Rebel Darling

Roger Wilco, Grampy! Hope to send some bull antler pics!

Thanks, All! Currently buried up to my planning depths, and keeping my head down, and pennies purposed. Going to Idaho to bowhunt Elk this Fall!!!

Friday, November 8: I headed out at 8:00 a.m. with my bow and a folding stool. Cold wind cut across my face a bit, but mostly head on. I walked over to where I had seen a couple of scrapes, and with fresh overnight snow on the ground, I was curious to know if bucks had freshened them up. I was hunting does, but I was still curious. The scrapes were covered in snow. I followed some track along an old logging road. Fresh snow partially filled the tracks, so it looked like deer had walked the path sometime during the night. When I came to within 20 yards of my neighbor's field edge, I stopped, leaned up against a tree and took a look around. 10 minutes passed and then I saw movement. 30 yards to my right through thick pine saplings, a doe. She was walking with the wind to her back, and I didn't move. No shot opportunity through that thick stuff, and I wanted to learn where she was headed. As I watched her through the binos, I saw a few more doe ahead of her. They'd get downwind of me in a couple hundred yards, but I wasn't concerned. I figured they were well on their way, and, being downwind, they weren't viable hunts for me anyway. Gotta let them go. After I could no longer see them moving through the trees, I cut across their tracks, got the wind in my favor and walked on. Maybe they were feeding on a specific oak. Maybe there was some other browse they were interested in. Basically, I wanted to know where they were coming from and figure out why. As I traced their tracks backward, I came to a pinch point, looked up, and saw a doe broadside at 20 yards. I froze in a half-kneel, un-nocked bow in one hand, and the stool in the other. Guess I'm gonna do the mannequin. She came towards me to about 15 yards, walking the worn track a little above me and to my left. I could now see she was the lead doe in a group of three. She saw me, and locked on. The two doe behind her stopped in their tracks and watched her for a queue. She stalled, stomped, head-bobbed, stomped some more, but never blew out. After a while, the two does behind her got bored, flicked their tails and pushed her on. I held my stance for as long as I could, and when I looked behind me, they were long gone. I checked my phone, and it was about 9:20, and I decided to set up. I found a good "hole" with some shooting lanes. It was going to be tight, but that means it was also going to be challenging and exciting. I was sitting for 5 minutes when I caught movement from my right about 30 yards away. The deer walked closer, putting a few trees between us. I drew back and held on the trees, hoping that the deer was a doe, and that it would walk to my right of the trees. I won half that bet. She popped out from behind the trees at 15 yards, coming just to my left, almost straight at me, below the well worn track. There were a few hemlock saplings between us, but when she came to the opening, she spotted me and stopped. I had my pin on the back half of her shoulder, and I steadied my focus there. She was slightly quartered-to, and so close that I could see her individual muscle strands tighten up. I let the arrow fly before she could figure out what to do, or what I was. POP! Double-lungs. I watched her bound once, trot, stop, flick her tail, walk, and then fall over. Dead deer. Seconds after she fell, a Golden-crowned Kinglet landed on a branch just over my right shoulder and started singing, and not long after that, another doe came walking through on the well-worn path. She never saw me, and wandered off, maybe oblivious, maybe just moving on in a most natural way. The woods then returned to its standard winter calm, and I sat there and thought more about death as an offering of life, waiting to walk up to a bounty of fresh kill that will help sustain my friends and family through the winter calm. I stood at the site where I shot her, and took a photo of my setup. She was 9.5 yards away.

Thanks very much for volunteering your time! As an adult onset fella, I know that I would have benefited from a program like this! Very glad it's up and running, and I hope to be able to contribute next year...

I'm outta likes, but I LOVE this. Were you in attendance? I had hoped to be able to volunteer (through BHA), but the schedule didn't work out for me.

May your focus realize your reward! You got it, man!

9.5 yards. #fromtheground #noblind What an awesome morning and hunt.

Good luck @BowmanMike. Good call on backing out... Hope you get her!

Having used both, I've come to prefer the merino wool base layers. Stationary, or moving I'm warm and dry. I layer up or down depending on activity and temps. Still looking for a way to keep my GD feet warm, though... Ha.

Went for a walk and still hunt at 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Saw two bucks, and captured a bit of video of them both. Quicktime won't upload, though... One was a 1.5 yr old 4 pointer with a funky right antler, and the other a typical 6, which I think was 2.5 yr old. They're definitely up and moving here in 4L during daylight. The 6 made me and blew out of there. It started pouring around then, and I headed in not long after. Ain't tracking blood in this...

Awesome deer. Congrats to that fella!

Getting ready for work... Hope to get out this afternoon, but they are moving this morning here in 4L. Had two spikes come through the yard at 7:00 a.m. to gorge on acorns. Wish I was in a stand... Good luck to all y'all out there.

Skunked in 4L, in a spot I almost always see does moving through. Felt like deer should have been moving through, but it also looks like my neighbor let someone else set up a tree stand in the same spot. Hope they didn't blow that spot out...

Look the other way... kidding. I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

Just saw a mink by the stream. That’s a first. Cool. I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

I’m in, 4L, on doe patrol, and general scout. Warm. 45-50. Winds variable again, which is frustrating, but mostly out of the south, which is what I need. 80 yards from a road, which the deer cross. Good luck to all afield. I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

Absolutely awesome day here on the thread! Congratulations to all who dropped deer! I had a buddy, non-forum member who killed a buck this morning as well. His son was in the stand with him. He sent me a pic of his son holding the antlers up and captioned it with, “and this is the best part.” Awesome day... I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

No deer down, but a very exciting hunt here in 4L. Grunted a young buck in for my friend, and the dance lasted about 20 mins. I got him riled up. Hair up on his neck, raking saplings. But he never came close enough. After watching my buddy shoot bow yesterday, I limited his effective range to 20, tops. I got that buck in to 24, but he wouldn’t commit further. Bad part is we didn’t get a deer. Good part is my buddy is back out practicing his shots cause he suddenly wants to get better. Ha. Such an exciting hunt #fromtheground #noblind , Biz... I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

Heading out with a buddy I’m a short bit. Attempting to get him his first archery deer. I’m taking the backseat. Wind is light and variable up here in 4L. We’re hoping for one from the ground. Good luck, all! I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

City of Albany, I-90 Eastbound side, Tivoli woods/park: BIG hoofed animal dead on the shoulder. Someone caped the head.

From the back window, I watched a young buck (maybe 2.5) walk his line, scent checking every now and again around 8:00 a.m. this morning. He went about 50 yards and rubbed up a beech sapling. It was aggressive, and fun to watch.

Agreed... I'm also confused by the cool air and south wind. That wind is also unfavorable for a lot of my go-to spots.

It must come with a Flux Capacitor.

I'm setting up to do the same. That mid-day, post-rain temp drop has me pretty anxious. I'll be out Saturday morning, in a different spot than Friday's choice.

Here’s a horizontal rub on a fallen striped maple (I can only load one photo at a time) that some deer friggin destroyed. That bark is on top of the leaves, so it’s the last couple of days, I’m guessing. In the prior post photo, given the leaf fall here, I’d say that scrape was made this morning. Also saw a spike buck chase after a doe yesterday morning around 9:00 am. All in 4L. I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk