Unusual, blown opportunities on public land...

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Singing Bridge
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Unusual, blown opportunities on public land...

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Sun Apr 12, 2020 11:15 am

Just a few short years ago i penetrated a vast cedar swamp about a mile and a half. I set up on the downwind edge of a swamp island, prevailing downwind side and where water/swamp thermals would suck my scent away...

A great bed for mature bucks was to my left, I just needed him to stage out a short distance. About an hour before dark, a black bear came walking up. I would put him at 250 pounds live weight. He walked up and plopped down right on the buck exit trail, and one of the only places i had a bow shot to. He just sat there and time was running out. I decided that I had no chance of a mature buck encounter with the bear there and I might as well do something.

I gave a quiet... "psssst... heh! pssssst! The bear jumped up and looked right up at me. I took his picture. He wouldn't leave. Just a little louder than "quietly" I gave him a "Go on.... Git !!" at which point he fled. I never saw a damn deer.

I guess it was kind of cool, but after spending time with countless black bears it was frustrating. How about it? What unusual, blown opportunities have you faced??


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Jonny
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Re: Unusual, blown opportunities on public land...

Unread postby Jonny » Sun Apr 12, 2020 11:50 am

I’ve had a couple bear cubs get turned around by me and do donuts around me for an hour or two. Saw one do a belly flop into a river. Honest to god funniest thing I have ever seen in the woods. Never heard a splash so loud. Full sprint and launched himself high and far.

Watched turkeys fight, owl grab a squirrel within 15’ of me, porcupine drop a huge deuce, bobcats, wolves, coyotes on the hunt.

Couple years ago saw a guy drifting a river in a canoe grunting the whole time. Did one grunt and almost got him to flip the canoe. Didn’t see any deer after.

Watched guys catch walleyes for a couple hours while I saw zero deer and wished I was out fishing instead. They were incredibly loud so that didn’t help my hunt.

Love chasing deer on public but not going to lie, some of my best memories on public don’t have any deer involved.
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Re: Unusual, blown opportunities on public land...

Unread postby PublicLand » Sun Apr 12, 2020 1:35 pm

Early teens I was slipping over a ridge along the lake and the loudest scariest thing ever
An eagle took flight above me. First live one for me left a mark. Skidmark
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Twenty Up
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Re: Unusual, blown opportunities on public land...

Unread postby Twenty Up » Thu Apr 16, 2020 4:24 am

Have had groups of hogs push into a persimmon & oak flat in Early September. Anywhere from 8-15 with the largest boars being 300# or more. There was a bachelor group of bucks staging and feeding in this flat before entering the sorghum fields- once the nomadic hogs moved into this area, the bucks vanished.
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Re: Unusual, blown opportunities on public land...

Unread postby Lockdown » Thu Apr 16, 2020 5:11 am

Had a nice mulie buck bedded in a real good spot (for me) out West once. He wasn’t as good as dead by any means but I knew I could easily get into effective bow range. I made my move and halfway through my loop to get around him I ended up running into a herd of cattle. They didn’t like me and ended up spooking and heading right for him :oops:

So much for an easy opportunity...
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Re: Unusual, blown opportunities on public land...

Unread postby greenhorndave » Thu Apr 16, 2020 5:28 am

Tried a point where I never saw human footprints going to because the tip was on private. Found a fresh trail and a brand new rub line cutting across it right on the boundary line, which happened to be just super thick with tangles and blowdowns. I had the perfect just-off wind with thermals in my favor.

Just started setting up, didn’t make a peep. The neighboring landowner drove his ATV down about 100 yards away from the end of the point and a 120-130-ish 8 trots out on the opposite side of the point from me behind a bunch of buckthorn. As I was standing there hacked off, a doe went right down the exit trail I suspected they would travel on, saw me and bolted. :roll:
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seazofcheeze
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Re: Unusual, blown opportunities on public land...

Unread postby seazofcheeze » Thu Apr 16, 2020 8:24 am

In 2015, I had a target buck on trail camera that I almost killed the year before. The second day of bow season (Oct 2nd), my girlfriend's dad hunted out of the stand I setup to kill said target buck. Dad got a shot off at the buck at about 12 yards, but hit way high with a large expandable and possiblly clipped a limb. The arrow got less than 4" of penetration.

