MD Bow Opening Weekend

[marshall9779]

Should have gotten a doe on Friday 9/19. It was my first day out. I was hunting the McKee-Beshers WMA in MD. I went to the first stand tree I had picked out over there. It is on the inside corner of a clear cut where two trails converge. It is in one of the bigger blocks of timber and should be a good bedding and travel corridor. It was a long hike in carrying a stand and pack and with it not very cool yet I was sweating like a pig by the time I got to my tree. I got up in the tree and got settled about 45 min before first light. At about 7:05 a doe and two fawns came out of some brush on the other side of the clear cut. They milled around and finally the doe started coming in the woods angling away from me a little. I drew back on her but she stayed behind some small saplings and never gave me a shot. They milled around about 20 -25 yds behind me but in a bunch of think stuff. They never came back out. I settled back down and about an hour went by. I pulled out my range finder and was ranging some trees and stuff to get my yardage bearings. I heard a small snap and look over and 4 does were coming in right underneath me. I had no chance to reach for my bow as they wer coming straight at me and were only about 6yds from the base of the tree when I saw them. It was really thick were they came out of. They looked up at me a few times but kept about their business. I was about 20ft up. Guess I need to go higher. The matriarch must have gotten my scent a couple times but just took a bound or two and then stuck around. She did that twice and then the third time she decided she had had enough and moved off and the other three followed. Neither of them stomped or snorted so they weren't too worried about me.I can't belive I blew that opportunity. Let this be a lesson, when in some thick cover, always have your eyes on the swivel looking for any part that might be a deer. It was an exciting morning, but it could have been better.

[Saxman1819]

Good play by play. I can't wait go get out for a hunt.