Well, This season has me out in North Carolina hunting public land. I harvested a doe earlier this year and put it to work to get a buck on public land. No corn allowed!
I have scouted a small archery-only zone hoping to find less pressure and more deer. I went out one day early this season and found large oak throwing acorns and three converging trails. I figured this would be a good spot! My first hunt on the ground, I spooked a doe at 30 yards. I purchased a climber and started seeing deer, and moved my stand 20 yards back to a small opening across from a bedding area. 5 sits, I have seen deer 3 times. Pretty fun!
Things are getting rutty so I went out for a sit. I was thinking my day was shot as the wind started to swirl. I was using NOSE JAMMER for the first time, and as you'll see I think this made me a believer. As I got in the stand at 1:30pm, I rattled. I have my smaller rattling horns hoping to see any buck in the area. My theory is larger horns scare of small and medium bucks, and a dominate buck would come chase off a pair of youngin's.
I heard walking to my left, a large coyote responded to the rattling! He posed on a log, 22 yards broadside. I drew back but hesitated as I couldn't recall the regs on song dogs. He took off back down a visible deer trail.
Fast forward several hrs later, around 4:15 I see two deer cross the opening about 120 yards up. (long narrow opening for power lines). I think i recognize one as a older looking fork I have seen (2 or 3 yo) so I grunt and give a snort wheeze, figuring I have nothing to lose. It is the rut after all!
10 minutes go by and a deer comes hard down the same trail the coyote was on. I see antlers and had to kick myself into gear.."Clip on release, breathe!". A nice 3.5yo 9pt. He stops at 22yards after I doe bleat. A large Branch in the way I start looking forward to where he will go. Nada. Thick as thieves. I see only one spot 10 yards down the trail as he starts to move DIRECTLY behind me. I crane around the tree and get ready to draw.
I bleat as he is moving fast and he stops short of the opening behind a large tree. Dad gum. He takes three more steps and I bleat again and fling the arrow. I did everything right except look at my durn pins and pick a spot.
I kept my arm up (a plus for me) and watched the arrow fly over his back. Straight up miss!! He trots away tail up, never looking back...
Deer hunting is hard! Arrow was clean save the mud on the broad head. I don't think he smelled me, was responding to the grunts, and was looking back at something! As the sun started to set, a gorgeous red fox crossed the visible deer trail. He had to have been the darkest red/orange I have ever seen on a grey fox. He was worth seeing for sure. But I missed the buck
I have scouted a small archery-only zone hoping to find less pressure and more deer. I went out one day early this season and found large oak throwing acorns and three converging trails. I figured this would be a good spot! My first hunt on the ground, I spooked a doe at 30 yards. I purchased a climber and started seeing deer, and moved my stand 20 yards back to a small opening across from a bedding area. 5 sits, I have seen deer 3 times. Pretty fun!
Things are getting rutty so I went out for a sit. I was thinking my day was shot as the wind started to swirl. I was using NOSE JAMMER for the first time, and as you'll see I think this made me a believer. As I got in the stand at 1:30pm, I rattled. I have my smaller rattling horns hoping to see any buck in the area. My theory is larger horns scare of small and medium bucks, and a dominate buck would come chase off a pair of youngin's.
I heard walking to my left, a large coyote responded to the rattling! He posed on a log, 22 yards broadside. I drew back but hesitated as I couldn't recall the regs on song dogs. He took off back down a visible deer trail.
Fast forward several hrs later, around 4:15 I see two deer cross the opening about 120 yards up. (long narrow opening for power lines). I think i recognize one as a older looking fork I have seen (2 or 3 yo) so I grunt and give a snort wheeze, figuring I have nothing to lose. It is the rut after all!
10 minutes go by and a deer comes hard down the same trail the coyote was on. I see antlers and had to kick myself into gear.."Clip on release, breathe!". A nice 3.5yo 9pt. He stops at 22yards after I doe bleat. A large Branch in the way I start looking forward to where he will go. Nada. Thick as thieves. I see only one spot 10 yards down the trail as he starts to move DIRECTLY behind me. I crane around the tree and get ready to draw.
I bleat as he is moving fast and he stops short of the opening behind a large tree. Dad gum. He takes three more steps and I bleat again and fling the arrow. I did everything right except look at my durn pins and pick a spot.
I kept my arm up (a plus for me) and watched the arrow fly over his back. Straight up miss!! He trots away tail up, never looking back...
Deer hunting is hard! Arrow was clean save the mud on the broad head. I don't think he smelled me, was responding to the grunts, and was looking back at something! As the sun started to set, a gorgeous red fox crossed the visible deer trail. He had to have been the darkest red/orange I have ever seen on a grey fox. He was worth seeing for sure. But I missed the buck
Comment