HuntingNet.com Forums - View Single Post - Best night in the stand so far. (No Kill, just a good time)
Old 12-15-2009, 07:08 PM
  #1  
mbmrang
Fork Horn
 
mbmrang's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Mid Missouri
Posts: 100
Default Best night in the stand so far. (No Kill, just a good time)

This is my first year bowhunting. I have been rifle and blackpowder hunting for years. Well, I missed last year hunting because I was on a government paid vacation across the big pond so this summer I decided to venture into bowhunting to take advantage of every chance I could get. I researched, shot, asked for advise from friends, and just about every other way I could learn about bows. I decided on a PSE Stinger ready to shoot package, but the shop was sold out of the 2009 model, so I picked the next package up. I got a Martin Cheetah package that was very reasonable. Well, I am glad I got the Martin versus the PSE. I just love the way this thing shoots and feels.

After many evenings in the yard and many lost/broken arrows, I started sitting in stands around the 1st of Oct. The first 7 or 8 hunts, I was sitting in stands where I could observe and pattern versus spooking and ruining the hunt. Well, around the 3rd week of Oct I placed a stand that i thought would be fairly decent. Not too close yet, but still able to maybe catch a deer using a lesser used path. On the Friday the 30th I was sitting in that stand. This was not my first choice for that evening but because of another hunter using the back side of the farm, I sat there. The wind was fine, temps were good. I had not seen anything after several hours of "observing" empty trails and an empty field. About an hour and half before dark, I hear the other hunter load his atv up and start to leave. Kinda wierd to leave right before prime time, but I know he is on short hunting times because of wife and kid's schedules. I can see the road out of the farm from this stand and as he is leaving, he stops midway down one hill for several minutes. Didn't think much of it, maybe got a phone call or something. Well, he continues on and just as I lose sight of his truck, I see a buck crossing through the middle of the field. Come to find out, he looked at this buck through binos and he thought it was one of the largest he has seen.

Back to the deer, he is nose down following the truck path through the field. Once I figure out he is one of the shooter bucks we have pics of, I grunt a couple of times. No response. I grunt louder, he stops and looks my way for abot 3 seconds, then nose back down and starts walking again. I grunt about as loud as my call will allow and he stops and looks my way. Then in abot 3 seconds he covers the 80 yards and is standing across the creek. Stands there for a little bit and then starts walking away right along the creek. I figure he got some of my scent as the wind was slightly blowing that direction. He crossed the creek and runs toward me and when he gets to the end of a dozer pile, turns broadside and is looking out through my open patch of ground in front of my stand. I was able to draw, get a good sight picture, everything feels good, I hit the release and the arrow flies exactly where I was aiming. Problem thought, in my haste and inexperience, I used the pin that I shot 80% with. It was the 20 yrd pin and he was standing 31 yards away. He ran off and I was left a nervous wreck for several minutes. I was sad that I not hit him, but also glad I did not wound him low. I was also very happy since that was my first buck was I able to use a call and have him run in within bow range. Being a rifle hunter, I always just sat and waited, then shot when I had an opportunity.

Fast forward through many hunts on that farm, nothing within bow range, a "long" rifle season and only a few sits since rifle season ended. Well, tonight I am back in that stand, partly because I know it is a good stand location, and to observe for this weekend's start of blackpowder season. We were afraid we may have taken too many doe during the rifle season, but tonight I was able to see many doe and a few fawns. 3 actually walked within 15 yards, but were quartering toward me before they crossed the creek and I lost the shooting lanes and I don't feel safe with that shot yet. Only a broadside or slightly quartering away in my infancy of bowhunting. As I am watching these 3, darkness is starting to take hold and am thinking about packing up and climbing out. Out of the corner of my eye, movement through the tall grass right in front of my stand. I can tell that is the same buck I missed back in October standing once again about 30 yards away. Bad thing is I am turned in an awkward position and he is directly downwind of me as well. I was able to slowly turn and get my release hooked on my D-loop. He is looking directly under my stand throught the trees along the creek, I guess at a 4th doe that came in with the other 3. I slowly draw and try to get a good sight picture. Cannot see the deer though. It had gotten too dark to see through my peep. I let down and he trots back to the woods and stops at the treeline. He snorts once and is lightly tapping his front legs. I snort wheeze back and grunt and he bounds back into the woods. I could hear him for another 20 minutes while I waited until it was dark enough for me to sneak out of my stand. I don't think I had him too spooked. He should be back and maybe I will be in the right place and at the right time.

Even though my fingers were about frozen, I did not get a shot at a very nice 8-pointer, and I was going to be late for dinner(don't want to make the wife too mad), it was a great night. I was glad to see a very nice buck and many doe. If I don't get a shot at a buck, I will still be very happy knowing that in my first year bowhunting, I have had several opportunities to verify what I have been doing so far.

Thank you to all who have given good advice thus far. Even though I haven't asked, I still search and read through the old posts to find this advice. Maybe one of the days I will have pictures to post of my first bow buck.
mbmrang is offline