Rookie mistake(2019-2020 Wrap up write up)

[CajunSwampStalker]

Well where do I start ......... Second year Beast Style hunting. Seen more deer than I’ve ever had in the past.(All public land) Peeing and spitting tobacco out my stand like nobody’s business. Lol
ZERO products used to control my scent. Unless you count cotton being used to check wind and thermals ( Thanks Jake from THP) And ZERO thoughts on how others thought of my hunting tactics. Simply scout scout scout scout hunt.

My last hunting trip of the year started last weekend. Scouted all weekend to go back this past weekend to hunt all weekend. Friday afternoon walked in two miles of blood sweat and tears lol Got setup kinda late with about a hour of daylight left. The spot I picked out to hunt was what you would call dating the fat chick. Not many great trees to be in to watch two trails where I suspected deer travel.

Saturday morning hunt went well. Doe snuck up behind and couldn’t get a clean shot before she worked off feeding. Perfect little black pork chop came running through an hour later, no arrow released.

Got down at 1:00pm. Wanted to go check out another area pretty close by and be back on stand by 3:00pm.

Saturday afternoon hunt. By 4:00 I hadn’t seen anything and had been daydreaming as two does worked their way within 20 yards. I had a couple 40 yard shots after they noticed something wasn’t right in the tree and meandered off a bit. Just not quite confident to make that far of a shot at this moment.

One hour and thirty five minutes later it reached official sunset. Start packing up my things and started to analyze my hunting season in my mind. I was quite content as I had seen deer on every hunt at this particular location. Successful year indeed in my book.

Tie my bow to my bag. Take one more good look and scan before letting it down. Nope nothing here. Let it down to the ground , untie rope from my stand, dropped rope down cause it’s just a hassle while I’m pulling down stand and sticks. No sooner than two seconds after my rope fell on my bag and bow I hear ruckus coming through !!!! Look up and there HE is !!! All I could do was laugh lol
Here I am thinking it’s after legal light. Well I was informed that legal shooting time is an half hour after official sunset
Managed to shoot him with my phone a few times lmao
Man what a sick feeling. Very hard lesson learned. Very bittersweet. What an awesome experience to see a mature buck 20 yards away with my bow on the ground. Well my guess he’s mature. I believe he’s a seven. Doesn’t really matter. All I know is that he’s big and tall and on my hit list next year


Thanks again Beast members for taking the time to share y’alls wealth of knowledge with a rookie

PS...... this picture was taking 10 minutes before actual time to let bow down. There’s more light in the picture then there actually was. Lol. Oh and I was replaying all the reads in my head about you guys sharing on never think your hunt is up until it’s dark and legal light is officially over.

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[TravisB]

I can relate. The last week of our season, I shot three yotes about 10 a.m. I usually sit until at least 11:30 on a morning hunt, but wanted to check out another spot before the evening hunt, so I climbed down about 11. Just as I get finished packing all my clothes up, and I’m about to reach up and take my stand off the tree, I hear something and look up, and off bounces a shooter buck. He walked right up on me. Just ten more minutes, and it would have been a done deal. All I could do was laugh, too. Luckily I had killed a nice buck a few days before, so that helped ease the pain. I was just thrilled to get on two shooters the last week of the season on public land.

[JakeB]

Ouch!!!

At least you were in the right spot!

[KRoss480]

Geez that’s a tough pill to swallow. All you can do is laugh about it and learn from it. Hope you stick him next year!

I remember you asked questions about how to hunt palmettos, what did you find to work for you?

[CajunSwampStalker]

I can relate. The last week of our season, I shot three yotes about 10 a.m. I usually sit until at least 11:30 on a morning hunt, but wanted to check out another spot before the evening hunt, so I climbed down about 11. Just as I get finished packing all my clothes up, and I’m about to reach up and take my stand off the tree, I hear something and look up, and off bounces a shooter buck. He walked right up on me. Just ten more minutes, and it would have been a done deal. All I could do was laugh, too. Luckily I had killed a nice buck a few days before, so that helped ease the pain. I was just thrilled to get on two shooters the last week of the season on public land.

Yup. Since hunting Beast style I’ve been on more deer and I was content with that. Like most say ..... I’m on “the journey “

[CajunSwampStalker]

Ouch!!!

At least you were in the right spot!

Yup it left a mark lol

[CajunSwampStalker]

Geez that’s a tough pill to swallow. All you can do is laugh about it and learn from it. Hope you stick him next year!

I remember you asked questions about how to hunt palmettos, what did you find to work for you?

Thanks !!

What most people said was what I was already doing. I guess my question was more so on particular bedding is the abyss of palmettos. I’m almost certain it’s going to take me many of years of dissecting actual beds after finding them if I find them. Better yet after killing one near its bed then dissecting it.

I started this year trying to figure out their bedding in correlation with doe bedding during rut. Most doe bedding I found has been in the briar thickets mixed with palmettos. With the wind direction on two particular hunts I was right about a general area the bucks would be coming to scent check for does. That’s success in my eyes

[KRoss480]

Geez that’s a tough pill to swallow. All you can do is laugh about it and learn from it. Hope you stick him next year!

I remember you asked questions about how to hunt palmettos, what did you find to work for you?

Thanks !!

What most people said was what I was already doing. I guess my question was more so on particular bedding is the abyss of palmettos. I’m almost certain it’s going to take me many of years of dissecting actual beds after finding them if I find them. Better yet after killing one near its bed then dissecting it.

I started this year trying to figure out their bedding in correlation with doe bedding during rut. Most doe bedding I found has been in the briar thickets mixed with palmettos. With the wind direction on two particular hunts I was right about a general area the bucks would be coming to scent check for does. That’s success in my eyes

I would definitely consider that a success. I know how difficult it can be to pattern these deer in the palmettos so I’m always trying to find new ways to help succeed in the future.