Poor planning = missed opportunity (long read)
10-20-2008, 06:02 AM
#1
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Location: One mile east of West Podunk Tx
Posts: 5,973
Poor planning = missed opportunity (long read)
Well guys I'm back after having spent the last 5 days in the woods. My time didn't start very well. I sat all day Wednesday without seeing a deer, got rained out all day Thursday,(the $200 rolling deercamp was a lifesaver
), and all in all thought I made a mistake joining this east Texas hunt club.
Things started turning around on Friday morning. I sat a hang on stand overlooking a small creek. A trail runs along the creek and I hung the stand about 15 yds off the trail. This is in a hardwoods bottom full of oaks. I sat from an hour before light until about 10:00 without seeing any movement. Again I started second guessing myself as I climbed down from my stand. Things started looking up when I got about 25 yards away from my stand. There along the trail was a very fresh scrape. The rain had stopped during the night and this scrape had been worked since the rain ended. I started feeling better about some of my decisions.
After walking the 1/4 mile to my 4 wheeler I headed back to camp. About half way there I saw a couple of does out in the cut over,(clearcut). They saw me at about the same time and off they went. I glassed them to get an idea of where they enter the woods. They crossed a fence about 125 yards from a stand of plantation pines. I went back to camp, got one of my climbers and a pole saw and found a good tree to hunt from. It was right along a logging road with the pines on one side and the clearcut on the other. If the deer came out from the same place they went in I may have a good opportunity. There were fresh tracks all over in the mud of the logging road.
I went back that evening about an hour before dark to hunt the new stand. I climbed up, installed a bow hook and another small hook for my backpack. This is where the poor planning comes into play. My rangefinder was in my pack. It was pretty warm out, about 80 degrees and I had broken a sweat climbing up. I got my scent killer spray out and doused myself pretty good. I when got comfortable in my stand and started waiting, with that darned rangefinder still in my pack.
I didn't have long to wait. About this time it was 15 minutes until sunset so I had about 45 minutes of shooting light. I saw three does, two mature and one fawn, slip under the fence right where I was expecting them to come from. It took what seemed an eternity but the came right for me stopping to browse and to drink from a puddle. About this time I realized I hadn't ranged anything around my stand to determine shotdistances. I didn't want to stand up, turn and face the tree and dig the Nikon out. I just took a quick look at some downed timber and estimated yardage. I soon discovered I'm not good at doing that in fading light. I'm not bad at estimating in bright daylight but in the fading light after sunset, well, I suck!
With just enough light left to be able to clearly make out my pins the lead doe turned broadside at what I estimated to be between 20-25 yards. I drew, settled my pin at let fly. I didn't see the impact but I did hear a resounding THWACK! She jumped straight up and then slowly walked in a semi-circle until she was 10 yards further out. She stopped there facing the other direction broadside again. The other 2 does had run off about 25 yards. I decided to take another shot, unsure whether or not my first had connected. my binoculars were strapped on, I could have glassed her to determine a hit or not or what quality the hit may have had. No, I decided to take another shot. The deer had no Idea I was there. I determined that if she was at about 22 yards for the first shot she must be at about 32 yards now. I could still see my 30 yard pin so I settled it behind he shoulder and let fly. I saw the second arrow go under her and kick up dirt. The three of them had had enough and off they went. The doe I shot at stopped about 20 yards further out and bedded. I thought YES! I did hit her with that first arrow! The other mature doe started blowing then and the one I THOUGHT I hit got up and I watch the three of them run off in the twilight. I finally got the binos up and glassed the doe I shot at. I couldn't see a thing. I continued to listen to them blow at me.
I sat in my stand until well after dark and climbed down as quietly as I could still not knowing if I had a hit or not. I walked as quietly as I could to my 4 wheeler and went back to camp. I told the guys there what took place and decided to wait a couple of hours to look for my arrows.
After waiting the longest 2 hours of my life I went back with one of the other guys in camp. I went straight to my first arrow and discovered that the only thing it hit was dirt and a small branch laying on the ground. I had shot under her with both chances. I was relieved to see a clean miss rather than a bad hit but I was pissed at myself for not having prepared when I got in my stand.
All the prehunt preparation in the world doesn't mean squat if you don't prepare for the hunt IN STAND! I didn't. I left an important piece of equipment in my pack and couldn't get to it when I needed it. POOR PLANNING!
I saw several deer over the next few days without a shot opportunity. I did build a ground blind close to the fence the does came under and had a basket 6 point at 10 yards Saturday evening. I was hunting with my longbow and would have loved to take a shot but he wasn't a legal deer. There are antler restrictions in the county i'm hunting and he didn't meet legal requirments. I also saw a couple of does Sunday morning back at the creek stand but never had a shot opportunity.
I feel pretty good now about my decision to join this hunt club. I'll be back this coming weekend and I am determined to be prepared both before I head to the stand and when I am in the stand. Sorry for the long post but maybe someone will read it and not make my mistake.
BTW, my normal routine when I get on stand is to take my rangefinder and determine distances of objects around me anywhere I think I might have a shot so I have a predetermined idea of how far out they are.
I went back and ranged where my arrow hit. I could see the tracks of the doe, and where se jumped at the shot. I misjudged by 12 yards.
), and all in all thought I made a mistake joining this east Texas hunt club. Things started turning around on Friday morning. I sat a hang on stand overlooking a small creek. A trail runs along the creek and I hung the stand about 15 yds off the trail. This is in a hardwoods bottom full of oaks. I sat from an hour before light until about 10:00 without seeing any movement. Again I started second guessing myself as I climbed down from my stand. Things started looking up when I got about 25 yards away from my stand. There along the trail was a very fresh scrape. The rain had stopped during the night and this scrape had been worked since the rain ended. I started feeling better about some of my decisions.
