MGH_PA

Went out tonight to my NW food plot stand. Plot didn't disappoint, either. I saw 6 total, 3 nice sized doe that passed near the 30yd zone (love my new nikon 440, btw), but I passed. You can read my post in the main forum, but I'm not sure now I want to take a doe out of here. I know they're bedding near here (there's two different areas), and as long as they continue coming in, I figure at least ONE buck has to follow one of these nights, right?[8D]

mauser06

man Matt, have you been out this year and not seen a deer?? you definently see a pile of deer!! only a matter of time for you to see some shooters im betting!!!




so i ended up going with the buddy to film....i took my bow...he told me he honestly didnt care if i shot a buck or a doe...i told him id stay doe only unless we had a slammer that he didnt have a shot but i did...but i didnt wanna sit in his stand and take one of the bucks on his farm he hunts...

we ended up combining our heads and didnt hunt his stands at all...went to a place noone hunted all season(couple of his friends hunt the farm too) it was a nice ridge...i threw and estrous drag down as we walked down the old ATV path...combined our heads and found a spot that we felt good about...he wanted to be closer towards the truck a couple times but i am a point hunter when i can be and kept inching towards the point...he insisted on hunting over a pretty good trail going up 50yds from the point...he wanted to be low but i insisted we went up 30 more yards so we could atleast SEE the point and flat of the ridge...

threw out some wicks and was calling off and on...by 330 we had 1 small deer BOLT infront of us up the point and onto the flat wind was strong in our face...it was running when he spotted it so i dont know what spooked it...hoped a buck was trailing...i grunted a couple times as soon as she was out of sight...3 or so minutes later there stands a doe 40-50yds away on the flat...dont know if it was the same one or what...it disappeared..an hour later he says dont move! there stood a doe 45yds away on the flat...it was REAL skittish too...didnt hang around long...about 6 he grunts a couple times and as soon as he did he seen deer running straight infront of us on the point...so i threw a couple grunts and bleats out and hear they come circled down below us and are running straight for us...we both got our bows up when they were behind brush and were standing there ready...wind in our face perfect....they turned around and hightailed outta there!! i cant figure out what in the world had all these deer so skittish....they werent near our trails or our down wind scent, we had good cover...werent moving when they got skittish...i dont know...

so after they bolt i grunt while he rattles and hes turned around hangin the horns up...its maybe just a hair later than 6...i spot a buck running right up the point...im wispering BUCK BUCK BUCK!! he grabbed his bow and the buck freezes on the flat and starts trotting to our left away from us...i threw a couple soft grunts and he starts trotting to our left on the flat than circles down wind...freezes..hes dead down wind of my drag i hung 20yds above me on the flat..not down wind of us...i think that got him to stop...i can hardly see him with brush and didnt follow him with my head, just my eyes...then i heard my buddies bow....

i couldnt believe he shot...buck was definently quartering to him somewhat...and farther than id shoot in the woods...he swears the range finder said 28...and he says he can shoot very well at 50 and 60 so i dont know...he said he felt great about the shot...i couldnt see the impact but it looked like he hunched up and kicked and ran hard with his tail tucked and low to the ground...from what i THINK i saw...alot of crashing....but could just been busting sticks...

we wait 15 minutes and he says lets sneak down, pack up while we have a little light left and head to the truck to get lights...light was fading fast so i said lets try to find the arrow or POI while we have a few minutes of light and can see the tree and land marks...he found a spot of kicked up leaves...and 3 or so yards infront of that i found 2 clumps of cut off hair about a foot apart...i told him thats where he hit the buck....and its a 40yd shot not 28...he shot through about a foot hole...the hair lines up perfect with the shot angle...i think he ranged a twig or something...but arrow is nowhere to be found....

we back out and come back and hour later with my coon hunting light...(it started sprinkling then light shower just as we headed to the truck...we figured it would be best to go in and atleast get a direction and start of a trail before its washed out..) we searched about 100yds in the direction we seen/heard it run....couldnt find anything more...i told him to go home and come back in the morning...no use of us trampling around in the dark...any light blood was washed out by that point as it was raining decint...

sooooo we'll see what he finds...i got a meeting so i wont get to help....

he has a pretttttty awesome farm to hunt...very nice land...and definently good deer and buck numbers...

i have no idea how big the buck is...he got binocs on it..i didnt...i didnt think it was too big...but he said it was out to his ears and 6-7 inch tines...i actually asked him if it was legal when we first seen it...no time for me to get the camera on it..or any of the deer we seen lol...hopefully he finds it tomorrow...


but, goes to show that wind or no wind, the deer were moving.....i think the wind had them skittish....but they were moving...cold front definently came about 4 oclock or so....noticably colder...BRRRRR

if that thing didnt bolt the first time, i would probably had to shoot it lol....woulda been a clean 20yd shot if he kept comin like he was...and my buddy would been behind me with no shot...i wouldnt felt bad being i played as much of a part in seeing those deer as he did...and he said he wanted me to shoot if i had shots and i wanted to....i dont know if i would have...it was just as exciting for me when i heard the bow as he was being the shooter...

rybohunter

Wow, Mauser, sounds like your buddy will wing an arrow without hesitation or even without having a real good shot. Hopefully he either finds it, or it was just a low graze since it turned out to be so far.

