Rookie mistake...now what?

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briarman
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Rookie mistake...now what?

Unread postby briarman » Mon Oct 09, 2017 2:45 pm

I'm starting my 2nd season as a bowhunter this October 16th. I'm a first generation hunter, so the information on this forum is unbelievably helpful. I'm new to the "Beast Method", but it seems to be the most sensible method of hunting i've found. Its just makes a heck of a lot of sense. So here comes the rookie mistake!......

The other day I found a spot on an aerial map that struck my interest...so I went to scout it on a NNW wind(2 weeks prior to opening day of archery season). It's a water hole that dries out if it hasn't rained in a while and measure maybe 100ft round and is probably no more than 6-12" deep when filled. It is surrounded by really thick briars and is only about 100yds into the woods off a dirt road. I started walking through the briars on the trail going from the road to the watering hole, looked around and stepped into the clearing which is completely dried up and has some grass growing in it. I found some tracks in the damp ground that seemed small. I continued across the dried out clearing on the same trail i'd entered on ,but now on the opposite side of the clearing (so I walked a straight line since I left the road through the briars and then straight across the clearing). I was walking due West.

Once through the thick briars, I went to climb over a downed tree when, what sounded like a big deer jumped up and ran away for about 75 yards. It didn't blow, it just seemed like it was putting distance between us. I stood still for a minute or two before moving again. By this time the deer was in some cover and I only ever saw a glimpse of its tail flagged up. Ive jumped a few deer and when this one ran away, I swear you could feel it in the ground. Being a rookie, my curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to find its bed it had just left. Sure enough its bed was only about 50ft upwind of where I was standing when it spooked. The bed measured about 5ft long and about 2-3ft wide. It had hair in it and it was damp dirt virtually free of leaves, in an area that has lots of dried leaves from oaks and scrub. The bed had a very thick back wall of brush with a tall thick bush on the end where the deer's head would have been. There were droppings here and there but they were not loose pellets, they were fresh clumps of pellets in a tube shape about 4" long and 2" in diameter some clumps old, some clumps newer. The bed also had a clump right on the outside edge of the bare ground portion of it, which was also the side opposite the bush (I believe the bush was the "head" end of the bed). I checked out the bed and tried to get an idea of what the deal was. Other than a few trails coming through the area from the bed, I didn't see any other beds or tracks or anything, not even droppings aside to the ones i saw. When I walked about 20 yards from the bed and I found what seemed to be a scrape on the ground near some White Pines. No rubs, no nothing, just fresh scraped dirt in about a 2ft oval. Just the scrape, the bed and some droppings. Keep in mind I also didn't walk the direction the deer fled, in an effort not to push it. In that direction is a somewhat remote field. After finding the scrape I had felt I had "worn out my welcome" and left back out in a similar direction I came in.

I believe after seeing the bed location and direction that the deer in that bed was liking lying in, that it had its back somewhat quartering the wind and its eyes toward the field, which is still about 200 yards away through a mix of pines and hardwoods.

I am on the fence as to if I should go back there to attempt a kill or what. Not sure if its a buck or what, but it seemed to be very alone. Access between him and the field is thick and loud, but i could figure a way to do it. The trail i took from the road seems like a good place to start, but it seems like and entry trail more than an exit. The entire area is full of oaks(white and red), and the acorns are everywhere, as well as beech tree nuts)

Did I ruin this spot? Rookie lessons. Its been two weeks since i was there, and the place is relatively free from human interference. Any thoughts or opinions would be much appreciated. Trying to come up with a plan.


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Lockdown
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Re: Rookie mistake...now what?

Unread postby Lockdown » Mon Oct 09, 2017 2:52 pm

Sounds like a legit buck bed to me. You don’t always find tons of buck sign around them but due to the size of the bed, scrape, and large poop I’d say you’re on one.

Formulate a plan, wait until conditions are right and try to kill him! Keep an open mind and use the experience to learn for other situations that are similar. Chances are he’s there for the acorns so you’ll want to hit it before they’re gone if they aren’t already. Definitely don’t wait till rut, who knows where he’ll be by then.
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Re: Rookie mistake...now what?

Unread postby bowscrub » Mon Oct 09, 2017 3:21 pm

Just give him some time to settle down. 3 weeks or so should be plenty of time IMO. A good rain will help with your scent, too. Sounds like a nice spot. In the meantime, find some more! There is a good chance that if you don't kill him this year, he'll be there next season.
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<DK>
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Re: Rookie mistake...now what?

Unread postby <DK> » Mon Oct 09, 2017 3:31 pm

Great story! Congrats! :clap:

In a situation like that its one of those deals where you hunt it right away the next day or like bowscrub said give it a bit. Try to figure out why he is there and its not a mistake. As Lockdown stated right now acorns are hot right now. Also consider if water was close.
briarman
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Re: Rookie mistake...now what?

Unread postby briarman » Tue Oct 10, 2017 12:06 am

I'm thinking that once the season opens, I'm going to head in there on the first N/NW wind day and give It a try. After the season I'll go shed hunt in there and spend a more time gathering intel.
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<DK>
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Re: Rookie mistake...now what?

Unread postby <DK> » Tue Oct 10, 2017 1:13 am

briarman wrote:I'm thinking that once the season opens, I'm going to head in there on the first N/NW wind day and give It a try. After the season I'll go shed hunt in there and spend a more time gathering intel.


Oh well if the season hasnt opened yet then youve got something! Good luck w that, it sounds like a decent spot
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Re: Rookie mistake...now what?

