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Listen up, my fellow 'boardies, to my tale of woe.....

Went on a morning hunt today. PERFECT weather. Frost, clear night sky, Orion smiling down on me, gentle S/W breeze.

I hunt on the ground, in a ghillie suit. I had a deadfall log, that I sit on that's about 40 yards slightly uphill from a corner where a woods, timbered fence row/drainage ditch, and two picked cornfields all meet.

I still hunt my way to the log as it gets light, QUIETLY sit down, lay my bow with the arrow still in the single Skookum quiver down on the log in front of me, and then cautiously remove my fanny pack and set in on the ground. I then look up, and a nice 8 pointer, with about a 15"+ spread, is walking up the hill right towards me at about 30 yards. He stops, and looks at me. After a bit, he figures that I'm just a big, ugly bush, and keeps right on coming.

CURSES!!!! I already know, that because I DON'T yet have an arrow knocked, and that I'm also not holding the bow, that there's NO WAY I'm getting a shot. He continues coming, and then makes a right turn behind a tree, at about TEN YARDS, still angling toward me. If I HAD the darn bow in my hands, THAT would have been the time to draw, as his head was completely covered for about 5 seconds. He then walks to my right, looks my way. Does the lip curl, and then stands there for a minute or so. I'm expecting him to "bust" me any second...but no. He eventually just ambled off the way he came, none the wiser. Later I estimated him to have been about TWENTY FEET from me at that point.

But wait....THERE'S MORE!

10 minutes later, I see another deer, which I thought to be a doe, coming into my corner of the woods from the cornfield. As it gets closer, I can see that it's a spike. He comes up the hill, again looking right at me, unawares, and turns in front of a tree at 15 yards. I draw. As he comes out from the tree, I take my shot.

Now.......I must have shot close to 10,000 arrows since last season. In my back field, my neighbor's woods, 3-D shoots, etc. The inside 20 yard shot I can do standing on my head, with my buddies telling me dirty jokes. I mean, this is MY shot. The one I dream of. I'm right handed, and he's offering me a 15 yard, broadside shot, moving to my left.

Dead deer.....right?

WRONG!!!!!!!!

I shot TWO @#$%&*&^))!! FEET over his back!
I DIDN'T PICK A SPOT!!! [:@]




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That's what happens at times, Woods. Sucks when it happens, but remember how fun it was getting so close.

Sounds like you had a great hunt! I think we've all been guilty of not picking a spot--the "gimme" shots are the worst for that, at least for me.

Hey, at least it was a clean miss, the big 'un didn't bust you, and you know your suit works and the spot is good. Just learn from your mistake and get some meat in the freezer next trip.

Chad

That's the plan! What's SOOOOO frustrating, is that it's not like I've never killed a deer before! This mistake is basic bowhunting 101!

Oh well..........live and learn!

Lol--been there, done that (more times than I care to think about). Seems we can forget the most basic things at the absolute worst times!

Thanks for sharing the story though! Maybe it will keep the rest of us on our toes!

Chad

Try having the same thing happen while you are attending to the call of nature, pants down around your ankles, squatting up against a tree with your bow leaning against another tree about 10' away.

Seems I always manage to get deer in range when I'm in that situation. One of the main reasons I don't worry too much about buying scentlock stuff.[8D]

I shot over a nice 8 point 15-16" spread 3 week of our season at 14 yards. Could not have had any better of a shot broadside with shadows from the sun on its side, easy to pick a spot. WRONG

I hear ya.

This is my second season hunting with a recurve. First season I missed a turkey at 20 yards that was really 25 yards. Didn't draw on a deer or even get the chance.

Fast forward to last Friday. I also slipped out in the dark in a bottoms area where 4 terrain features come together. Put out a doe decoy, nestled in the tree line in my ASAT leafy suit on a tree seat I made. I had four 10-12" trunks in a C around me, and about a 13 yard shot to the decoy. I was hoping to catch bucks cruising these travel corridors (I was set up between two) who would see the decoy and come right in. That was the plan.

About 90 minutes later, I'd only seen one small buck across the bottom on a hillside. I was thirsty, so bent over and put my bow down, reached in my pack to grab the gator aid and sat up, finding myself face to face with a spike that was staring me down from 15 yards. He'd slipped in heading to the decoy. I froze. He looked at the decoy, then back to me, then turned to walk to the decoy. When there was brush between us, I put down the drink and grabbed my bow. Lot's of broadside shot opportunities, but I was hunting something bigger at this time of the year.

After 5 minutes he started acting nervous, and out of the corner of my eye I saw another buck walking in broadside at 8 yards. Nice 1.5 year old 8 pointer, all bristled up and stiff legged, sidling his way towards the decoy. The spike moved off, and the 8 point messed around the decoy for probably 20 minutes. I had my bow arm up the entire time, and my shoulder was really aching. I had no plans to shoot, but had several opportunities from 8-15 yards.

He finally got spooky 'cause the decoy wouldn't move, and when he turned to walk away, I put my bow arm down as it was screaming bloody murder. When he got far enough away, I put the bow down to give my arm a rest, and watched him walk away. It was then that I decided to turn my head to the left back towards the decoy.

Huge 10 point. Pushing 170s. 8 yards broadside. He caught my head movement and snapped his head my way, staring me down. He never got a lock on me thanks to ASAT, but that close, he knew something was up. He never settled down, and worked his way all around the decoy for about 15 minutes. Bow was at my feet. From the second I saw him, I knew I wasn't going to get a shot. He finally looked away and I figured now or never, bent over, grabbed the bow and sat back up, just as he snapped his head back my way. I beat him, he never saw me move, but he also never gave me a shot opportunity. Eventually he walked away. Must have been fate, as a split second earlier he would have been behind a tree and not seen my head move and a split second later I would have seen him out of the corner of my eye. Oh well...

Awesome, awesome deer. On the ground at 8 yards was a treat. I hope to see him again tomorrow when I hit the same area. Supposed to be mid 20s to mid 40s with light west winds. Perfect

Ps.

Hey fellas, remember me? Good to read you again

Ghillie suit...Hmmm been thinking about one for awhile do to the fact I love to hunt from the ground....
Been there,done thatwith the compound...101 gone bad,dont get to do longbow or recurve this yr do to shoulder surgery on oct 25th....
Hope you get him nxt time.....

Ranger: Regarding the ghillie........

I use a Rancho Safari Shaggie Longcoat, and believe you me, it works SOOOO well, that it should be illegal!

It's a close as a human being can get to being invisible.

I hunt with it all the time, now. I even use it during firearm deer season, along with the required blaze orange vest, and a blaze orange bandana ties ih the headpiece.

In my 40+ years of hunting, I've NEVER had one single piece of gear make that much of a difference in the way I hunt.