splatek
UAEC
I have been hunting a parcel in the mountains, foothills really, but still they are mountain deer. We all know the deer densities in the hills are lower than other places in the state, but I have been having luck seeing deer on almost every sit, compared to my middle GA/Coweta lease where seeing deer is like seeing 'squatch. I think that's because they allowed so many new members join after COVID that the parcels they lease are just way to pressured. One parcel has thirty hunters on 300 acres, but I digress.
Yesterday I decided to hit the hills for a midday scout-hunt. I've seen more deer midday than at any other time. And I have a few cams out so I know this parcel has deer and a couple, about a dozen or so, really nice, big bucks. Here are a few examples:
I've been pressuring myself to get (more) meat in the freezer so last week I went out with the rifle. Sat in a ladder stand and at about 65-75 yards one of those big studs came slipping through a series of blow downs. He had a large 8 point chocolate rack. I love a chocolate rack. He came in on my left side making it a weakside shot for me. As I tried to settle my right eye on the scope and my right finger on the trigger, he just slipped a way like a ghost. That was at 1:44pm. About 20 minutes later a tall tined 8 that I have been seeing on cam (second pic above) decided to show up; I think he actually stood up from a bed, which is why I was hunting where I was hunting. The only shot he presented me was a "texas heart shot" and shooting right-eyed, I just didn't feel ethical with that one at about 80 yards.
Fast forward to yesterday. I decided to go scout (with a weapon) a new area of these hills in the forest. Not easy to get through the dense laurel thicket, but I thought this one ridge looked "worth it." I brought my saddle and platform just in case I wanted to climb, but my goal was to scout. So, after listening to a fella I never heard of - Travis Murray - on the Southern Outdoorsman Podcast (https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aH...EwiV6LXO9s_tAhUxwlkKHWyhCWsQieUEegQICBAF&ep=6) talk about slipping through the woods with a ghillie, and thinking about all the luck @sawtooth has had off the ground, I decided I would slip through the woods slowly as he described in the podcast. My dilemma came as I began to walk away from the truck and deciding whether to take the rifle or the recurve. I had both in the truck. For whatever reason my mind just wants to grab that bow. I feel more confident shooting it, even though I need to get better, and I just love the way it feels to launch a wooden arrow out of a bow that I built. I don't have a ghillie, yet, because I am not sure which one to buy and in what pattern, so I was slipping through in pants and a flannel. Moving slowly through the woods, I eventually crested this small ridge. About 125-150 foot climb through laurel. It opened into a nice red oak flat and I saw some good trails and some good feeding sign. So I stood still against the trunk of a poplar. Then this little forky came strolling along a side ridge trail. I couldn't shoot him, because I have already taken a spike so I need to have four points on one side to be legal, , but he got within 10-12 yards of me. Plus I know there are bigger bucks and plenty of does that would be good to take. Instead I shot him with my phone. He either had no idea I was there or didn't care. I did have the wind in my advantage, which was great, because I have more or less just given up with taking a scent control shower before hunting. I have seen more deer without a shower than with one, coincidence, maybe, but I might be a little superstitious.
After that encounter, I made my way through through another dense laurel thicket, thinking "how in the world do the deer make it through this stuff so quickly?" but then remembered this is their house. I eventually made it to an area that I wanted to sit, about 100 yards from a bedding area. I climbed a tree to about 14 feet and hung from my saddle. I sat for about 2 hours, saw 2 does head up a drainage ditch to the west, but out of range. Then something just didn't feel right. After about a 30 minute mental battle with myself to either stay and sit until dark or get down and move and scout, I chose the latter. I quietly(ish) climbed down the tree, threw my platform (also my climbing method) on my shoulder and started toward a creek. My main objective, because I do not know this property very well, was to see if I could walk the creek all the way to a small indistinct trail that leads to where I park my truck. I was still slipping around, because it was early, about 3:30pm.
The leaves around the creek were damp, the creek was babbling and sort of loud and the wind was kicking. I was moving virtually without sound. After getting to the creek, it wasn't 75 yards and I saw a big, brown square in front of me. A deer. Then he lifted his head and had ten of the brightest white, longest tines I might have ever seen on a buck. My heart raced. Even though I've been nailing some 30-35 yard shots in the yard, I wasn't confident and didn't want to injure a deer by trying one in the field. Then he put his head back to the ground and I struggled with what to do. Frozen and thinking about all the mistakes I had made this season. I knew I was too close to move on him and the wind had let up so I'd be noisy if I tried. So, being the total newb that I was I played a doe in estrous bleat. Just one. His head popped up and he took two steps forward and closer to me. Then he looked at me. Nothing. Then a few more step, then the wind hit me in the back of the neck and he was gone. Hopped the creek like an olympian long jumper and disappeared up the ridge and into the laurel. I followed his tracks and disturbed leaves for about 75 yards so I think I have an idea where he escaped too. He didn't blow, just bounded away.
Four of my buddies have already mentioned to me, several times: "it's rifle season dummy", "...if only you'd taken the rifle...", "you actually took the recurve!?" It's the truth: If I had had the 30-06, that ten point would've been in the back of my truck. But, yesterday was one of the most exciting hunts I've been on, and maybe one of the first where it felt like I was trusting my gut and feeling like I was on to something. I never get the heart pounding effect when I take the rifle. Never. Getting down out of the tree, midday, to go chase a hunch isn't something I've been taught to do. But it helped me to see a new area and a new, big mountain buck. I was telling my woman that shooting that deer with the rifle would not have felt right, like it would have cheapened the experience compared to if I was able to slip up on him with my recurve. I am not against rifle hunting and am not a snob, that's just how I felt.
Seems like this season is one of almost after almost. I was doing some calculations and last year my percentage of seeing deer (or bear) in the woods per sit was 14% This year I am at a consistent 77% I am seeing game almost every time I am in the woods, I just cannot seem to get over that last hurdle and figure out how to get close enough to get an arrow through another this season. Buy golly it's fun trying. Sorry for the long post. Thanks for reading.
Yesterday I decided to hit the hills for a midday scout-hunt. I've seen more deer midday than at any other time. And I have a few cams out so I know this parcel has deer and a couple, about a dozen or so, really nice, big bucks. Here are a few examples:
I've been pressuring myself to get (more) meat in the freezer so last week I went out with the rifle. Sat in a ladder stand and at about 65-75 yards one of those big studs came slipping through a series of blow downs. He had a large 8 point chocolate rack. I love a chocolate rack. He came in on my left side making it a weakside shot for me. As I tried to settle my right eye on the scope and my right finger on the trigger, he just slipped a way like a ghost. That was at 1:44pm. About 20 minutes later a tall tined 8 that I have been seeing on cam (second pic above) decided to show up; I think he actually stood up from a bed, which is why I was hunting where I was hunting. The only shot he presented me was a "texas heart shot" and shooting right-eyed, I just didn't feel ethical with that one at about 80 yards.
