GR8atta2d

It seems when I go out, adventure is near. I rarely get cheated..and so begins yesterday's, afternoon hunt!1st off, in the morning,I decide to rewash all my clothes..this may prove to be a grievouserror as the day unfolds!For those of you not following along in the teams posts. I went to a field edge deep in public land, where Friday Night, I saw old Chocolate Horns, feed with a little fork horn. Chocolate horns is the first "shooter" buck I've seen this year. He is of unconfirmed size, but rest assurred a shooter, and named for his dark brown antlers.
Problem was he came out in the wrong corner of the field..so Sunday I would set up inside the woods on that corner.
Well having never been in there, on that side..it's thick! It takes me a long time to get in. I fear I'm pushing a bedding area as thick as it is, but I have no real choice. The undergrowth is thick and the trees are old pines with low limbs. Nothing to climb. I must press on!I get within15 yards of the field before I find a climb-able tree. I set my stand down, and a deer busts from it's bed on the edge of the field and runs to my left. You know how we as hunters think...CRAP! There goes chocolate horns never to be seen again! I'm unstrapping my stand and just as I get the top unstrapped, movement catches my eye..and I see another deer running to my right straight up the field. OK this is a young deer, that must have been bedded in the same spot. So I figure, Good it was a doe and her young'n bedded there. I get up and situated 15 minutes goes by and here comes a deer. The young one trying to get back to momma. The little yearling button buck mills around on the downwind side of my stand for quite a while. He can smell something (me) but he's virtually right under me..eventually he goes back the opposite way of momma. Well a few minutes after he disappears..I hear something behind me..tree side. I peer around the tree over my shoulder..deer! coming right to my tree. Doe..momma?.. she pauses under my stand. Walks off giving me numerous shooting opportunities. But being the kind hearted, wuss, I am I let her walk. (Although I ponder the 1-2 punch, ofthe crip legged crew, scoring a double nanny knockdown weekend. This won't be the last Rob, reference, of the hunt!) I say to her silently, "free pass, don't come back here!" And so I sit alone again..20 minutes pass..a doe blows, same area she walked too, a while ago.. What? I give you a pass and your gonna sit there and blow..and blow again??I pull out my never used fawn bleat and give two short bawls. She comes in on a string, even after she blew. Again, she is in my shooting lane, again I let her go. But I listen to her "Mews" as shecalls for her lost little buck. This scenerio plays out again later and again I call her right in. Too cool, I never messed with a fawn bleat before.

So fast forward to near dark 6:45 a Doe enters the field lookin back, nowa second and then a third. They mill out looking back again. A buck enters, WOW, not chocolate horns but,a very good buck! He scrapes and works a licking branch..he is very aggressive working a couple little trees and pulling branches on big hanging oaks as he scrapes underneath..like a bull mounting a charge! He is big mature buck 3.5, 4.5? I look with the binoculars, his one side has4 nice long tinessweeping out well past the ear and high. But..What the?? What?? whats with the other side??? OH NO! a Rob buck! He has a 14-16 inch dagger on the other-side. I watch him as he continues to shred the earth and trees..Finally I say, you know what, He won't score well..but he meets my criteria..He is unique and mature and my highest qualification..Yes, he is wall-eligible. If he gives me a chance I'll take him. I reach into my pocket for my grunt call. As worked up, as he is, he should come right in! Well this is where washing the clothes comes into play. I took the grunt call from my pocket and set it on the washing machine..and thats where it still sits! The buck never gets closer than 68 yards..I climb down as quietly as possible and leave.

6 deer, a shooter buck and Scraping activity along with seeing 2 other rubs. I have now seen 9 different bucks (2 shooters) and these 4 doe were my first of the season.