My father and I only get to hunt together a few days a year but it's special since he's pushing 70 years old. He still packs his stand in and follows me miles back in wherever I go. I've learned so much from him growing up trapping, hunting, fishing etc. I've coupled it with the knowledge here and it's made be a good Hunter and a great scouter.
We arrived there this morning around 9am. I walked to the spot that was 100 yards south of the buck bed we'd found and my dad went North to the next ridge. It was the wrong wind for him to bed there but I figured that something might move through to check out the surrounding doe beds anyway.
I no more than got up the tree and my father text me saying he's moving. He went west towards the next ridge and sat on the leeward side overlooking a swamp. At that same moment I had the same thoughts since the thermals were anything but cooperating. So I moved a half mile to the south of him on the same ridge.
I so badly wanted to go into the swamp and push in since there was only a very small rub and scraped ground that looked like a toddler was playing with his construction digger more than a deer scrape. I kept walking up and down the ridge trying to figure out what I wanted to do when the resounding words hit me, "During the rut I hunt leeward sides of ridges to catch cruising bucks" Dan himself has said a time or two.
So I started to drop milkweed. Up and down the ridge I went looking for the back draft of the thermals. And so I found it. Where I found it there was another very small rub and I thought well, at least something has moved through here. Knowing that the buck bed we found had a really nice rub in it I knew there was at least a chance he would use this ridge, after all doe bedding was everywhere in this entire area. So I setup on the ridge a half mile away from the buck he'd we scouted.
I began to think that I'd been foolish and setup wrongly. After all, I've never seen a big buck move through open red pines planted 50 years ago with next to no cover on the ground. There were some raspberry bushes and some small shrubs but nothing remarkable at all.
At 4:15 I looked up and there he was 7 yards away. I grabbed my bow but when I stood he caught the movement. He trotted up the hill from me. I remained with my bow drawn since I know that nearly every buck stops to look and can offer a shot. He did, 45 yards away with a 6" window. I let it fly and whap! Caught the edge of the big pine on the right side of the window by an inch. He trotted off not knowing what happened.
I felt sick at first but after chewing on it awhile I realized a few things. First, I moved when the thermals didn't work for me. I learned this here as well. If it ain't working then get outa there cuz it ain't gonna get any better. Second, know your habits. If I'd have done what I wanted to I'd have never seen that deer. I wanted the swamp because that's where I've always seen and hunted big bucks. I had to put that aside and think about what the deer wants to do this time of year not where I want to be. Also, it took me an hour to figure out the exact setup. I walked up and down that ridge pulling out milkweed to find the exact tree at the exact height that I needed to be for my scent to not be an issue. Take your time and do it right. The deer never scented me even though I could have jumped on his back.
Lastly, failure is success. I've know that for a long time but I've never had a better place where it is enforced by the members than here. Take away what you learned, apply it for next time and it is a success.
Next time the arrow is in the heart, not a pine tree.