Fast forward to yesterday. I decided to go scout (with a weapon) a new area of these hills in the forest. Not easy to get through the dense laurel thicket, but I thought this one ridge looked "worth it." I brought my saddle and platform just in case I wanted to climb, but my goal was to scout. So, after listening to a fella I never heard of - Travis Murray - on the Southern Outdoorsman Podcast (https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aH...EwiV6LXO9s_tAhUxwlkKHWyhCWsQieUEegQICBAF&ep=6) talk about slipping through the woods with a ghillie, and thinking about all the luck @sawtooth has had off the ground, I decided I would slip through the woods slowly as he described in the podcast. My dilemma came as I began to walk away from the truck and deciding whether to take the rifle or the recurve. I had both in the truck. For whatever reason my mind just wants to grab that bow. I feel more confident shooting it, even though I need to get better, and I just love the way it feels to launch a wooden arrow out of a bow that I built. I don't have a ghillie, yet, because I am not sure which one to buy and in what pattern, so I was slipping through in pants and a flannel. Moving slowly through the woods, I eventually crested this small ridge. About 125-150 foot climb through laurel. It opened into a nice red oak flat and I saw some good trails and some good feeding sign. So I stood still against the trunk of a poplar. Then this little forky came strolling along a side ridge trail. I couldn't shoot him, because I have already taken a spike so I need to have four points on one side to be legal, , but he got within 10-12 yards of me. Plus I know there are bigger bucks and plenty of does that would be good to take. Instead I shot him with my phone. He either had no idea I was there or didn't care. I did have the wind in my advantage, which was great, because I have more or less just given up with taking a scent control shower before hunting. I have seen more deer without a shower than with one, coincidence, maybe, but I might be a little superstitious.
After that encounter, I made my way through through another dense laurel thicket, thinking "how in the world do the deer make it through this stuff so quickly?" but then remembered this is their house. I eventually made it to an area that I wanted to sit, about 100 yards from a bedding area. I climbed a tree to about 14 feet and hung from my saddle. I sat for about 2 hours, saw 2 does head up a drainage ditch to the west, but out of range. Then something just didn't feel right. After about a 30 minute mental battle with myself to either stay and sit until dark or get down and move and scout, I chose the latter. I quietly(ish) climbed down the tree, threw my platform (also my climbing method) on my shoulder and started toward a creek. My main objective, because I do not know this property very well, was to see if I could walk the creek all the way to a small indistinct trail that leads to where I park my truck. I was still slipping around, because it was early, about 3:30pm.
The leaves around the creek were damp, the creek was babbling and sort of loud and the wind was kicking. I was moving virtually without sound. After getting to the creek, it wasn't 75 yards and I saw a big, brown square in front of me. A deer. Then he lifted his head and had ten of the brightest white, longest tines I might have ever seen on a buck. My heart raced. Even though I've been nailing some 30-35 yard shots in the yard, I wasn't confident and didn't want to injure a deer by trying one in the field. Then he put his head back to the ground and I struggled with what to do. Frozen and thinking about all the mistakes I had made this season. I knew I was too close to move on him and the wind had let up so I'd be noisy if I tried. So, being the total newb that I was I played a doe in estrous bleat. Just one. His head popped up and he took two steps forward and closer to me. Then he looked at me. Nothing. Then a few more step, then the wind hit me in the back of the neck and he was gone. Hopped the creek like an olympian long jumper and disappeared up the ridge and into the laurel. I followed his tracks and disturbed leaves for about 75 yards so I think I have an idea where he escaped too. He didn't blow, just bounded away.
Four of my buddies have already mentioned to me, several times: "it's rifle season dummy", "...if only you'd taken the rifle...", "you actually took the recurve!?" It's the truth: If I had had the 30-06, that ten point would've been in the back of my truck. But, yesterday was one of the most exciting hunts I've been on, and maybe one of the first where it felt like I was trusting my gut and feeling like I was on to something. I never get the heart pounding effect when I take the rifle. Never. Getting down out of the tree, midday, to go chase a hunch isn't something I've been taught to do. But it helped me to see a new area and a new, big mountain buck. I was telling my woman that shooting that deer with the rifle would not have felt right, like it would have cheapened the experience compared to if I was able to slip up on him with my recurve. I am not against rifle hunting and am not a snob, that's just how I felt.
Seems like this season is one of almost after almost. I was doing some calculations and last year my percentage of seeing deer (or bear) in the woods per sit was 14% This year I am at a consistent 77% I am seeing game almost every time I am in the woods, I just cannot seem to get over that last hurdle and figure out how to get close enough to get an arrow through another this season. Buy golly it's fun trying. Sorry for the long post. Thanks for reading.