As for me I saw a 4 pt and a BB last night. The BB was at 12 yds broadside. Wished he was a doe. I’d be skinning her out tonight. The local “after work” farm I’ve been hunting is getting HAMMERED with guys. There were 4 of us last night, and one of the guys who is usually there wasn’t. Seems like we all have space though, as everyone has their areas. I’m the last guy there in the eves so I get what’s left, but honestly, sometimes that spot is my first choice when no one is there. I’ve already seen one shooter there.
Tonight will depend on weather, tomorrow is out, Thursday I may skip as well since I have a long 6 day stretch starting Friday.

kshunter

Good to hear that some of you have some time off coming up soon! The cool weather is really making things nice. I feel like things are going to start happening real soon. Hope your buddy can recover that buck, Mauser.

Casi & I went out last night and we had a close call... I thought for sure Casi would get a shot. Watched a big buck appear in the milo about 250 yards away. We recognized the buck right away as a new one, I got 2 game cam pictures ofjust from last Wednesday & Thursday...just a cool looking rack. He eventually worked towards us but then started walking parellelby us at 60 yards. I grunted, tickled the tines, everything to get him to come in a little closer but no dice! He had a different agenda. He ended up making some scrapes & rubs and moved on.

I've never seen my wife shaking so much in her life! She's really enjoying being the one with the bow!

We saw several fresh scrapes made since Saturday, so things arejuststarting toheat up it seems.

mauser06

i have mixed thoughts on him Ryan...he seems like a good hunter and that....it was gloomy last night, and nearing sunset...wasnt dark, but wasnt bright and sunny...i can kinda see him not seeing the twigs(he did know it was a hole to shoot through) and maybe im wrong and it wasnt quartering to him nearly as hard as i think it might have been...i just know i watched it start hooking down behind us which put him almost broadside to me...be he was 2yds away from me just makes sense that it was quartering harder to him..maybe he didnt notice with the light conditions... and he did range the actual deer while it stopped there..he got 28 and shot for 28...i wish i could go back there today...heck, i may..he can only look till 1...we'll see how long my meeting takes...but id like to find this 28yds the range finder gave him...im willing to bet the 2 clumps of cut hair is the POI...and i KNOW its not 28 or 30...really could been as big as he thinks...it happened quick and i couldnt move anything but my eyes..he had me and my tree for cover so he got his binocs on it...

hopefully we'll find out today....i was thinking low hit by the hair...but where the heck is the arrow? and a low hit with a rage 3 blade should had blood all over the place...he coulda smoked it through the heart and arrow is in offside leg..i dont know...coulda hit a twig and sent the arrow flying somewhere off target...

too many what ifs...having that farm to hunt, i would personally passed the shot...heck another couple seconds we could probably had him under the tree...he definently stopped because he hit my estrous wick and was really interested...he was responding to the calls really well...he may came in on a string...i had no idea he even drew...when i heard the shot i was shocked lol...i wish i knew he drew so i could payed attention to the shot sound...

MGH_PA

How many of you PA guys are going to brave the weather, tonight?

rybohunter

I probably will, unless its raining too hard. I'll play it by ear. I'm hunting from the ground & have little to lose at the farm I'm hunting so I figure why not. Maybe I'll get lucky.

Cougar Mag

I am off this week and got some chores done at home yesterday and didn't hunt at all. But I went back out this morning and hunted a stand for the first time. Spooked two deer going in. Wouldn't you know but the morning I am giving my favorite stand a rest 2 bucks walk right by that stand. One is a nice buck, too far away to tell how nice and I didn't have the binocs with me, but from 300 yds. you could tell he has a nice rack. 2nd time I've seen him from far away. I found 2 huge fresh scrapes while looking around and the biggest rub I've ever seen. 12" across on an old cedar tree. It pretty well tells me its a community rub, but my LW sticks and Assault will be in that general area in the morning if the wind is right as that was the direction the 2 bucks were headed.

Rob, you'll do well. I wish I had 2.5 weeks off. As it is after this week I'll have another 4 days off within the next 2 weeks.

mauser06

sounds good coug!! just gotta be in the right tree at the right time!!


matt, i opted to stay in and get some studying and school work done. if it wasnt windy, i would stayed up late after hunting and did the work after...but its really blowing out there. i couldnt imagine what its like up where i hunt...planning to try to sit there dark to dark thursday....front moves out wed night...low 40s and calm weather....they are starting to act up around here....so anything can happen. hopefully something does.

MGH_PA

Well, Mauser, tonight I did not see a deer! Thanks for jinxing me[8D] Jk It was WINDY as all get out tonight (I actually got down a bit early because of two really dead pines that were next to my tree that looked like they wanted to snap during those gusts). I did manage to see my turkeys again...14 of them anyways.