So yesterday was opening day of ML ..I do not own one and have no interest in it. So me and my son went afield with the bows. We hunted yesterday morning and the shots began to ring out..Always does. We decided to hunt an area with lots of sign and a good number of pics. Opted out of another area that had only night time pics. Well low and behold, at 8 am a giant buck walks in front of the tactacam right by his stand within 10 yards..while we are in another block of woods.. anyways, he didn't see a thing, I saw a doe and I have never sat that area before. the afternoon hunt we decided to go to the block of woods where that big buck was.. but I had him sit about 125 yds from the camera where I saw 3 last weekend eating acorns.. when never had another pic of a deer on that camera all week in daylight so i told him we have to put you where I have seen deer in shooting light..he said, ok, but he did tell me he wanted to sit there and I advised him to go further..he did, and I went even further and sat a place I never even seen. I ended up seeing two does and starting at 5:30 his camera starts sending pics of a deer at 10 yds from the camera and where he would have sat.. he saw no deer all day...I felt so bad. I zig when I should zag.. meanwhile one of the guys in the club that xbow hunted once and told me he just wasn't motivated to hunt...but he showed up yesterday with his smoke pole. he climbed a tree overlooking a clearcut in the afternoon and boom, kills a 20" 8 pt. the only effort he put in was a 150 yd walk. and then the drag out. I been doing this a long time and I know what to expect come this time of year. lots of text pics of big bucks from the ML crowd. Im not against ML hunting, but damn, it just seems unfair at times. I have dragged this little boy for miles in the woods teaching him all I know. Blood, sweat, mosquitoes, aggravation of sits with no sightings the whole 9 yds... But he won't give up, and will not put that bow down. I am proud of him. Me? I am frustrated as hell because I can't seem to get it right this year. Could I choose to hunt with the ML? of course. but I won't. And I understand that it limits me and him. the way I want it. But I just want one doe, one to walk in range of him and he can feel what I and all of us feel with that arrow finds its mark... ok, I am done whining.. just had to vent
Kind of sounds like that other hunter was just trying to misdirect you. Like he knew that deer was going to be there. Maybe I'm wrong but that always seems to be the case when I hear "Im just not motivated to hunt". But y'alls day will come! Don't let the frustration get to you because we are in the best time of the year to be in the woods!
"Life isn't fair." Awful statement but unfortunately it's true. It's also true that "Life is good.... very good." You had some great time together. My youngest son (who is now a father of his own) is my hunting buddy. We spend all summer putting in food plots, fixing/building stands and planning our fall hunts. We sometimes have to flip a coin to see which one of us gets the "hot stand" and then laugh when nothing shows up. Right now we are getting lots of deer on camera at night but only does and fawns in daylight. But we still go out and every night, 45 minutes after the end of shooting time, my phone rings and it's my son wanting a report. We do hunt ML and rifle too, but archery is our number one interest and where we spend most of our time. Enjoy every minute. Every time that I got thrown off a horse, the remedy was to get right back on. Now get back out there and tip something over.
I too am kinda struggling this year, I was so used to watching the deer every day because I lived where I hunted. I have sat in my stand this year feeling like a misinformed idiot. I also have not had as much time to scout even though it should be easy with limited cover. Add in the fact I am sore as hell by the time I am done sitting and it has not been a real enjoyable season. My son in law wants me to gun hunt with him, I have not loaded up the browning in 5 years might be the year.
Like Elkguide said, "Life isn't fair". You really can't/shouldn't complain about someone else's success. It isn't a good look. However, it is ok to be frustrated and disappointed in your own lack of success and to use it as a learning experience. Never give up.
Years ago I started setting two goals in the woods. Kill a buck in October. Kill a buck from November 1 to 15. If I fail at the first one, then I reset. It is time to reset Vabowman! Lets get it done. I hope your boy gets his chance.
Ive got two weeks before the orange army starts blasting .. hunted 5 days of my 9 day vacation, had only two small bucks pass by and a small doe, seen a few others at 60 yds...... one day was for 9.5 hours in two different trees (4 and 5.5 hrs) didnt see squat but a Elmer Fudd who sat up 150 yds from me with his climber (state land) ... back to work this week, which may be good as temps are suppose to climb and hit the mid to upper 60's to 70 by the week end... our ML only season isnt until Dec. but they can be used in the regular gun season which starts the 14th, from there it all goes to hell ... heck, I'd be happy right now with a big Doe down, but they seem scarce ... I'll see what happens come Vac. #2 which starts the 6th for another 9 days .... VA, keep on trudging, sooner or later it will break and an opportunity will present itself ...
Yeh, I do appreciate the encouragement fellows.. and I could care less about killing a big buck. I have been beyond blessed with a wall full of them. I don't care that the other guys kill whatever. My frustration is, I saw none of them put in any leg work. No long sits in the heat. No long walks to stands with a skinny little 80 lb 15 year old boy, who has not complained once. My heart broke yesterday for him.. as we were making our hike of 800 yds with stands and bows he was behind me and I heard a crash...I turned around and he was on his back bow up in the air and tree stand on his back...I stood there for a second and it all hit me... this kid has hunted morning and evening, hiked his ass off, many walks deep to no avail and I am looking at his face and he had embarrassment on it for falling and not keeping up...I didn't get mad, I didn't yell at him, I simply held my hand out and helped him to his feet to finish the journey..It was kind of like the entire season has gone ..walk, find a good area, and fall down ...but he keeps getting up. and then there is, well, let's call him "Joe" overweight, lazy, puts in zero work, and is cunning.. climbs a tree after a very short walk to a ladder stand that he put up 5 years ago overlooking a clearcut...shoot a big buck at almost 100 yards. and boom, hero photos.. I am all about a guy killing anything, doe, buck, big buck, I can share in his joy, if he earned it. I got several pics yesterday of the ML kills. And I know all these guys, 99% went to a field, a clearcut, or food plot. Never once did they actually go into the bushes and find deer.. I know life isn't fair. I accepted that a long time ago. Still doesn't make it easier to swallow.. I want my son to have to work for his deer and his hunting experiences. I want him to know that it doesn't come easy most times...and he is learning this. with that said, hard work should be rewarded, at least once...
That is what makes us bowhunters so "SPECIAL!" We're the ones that are OK with sitting by the fireplace and having tag soup in the winter. As long as you and your son take the time to laugh, talk it through and laugh some more. Enjoy the summer scouting trips and all the preseason scouting/watching deer throughout the year. I don't hunt on Sunday (religious nut job here) but my youngest son does and he's been sending me pictures and texting questions and asking for my opinions all day. (He had a bobcat and her kit walk under his tree stand and then play for 5 minutes this morning) Yes I do love the feel of the draw and then my finger on my release when a deer steps out, but the connection that my children and I have made because of my addiction are what it's all about for me. Yes we want more than anything else for our children to taste "thrill of victory" and not taste of "the agony of defeat" but we have to help them see the other joys of just being out there.
Yes I agree, and he certainly enjoys it, and like I said, we have had a lot of good talks on those long saturdays. I do not want anyone to think I am piss and vinegar right now. Most of my frustrations are just me not closing the deal with all the hard work put in. Not for me, but for him. I didn't have a father that hunted much, he was farming and I was self taught so there were many years of frustration. I guess I just don't want him to lose hope..this is second season and I had the expectations of him getting his first bow kill...it ain't over yet, we got a few more hunts, so we will grind it out like we have been doing.
