Your Thoughts Please! (long read)

[Soup du Jour]

This afternoon I came home about a hour earlier than normal. Like a typically do I checked the field that is across the road from my home for any deer that may be grazing the picked corn field. This afternoon I noticed a large sized deer in the field about 100 yards from the road near a 2 acre pine plantation which is located in the middle of the field.

For some reason I decided to take a look at the deer with my binoculars. After I got the binoculars out of my backpack which was located in my garage, I scanned the field through the rain and fog we had today. Threw the fog I noticed 3 deer total. One of the deer was a very large buck sporting a huge rack. I was in complete shock.

I ran in the house telling my wife and kids that there is a big buck in the cornfield. I ran into my basement and threw on my snow camo and boots, grabbed my range finder and my bow. Out the door I went to see if I could stalk into bow range on the big buck.

I jogged down the road about 200 yards to the north while the 2 does watched me. Once I was out of site due to the pine plantation I jumped the ditch and started walking directly into the wind to the pines. Once I reached the pines I knew the 3 deer could only be about 50 yards away on the other side of the pines. I knocked an arrow and slowly crept through the woods. The land slopes up to the area were I last saw the deer. The wind wasa cross wind,blowing out of the west while I crept to the south up the slope. I had an option to move to the east or west of a large down pine. I decided to go up the small hill to the east of the tree. Once I crested the hill, there he was no more than 30 yards. The two does were directly to his east, my south east no more than 40 yards.

Through the fog and rain I could not tell if he was facing me head on or if his backside was towards me. I stood there for about2 minutes trying figure out what to do. I should haveback tracked and went back aroundthe down pine tree to the west. The buck would have then been broadside. WhileI stood there trying to figure out what to do I noticed the does starting to sniff the air, I guess my scent was bouncing around through the pines and they may have smelt me. The buck still had no idea I was there but he was giving me no shot. I stood there for about 5 minutes hoping the buck would move broadside or at the least quarter a little more to me. The does sensed something was up and started trotting towards the buck. The buck finally quartered to me as the does approached and that is when I drew my bow back.

I am not sure what exactly happened next because it took place so quickly. The two does continued trotting past the buck. Once they passed he quickly took off with them. All 3 deer put their tails up flagging but the just trotted away from me going in a south east direction towards the fields edge. I stood there in complete disbelief. I could not believe I noticed the buck and then was able to get with in bow range of such a magnificant animal.

My question is what do I do? There is still 7 days left in the season. I do not believe the deer saw me in the fog and rain andsince I was in my snow camo in the pines.The 2 does definitely knew something was up but I do not beleive they saw me. Should I hunt the pines in the morning and hope they come back? Should I wait till early afternoon and sneak in hoping they return one of these afternoons? What are your thoughts? Will they come back or did I blow it?

Soup

[jonhall9]

If I were you I would do this. Not sure if your schedule allows it, but I think you should glass the field tomorrow morning. Maybe this would be the perfect day if your state does not allow sunday hunting? Maybe if you couldn't be home you could have wife/girlfriend/kid or whoever do it for you. Either way, give it a day of observation to see if the deer are there in the morning.

Do the same thing that afternoon, again seeing if they show up, and if they do, what time (even where they come out if you have enough time to watch closely and nail that part down too!)

I think that by doing this, you will ensure yourself the best chances of success before you re-enter and risk another intrusion into an area the big guy obviously felt fairly comfortable in this afternoon.

If you manage to spot him at either of those times, plan the next day's hunt accordingly to be in place an hour or two before he showed up on your observation day. If he fails to show on your observation day, it would be up to you whether you want to give it a second observation day or chance it and go after him with your best guess. If it were me, I think I might try to give it that second day of observation. You mentioned you have six days left, and you will probably only get 2 really effective hunts in the area to get it done in such a short amount of time without hopelessly alerting him by hunting the same area everyday.

Deer also always seem to come out much earlier on foggy days. I'm sure you knew that, but perhaps check your forecast and plan an afternoon hunt for a similarly foggy day if it looks like you will get one this week!

Good luck with him, sir.
Jon