Evening hunt - Opening Day - 2008

The weather is much more pleasant this afternoon, clear skies but cooler.

Deer start moving into the field about a half hour before sunset, coming out of the woods south of my stand and move up towards me. First were a few does followed by some fawns, then comes a few small 4 point bucks. A little while later a 6 point comes out from the same part of the woods and comes right up in front of my stand, sniffing the air with every step he takes. Not more than two or three minutes pass before he's standing broadside right in front of me, at 30 yards. He's not a bad size buck, and a bigger rack than the fork horn I shot last year, so I decide to take him. He turns due West with his rump in my face, I pull back my bow and wait a moment as he turns South, again standing completely broadside. I put my 20 yard pin just above and behind his shoulder and released the shot. To my amazement he just flinches ever so slightly and stands there and looks right at me, then decides to trot off into the sunset, alerting the rest of the herd to join him and high tail it westward. I missed the shot... what the hell did I do, where did the arrow go?

While I'm kickin' myself in the ass... more deer start filtering out of the woods from the same point the others came. Again, they all work their way up towards my stand, this time a little further out. Again the buck is the last to step out and a little more cautious than the rest, he happens to be another 6 point, maybe 10 inches wide, probably 2-1/2 or 3-1/2 years old. He's about the same size and mass as the one I missed just a little while ago. Since I made the choice to shoot anything larger than last year, I might as well fling an arrow at this one as well, all the while second guessing what I did wrong on that earlier shoot and miss.

This time I'm going to place a better shot. I slowly pull back my bow and wait for the shot to present itself. The buck senses something and turns in my direction, looks right at me as I'm holding my bow as steady as can be trying not to give away my location. My camo has me well hidden, blending in with the hardwood I'm standing in. All I can see is this buck's chest, my 20 yard pin is holding steady just above is chest, as the buck glances away I release the shot... He flinches from the sound of the release of the bow and the arrow once again misses the intended target. He bounds off across the field with all the others that were with him and they disappear into the corn...

Once again I missed a perfect opportunity to harvest another fairly decent size buck. What the hell am I doing wrong? I'm completely disgusted with myself at this point and determined to hit the range tomorrow in order to figure out what it is that has gone wrong between last year's perfect shot on that 4 point to this year's complete misses. Granted my judging of yardage isn't that great, but it's not that far off.

Until tomorrow...

Opening Day - Archery - 2008

My second year of hunting White Tail on opening day of archery season, the weather was a little more pleasant than last year, a little drizzle to remind me of last year, but not enough to soak me.

I'm hunting my ladder stand again this morning, kind of tradition, if you can say so after only two years...

To give you an idea as to the field plantings around me, there were beans planted to the north but have been harvested already, corn planted at the NE and SE corners and the field to the West.

I had a button buck come into the field this morning and literally walk right to my stand, stare right up into my eyes and go back to sniffing the Goldenrod that I had brushed up against as I approached my ladder stand. He didn't seem fazed at all by my presence or my scent, he'll be a little wiser next year, guaranteed.

Nothing seems to be moving in the woods behind me and I haven't seen anything else, so I'm headed in for the afternoon. I'll rest up and be back out this evening.

Opening Day - Archery - 2007

It's Monday morning with a strong prediction of rain, but I'm determined to be out in my tree stand for my first White Tail hunting opportunity. I've been at the archery range for the last 12 months preparing for this moment. Rain or shine... I'm going to be waiting for that trophy buck to come to my field to graze this morning.

After sticking it out through the most miserable drizzle for 3 hours straight, I'm soaked to the bone, haven't seen a deer... not one... I'm headed in for a hot cup of coffee.

I'll be back out tonight, to give those deer a second chance at filling my plate.