving(Its thick with the leaves on and cant se more than 30 yds)so around 10:30 i decided i would ease into the wind and walk the flat which is the very top of the ridge and push something towards my cousin who is on a flat below the other end of the ridge.well i thought i was being a bit noisy and wasnt really trying to be quiet so to push the deer to him,when i came up on the thicket in the middle of the flat i decided instead of goin strait thru i would skirt the right hand edge as i had jumped deer there before.I only made it 10yds when Hey thet looks like an antler!Well jus so happened that antler turned to look at me and i thought Crap im busted!Beautiful 8pt buck bedded down not 25yds from me.I could see his throat and the very top of his shoulder but he was layin behind a bush which covered the vitals so i decided i would let him stand and shoot as he was gettin up! Wrong he started gettin up and i let one fly and that dude was gone before the arrow even got there I thought he would stand and at least gimme a better look to see what i was,Not he got up in third gear and was history.Later that evening he came in behnd me yet again and made a big 40yd circle around me!!Had a tree picked out to stick my climber in and he walked by it at 15yds Durnit i gotta get in that tree.Maybe i can turn the odds next go round!!

[Cacatch]

Thwack, I know exactly how you feel. This is about the same experience I had on opening morning. A dude in or near my spot, possibly trespassing, onto my dad's private property, then tried to get in the truck and go to another nearby property, when I got there realized I forgot the bow, went back for the bow, by the time I got back a nice 6 or 8pt and 2 does had beat me to the blind and busted me, disgusted, walked over to truck, put call back in truck, take bow and arrows over to locust grove and hope to see a squirrel or turkey, no quirrell , no turkey, laid on top of a roundy bale and was sunning myself thinking I should have just stayed in bed, WRONG, another 4 or 6 came by at about 80 yards, caught off guard sunning myself in plane view on top of roundy bale, sit up on roundy bale and hop off to hide behind and call, reach for call, yep - call was already put in truck thinking no more deer coming. Left this property and went back to the first one, thinking in the afternoon things will turn up and I can go out over by the pond, with the drought this year deer routinely come there for water, go set up blind near pond, to allow for a way-too-easy 5 yard shot, go back to the house to grab a bite and wait a bit for the late afternoon which is when these deer always come down to drink at this spot, just about ready to grab my stuff and go back out, open the door, door nearly breaks backwards, 30mph winds, colder than a dead witch's teet, think to myself Aw, who cares, I'll just tough it out, and the wind won't hurt me that much it's in my favor and it's only a 5 yard shot, won't blow my arrow to far off course, start walking out to the blind, hadn't had rain since early August, first rain in over 2 months starts, even colder than the wind, get halfway to the blind, already chilled and thoroughly disgusted. Went back to the house.

So let me say these heartfelt words - I FEEL YOUR PAIN.     Don't worry though, we'll get 'em this weekend or next. It's still early.   

CP

[Thwackaddict]

Wow!! Thanks that made me feel so much better!!Lol But hey thats why they call it huntin and not killin right!!Gotta make the best of these curveballs and use em as learnin material!We'll get em!!Where ya huntin at?I'm in southwest va right above where corner of north carolina and va meet.We have had quite a dry spell here too!No water and more durned acorns than you could  shake a stick at!Gonna make for some tough huntin!Good luck on your next trip!!

[Cacatch]

Yep, sounds exactly like us. I'm in southeastern Indiana, hunting over near the Millhoussen/Napoleon area which is where my family has land. For some reason the squirrels made a mass exodus this year and from August or maybe even a little before up until 3 weeks ago, you could absolutely go out in the woods and take a complete walk through it and not see a single squirrel, whereas in normal years you might see 5 or 6 every time. Like I said, we had drought since August or a little before and I don't know if that had anything to do with it or not. But these crazy danged squirrels let 90% of the hickory nuts just fall to the ground and rot as they were absent most of the summer. And in the woods I'm talking about, hickory nuts are their main staple. And like you said, acorns all over the place. I hated to move my blind from where that dude was, because it's acorn heaven right in there and it's also where 2 woods join, so deer cross in and out/fraternize/eat acorns/fight/scrape/hump in there all the time. I don't know if this guy was in our woods or on his side in the other woods. I didn't go back to find out, when I saw the light back there and heard him fumbling around it was still mostly dark and I didn't want to get shot. But that's the way it goes. There's always some duche moving in on your area.

[Thwackaddict]

Amen brother that turd was only three trees over from my stand!!Uhhhhh duuuuhhhhhhhh what would we do without morons??Its gettin harder to find a place to hunt,last year me and my cuz hiked 1.75 miles off the road strait up to the top of a mountain and thought we had found deer utopia.Got 347 pics of 5 different very large 8pts and assorted does.Had the place to ourselves all of bow season,come gun season i had 13 different hunters on my cam!!Crazy!!I did manage to get this dude tho!my best to date.We have alot of public land to hunt and some good places if you can get somewhere that people arent rootin you out or swarming it during rifle season!!

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Eric Krewson]

Back when I was a lot younger and dumber(about 40 years ago) one of my first traditional bow shots at a deer was about 40 yards with the deer looking at me. The deer took 4 complete steps before the arrow passed harmlessly about 10 yards behind it. This shot taught me about my effective range and that taking a shot at a deer that is looking at you is a bad idea at any range.

