Learned a hard lesson today...
10-11-2008, 06:58 PM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 34
Learned a hard lesson today...
Patience...patience...patience and the Deer are better at it than you are.
(keep in mind this is my first time hunting...ever)I get into my ground blind this morning around 5:45 am and it's still pretty dark out there. I walk down a trail that is 40 yards from my father's tree stand and his timed feeder. I sit in my blind and pass the time. around 7:00 when the sun is up but not high enough to really see anything a motorcycle passes through the neighbor we hunt behind and within 30 seconds i see a brown blur dart 20 yards behind my blind. I spin around to identify and I couldn't. It was dark brown and I thought it was a deer but it was too small. I thought maybe a coyote and then a fox. It passes by me and goes 20 yards east which opens up into a huge field. Within about 10 minutes this blur comes back into the woods 30 yards south of my blind in the thick of young trees. Finally it steps out into sunlight and I can identify it as a fawn. Possibly a year old doe as I don't see horns nor do I see spots. I get all excited but she won't slow down. She just prances about playing? Finally she comes across the trail and eases into a bed (that I didn't know was there) about 20 yards west of my blind. I immediately buck fever sets in. Hands shaking, heart racing, knees bouncing. I keep telling myself in my head to calm down, think about the shot. 45 minutes pass and the deer is still there bedded, ears just a flapping and not getting up. I thought I could "spook" it up. So I make a soft grunt. Then a loud grunt. Then a whistle. Nothing. She's not moving. I get out of my blind easily to see if I could get a better look at her and possibly a better shot. I get out of the blind, walk around to the front take a couple steps toward the bed and I lose her. What?!?! I get back in the blind, go back into hawk mode, watch the area I saw her last and saw the ears move again. AAh ha! I wait again for another 30 - 45 minutes. She's not getting up. It's almost 10:30 so I figured, screw it. I get up and out of the blind. Make a big circle going north and then west in on top of the bed. I get within 10 yards and there it was. Spots. A big blob of brown fur and spots. Little did I know at the time... [:-] I just whispered "Crap". I figured I'd leave the little thing alone so I take two steps backwards and then a loud rustle and hoof steps, I look up and there's a huge doe who I swear standing up the top of her hind quarter would have been 48 - 52" and easily 150+ pounds. She bolts 40 yards into the woods tail up. Stops, turns around to look at me and stops that frong left foot. Busted. [:@]
What I hadn't realized is that the Doe had been there THE WHOLE TIME! She was most likely there since I made my way into my blind during the dark and if I had just waited it out and continued to watch that doe would have probably gotten up in another 1 - 2 hours when the feeder went off and I would have had a perfect broadside shot.
*sigh* Beginners mistake to learn from. At least going forward in the future I'll know to keep a close eye on that bed when the sun comes up and make sure I stay in the blind until 12 or 1 to see if she is still laying there and will get up and move for food.
Thanks for letting me share.
(keep in mind this is my first time hunting...ever)I get into my ground blind this morning around 5:45 am and it's still pretty dark out there. I walk down a trail that is 40 yards from my father's tree stand and his timed feeder. I sit in my blind and pass the time. around 7:00 when the sun is up but not high enough to really see anything a motorcycle passes through the neighbor we hunt behind and within 30 seconds i see a brown blur dart 20 yards behind my blind. I spin around to identify and I couldn't. It was dark brown and I thought it was a deer but it was too small. I thought maybe a coyote and then a fox. It passes by me and goes 20 yards east which opens up into a huge field. Within about 10 minutes this blur comes back into the woods 30 yards south of my blind in the thick of young trees. Finally it steps out into sunlight and I can identify it as a fawn. Possibly a year old doe as I don't see horns nor do I see spots. I get all excited but she won't slow down. She just prances about playing? Finally she comes across the trail and eases into a bed (that I didn't know was there) about 20 yards west of my blind. I immediately buck fever sets in. Hands shaking, heart racing, knees bouncing. I keep telling myself in my head to calm down, think about the shot. 45 minutes pass and the deer is still there bedded, ears just a flapping and not getting up. I thought I could "spook" it up. So I make a soft grunt. Then a loud grunt. Then a whistle. Nothing. She's not moving. I get out of my blind easily to see if I could get a better look at her and possibly a better shot. I get out of the blind, walk around to the front take a couple steps toward the bed and I lose her. What?!?! I get back in the blind, go back into hawk mode, watch the area I saw her last and saw the ears move again. AAh ha! I wait again for another 30 - 45 minutes. She's not getting up. It's almost 10:30 so I figured, screw it. I get up and out of the blind. Make a big circle going north and then west in on top of the bed. I get within 10 yards and there it was. Spots. A big blob of brown fur and spots. Little did I know at the time... [:-] I just whispered "Crap". I figured I'd leave the little thing alone so I take two steps backwards and then a loud rustle and hoof steps, I look up and there's a huge doe who I swear standing up the top of her hind quarter would have been 48 - 52" and easily 150+ pounds. She bolts 40 yards into the woods tail up. Stops, turns around to look at me and stops that frong left foot. Busted. [:@]
What I hadn't realized is that the Doe had been there THE WHOLE TIME! She was most likely there since I made my way into my blind during the dark and if I had just waited it out and continued to watch that doe would have probably gotten up in another 1 - 2 hours when the feeder went off and I would have had a perfect broadside shot.
*sigh* Beginners mistake to learn from. At least going forward in the future I'll know to keep a close eye on that bed when the sun comes up and make sure I stay in the blind until 12 or 1 to see if she is still laying there and will get up and move for food.
Thanks for letting me share.
10-13-2008, 07:40 AM
#6
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Phoenixville, PA USA
Posts: 5,541
RE: Learned a hard lesson today...
Well, the good thing is you spooked her out of there by walking into the area from another direction and did not draw attention to your blind. You should still be able to hunt that blind. Good for you for learning from your mistake and making yourself better for it.
I've been doing this over 20 years and I'm still learning every year myself.
I've been doing this over 20 years and I'm still learning every year myself.
