First sit last night and I got out there late because I was trying play the weather and and sneak in as the rain let up after 3 days. The plan worked perfectly but I sat 2 hours after building a rock crossing to navigate the high water. I sat on the ground at the merging of 2 trails I scouted. One is a bench around a steep hill and the other is where there is a ridge that stretches from the creek bottom up to a large old hardwood flat on top of the hill with a prairie. I sat until dark without seeing any and snuck out. Planning to go in the morning. I decided instead of pressuring the spot I would try another spot that I didn't have time to scout boots on the ground. I drove out to see when the last person checked in and it had been 3 days so I figured I would wing it and give it a shot. I seen two doe crossing the road into the parking area so I marked the location and scoped it out.
The next morning I showed up around 5:15, about an hour before first light and tried to navigate in the dark to a draw through the canyon side. Ended up not being able to find the right one and got stuck in the side of the canyon. Decided to sit until first light so I could get up the canyon and find another spot. Was only 20 yards from an easy way up and worked my way to an area where the prarie transitions into hickory and Hawthorne. Lots of tracks and scat in the area so I made a ground blind while cutting my shooting lane and sat for 2 hours and glassed. About 7 and 8 two other hunters arrived which is when I realized I was closer to the parking lot than I realized but also all the hunters were going to the opposite way with a clear cut path. I decided I would head the opposite way and see what I scout on the hard to access side of the property. I followed the prairie until it led to a cliff on the canyon that ran about 1/2 mile. To ridge that lead down into an ox bow on the creek. I followed that north and started seeing a lot of sign. Small and large tracks, rubs, scrapes new and old. As I moved down the canyon there are 4 steep draws from the prairie so I would move slowly up each draw and glass for a while. Some of the tracks seemed fresh so I was hoping to stalk something. As I moved up the draw nearest the ridge that led into the creek I heard some noise and next think you know those same 2 doe I seen the night before bumped out of bed behind a large head fallen tree right in the steep part of the draw. I was about 30 yards away. I stopped and held steady because I knew the wind was about 9mph in my face and they stopped where I could barely see them for maybe 10 seconds and then took off. I marked the area and confirmed that it was almost exactly line with the spot where the two doe were the night before headed that direction. It lines up perfect with a field line of trees that are outside of the public land.
These are my thoughts as an unexperienced hunter roaming around the woods with a long bow. My first question was why were they in the same area they were headed to the night before? My answer is maybe the heavy rains for the past 3 days had them pinned down on the other side of the property where the prairie is. I can't imagine a steep draw is a good bedding area when it's pouring rain. My next step was to note the wind direction, time of day and use milk weed to see how the wind was affected in the draw. Despite the east facing canyon and sun being higher in the mid morning the thermals were pulling into the canyon. I believe it's because the canyon is so steep and narrow the cool canyon air is pulling out rather than rising.
My next plan will be an evening sit that I can get in around noon and hopefully sneak in and position myself in the brush up the draw and wait. If I find them not in the bed I might move in forther hoping they are down in the canyon. Found 3 puff balls on the way out.
2 sits in and I'm trying to peice a puzzle together.
