I started prepping for my archery season in September while up fishing with some friends. Pulled stands from one property that I wasn’t planning on bow hunting and relocating them too one I was. The property I’m hunting has a few very old homemade stands. Sketchy was a item I’ve always used explaining them. The person who placed them hunted the farm for a decade or so before I was given permission. That person has since passed and I leave them up in honor of him. The original owner would have agreed with that.
I placed the new stands within shooting distance of those stands, all still have solid trails around them with scrapes and rubs throughout the wood lot.
My plan was too hunt the last week of October through the first weekend of November. Temps were ridiculously warm and winds weren’t advantageous for where I wanted too hunt. West wind is a killer for the stands so you have too hunt accordingly. One stand is on the north end of the property 75 yards off of railroad tracks. The second stand is 150 yards south of it overlooking a creek crossing and a swamp. Stand faces due east.
So I pushed the trip a week, a little cooler temps and much better wind direction. I arrived the 5th and got unloaded and smoked up the clothes. Plan was too hunt Sunday and take Monday off because of a west wind. Then the rest of the week would be good, especially Thursday as the remnants of the hurricane was forecasted too drop 3-4” of rain and temps considerably.
Sundays morning hunt I saw nothing after daylight. Sundays afternoon hunt was the same. Monday I just scouted. Kept an eye on all the fields and tree lines. Saw some chasing through the binos, and they were small bucks and the does just busted out and never stopped.
Tuesday morning nothing seen, Tuesday evening half dozen in the fields after dark. Wednesday pretty much the same. I rotated between the north and south stand location in the morning but concentrated on the creek crossing in the after noon. The guy hunting the adjacent property would always stop in for coffee and we’d discuss the days advents. I told him from the beginning, Thursday would be the day they’ll move during daylight. I was ready for an all day sit and too get a little more aggressive. Now compared too some folks, my aggressiveness is pretty mild
.
Thursday morning the alarm went off at 5 as usual for the week, I stay at the farm when I’m up hunting in Ohio. So it’s a 300 yard walk out the front door too my stand I was hunting this day. Made it in clean and relatively quiet, that is with 6” of dry leaves covering the ground. I was in the stand by 6 and all set up and just sitting back and relaxing. Just taking it all in. Just before legal shooting time, still too dark too see very far, I pulled out the the rattle bag, I’ve had this thing for longer then I’d like too remember. Did a rattle sequence for about 20 seconds, started off light and then got loud af the last few seconds. Put the bag back in the pack, grunted some, picked up the bow, and sat down. Within a couple minutes I make out a deer 20 yards below me. Was it there the whole time? Just kept looking at me. I was pissed off at myself for it getting the drop on me in all those leaves. Well it was a small fork horn and he just walked off. Thank you for being young and dumb.
About 10 minutes later I make out another buck, a little better. Wider and a little thicker then the first one. He was following the first ones trail. Walked right by me @30 yards. Now I’m thinking this is going too be a good day. Kept glassing the swamp and nothing looked too be out there. Sat back and settled in for some more movement.
I would constantly keep a look too the north as it was my downwind side, I smoked the clothes every evening after my hunt. But I wanted too make sure nothing slipped in on that side. It had me a little worried, but typically the deer travel the swamp along the creek edge.
Well about 6:45 I see movement too my north. It’s a buck and one that I’d shoot if given an opportunity. He was about 100 yards north of me traveling downwind of me. He closed the distance, I had the xbow in position and then he started going behind me. Next he changed positions and was directly behind my tree 10’ away. Never offered a shot other then quartering too. He started too walk south away from me, that’s when I got too turn and line up on him again. Never offered anything other than a Texas heart shot. He was about 30 yards from me when he stopped and turned his head looking down into the swamp, and just like that he spun around and started walking back and below my stand. Basically taking the same track the other two bucks took but in the opposite direction.
Safety off, lined up on him all the way down the hill. He stopped @25 yards and was in between two trees. Vitals exposed, squeezed the trigger and arrow found its mark. Mule kick and we off too the races. He ran up the hill, started losing traction close too the top. Spraying the whole way. He just about made it over the top when his legs went out from under him and he Rolled back down the hill. From impact too top of the hill was 40 yards. Then his final resting was 70 yards from the stand.