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Tue Oct 10, 2017 1:25 am

Each buck has it's own personality. Some will tolerate some pressure, some will flee and not return for awhile once pressured just once. It's hard to say. Keep tabs on big tracks leading in, rublines leading to that direction, pressure in the area, and thrown a couple hunts at it when the wind is right for you to do so. Time will tell all here.
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Re: Rookie mistake...now what?

Unread postby bowfreak8 » Tue Oct 10, 2017 2:19 am

I'd give it a couple weeks then get after it. You don't know if you messed it up until you hunt it. To me that buck should be even more confident in that bedding area. He was able to get out of there safe when there was danger.
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Re: Rookie mistake...now what?

Unread postby briarman » Tue Oct 10, 2017 3:46 am

bowfreak8 wrote:I'd give it a couple weeks then get after it. You don't know if you messed it up until you hunt it. To me that buck should be even more confident in that bedding area. He was able to get out of there safe when there was danger.



That's a good point. I hadn't thought of that. Thanks!!
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Re: Rookie mistake...now what?

Unread postby Killtree » Tue Oct 10, 2017 4:10 am

Hunt it to the best of your ability. Try to learn everything you can from the situation. Accept the fact that you are gonna mess up.
Learn everything you can from every source possible and keep what you feel is useful. Every deer is different and every situation is different. You have to keep pounding away at it until you get a "feel"
for things. The only way to develop that "feel" is to mess up.
The more you mess up now, the less you will mess up in the future.
At your stage in the game, I would go back and hunt it.
:violence-bowandarrow:
briarman
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Re: Rookie mistake...now what?

Unread postby briarman » Tue Oct 10, 2017 4:46 am

Killtree wrote:Hunt it to the best of your ability. Try to learn everything you can from the situation. Accept the fact that you are gonna mess up.
Learn everything you can from every source possible and keep what you feel is useful. Every deer is different and every situation is different. You have to keep pounding away at it until you get a "feel"
for things. The only way to develop that "feel" is to mess up.
The more you mess up now, the less you will mess up in the future.
At your stage in the game, I would go back and hunt it.


Thanks for the advice...much appreciated.
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Wlog
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Re: Rookie mistake...now what?

Unread postby Wlog » Tue Oct 10, 2017 5:04 am

You didn't make a mistake. Everybody jumps deer when they're scouting and when I do I always go over and look at the bed. That's the best way to learn. Try to come up with an idea of where he might be going from the bed. The two biggest pieces of the puzzle are where does the buck like to bed and what time of the season does he bed there. You got that figured out with one scouting trip. Sounds like a pretty successful day to me, rookie or not.

Good luck, hope you get him!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
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Re: Rookie mistake...now what?

Unread postby Killtree » Tue Oct 10, 2017 10:09 am

A buck may come back to his bed in an hour, or he may not come back until next year, or some time in between.
It all depends on the deer, and it depends a lot on where it was bedded at.
If you jump a deer in the middle of a 2 mile square chunk of public ground where that deer very rarely sees people, he probably is not going to come back for a while.
On the other hand, if you jump a deer 75 yards from someone's house that lays there and watches people going about their business mowing grass and such, and is used to being bumped from time to time, then you are probably going to feel pretty safe coming back to hunt him real soon.
There are no cut and dried answers.
You will just start developing a "feel" for different situations.
As a matter of fact, I was scouting this evening and jumped a shooter. I am confident that because of where he was at that he will probably be back tomorrow, if not tomorrow then absolutely by the weekend.
I could be wrong, but "feel" from experience I am not.
:violence-bowandarrow:
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Wlog
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Re: Rookie mistake...now what?

Unread postby Wlog » Tue Oct 10, 2017 11:04 am

Killtree wrote:A buck may come back to his bed in an hour, or he may not come back until next year, or some time in between.
It all depends on the deer, and it depends a lot on where it was bedded at.
If you jump a deer in the middle of a 2 mile square chunk of public ground where that deer very rarely sees people, he probably is not going to come back for a while.
On the other hand, if you jump a deer 75 yards from someone's house that lays there and watches people going about their business mowing grass and such, and is used to being bumped from time to time, then you are probably going to feel pretty safe coming back to hunt him real soon.
There are no cut and dried answers.
You will just start developing a "feel" for different situations.
As a matter of fact, I was scouting this evening and jumped a shooter. I am confident that because of where he was at that he will probably be back tomorrow, if not tomorrow then absolutely by the weekend.
I could be wrong, but "feel" from experience I am not.


Agree.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
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Motivated
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Re: Rookie mistake...now what?

Unread postby Motivated » Tue Oct 10, 2017 1:16 pm

Welcome to the Beast, Briarman.

Sounds like you are doing things right so far. Some great advice already. My advice is to expect for this to be difficult and learn from every bit of evidence that buck leaves you. Keep a detailed journal. Record everything. Right now you really don't know what information is important, so record it all. You will be amazed later what helps you connect the dots.

Stay positive. That buck is much better at surviving than you will be at tracking down and killing him. Expect failures along the way. But remember you only need to win once. Learn from the buck. He will teach you how to kill him by the evidence he leaves and which you gather.

It is very hard to pattern and kill one specific buck, especially as a newer hunter. Do not view it as failure if you are unable to kill him. I tried to do this as a virgin bowhunter a couple of years ago. Monster deer on public. Spectacularly unsuccessful, but I learned a great deal from that buck. I do not think most guys here even target one deer on public.

Great that you got to the Beast so early in your hunting career. Less bad habits to break.
Work hard, stay humble, be kind.


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