On October 11th, I killed a decent buck on public land. A week later, I went out to check trail cameras in the middle of the day (without a bow, during season, and with one buck tag still) on the same public land. Guess who jumps up from a hillside bed between two of the camera locations, that's right, Mr. Target Buck! This is about 2 miles as the crow flies from the location where gf's dad had shot him. He was 25 yards away from me max, and he just stood there for a good 30-40 seconds before he bolted :lol: :doh: :violin: The following week, I went to the same hillside bed 2.5 hours before daylight to try and beat him to his bed. I got to see him again, this time running away in the beam of my flashlight. Good game old chap, good game! :lol:
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Re: Unusual, blown opportunities on public land...

Unread postby may21581 » Thu Apr 16, 2020 9:31 am

This season during the rut I set up on an overlooked spot on public. It was during the rut and from past experience I knew the time was right and if a good one was around where he would bed and where he would enter a field to chase does at last light. I got in early and got all set up by noon for my evening hunt. It was a friday and I knew there would be some local traffic rolling in around 3 pm at quitting time from work. I had expected all the traffic to enter the woods on the main access trail and not hunt where I was.
Like clock work they all rolled in and entered just as planned and expected. As it got a little later another truck rolls in. He gets out sprays himself with scent spray and while walking away he hits his keyless remote and makes sure his truck his safe and sound. I was starting to get ticked off and upset but i knew it was still a great spot and needed to let him walk on through like the rest.
Well unlike the others he cuts caddy cornered across the field and walks right in front of me then looks up and sees me. He stops and wants to talk. After a few moments he walks on and plops 40 yards down from me in the same area. I got so disgusted I packed up and moved to another area close by. I thought for sure that spot was busted and I needed to salvage my evening. I pulled a hail Mary and headed to a thicket in a bottom along a transition. The whole time I was in my new stand it didnt feel right. I couldn't stop thinking about the stand I had left. A few moments later I had a great encounter with a 110" 8 pointer. I watched him cruise by me and i had to stop and just appreciate the moment that had just unfolded in front of me. He was a good buck and i would of been tickled to death several years ago to shoot a buck like that. I knew though he was not what i was after.
As the evening grew dark and the moon lit the path for me out I packed up and made my way out.
As I came to the parking area I seen the young kid that had caused me grief earlier. I was still upset and had no plans to talk with him. As I grew closer he recognized who I was and without hesitating asked me if i needed a hand dragging the beast! I didnt know what to say. Then the first thing that came to mind was i had to tell him the truth about what happened and how i had shifted locations. He then proceeds to tell me about a 150 class buck that blasted out of the woods and through the field right up by my first stand. He was hot on a doe and would of gave me a thirty yard shot. I just had to grin and say I seen a decent 8, but the beast had eluded me this evening. I truly believe it was the buck I had been after all season.
On the bright side I learned a valuable lesson. If you truly believe in a spot enough to set up there dont leave no matter what happens. Unless a tornado or blizzard hits of course are ok exceptions.
Also I look forward to chasing this buck again this year. Only this time around I know his habits and tendencies. I will never forget this hunt.
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1STRANGEWILDERNESS
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Re: Unusual, blown opportunities on public land...

Unread postby 1STRANGEWILDERNESS » Sun Apr 19, 2020 7:33 am

When I was around 16 or so I shot a scrub buck on Michigan firearm opener. It was quite a drag and I only weighed about 120lbs so I was taking a lot of breaks. Left everything under the tree I was in except my gun and my jacket. Looked up at one point and noticed a nice 8pt. I hunkered down and thought crap my gun isn’t loaded. Started digging in my pockets and sure enough found a few rounds! Pulled em out and they were steel shot from duck hunting. (I had one set of Camo and it was for everything) My slugs were left in my pack back at the tree.. Deer came within 40-50 yds. I was a really, really dumb teenager, but I had just enough sense not to shoot at that buck. But I remember wondering to myself. If he gets close enough, you think this duck load could take him down?
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Re: Unusual, blown opportunities on public land...

Unread postby Crazinamatese » Sun Apr 19, 2020 8:27 am

I blew two opportunities one morning back in 2008. Rut in full swing. Super foggy morning walking to the woods across a wide open field. Walked up on a bedded nice buck at the edge of the field. He never saw me As he was facing toward the woods. As I was trying to pull an arrow out of my quiver he stood up and took off after what I think was a doe?? Anyways he was gone. I walk about a hundred yards in the woods and I hear a deer behind me and I turned around to look and there he stood looking at me. I was able to grab an arrow and almost had it nocked then he snorted and took off. Lol. I still laugh when I think about it.
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