LoessHillsArcher
PMA Member
We were told hunting time would change once we graduated college... then get jobs... then get married... then have kids. That was 100% true.
We used to hunt a LOT but now are basically weekend warriors and can't make it out every weekend at that. But the time in the stand is even more enjoyable now I'd say. Going into this year I hadn't shot a buck with my bow since 10-23-2011. Passed many solid 4.5's, a couple last year that would've easily been my biggest bucks with a bow but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Its fun to watch them grow old and big. But this year I couldn't take it, I had a very very very itchy trigger finger!
We didn't get cams out until mid August and went about 1 month without a single buck on trail cam... things have changed since then though. Bucks are starting to move and some mature ones are showing up. On Saturday morning I sat a tree suit set I put in last year and hunted a couple times. It was a slow morning for deer movement until 8:30 I hit the horns. 5 minutes later I caught movement and a buck had popped in at 45yds and was moving through fast. I grabbed my bow and turned but by the time I got turned around he was into the corn and I could just barely see his rack and head. I tried to call him in but he was down wind and knew something was up. He bounded off and I watched him run on top of the terraces. I knew he was a great 4.5 year old typical 11pt that I had passed last year twice and would've shot this year with the bow. He is one that honestly has a ton of upside and could be a giant next year though so I wasn't too disappointed he got away.
The view from this stand. It's looking right into a ridge top Russ and I did some chain saw work on a few years ago and it's THICK
On the walk out Saturday I snapped these two pics - first showing how thick the ridge is from eye level and the second of a rub that's 15yds from the base of the tree I'm hunting. :eyes:
These tree suits are awesome, so easy to use. It's really changed out game on where we can hunt on the farm. We can hunt nearly any tree with these!
Saturday night I had a halloween party with the wife but Russ hunted that same area and saw a few does and one nice 3.5 checking them. Sunday morning we both went out and I got skunked but Russ sat that same area again and saw another 3.5. So that area seemed to have a lot of bucks cruising in it. So Saturday evening I got into the same set I hunted the previous morning. It was hot! I ended up taking my shirt off just to cool down once I got in the stand.
All I could think about was what deer were laying in the thicket infront of me and hoping they'd come over to work this rub
I didn't see a single deer the entire night but man it felt great to be in the stand. The sunset was awesome. It is crazy how it recharges a person's batteries
About a minute after snapping this picture I heard a branch break infront of me and I saw a small buck working down the ridge right towards me. I grabbed the DSLR and started filming. It wasn't until the small bucked stopped and I heard another deer walking that I realized his big brother was behind him... you can see in this video the bigger buck in the background. I quickly threw the camera over my shoulder and grabbed the bow!
The buck snort wheezed as he pushed the small 8pt towards me, they were coming down a trail that'd put them 15yds away. At about 20yds and still a ways from my shooting lane the buck spotted me moving in the tree. We stared at each other for a minute but as they always do with these tree suits they calm down quickly and seem to loose track of what they saw. The buck still knew something was odd and turned around and started heading away back towards the thicket. The small buck was still right under me and just happy to see the bigger buck leaving him alone. So I waited for the small buck to get behind a big oak and I grabbed the grunt tube. I grunted... the big buck looked for a second but kept walking... I snort wheezed lightly... he swung his head around and looked at the little buck but then kept walking away... I then hit him with some popping/tending type grunts and that did it... he turned! He made a scrape and came in after that little buck who was still right under me. The big buck was making his way towards my shooting lane, I drew, he came into the clear and stopped on his own. I had the pin behind his shoulder but remember it being hard to lower the pin down to the vitals but I slowly lowered it into that high lung area. It was a blur but I pulled the trigger and the arrow flew perfect and the buck did the classic high kick and took off. I watched him stumble and then right as I was about to loose him her looked wobbly and crashed. He was done!
Found the arrow - you can see the tree I was in in the back - and first blood was instant
The recovery scene - he crashed hard!
Oh ya - forgot to add that Russ tagged a nice 9pt last night as well. I'll let him post his story sometime. It felt great to tag a buck again and even better to be able to let those really great genetic bucks who are the same age as this one walk and live another day. Hopefully we can see them again next year! The time in the woods spent with the family is what is the best part of it all though, it's a blast!
