hunting4us
Member
Over the past 4 years I have frequented this sight as an active bystander. There's much to be said about the caliber and quality of hunters that actively communicate their knowledge and experience through their posts and comments. While I've been bowhunting for seven years my successes have been limited to a few small whitetail bucks and several does. I have many amazing stories and close encounters with elk, mule deer, antelope and whitetails but have been disappointed with my ability to close the deal. As I have matured in my understanding and approach to hunting I've focused on gleaning every bit of information and knowledge I can from those who have experienced the sweet sensations of success.
However, as my title indicates, success was on my side this year. After logging multiple hours in the stand previous to last Saturday I had 0 spottings of decent bucks. However, my area was showing signs that there was alot of buck activity taking place.
On Saturday 11-15 I arrived to a new stand location I had set up 2 weeks earlier. I bumped several deer on my way in and after finally settling in heard footsteps less than 20 yards away. As the light began to creep into the woods I encountered multiple sightings of does and small bucks. I even had a small 6 pointer bed down within 10 yards of my stand. However as the minutes crept by my hope of spotting and harvesting a decent buck felt more and more distant. Around 9 am I spotted movement to my left and watched a doe move swiftly through the trees followed by a buck. While I wasn't able to identify his antler size I could tell by his body that he was a mature deer. 25 minutes later they circled back around and I had a chance to shoot him broadside. My only problem was my window was only the size of a small basketball. On my first shot the arrow split a small limb and both the doe and buck were instantly on the alert. As I scrambled for another arrow the doe took off and the buck was determined to not let her out of his sight. After finally getting another arrow knocked I had only a second before the buck would move completely out of my shooting lane. I drew and made a grunt sound through my mouth. He kept moving so I grunted loud and hard (probaly sound more like a dying duck than a deer) and he stopped. Again, a small window but this time my arrow found its way through. My biggest buck to date and a great confidence booster.
However, as my title indicates, success was on my side this year. After logging multiple hours in the stand previous to last Saturday I had 0 spottings of decent bucks. However, my area was showing signs that there was alot of buck activity taking place.
On Saturday 11-15 I arrived to a new stand location I had set up 2 weeks earlier. I bumped several deer on my way in and after finally settling in heard footsteps less than 20 yards away. As the light began to creep into the woods I encountered multiple sightings of does and small bucks. I even had a small 6 pointer bed down within 10 yards of my stand. However as the minutes crept by my hope of spotting and harvesting a decent buck felt more and more distant. Around 9 am I spotted movement to my left and watched a doe move swiftly through the trees followed by a buck. While I wasn't able to identify his antler size I could tell by his body that he was a mature deer. 25 minutes later they circled back around and I had a chance to shoot him broadside. My only problem was my window was only the size of a small basketball. On my first shot the arrow split a small limb and both the doe and buck were instantly on the alert. As I scrambled for another arrow the doe took off and the buck was determined to not let her out of his sight. After finally getting another arrow knocked I had only a second before the buck would move completely out of my shooting lane. I drew and made a grunt sound through my mouth. He kept moving so I grunted loud and hard (probaly sound more like a dying duck than a deer) and he stopped. Again, a small window but this time my arrow found its way through. My biggest buck to date and a great confidence booster.
