Weekend re-cap, short version- Saturday evening, was at full draw on a doe until I realized it was actually a spike with beams that perfectly parralleled his ears. I had my finger on the trigger, lol. Let down and he was none the wiser. Only deer seen Sunday AM, I shot under a great mid-Michigan buck. Totally my fault. long version here- https://forums.bowhunting.com/threa...tand-thread-2024.101909/page-138#post-1813682 Didn't hunt Sunday PM due to being down in the dumps about that, and also a storm was moving in made my decision easy. I won't be back up in a tree until Oct 24, then it's at least 10 days straight.
Funny thing about that target, I got it free last year after the tornado went through Little Rock. Some friends took a direct hit to their home. The day afterwards, I was with a group of people helping them clean up. That target got blown into their yard from who knows where. They gave it to me since I am the only bow hunter they know. The yellow is a $4.00 can of foam spray insulation that I filled in the middle with after my arrows started passing through. I should probably invest in a can of black spray paint. Anyway, its a free 3D target that has lasted me a year and a half after surviving being thrown around by a tornado. I can’t tell what brand it is, but if I knew, I would give them a heck of a review on their website. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Yesterday, I went in to put new batteries in a dead camera. On my way, I found a couple of big, fresh scrapes, so I decided to relocate the camera. The first deer to show up last night was the 9-year-old fat man. Perhaps I will give it a go and see if I can luck into him before the duck hunters show up this weekend and blast the place all to hell.
This deer is on a different farm, but he's the one I really want to chase. I have no idea where he's living, and he's been nowhere near daylight on any camera since this summer. So, I'm going to wait him out a bit longer.
I am pretty sure it's a McKenzie. Looks like the ones from back when I used to 3d. I wouldn't worry about the black spray paint, the color now is closer to a deer and unless maybe you used plasti-dip it would probably flake off in large sections anyway.
Just got done reading your post and all I can say is "ugh". Been there, done that, had ALL of those same thoughts and feelings - none of which helped me in any way. You can play the "what if" game until you're dead and the secret is that you'll never win. Nothing you can do but forget about it and move on. Get the next one!
Gonna be interesting getting down tonight. My bow rope got wrapped around my second stick somehow. When I tried to pull it off the stick, it pulled the stick up and dropped. I think I can one stick down with my top stick. $2 bill and 4 leaf clovers better step up
Had some action, couldn’t see any bucks, but there was either a little buck chasing a doe around, a coyote chasing a doe around, or a bigger buck pushing a little buck around. Didn’t hear any sparring. It sounded like they were going to pop out right in my shooting lane, and then there was a doe there. She blew for about 10 minutes. I hooted like an owl, barked like a dog, shined a flashlight in her face, and she just kept blowing. I packed up and one sticked down. Was a chore. Then on the way out I got to the corn field and fell in a two foot hole. Elbow and shoulder are sore. $2 bill and 4 leaf clovers were taken out of my wallet as soon as I got in
Edit: coulda been does running other does off bc the corn was just picked. Had two others come through before while I was trying to fish for my stick.
glad you made it out of the tree OK. out of curiousity, was it second stick from the top or second stick from the bottom?
Almost killed a doe on public tonight. I took my youngest into the white oak grove where i killed a buck last year. With about 30 minutes left, a lone doe started feeding on an oak about 40 yadds away. We were set up on the ground using some young pines and a stake out blind for cover. I had to stand up to range her because of the brush and tall grass in the way. I could see her and could have shot her sitting down, but the range finder couldn’t give me a good range. I waited until she was facing away and stood up to range her. As I went to draw she looked my way and saw me. She was gone before I could finish drawing. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Three sticks, it was the middle stick. Bow rope got half hitched around one of the fold down steps (hawk helium). I thought it would fold the step up and slip off. As far as attaching the stock to the tree, I can now see where a cam cleat/ rope system would be better than the daisy chain/ button. I assume there’s less slack in the rope/cleat and it wouldn’t drop as far.
I don't know what I would have done in that situation as I haven't really looked into the 'one stick' method much...either used my lineman's belt and braced my feet against the tree almost as if I had spikes on, or if my lineman's belt wasn't in my pack, lowered myself down hand over hand like I was going down monkey bars. Not too much of a challenge for 30yo dnoodles, but for almost-50yo dnoodles, big challenge. ...or, just become a tree-hugging summama-B and slide down.
lol sliding down crossed my mind. I had my saddle on so I was able to go to the bottom of my top step, re tether, hang off to the side and lower my stick to where the top step was about where the bottom step was, get back in the stick, do it all over again. All the while, that doe was blowing away. The ground is pretty crunchy with this dry spell. This morning, I made it about two steps into the woods at a different spot and one started blowing. They went upwind deeper into the woods, so if they move back up around 11, I’ll get my revenge on the blowing doe. I’m blaming the stick and falling in the hole in the field on them too!
Put up 3 new stands on sunday Hunted one of them yesterday afternoon. Got really windy the last hour so not surprized I saw nothing. Couple photos. Me leaving after sunset then a couple hours later this guy shows up
So close, but the night is still young! Tried some grunts. I got him to stop, but he wouldn’t come back.
That was an evening! Best sit I’ve had in a long time. Big buck came through first which was this one and I didn’t have a shot. Then a little 8 came right under the stand A 2.5 year old 8 fed in the food plot for a while. He walked passed the camera as he moved out. Spike. Really thought at closing time another shooter would come out, but the last hour and 45 minutes was dead. I figured some does would come out to feed right at dark. Not sure when I’ll be back out. It’s getting close to killin time over here!
Heck of a night! I also snuck out and saw a dozen deer, but nothing close enough to shoot. The does have been coming through this pinch almost every night on camera, but not the night I was there! I ended up seeing a handful of turkeys and a coyote as well. Not a terrible sit for my first "official" hunt of the season. I'm going to sit in the morning for a few hours but I'll be on bucks-only mode. I have a lot of work meetings tomorrow, and if I'm going to royally jack up my schedule and piss people off, it's going to be for something with antlers.
