mine starts tomorrow as well, so hopefully will have something to show for it by dark thirty - good luck and pick a spot
I checked my stand on the droptine farm today, and left the cuddeback there...everything is looking good!
Good job getting us on the board Frank! Hey guys I am missing some here? The Official Teams Thread says that "shrek the bowhunter" is on team #1 and doesn't list spacman?
Ok here's my opening day experience guys. I got to my hang on stand about 20 minutes before daylight (that time when there's just a tad of light). I've got my bow in my sling hanging from the top climbing stick getting my release out of my backpack when I hear something. I slowly turn and there is a mature doe at 12 yards and I'm nowhere near ready. So I have to watch her walk off. I finish getting set-up because I'm now pumped up with excitment because of such an early encounter. about 45 minutes later there is movement coming into my shooting lane so I prepare to draw and it is a doe fawn still have some spots on its hind quarters. So I watch this fawn for around 20 mintues feeding. Again I'm pumped 2 deer sightings within an hour. I'm just positive I'll have one on the ground in the morning hunt. Well about 10 I see movement on in the distance about 80-90 yards away and low and behold its.....TRESPASSERS! I'm pissed at this point. They continue all the up the hill, then down a tree line (all property I have sole permission to hunt). So I climb down out of my stand and come to find out they had shot a doe (I think the doe fawn I passed on) on a neighboring piece of land and was tracking it. So I was niced helped them track a little bit which was difficult because they had trampled all over the place. Well ends up I think the jumped the deer before it had died. I decided the best thing to do was be nice about it because I may need to track onto there land someday. Anyway went back that evening and there was no activity at all. Can't say I was surprised by that. To top it off it was a perfect opening morning. The temps were cool, it was foggy, and then overcast once the sun came up. Well anyway back to work this week and then back in the woods Friday.
I was very excited about how it started 2 deer within an hour. I was sure I'd have a doe on the ground after that. :D Although based off my trailcams I expected it to produce the evening of opening day because the pics were more consistent at night around dusk. I'll be hunting some public land on Friday and then back to this spot next Saturday. Maybe I'll have better luck.
I'll be out this Saturday. It looks like the wind will be out of the S/SE. I am hoping for a N/NW wind for a certian spot I would like to go to. But, I have stand sights available for any wind direction. Can't wait to get out there and start hunting!
Putting the finishing touches on the kids tuning. They've been shooting BH's for a couple of weeks and no one has lost a finger. :D Picking dads xbow up tonight, had the string served and ordered some new bolts. I'll get it fine tuned this week THEN finish up with mine. I've shot enough that I'm confident, just haven't shot as much as normal. I'll be guiding my kids and helping my dad...as well as trying to get a buck for myself. Counted up last night, between me and the 2 boys, we have 10 tags to fill (all weapons). Thats a load!
This looks like a rough weekend for hunting here. Suppose to be rain with some heavy storms mixed in at times.
Hung another stand today boys, that gives me 4 setups that are complete. This is a North wind stand, and i REALLY like its location. Its also going to be great to film out of. I put my Cuddeback about 100 yards down the trail to see whats been in the area. I will probably check it the first time i hunt this stand.
