AF Hunter

After today's events, I am really frustrated. Woke up this morning, not realizing clocks got set back an hour, and looked outside. It was so foggy I couldn't see 10 yards. Thought, sunrise will be in an hour, maybe it'll clear up. Went to the shop and suited up. Walked to the stand and got in place. Waited and waited. After what seemed like forever, I checked my phone and saw that it had only been 30 minutes. When the sun finally started up, the fog got thicker and I couldn't even see the ground below the stand. I got down and returned to the house. When I walked in, the wife told me to reset all the clocks to reflect daylight savings time. I was in that dang stand at 5:00 in the morning! Spent most of the day helping the neighbor fix fence.When the clock on theATV said it was4:30, I said I'd better go get ready to hunt. I left the neighbors, got suited up, and started walking to the stand. From the house to the stand it's about 1/2 mile. About 1000' South of the house, a buck jumped up from the fenceline. There was a lot of scrub between me and him and I didn't have a shot, so I ducked down to see what he did. He looked back for the longest time and gave me the opportunity to see he was a wide 12 pointer. I have not seen this beast before, and wondered where he came in from. He finally turned and headed North. There was no way to get through the brush to get a shot at him, so I waited a minute and then continued South. I got into the stand and got all set up. After a bit I noticed the sun was still awful high in the sky for it being somewhere between 4:30 and 5:00, so I looked at the phone again. That's right, I didn't reset the clock on the ATV. It was 3:55 and I still had 1:35 to go until darkness. I settled in for another long wait. At 4:40, a button buck went by, walking like he had just woken up. At 5:20, a heavy 8 pointer came out of the woods to the West of me and started working his way towards me. With about 5 minutes of light left, he was 100 yards away. I thought, "he'd better hurry up or it'll be too dark to shoot!" Just then he took off North running. A couple of minutes later I heard him and another buck sparring. I climbed down in the dark and made a big arc around where the two were sparring. Then I walked home. I had two shooters in sight and no chance to get off a shot. I am torqued. All the time I have been sitting in stands, and my first two real chances end up with me coming home empty handed again!

jim1966

It'll get better. No time change for another 6 months. lol

mobow

Man, sounds like a tough day. Keep plugging away brother. We can do all we can to put the odds in our favor, and we still gotta have just a little bit of luck.

IAhuntr

Hang in there. That's why they call it 'hunting', not 'killing'. At least you know you have some good shooters around. Once the weather cools a bit you'll see likely them again.

arrow2512

AF-I wished I HAD YOUR DAY, MY SEASON THIS YEAR HAS BEEN FRUSTRATED ONLY SEEN 4 DOE'S AND ONE 3 PTER CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT .I'M USE TO SEEING DEER ALMOST EVERYTIME I GO OUT BUT NOT THIS YEAR FOR SOME REASON. THERE'S A NICE BUCK MAKING RUBS ON TREES THE SIZE OF A COKE CAN AND I FOUND 2 SCARPES ALL OF THEM 15 YARDS BEHIND MT STAND.i'S GETTING HARDER AND HARDER TO GET UP AND GO OUT NOT SEEING ANYTHING TIME AND TIME AGAIN TAKEING IT'S TOLL ON ME[:@].

AF Hunter

I've had hunts ruined by dogs, coyotes, and then there was today. I am really feeling pressure as I want to get my first buck for this year down before this coming weekend when my son will be on his first bow hunt. With the weather service calling for rain Tuesday and Wednesday, it's really starting to cut it close!

Rob/PA Bowyer

I don't see that as unsuccessful AF. Honestly I don't as your seeing them, they are on your property and you should be connecting soon.

One question, did you talk to those bucks via a grunt or contact call?

AR Bowhunter

Sounds like a good day. I spent the day working an waiting on a call to work!

AF Hunter

The first one was up and over the fence and no way to get a shot at him due to the brush between him and me. The second, was coming to me just fine until he saw that other buck. I have always experienced in the past that once a buck has another buck or doe in sight, he doesn't come to the one he can only hear. If it had been earlier, with light sticking around a little longer, since they were sparring on the other side of a little pond North of me I could have got down and stalked the two, but it was at last light.

The Deer Destroyer

That stuff happens. You'll get more chances.