Yesterday afternoon I was hunting in big woods. I am still hunting. (Muzzleloader) in the early afternoon. I come upon a concentration of sign that looks promising. Lot's of fresh droppings.No fresh buck sign but a lot of this years buck sign. It's in a bowl and I decide to get downwind of the sign up on the bank of one of the sides of the bowl. Behind all the sign is a laurel edge that meets open hardwoods. I situate about 15 to 20 yards from the top edge of the bowl. With the top of the ridge behind me. I didn't want to be sky lined and I would have lost some visibility if I went higher.
I don't see any thing for the 21/2 hours I am sitting. With about 15 minutes of shooting light left I here some thing in the leaves on top of the ridge. Is it a squirrel? The squirrels have been very active all afternoon. Is it a deer? I can't see over the rim of the bowl. I here movement over the next few minutes up there and then it just goes quiet. As soon as I move away from the area I cleaned away I am going to sound like I am walking on corn flakes. Additionally I will be headed up steep side hill. I was thinking if I am patient what ever is up there may drop down so I can see it. Well shooting light is being lost fast. I stand up and I get up on the stump that I am sitting against, I can't see. I said I have to go for it, I did my best to imitate a squirrel. I get on a top and I jump a pretty good buck, I know he was bedded. ( I said to myself you have got to be kidding me). He didn't know what I was, I was trying to evaluate him as he jumped, He looked pretty good. In to dark woods he went. I had no shot and very little visibility.
I have been hunting my but off with out much success in the rifle season,and seeing very few deer. Here I sit in a spot where a buck comes down behind me and beds. I would guess that he bedded forty to 50 yards away from me.
Went back this morning (14 degree's) and hunted until noon, went higher above the flat I saw this buck on and further back. He didn't show. One more day to hunt. and it is all over for me.
I think I did all I could do with that buck. If I had made the move 10 to 15 minutes earlier I would have been able to see much better. I just considered it an all or nothing deal, and I preferred to have what ever was there come to me un alerted.
What would you have done?
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Re: What would you have done?
Its hard for me to visulize, But I am thinking with a gun in my hand, I may have choze to position higher posibly seeing where that buck bedded. I don't worry to muck about being skylined especially with a gun in my hand. I try not to figet much. Getting the buck would be cool, but knowing he was there and analizing what you could of done, and will do in the future based on what you learned is important to grow as a hunter.
- Spysar
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Re: What would you have done?
I would of done a quick tuck and roll, flew up into the air while drawing my gun, and shot the buck between the eyes, as he lay there sleeping! Woot!
Seriously, it's not what we would have done, its what needs to be done now that, that happened. I think the buck won this year considering you only have a day left in NY...I'd be happy knowing a buck lived through the season in my hunting area, and he'll be bigger next year.
Seriously, it's not what we would have done, its what needs to be done now that, that happened. I think the buck won this year considering you only have a day left in NY...I'd be happy knowing a buck lived through the season in my hunting area, and he'll be bigger next year.
A buck will see you three times, and hear you twice, but he's only gonna smell you once.
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Re: What would you have done?
Seriously, it's not what we would have done, its what needs to be done now that, that happened.
Great point.
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Re: What would you have done?
I'm comfortable with what I did. I know why the buck came in and bedded where he did. The prevailing wind was blowing from all the sign I saw 100 yards beneath me and off to my right right to where he was bedded.
The deer density in this area is very low so pin pointing a deer in this area is pretty challenging.
This was the first time I have hunted this area. In the future I will have a treestand on my back and I will get up in the air. That would have made all of the difference yesterday.
[ Post made via iPhone ]
The deer density in this area is very low so pin pointing a deer in this area is pretty challenging.
This was the first time I have hunted this area. In the future I will have a treestand on my back and I will get up in the air. That would have made all of the difference yesterday.
[ Post made via iPhone ]
- Stanley
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Re: What would you have done?
You can do things much differently hunting with a gun vs a bow and arrow. With a gun you can back off and reposition farther away. I think some gun hunters use a bow mentality after hunting with a bow and switching to gun. Just some food for thought.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: What would you have done?
Stanley wrote:You can do things much differently hunting with a gun vs a bow and arrow. With a gun you can back off and reposition farther away. I think some gun hunters use a bow mentality after hunting with a bow and switching to gun. Just some food for thought.
I would agree.
Alot more room to work with.
"Forged in fire lit long ago. Stand next to me and you will never stand alone".
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Re: What would you have done?
I agree with you Stanley. I was 100 yards away from the concentration of sign. Had I gone up to the top of the ridge behind me while sitting on the ground I would have not been able to see in to the area where the sign was.
In analyzing the situation in hind sight I should have known that it was likely that a buck would come down the top of the ridge. Had I been up in the air I could have covered both. I will be up in the air next year in that location.
Just frustrating! Hunting as hard as I have been through the firearms season to have been so close. I will use it as a learning experience.
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In analyzing the situation in hind sight I should have known that it was likely that a buck would come down the top of the ridge. Had I been up in the air I could have covered both. I will be up in the air next year in that location.
Just frustrating! Hunting as hard as I have been through the firearms season to have been so close. I will use it as a learning experience.
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- headgear
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Re: What would you have done?
Honestly a guy could drive himself crazy wondering "what if". It can be fun to think about what you would have done differently after a missed opportunity and it can often be a great learning expereince. You just have to know that in the heat of the moment you did the best you could with the limited time and information you had. Enjoy the encounter with a nice buck, learn from it, and move on. Some of my fondest deer memories are the ones that got away, they sure keep you fired up to get back out there and hunt hard.
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