Axis frustration-Help

[220swift]

My family was invited to hunt a ranch near Leakey this past weekend. There is an archery blind set up on a feeder. No one has hunted there all year. I saw a large axis in the area. (Probably 34" +)

The wind was perfect blowing from the feeder to the stand which was tucked into a think cedar tree. My son wanted to hunt him so he showered in scent free soap, left his clothes hanging in a cedar tree all night, put out skunk oil scent upwind and down wind of where he sat. (skunk oil usually solves all of my scent issues)

This bruiser came in three different times from up wind and stayed a few seconds and bolted. I'm not sure what else he could have done. He finally gave up and hunted a different stand. This guy is really smart and wary.

Any thoughts on things he could have done differently?

Thanks

[forced-2-work]

Nothing! He did everything right but that deer did not get that big by being stupid! If the wind was blowing pretty good its always going to have them spooked. Why we call it hunting and not killing. Just have to keep up the effort. It will pay off eventually.

[Drycreek3189]

Noise and/or movement ? Scent isn't the only thing that scares them, and he didn't get that big being stupid, so who knows ? As said above, that's why it's called hunting.

[Bisch]

Nothing else he could have done! Axis are the spookiest deer I have ever hunted, and while they do come to feeders some, they surely do not depend on that corn the way whitetails do! He just needs to keep after him and hope he gets lucky. The big bucks are uncanny aware of everything that is around them, and will spook when a whitetail won't even look up.

Bisch

[220swift]

I could have killed him with a rifle twice, but for some reason he was spooky as hell around that feeder. He came to it all three times my son sat there, but walked in at full alert and then hauled *****. My sons says he was completely motionless, so I don't think sound was an issue.

[SwampRabbit]

From my experience (albeit limited) free range Axis cover a lot of distance. We'll have a whole herd on our property one week and nothing for weeks on end afterwards. They move around grazing all sorts of different areas.

While you may not have applied previous pressure at that one particular spot, that doesn't mean he hasn't been pressured at a feeder before.

Not a lot you can do except try and hunt him at night perhaps.

[JHarrell89]

Maybe the skunk scent was too much? maybe try no scent?

[txtimetravler]

Throw some alfalfa in a tight spot and get in a tree or set up a ground blind.
Get away from the feeder just a bit.

[220swift]

From my experience (albeit limited) free range Axis cover a lot of distance. We'll have a whole herd on our property one week and nothing for weeks on end afterwards. They move around grazing all sorts of different areas.

While you may not have applied previous pressure at that one particular spot, that doesn't mean he hasn't been pressured at a feeder before.

Not a lot you can do except try and hunt him at night perhaps.

This is a 10,000 acre ranch with 20 or so blinds. All of the other blinds get a lot of pressure. This stand is basically near the ranch compound and gets no hunting pressure. The ranch hands have been seeing him alot. This stand is near the dump and oddly enough it is probably less than a 1/2 mile to the rifle range and we were out there a bunch sighting in rifles and teaching kids how to shoot. He was there all three times at the feeder and I watched him twice from about 100 yards in a white chevy passenger van. He couldn't have cared less.
I really thought it was going to be an easy hunt for him. No such luck.

[mpotts]

Maybe the skunk scent was too much? maybe try no scent?

Skunks usually don't leave scent unless they are scared or something is after them, I never use the skunk scent. 1) I don't like the smell and 2) from my experience skunk scent usually seemed to put the deer I have hunted on edge.

[speck1]

I bowhunt axis year round and am fortunate enough to watch them almost every day. They are very sensitive to any thing that is different. We had a mature deer coming in every feed with no Hunter in the stand. The first hunt with someone in the Krivoman blind resulted with the buck hanging up and spooking. The Hunter threw a couple apples out by the feeder and that was all it took. Removed the apples and the buck came straight in on the next sit. We feed alfalfa hay so I use that to cover my scent in the blind. The better sealed your blind is the better chance you have. I swear sometimes they can just feel my presence. More than likely your desire to cover your scent is what tipped him off. I have put out golden estrus buck lure and the axis won't get anywhere near it. I am hunting them with a recurve and routinely get them inside 15 yards. I would try it without skunk scent and make sure nothing about the setup is different. Good luck. Sometimes they are the smartest deer you will ever hunt and sometimes they walk right in. Stay after him!

[SwampRabbit]

This is a 10,000 acre ranch with 20 or so blinds. All of the other blinds get a lot of pressure. This stand is basically near the ranch compound and gets no hunting pressure. The ranch hands have been seeing him alot. This stand is near the dump and oddly enough it is probably less than a 1/2 mile to the rifle range and we were out there a bunch sighting in rifles and teaching kids how to shoot. He was there all three times at the feeder and I watched him twice from about 100 yards in a white chevy passenger van. He couldn't have cared less.
I really thought it was going to be an easy hunt for him. No such luck.

Well, IMO you just answered it. Just because 1 stand doesn't get alot of pressure, doesn't mean they are less on edge. Surrounding pressure makes a difference when your setup looks (feeder) and smells (skunk) like other high pressure setups.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

[txgb]

Just mimic that sharp whistle noise they make


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TxHuntFish]

Hunt the trail coming into the feeder. Bait with hand corn and alfalfa.

[Tx_Wader]

There is an archery blind set up on a feeder. No one has hunted there all year.

Something was different with the blind. You don't say or I didn't see what kind of blind it is. Tripod? Popup?

Something he was used to seeing was not the way it was supposed to be. If a popup maybe the windows hadn't been painted black and when opened he saw a big black hole.

Anyway I would think something wasn't the same as it usually is.