Do you take your bow during rifle season?
11-29-2012, 08:49 AM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 10
Do you take your bow during rifle season?
Yesterday was opening day of gun season in Kansas. I was settled in my stand at 6:00 with shooting light at 6:47. No breeze in the morning at all. The moon was so bright that the trees cast a shadow on the field below my stand and movement could be seen out to about 100 yards.
To give you a little background, I have been archery hunting this property since September and have been hunting this property for the last 5 years. I have game cameras in various locations throughout the property and have captured many deer but only a couple of mature bucks on camera this year. In the stand location in question, I missed the same buck earlier this season with a bow this question is concerning.
Back to the story, just before I left my house yesterday morning, I almost took by bow with me but decided it was unnecessary. While sitting in my stand waiting for shooting light, I verified that my hunt was ready for the morning. At 6:49 I see a small doe crossing the field approximately 140 yards to my north. A couple a minutes later at wide rack of an 8 point is standing at 85 yards away. Close enough for a shot with my 30/30 but decided to pass due to the small tines on the rack. The G2s were only 3 or 4 inches long. I watched both deer enter just north of the pond and disappear.
About 20 minutes later I see two doe leave the tree line about 200 yards to my northeast. Another larger doe joins them and runs one of the smaller doe off which she goes to the north of the pond.
While sitting and watching the smaller doe go to the pond, I hear leaves cracking to my right. After a couple of minutes I can see movement of a doe walking towards me. While watching/listening to the doe, I look out across the field to my north again and see movement beyond the trees at 240 yards. Once the deer clears the trees, I can see it is the same buck that I missed earlier this season with a bow. Then the buck follows the path and ends up to the north of the pond. The closest he gets is 180 yards and never presents a broadside shot, although I would not shoot that distance with the gun being used.
I can see the buck on the pond berm walking back and for with at least 1 doe. The doe and one other come around the west side of the pond and into the field I am hunting. One of the doe presents a shot at 15 yards broadside, but since this buck is still within sight on the pond berm, I decide to not take the shot. He is within sight for at least 45 minutes with other deer around that 3 of which could have been shot with a bow at no more than 20 yards.
The question is, do you take your bow with you during gun season in case a situation arises that you have a mature buck close/insight but not able to shoot it with a rifle with other deer close to be able shoot with a bow? I did not want to scare this buck out of the area with a rifle shot for a doe. In Kansas you can only take one buck per year and we try to harvest mature bucks and doe on this property.
In all it was a great and frustrating hunt opening morning see more than 25 deer.
I have attached a trail cam picture of the deer in question.
Thank you for your suggestions and answers.
KSDeerHunter1
To give you a little background, I have been archery hunting this property since September and have been hunting this property for the last 5 years. I have game cameras in various locations throughout the property and have captured many deer but only a couple of mature bucks on camera this year. In the stand location in question, I missed the same buck earlier this season with a bow this question is concerning.
Back to the story, just before I left my house yesterday morning, I almost took by bow with me but decided it was unnecessary. While sitting in my stand waiting for shooting light, I verified that my hunt was ready for the morning. At 6:49 I see a small doe crossing the field approximately 140 yards to my north. A couple a minutes later at wide rack of an 8 point is standing at 85 yards away. Close enough for a shot with my 30/30 but decided to pass due to the small tines on the rack. The G2s were only 3 or 4 inches long. I watched both deer enter just north of the pond and disappear.
About 20 minutes later I see two doe leave the tree line about 200 yards to my northeast. Another larger doe joins them and runs one of the smaller doe off which she goes to the north of the pond.
While sitting and watching the smaller doe go to the pond, I hear leaves cracking to my right. After a couple of minutes I can see movement of a doe walking towards me. While watching/listening to the doe, I look out across the field to my north again and see movement beyond the trees at 240 yards. Once the deer clears the trees, I can see it is the same buck that I missed earlier this season with a bow. Then the buck follows the path and ends up to the north of the pond. The closest he gets is 180 yards and never presents a broadside shot, although I would not shoot that distance with the gun being used.
I can see the buck on the pond berm walking back and for with at least 1 doe. The doe and one other come around the west side of the pond and into the field I am hunting. One of the doe presents a shot at 15 yards broadside, but since this buck is still within sight on the pond berm, I decide to not take the shot. He is within sight for at least 45 minutes with other deer around that 3 of which could have been shot with a bow at no more than 20 yards.
The question is, do you take your bow with you during gun season in case a situation arises that you have a mature buck close/insight but not able to shoot it with a rifle with other deer close to be able shoot with a bow? I did not want to scare this buck out of the area with a rifle shot for a doe. In Kansas you can only take one buck per year and we try to harvest mature bucks and doe on this property.
In all it was a great and frustrating hunt opening morning see more than 25 deer.
I have attached a trail cam picture of the deer in question.
Thank you for your suggestions and answers.
KSDeerHunter1
