***Official LIVE from the Stand Thread, 2018***

I ended having both a frustrating and good hunt today. The hunt got off to a rough start. I got up at 4:30 am to be on stand 45 minutes before shooting light. Unfortunately, it poured rain until about 7:30 am, and I walked in after daylight. It was raining too hard set up before then. I spooked a group of four does walking in. I think they were headed to the bedding area I wanted to set up in. This is the same bedding area I saw a good shooter 8 pointer on Friday night.

I learned the hard way that the straps on my Hawk tree stand suck and make awful knots when wet. I got to the top of the first tree and could not get the stand secured. After about 30 minutes of fighting it, I got down and moved the whole set to a different tree. I was able to get the knot out back on the ground before getting in the new tree. In the long run this ended up being a good move, but I was not up until almost 9:30 am. Unfortunately, the tree I got into only let me get up to about 12 feet before it got too small to go higher. The cover was thick, so I hoped it would work. I endured a light but steady rain sitting there until about Noon before it finally quit. Today's wind was NNE, so I set up on the SW corner of the bedding area. I hadn't hunted from the west side of this bedding area before. I learned that the trees are not nearly as big as the ones on the east side of the bedding area. The previous to sits had been west winds so I was on the east side with my back against the river.

About 12:30 pm I had three does go by on a trail that took all three of them broadside at 10 yards from the tree I had been in on previous hunts. About 12;45 pm a huge six point came by on the same trail that would have put him broadside at 10 yards. I am guessing he would have scored about 130. He dwarfed the 110 inch 8 point I killed last year. That 8 point was 20 inches wide and had 6 inch G2s. This six point is wider, has 6 inch brows and 12 inch G2s. He worked a scrape that is 14 yards from the tree I had previously hunted. I grunted twice at him and he ran to 8 yards before I could put the call in my pocket. He was broadside behind three trees and caught me when I tried to draw. He ran about 30 yards and stopped. I grunted a few more times and he started circling downwind. I lost sight of him after that.

About 15 minutes later an unknown buck ran a doe by at an all out sprint about 70 yards away. I didn't get a good look at that buck and both were hauling butt. About 1:15 pm I had a little Fergie buck 8 point and a young doe come down the trail towards me. I wasn't interested in the little buck do I decided to shoot the doe given the chance. I had to quit hunting at 2:30 to be home in time to coach my son's basketball practice. The doe came straight at me down the trail. Knowing that the buck had seen me draw, I drew when she looked back at the little buck behind her.

Unfortunately, I was getting gear ready last night, I realized that some time between getting out of the tree after the Friday night hunt and getting gear ready last night, the trigger on my Trufire release had broken off. I rushed to Academy last night and bought a new one before they closed. I took a couple of practice shots in my garage last night with the new release. I thought I was good but I forget to test it holding at full draw for a long time.

The doe saw me holding a full draw, as she turned broadside, I tried to settle the pin and the bow went off before I touched the trigger. I had been at full draw for about 45 seconds, I guess since I forgot to adjust the tension on the set screw, it couldn't hold at full draw any longer? Anyway, I will have to work on that before I hunt again. She was at five yards and I was only about 12 feet off the ground. No way I miss that shot if I can get it lined up. I shot about 18 inches over her back. The only good thing about this it that is was a clean miss.

This my first season to hunt this particular piece of public ground. In three hunts I have seen about 18 deer; four of which bucks and two were definitive shooters. Sucks that my rush to hunt with new equipment cost me a doe and the team points. Although, my confidence in finding good spots on public land has skyrocketed. It is just a matter of time.


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