We used to hunt a LOT but now are basically weekend warriors and can't make it out every weekend at that. But the time in the stand is even more enjoyable now I'd say. Going into this year I hadn't shot a buck with my bow since 10-23-2011. Passed many solid 4.5's, a couple last year that would've easily been my biggest bucks with a bow but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Its fun to watch them grow old and big. But this year I couldn't take it, I had a very very very itchy trigger finger!
We didn't get cams out until mid August and went about 1 month without a single buck on trail cam... things have changed since then though. Bucks are starting to move and some mature ones are showing up. On Saturday morning I sat a tree suit set I put in last year and hunted a couple times. It was a slow morning for deer movement until 8:30 I hit the horns. 5 minutes later I caught movement and a buck had popped in at 45yds and was moving through fast. I grabbed my bow and turned but by the time I got turned around he was into the corn and I could just barely see his rack and head. I tried to call him in but he was down wind and knew something was up. He bounded off and I watched him run on top of the terraces. I knew he was a great 4.5 year old typical 11pt that I had passed last year twice and would've shot this year with the bow. He is one that honestly has a ton of upside and could be a giant next year though so I wasn't too disappointed he got away.
The view from this stand. It's looking right into a ridge top Russ and I did some chain saw work on a few years ago and it's THICK
On the walk out Saturday I snapped these two pics - first showing how thick the ridge is from eye level and the second of a rub that's 15yds from the base of the tree I'm hunting. :eyes:
These tree suits are awesome, so easy to use. It's really changed out game on where we can hunt on the farm. We can hunt nearly any tree with these!
Saturday night I had a halloween party with the wife but Russ hunted that same area and saw a few does and one nice 3.5 checking them. Sunday morning we both went out and I got skunked but Russ sat that same area again and saw another 3.5. So that area seemed to have a lot of bucks cruising in it. So Saturday evening I got into the same set I hunted the previous morning. It was hot! I ended up taking my shirt off just to cool down once I got in the stand.
All I could think about was what deer were laying in the thicket infront of me and hoping they'd come over to work this rub
I didn't see a single deer the entire night but man it felt great to be in the stand. The sunset was awesome. It is crazy how it recharges a person's batteries
About a minute after snapping this picture I heard a branch break infront of me and I saw a small buck working down the ridge right towards me. I grabbed the DSLR and started filming. It wasn't until the small bucked stopped and I heard another deer walking that I realized his big brother was behind him... you can see in this video the bigger buck in the background. I quickly threw the camera over my shoulder and grabbed the bow!
The buck snort wheezed as he pushed the small 8pt towards me, they were coming down a trail that'd put them 15yds away. At about 20yds and still a ways from my shooting lane the buck spotted me moving in the tree. We stared at each other for a minute but as they always do with these tree suits they calm down quickly and seem to loose track of what they saw. The buck still knew something was odd and turned around and started heading away back towards the thicket. The small buck was still right under me and just happy to see the bigger buck leaving him alone. So I waited for the small buck to get behind a big oak and I grabbed the grunt tube. I grunted... the big buck looked for a second but kept walking... I snort wheezed lightly... he swung his head around and looked at the little buck but then kept walking away... I then hit him with some popping/tending type grunts and that did it... he turned! He made a scrape and came in after that little buck who was still right under me. The big buck was making his way towards my shooting lane, I drew, he came into the clear and stopped on his own. I had the pin behind his shoulder but remember it being hard to lower the pin down to the vitals but I slowly lowered it into that high lung area. It was a blur but I pulled the trigger and the arrow flew perfect and the buck did the classic high kick and took off. I watched him stumble and then right as I was about to loose him her looked wobbly and crashed. He was done!
Found the arrow - you can see the tree I was in in the back - and first blood was instant
The recovery scene - he crashed hard!
Oh ya - forgot to add that Russ tagged a nice 9pt last night as well. I'll let him post his story sometime. It felt great to tag a buck again and even better to be able to let those really great genetic bucks who are the same age as this one walk and live another day. Hopefully we can see them again next year! The time in the woods spent with the family is what is the best part of it all though, it's a blast!
