i crept in stealthy (30 minute creep in tall canary grass), got to near my destination, now its decision time which tree? i spied three likely candidates, first too thin, second looks but good not much cover,third too close to the bedding edge, they might be in that grass just outside the brush... chose tree two...contemplated for 10 minutes trying to figure the wind and where i expect the deer to come out and where they are going to go...tree # 2
tip toes over, set up quietly, reached 15' and turned around to sit, looked at the trail below me and my gut told me i was too close, so i climbed down and set up in a tree i didn't contemplate earlier. but i felt better of it. looked at the time 4pm, i started this at 230PM, but i was quiet.
at 5 pm i saw a deer stand up in that grass i was worried bout, it layed back down...it was cross wind of me...feeling good.... 530Pm i see an ear, then a nose and a head, deer on the move. a big ole horse headed doe, then a fawn, then another adult doe, then more fawns, i counted at least 6 deer, three adults and three fawns, might have been another fawn, i was watching that old doe most of the time.
they cam out rather quickly...within shooting distance of tree #2 ..the one i moved out of, i would have had a clear shot at any one of them.....
but they turned at me some more, then turned cross wind again, out into the open canary grass. this was the last thing i excepted, they were feeding on the canary grass, i anticipated they would move by me upwind through the woods and make there way to an ag field for the evening, but no they went crosswind and started coming at me, going to cross downwind of me. then something happened to that lead doe.
she was down wind of where I had climbed the tree and vacated, she winded something, but didn't freak out, but moved cautiously... the gig was up, she never crossed my path but smelled where i once was from a distance, she moved slowly, flicking tail but seemed nervous, never with in range. other deer were frolicking about, but this old doe was onto me. she fed sniffing the air like something was wrong, but my wind was passing in front of her, one point she was within range, but i didn't have a shot, branches blocked me, then she quartered away,she was definitely smelling where i was but not where i was currently sitting, she kept feeding, then it happened....swirl....i felt it on my neck..wrong direction... I knew it right away at
stiff legs......snorts and 2 seconds later the whole clan was gone. it was 610PM, so i sat until dark contemplating what had happened. she smelled me and kept creeping until she got good wind, she knew something was wrong and didn't give up until she confirmed it.
lessons:
I should have trusted my first instinct
don't move back downwind to reset, you will leave a scent that can be detected even on the wind, the young deer didn't take notice, but the old doe did, she knew, so would a mature buck
