Do you see that fallen tree in the picture? It is 25 yards from my ground blind along the edge of a ridge next to a major trail facing a bedding area. I hate it. Saturday afternoon I took my four-year-old son out with me to sit in our ground blind. The odds seemed against us; he had a slight cough, it was the opening weekend of gun season, it was warm and deer movement seemed slow. I did not see a thing during the morning sit. In five years of hunting this property that has never happened until Saturday morning. About an hour before dark two bucks came out, not from the bedding area, but from behind us in the direction of the CRP field about two hundred yards away. A small 8 pointer and a 140" 10 pointer fed on acorns about 40 yards from us. The 10 pointer intended up coming down the trail and stopping perfectly broadside, right behind that fallen tree. He was just down the edge of the ridge far enough that the tree covered his vitals. All I could see was his spine and head. I was already at full draw and lining up the shot when he stopped. I held the draw for over a minute, hoping he would step up higher and present a shot. He didn't. After looking at him for a moment at full draw, he turned and went down the ridge. I let off and let him walk. I grunted to see if I could pull him back on top of the ridge for a shot but to no avail. That was the first time in two years I have had a shooter in bow range. That last one lucked out when I shot low. So I am still waiting on my first buck with a bow. It almost came together perfectly with the bonus of having my son there. He still loved seeing the deer and had a hard time understanding why I did not shoot. Oh well, that is why it is called hunting and not grocery shopping. The few inches of the vitals blocked by that fallen tree saved that deer's life. I am still waiting to fill my first tag of the year. Normally I have at least one doe down by now. I am out of town next weekend and won't be able to hunt again after the Thanksgiving. But that is ok, the bucks seem to still be friendly which means the best is yet to come. The rut on this property always seems to be towards the end of November and early December. Bowhunting is frustrating at times and challenging of all the time. But that is why I love it.
Yeah, I know your pain. I had a great buck sneak in on my last week. I'm sitting in a hedge row and he walked in under the canopy of the hedge trees. He turned and headed away from me at 6 yards, presenting a perfect quartering away shot. As I started to draw, he spooked forward about 3 steps and turned to look back in my direction. It would have been perfect had it not been for two little trees growing at about 12 yards from my stand. He stopped right behind them, not presenting a shot.
I didn't see where it said but I assume it just recently fell? It was there when you scouted the area? Cut or shove it out of the way Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2
ya... cut/move the da** tree, or drop some stuff behind it to funnel them into walking in front of the tree instead of behind it...
The tree will be moved the next time I can get back in there. I never saw a reason to move it in the past because there is a scrape in the near side of it. Lesson learned. I assumed he was coming in to hit the scrape right in front of it. I will be moving that tree down the hill side so that he can not go down the ridge right there and will be forced to take another three steps on the top of the ridge.
I am not sure what the broad head would have to do with it. The only shot I had was a spine shot. I am not going to purposefully shoot a deer in the spine. Others are welcome to feel differently, but for me, deliberately shooting a deer in the spine would be unethical.
Range the deer then range the tree. For example if the deer is at 40 and the log at 20. Put your 40 yard pin on the bucks vitals and if the 20 yard pin clears the log then you know that the arrow will arch over the log. I know its iffy not being able to see the buck because of the log but I do this with small branches when I'm hunting so that I don't end up over clearing a shooting lane.
Use it to your advantage. Take you Stihl out there next time, or in the off season, and create yourself a little funnel that will put those big boys right where you want them.
