BowmanMike

There is a scrape behind the multi-trunk cherry tree,a field to my right and thick stuff in front of me. The wind is a bit dicey,but this has all the makings of a great afternoon... My pictures didn't upload from the tree so here they are later. Wrong choice again,I walked past a trail coming out of the thick stuff into the field and thought about setting up on it,but didnt. Only deer I saw used that trail, 100yds from me.

I agree with belo,no reason to not take all the untouched meat. Partial loss still sucks,but if you pushed him you would probably have never found him.

Go get em guys. I gotta work but will be able to sit for the last hour or two.

I will second @turkeyfeathers advice. I was hoping to kill three deer with my bow this year,now I am wondering if I will manage even one. I shouldn't complain,at least I see some deer,just not in the right spots or position. I don't know how I forget that so many things have to line up to get a high percentage shot at a deer with a bow. It doesn't helped that I flubbed that one a few weekends ago. A lot can happen in a week and a half,let's keep motivated and ready!

Hey,I know what I was doing. I think you have a giant coming your way,doesn't matter much to me what week you get him. And @Robhuntandfish,thanks for letting us stragglers in.

I would be happy to oblige...got close yesterday,a doe came running in and stopped at 30 behind some brush. Smallish buck was chasing her but didn't take the same path or he would have gotten an arrow. The joy and pain of hunting thick stuff.

Dang I am late. I will pick moog if I can still.

you can not shoot a dog on your own land unless it is endangering livestock. I was tempted a few years back when coyote hunters let their gps collared dogs roam all over the place.

Well,my walk in wasn't as quiet as I had hoped and deer were already in my spot. I heard branches breaking when they took off when I got too close. So I sat down where I was and after it got light out I thought about moving up slowly when I saw a doe and young one at 60 yds. They seemed to be feeding slowly towards me but when they got to 50 the mama picked her head up and spooked. I don't think she saw me,I wasn't doing anything,wind was in my favor too. Maybe those were the deer I had spooked an hour earlier and they were still twitchy.

I hope you are right grampy. I will sit at a swamp edge this morning,hoping to see a cruiser. The wind or almost no wind should be perfect for that, plus my approach is through a strip of pines,should be nice and quiet.

I went for a scout/hunt mid day and didn't see much for sign. Hardly any rubs and even less scrapes. When I fed my horses this a.m. I saw a doe getting harassed by a spike. On my way back to my house I saw a doe and young one in my neighbors field,he let's me hunt. So I snuck up into the hedgerow and then saw a third deer. That same little spike. He kept on looking into the hedgerow and I thought I was hidden pretty good. the doe worked off into the woods and I figured I would mess with the spike. I snort wheezed and he about peed his hocks. He jumped and ran and I was thinking he must have gotten his ars kicked recently when a real nice 8 jumped out of the same hedgerow I was in,maybe 50 yds to my left. He chased that little guy because I think he thought the little guy snort wheezed. That was pretty exciting,so these deer hid in the thick stuff right by my neighbors driveway. They had better look out as he is a crossbow hunter.

Seeing the same here. No hard mast has the deer browsing on brush and they still hit the hayfields pretty hard. I keep trying to think of the biggest bramble patches I know of...The woods seem empty but I know the deer are still here somewhere...

I swear the squirrels and deer work together. I saw a big grey on my morning sit mulling around close to my tree. Then five minutes after a little pause in his activities I thought he picked back up. Turns out it was a doe sneaking in and I was late getting turned around and set for the shot. She made it past and into the brush. I do like that spot though, I just have to find a good way in there without getting wet feet in the brushy field that I have to cross. That may be easier in the afternoon than in the morning...

so far only a spike walked by. what a beautiful morning though. waiting for either a fat doe or a better buck...

No gutpile for me...I saw some turkeys,that was it. High hopes for tomorrow a.m. shift and maybe afternoon as well.

That is a big bodied deer. The rack doesn't say 3,but the body does.

I saw the big buck down the road from me last night after picking my wife up from work. He was with a doe and they looked like a couple to me,at least for a day. I think it is happening in 4F. Another buck stood in the middle of st.rt.28 looking out over a field for does. I had to honk to get him to move.

Hey,I shoot it I eat it. I am not targeting button bucks but I did shoot one a few years back when I had two tags in my pocket. It was a case of mistaken identity in the brush,but it was meat.

you got it or a buck with less than 3" tall antlers,had to say it before wolc chimed in

I hope you like hillsides,there is a lot of that terrain there. Narrow valleys and hills.

Bowmanmike picks DonC for week 6.

A day later I think the same. I wish I had aimed lower,that would have been smart shooting from the ground like that. If anything miss low...

Lost a doe today,and an arrow. I stalked a group of three does for well over 150 yds,they were lower on the slope than me. I finally got to 25 yds on the mama and it was not as thick as it was before. I thought the shot looked good but I must have gotten a deflection,once I got to the hit site there were more twigs than I saw. She bounded off for 10 yds,then stood for 5 seconds,then ran off. I lost sight after she got 40 yds or so. I found some hair at the hit site,dark grey but not much. I think the hit was high,and I found not a drop of blood. I followed three different trails and never found any blood. I think my arrow hit sticks or something past her,never found it. I grid searched for a couple of hours and never found blood. I came back with hydrogen peroxide sprayed the first 50 yds of the trail,nothing. She was slightly quartering away and I am positive the arrow ended up behind her. No way it stayed in her and there was no blood. I shoot a single bevel with lighted knock. Weird experience though,any thoughts are welcome. And by the way,I hate the blotchy red leaves...

me too

I got in a tree in a very good looking spot,matter of fact after I stopped to pick out a tree and took the first step I busted some does out of the thick stuff 30 yds away. Wind was in my favor and they didn't know what I was. Got situated and nothing happened,around 5.40 some rain started and I had to pick my wife up at 6.30,so I lowered my bow and got ready to climb down. Right then a deer pops out at 25 yds. A young one and it smelled the ground disturbance from me walking in. So it walks towards my tree,I was afraid it was gonna step on my bow. Instead it jumped back when it got 2 yds from my bow and headed back up the bank. Her mom was up there and also crossing my approach trail. She got nervous and was at about 40 yds. Now was the time to get my bow back up and I did without them noticing. Then the older doe got curious and also followed my trail towards me. The side they came from was the worst as far as shooting lanes. she got to 6 yds but on my weak side and I had to get the bow over my bridge. I did very slowly and she turned away and stopped at 8 yds. She was almost totally facing away,maybe 160 ° and I had some beech leaves covering the spot I needed to shoot. It was a tough angle,so I waited for her to turn either way but she walked straight away under cover of more branches. That was as close as it gets and got the heart pumping. I love bowhunting.