I switched too slick tricks this season, will say they definitely did the job. Fly like darts and great penetration. Exited the right front shoulder and although one blade did break off, the head is still true and no wobble too it with the replacement blades.
I placed the new stands within shooting distance of those stands, all still have solid trails around them with scrapes and rubs throughout the wood lot.
My plan was too hunt the last week of October through the first weekend of November. Temps were ridiculously warm and winds weren’t advantageous for where I wanted too hunt. West wind is a killer for the stands so you have too hunt accordingly. One stand is on the north end of the property 75 yards off of railroad tracks. The second stand is 150 yards south of it overlooking a creek crossing and a swamp. Stand faces due east.
So I pushed the trip a week, a little cooler temps and much better wind direction. I arrived the 5th and got unloaded and smoked up the clothes. Plan was too hunt Sunday and take Monday off because of a west wind. Then the rest of the week would be good, especially Thursday as the remnants of the hurricane was forecasted too drop 3-4” of rain and temps considerably.
Sundays morning hunt I saw nothing after daylight. Sundays afternoon hunt was the same. Monday I just scouted. Kept an eye on all the fields and tree lines. Saw some chasing through the binos, and they were small bucks and the does just busted out and never stopped.
Tuesday morning nothing seen, Tuesday evening half dozen in the fields after dark. Wednesday pretty much the same. I rotated between the north and south stand location in the morning but concentrated on the creek crossing in the after noon. The guy hunting the adjacent property would always stop in for coffee and we’d discuss the days advents. I told him from the beginning, Thursday would be the day they’ll move during daylight. I was ready for an all day sit and too get a little more aggressive. Now compared too some folks, my aggressiveness is pretty mild
.Thursday morning the alarm went off at 5 as usual for the week, I stay at the farm when I’m up hunting in Ohio. So it’s a 300 yard walk out the front door too my stand I was hunting this day. Made it in clean and relatively quiet, that is with 6” of dry leaves covering the ground. I was in the stand by 6 and all set up and just sitting back and relaxing. Just taking it all in. Just before legal shooting time, still too dark too see very far, I pulled out the the rattle bag, I’ve had this thing for longer then I’d like too remember. Did a rattle sequence for about 20 seconds, started off light and then got loud af the last few seconds. Put the bag back in the pack, grunted some, picked up the bow, and sat down. Within a couple minutes I make out a deer 20 yards below me. Was it there the whole time? Just kept looking at me. I was pissed off at myself for it getting the drop on me in all those leaves. Well it was a small fork horn and he just walked off. Thank you for being young and dumb.
About 10 minutes later I make out another buck, a little better. Wider and a little thicker then the first one. He was following the first ones trail. Walked right by me @30 yards. Now I’m thinking this is going too be a good day. Kept glassing the swamp and nothing looked too be out there. Sat back and settled in for some more movement.
I would constantly keep a look too the north as it was my downwind side, I smoked the clothes every evening after my hunt. But I wanted too make sure nothing slipped in on that side. It had me a little worried, but typically the deer travel the swamp along the creek edge.
Well about 6:45 I see movement too my north. It’s a buck and one that I’d shoot if given an opportunity. He was about 100 yards north of me traveling downwind of me. He closed the distance, I had the xbow in position and then he started going behind me. Next he changed positions and was directly behind my tree 10’ away. Never offered a shot other then quartering too. He started too walk south away from me, that’s when I got too turn and line up on him again. Never offered anything other than a Texas heart shot. He was about 30 yards from me when he stopped and turned his head looking down into the swamp, and just like that he spun around and started walking back and below my stand. Basically taking the same track the other two bucks took but in the opposite direction.
Safety off, lined up on him all the way down the hill. He stopped @25 yards and was in between two trees. Vitals exposed, squeezed the trigger and arrow found its mark. Mule kick and we off too the races. He ran up the hill, started losing traction close too the top. Spraying the whole way. He just about made it over the top when his legs went out from under him and he Rolled back down the hill. From impact too top of the hill was 40 yards. Then his final resting was 70 yards from the stand.
I switched too slick tricks this season, will say they definitely did the job. Fly like darts and great penetration. Exited the right front shoulder and although one blade did break off, the head is still true and no wobble too it with the replacement blades.
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