Let me start by saying that I am 35 and have never hunted before in my life. I had intended to only rifle hunt this year, but my buddy bow-hunts and encouraged me to try it. I borrowed a bow from another friend and started going to my local pro-shop/range every day to practice. I had the bow tuned and got lots of great tips from the techs there. I can now get 1.5" -3" groups at 20 yards. I am using a PSE Baby-Gforce and pulling 60.5lbs.
I have been hunting in my stand for 5 hunts now and I keep getting busted. I am washing all my clothes with scent-free detergent and washing with scent-free soap/shampoo. I have sprayed all my gear with tons of carbon blast and have put racoon urine on my blind. (I have an older blind I am borrowing from a friend) I have been using the fresh earth dryer sheets as well as fresh earth disks inside my blind. On my last 2 hunts, I started using cedar cover scent on the inside of my blind. I have Scent-Lok Savanna coveralls, Lacoste Burly 800s and a scent-blocker balaclava. (sp)
I actually had a doe only 10 yards from me on Saturday but was not sure she was old enough to harvest. By the time I had decided to take her, another doe with 2 kids showed up and she busted me from 30 yards out and started huffing at me. It spooked the first doe and I was done
As I was packing my gear and preparing to leave, a spike came up from my left and was approaching my lane. I could not believe he was there since I had been making so much noise. I made a reach for my bow, and that was all he needed. He was gone in a flash...
On the hunt Saturday night, I saw only one doe about 80 yards away and nothing else for most of the night. I made a couple of calls on my Primos Original Can and like a miracle, a buck appeared out of nowhere at about 7:25pm. He was feeding at a tree just 18 yards from my stand where I put some corn gel and some feeder corn. I could not see how many points he had, but he was just outside the ears and 6" -8" tall. I had completed the swivel in my seat, my arrow was already nocked (sp) and my release was attatched. I had tension on the string and was waiting for him to put his head down so that I could draw when suddenly, I was attacked by several squadrons of mequitoes the size of Volkswagens. [:@] I tried to hang tough and get my shot, but it got to be just too much for me and I dipped my head to the right to get one off my ear and he saw me. He bolted, but ran back accross both of my shooting lanes and then stopped about 40 yards from me. I wanted to call him back in, but my light was almost gone and I was in severe distress from all the darn mesquitos. I put my scent-blocker balaclava (sp) back on even though it was pretty hot and had every inch of me with the exception of my face around my eyes covered. They were still pouring into my shooting windows so I just had to close them. (again, this is an older blind so there was no shoot-through mesh) It sounded like a sound-byte from the movie ' Swarm' . [&o]
This morning, I was all set up and motionless. I had resprayed my blind with racoon urine and put out some fresh corn and gel on that 18 yard tree. All the corn I had there last night was gone and I could see fresh deer and hog sign all around my feeder. It was about 7:45am and a doe came up to my tree and started to feed. Again I made my turn and was ready for her to dig in so I could draw. Suddenly I hear huffing. I lean over just a bit and see 2 more does to the right of my target doe and about 30 yards back. My doe held still for a bit, but then bolted about 20 yards. I was completely still and was even afraid to breath. Then came 7 or 8 quick huffs and I heard hoofbeats heading away from me.
There were the only deer I saw this morning. The mesquitos did come back once it got warm enough though. yay
Is there anything you guys can see in my setup that should be changed? Should I put the racoon urine on my clothes? HELP!