Trying hard to kill a good one with the bow during rut.

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


Buckslayer#13
Posts: 87
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2021 2:41 pm
Status: Offline

Trying hard to kill a good one with the bow during rut.

Unread postby Buckslayer#13 » Fri Dec 31, 2021 12:25 pm

It is full rut where I am at right now in Louisiana public land.!Been hunting hard for a few weeks during the rut but have not had a lot of buck action. Had some earlier gun szn action seeing some does but no solid bucks. Weather was HOT this whole week and we got to our camp last Monday I believe. Hunted with my dad and another guy and we hunted for 2 and 1/2 days with only 1 doe sighting. Yesterday dad had some rut action but never got a shot. This morning I went to an area I am extremely familiar with hoping to see a deer. The weather is still hot but the wind laid down so we hoped that bucks would be moving. I got in my XOP climbing stand which I had hung in a tree that was close to a dropping Locus bean tree, I found this area 3 years ago and there is really good bedding elevation rises that get thick and hold some deer and the bucks come off of these elevation rises during morning time. The bucks also sent check these bedding areas during rut. I was not confident in the stand setup because I just did not believe that the Locus bean tree was a powerful enough food source to even pull does into traveling here because the bucks seem to primarily travel about 100 yards north of me where I killed 2, 2 year old bucks last year, but there was no sign there or where I decided to hunt. As I sat in my stand and watched a stinky pig run by and also watched as my milkweed traveled into the wrong direction that’s I wanted it to for these bucks to Cruze down the habitat edge I was sitting on, my confidence started to fade. I felt lazy for not getting up and moving my stand but I also realized that I should try this spot out and see what happens.

Then I realized that I could start making some noise with my grunt call because of how quiet the morning was. I had a sapling that was in arms reach from my stand and I realized I could use it as a calling tool to sound like a buck rubbing/ twigs snapping etc.

At 9:50 I heard something walking through the palmettos on my left, sounded about 100 yards away. As it worked its way farther and farther I decided to call at it. I started shaking that sapling violently and started making elongated, loud grunts followed by a snort wheeze.

I sat in my tree for no more then 10 minutes and all the sudden I hear a buck sneaking in from behind me. He was cruising but the calling got his attention. When I saw this buck coming in from 50 yards away, I realized how bad I wanted this buck. He was an 8 pointer, wide, probably about 120 inches. I’m 16 and I have never shot a real nice, mature buck with my bow so I wanted this buck really bad. As the buck got into 20 yards from me. I told myself “this is it, you will kill him”. As he worked his way into one of my shooting holes thru some saplings I drew and whistled, he did not care, he ended up getting to 35 yards thru all kinds of sapling tops and I could never get a shot. I called at the buck when he got out to 70 yards but he just kept cruising. I was upset to say the least and I learned to always study shooting windows closely and you have to be resilient. Today was our last day of the trip but I hope to get on them next week!


“And there came a voice to him, rise Peter; kill and eat”- Acts 10:13
User avatar
Bonecrusher101
500 Club
Posts: 3079
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2015 3:09 am
Location: West TN
Status: Offline

Re: Trying hard to kill a good one with the bow during rut.

Unread postby Bonecrusher101 » Fri Dec 31, 2021 1:34 pm

Nice write up, stay with it! Good luck!
Be original and Enjoy every step along the adventure.
User avatar
Ghost Hunter
Posts: 4891
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2012 10:00 am
Location: South Arkansas
Status: Offline

Re: Trying hard to kill a good one with the bow during rut.

Unread postby Ghost Hunter » Fri Dec 31, 2021 5:34 pm

It will happen one day. Just keep at it. Good read.

Good luck!
I'm reason they call it hunting and not shooting.


  • Advertisement

Return to “Deer Hunting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 73 guests