After walking the 1/4 mile to my 4 wheeler I headed back to camp. About half way there I saw a couple of does out in the cut over,(clearcut). They saw me at about the same time and off they went. I glassed them to get an idea of where they enter the woods. They crossed a fence about 125 yards from a stand of plantation pines. I went back to camp, got one of my climbers and a pole saw and found a good tree to hunt from. It was right along a logging road with the pines on one side and the clearcut on the other. If the deer came out from the same place they went in I may have a good opportunity. There were fresh tracks all over in the mud of the logging road.
I went back that evening about an hour before dark to hunt the new stand. I climbed up, installed a bow hook and another small hook for my backpack. This is where the poor planning comes into play. My rangefinder was in my pack. It was pretty warm out, about 80 degrees and I had broken a sweat climbing up. I got my scent killer spray out and doused myself pretty good. I when got comfortable in my stand and started waiting, with that darned rangefinder still in my pack.
I didn't have long to wait. About this time it was 15 minutes until sunset so I had about 45 minutes of shooting light. I saw three does, two mature and one fawn, slip under the fence right where I was expecting them to come from. It took what seemed an eternity but the came right for me stopping to browse and to drink from a puddle. About this time I realized I hadn't ranged anything around my stand to determine shotdistances. I didn't want to stand up, turn and face the tree and dig the Nikon out. I just took a quick look at some downed timber and estimated yardage. I soon discovered I'm not good at doing that in fading light. I'm not bad at estimating in bright daylight but in the fading light after sunset, well, I suck!
With just enough light left to be able to clearly make out my pins the lead doe turned broadside at what I estimated to be between 20-25 yards. I drew, settled my pin at let fly. I didn't see the impact but I did hear a resounding THWACK! She jumped straight up and then slowly walked in a semi-circle until she was 10 yards further out. She stopped there facing the other direction broadside again. The other 2 does had run off about 25 yards. I decided to take another shot, unsure whether or not my first had connected. my binoculars were strapped on, I could have glassed her to determine a hit or not or what quality the hit may have had. No, I decided to take another shot. The deer had no Idea I was there. I determined that if she was at about 22 yards for the first shot she must be at about 32 yards now. I could still see my 30 yard pin so I settled it behind he shoulder and let fly. I saw the second arrow go under her and kick up dirt. The three of them had had enough and off they went. The doe I shot at stopped about 20 yards further out and bedded. I thought YES! I did hit her with that first arrow! The other mature doe started blowing then and the one I THOUGHT I hit got up and I watch the three of them run off in the twilight. I finally got the binos up and glassed the doe I shot at. I couldn't see a thing. I continued to listen to them blow at me.
I sat in my stand until well after dark and climbed down as quietly as I could still not knowing if I had a hit or not. I walked as quietly as I could to my 4 wheeler and went back to camp. I told the guys there what took place and decided to wait a couple of hours to look for my arrows.
After waiting the longest 2 hours of my life I went back with one of the other guys in camp. I went straight to my first arrow and discovered that the only thing it hit was dirt and a small branch laying on the ground. I had shot under her with both chances. I was relieved to see a clean miss rather than a bad hit but I was pissed at myself for not having prepared when I got in my stand.
All the prehunt preparation in the world doesn't mean squat if you don't prepare for the hunt IN STAND! I didn't. I left an important piece of equipment in my pack and couldn't get to it when I needed it. POOR PLANNING!
I saw several deer over the next few days without a shot opportunity. I did build a ground blind close to the fence the does came under and had a basket 6 point at 10 yards Saturday evening. I was hunting with my longbow and would have loved to take a shot but he wasn't a legal deer. There are antler restrictions in the county i'm hunting and he didn't meet legal requirments. I also saw a couple of does Sunday morning back at the creek stand but never had a shot opportunity.
I feel pretty good now about my decision to join this hunt club. I'll be back this coming weekend and I am determined to be prepared both before I head to the stand and when I am in the stand. Sorry for the long post but maybe someone will read it and not make my mistake.
BTW, my normal routine when I get on stand is to take my rangefinder and determine distances of objects around me anywhere I think I might have a shot so I have a predetermined idea of how far out they are.
I went back and ranged where my arrow hit. I could see the tracks of the doe, and where se jumped at the shot. I misjudged by 12 yards.
10-20-2008, 06:14 AM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Portage WI/Racine WI
Posts: 2,320
RE: Poor planning = missed opportunity (long read)
That's hunting Tx! Don't beat on yourself too much, you've already realized your mistakes, now learn from them on the next hunt. It sounds like you had at least started to find a few patterns as the trip went on. I think now that you have some areas that you've hunted and have some stands hung/prepared you can start fine tuning those setups and you'll be ready to rock. Hunting new areas and trying to take in everything on the fly is very hard to do.
10-20-2008, 07:30 AM
#4
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central Minnesota
Posts: 9,445
RE: Poor planning = missed opportunity (long read)
That's a bummer Greg!!
Don't take this personal Greg or any of the compound shooters but I think you all are way to dependent on your rangefinders! When you don't have them your lost. Get better at knowing your yardages In case you don't have these rangefinders with.
Don't take this personal Greg or any of the compound shooters but I think you all are way to dependent on your rangefinders! When you don't have them your lost. Get better at knowing your yardages In case you don't have these rangefinders with.
10-20-2008, 07:46 AM
#5
Typical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Northwest MS
Posts: 515
RE: Poor planning = missed opportunity (long read)
Good luck next time TX. I also suck at guessing distance in low light. I can do fairly well in daylight, but when the sun goes down, the shadows and darkness really throw me off. I have trouble judging short distances, even less than 20 yrds in low light. Better luck next time though.
Chris
Chris