[Thwackaddict]

I'm comfortable shooting 25yds as this deer was and he didnt seem alarmed.Jus didnt do what i thought he was gonna do!Figured him gettin up would cover the sound of my shot but he didnt cooperate!musta had other plans!But oh well live and learn!!Its what keeps us goin back for more.Maybe next time?

[Cacatch]

That's a nice buck, Thwack. Seems like a big rack for an 8pt. This is my first year going out seriously for deer. In years past I'd go out but not really make a concerted effort to stick one and I'd always end up scouting bow wood, shooting squirrels, or just sitting there enjoying the woods eating a snack. This year I really am trying to get one and I wouldn't know what to do if I shot a deer that nice.

CP

[Thwackaddict]

Thanks!!If it went down anything like that boy did you'd prolly shit your costume like i bought did!!lolCrazy story behind that buck!!BUT i have to thank the duche that i got him!!Nov.14th last year gun opener,me and adam(my cuz) got to our stand around 6:45 and low and behold dude sittin right smack in da middle between our stands!!Bout 100yds apart so screw it let him have it we'll jus get above him!!Well we hiked on up the mountain and after sittin and thinkin bout it we decided to still hunt and scout at the same time.we got one ridge over and almost to the very top of the mountain and jumped 2bucks and some does.i couldnt see em good but adam could get glimpses here and there so i slipped down over the side of the ridge in case they bolted i could cover that route.Sure enuf they boogered and BOOOOOMMM!!Damn pushed em right to another guy!!I looked at adam and said i'm not leavin til i see which one of the bucks he got and we'll help him track and drag!Well we got over to where he was and found blood and he said shot felt good and it wasnt too big but nice and wide.Were jus standin there wide open and i look back up the ridge and say dude theres your deer!Nope mine went downhill into that holler.Adam is about 10ft to my right and guy is about 10ft to his right.where the deer is 80yds strait up, theres a blowdown,i cant see him for it but Adam can and he looks at me and says Big Buck,Big Buck.Shoot him!!He says,i got no shot!So i get my gun up and he clears the blowdown and i squeeze one off and holy tickets all hell breaks lloose!!He jumps about 4ft in the air,turns,bails off the ridge in a dead strait line to the dude who shot the other buck!As this dude is comin off the ridge eyes wide and blood spewin out both sides i thought WTF did i jus do?He looked like an elk,his antlers looked so damn big comin strait at us!I looked at adam and he looked at dude and we both said you better move!he jus stands there!!Bucks 40yds and comin fast!Way to fast!Somebody shoot that ^$%$&$&**()&*$#$!!I couldnt get my gun to work adrenaline would be my guess but all i could see was this guy gettin impaled by those long tines!So were hollerin for him to get the hell outta the way and hes jus standin there like what da helll!!!!This deer gets to About 10yds and dude starts screaming and wavin his arms,HEy,HEy,Hey!!!That dude jus sat back on hi ass and locked em up slidin to within 10-15ft of us.Now mind you I'm looking this wide eye gushin blood buck in the eye and bout to crap myself cuz i cant get my gun to work!!I know hes dead but i dont know if my heart can take anymore!!Well he turns and starts diggin and throwinn rocks and sticks and leaves and i'm shoutin shoothim shoothim.He heads up and kinda out the ridge from us and kills over 30yds from us!WHHEEWWWW!!!!!!I look at Adam and dude and everyones on the ground laughing hysterically and I'm standin there with my  knees knockin teeth chattering,funny smelling shouting WTF,Wtf,What the hell jus happened!!That has to be the single best feeling i have ever had and the most memorable deer hunt ever!!If only i coulda got it on video!!I will never forget that wild eyed huge antlered battering ram coming off that ridge!!Now mind you this deer was 80yds away and prolly100-150ft higher than us.Scared the crap outta me all i could see was those horns stickin thru that guys back!!!Needless to say thanks duche for huntin my stand and ended up with a new friend and huntin buddy!!

[Cacatch]

 WOW        LOL   Yes, it is a shame you did not get it on video. Wish I could've been there!

[Thwackaddict]

it was defintely an experience i wont soon forget!good luck this comin weekend!

[Cacatch]

Well I tell ya, if it ain't one thing it surely will be another. Every time I look at the forecast for Saturday the high temp goes up a couple degrees. Right now it's at 81. Don't know if I'll even go if it's in the 80's. If I got to track the ol' goat at all, it'll be a stinkin by the time I get to it!  I wish to hell a cold front would come through and tame that 81 degree high down to about 55. But then again that's what happend last weekend starting Saturday PM and it shot the weekend all to hell cause it brought wind and cold azz rain. Thanks anyway though. Good luck to you if you go!

CP

[Postman]

Sneakin' up  o a 8 point tto  bow range is quite a feat in itself! Get 'em next time!

[Thwackaddict]

Thanks Ca supposed to be 80 here also its supposed to be fall not summer!!!!but oh well,maybe fish a bit then hunt the late shift.

Thanks Postman,I think he may have viewed me and my stick as not much of a threat!!

[Cacatch]

Yeah, it's almost funny - now they're saying possibly 85! I can't believe it! Well, actually I can, this is Indiana after all. I miss the good old days back when Octobers were in the 60's or even 50's through the daytime.