Jdubs

Figure out where deer are most likely to drop down to that creek and hunt over that area when the wind is in your favor. Morning thermals will work to your advantage if you're hunting from the top of that ridge.

As others have already said, hang orange outside of your blind. It's YOUR property, hunt it as you see fit within the scope of the law. Your neighbors sound like they do not understand the safety rule of "Know your target and what is beyond." If so, maybe they shouldn't be gun hunting in the first place.

Having just hunted my first xbow season, I'll say this much: Xbow is not as easy to use as a rifle and there is definitely a learning curve. Full inclusion or not would have had zero impact on my hunting. In fact, I will continue to hunt with the xbow at times during rifle season. Hunters should use and be proficient with whatever tool they choose to ensure a humane kill. I don't know why anyone would give a flip what tool another hunter uses legally to harvest a deer. YMMV.

The guys who advocate head shots are doing controlled kills over bait at night with lights from an overhead position. I won't take anything other than a "Boiler Room" shot because anything less than a humane kill isn't worth pulling the trigger.

Very cool. I haven't seen one in the woods yet.

If it's a free for all where you aren't the land owner, that's a tough spot. Other than a hang and hunt there isn't much you can do to keep them out of your stands.

I use a bench and bags for establishing zero, but after that I'll use a variety of improvised positions that mimic expected hunting scenarios. Funny thing is, deer never seem to do what you expect! Your post came to mind when I found myself doing a half-squat, in a new blind, shooting at a steep downhill angle through a window of trees to an obscured target at 40 yards. All I had were the basic fundamentals of shooting to make that one count.

I have a similar situation which is why I started crossbow hunting. Depending upon the size of the area, I'd try to establish more than one hunting spot. In my area, I use a tree stand on one end and sit beside some large downfall in another. The deer seem accustomed to the sounds and smells of people who live and play nearby, but I still decide if/when to hunt those spots based on having favorable wind and weather. I personally wouldn't pound one spot over and over. YMMV

Glad you posted this. I was actually debating whether or not to post my first harvest pic here or to fb because it isn't the massive 6 pt I passed on for being out of my comfortable xbow range. My first is a button buck. And you know what? I couldn't be more thankful! This is only my third season of hunting, but the first season that I have been seeing any deer (not including the 5 deer I helped my neighbor to drag out and process). I passed several deer in xbow, experienced xbow malfunctions that cost me two other "first" harvests and basically continued to make plenty of mistakes. However, I stayed positive, made adjustments and kept going back out. So it doesn't matter one bit to me what anyone thinks. This was a 2 year process filled with a countless amount of trial and error, supported selflessly by a few close friends who are experienced hunters. I must have asked those guys a 1000 questions, easy. So I posted my pic, proudly, here because this forum has also helped me get to this day. It's not a beast, but I don't care. The humane kill shot to the heart matters to me. The brotherhood of my hunting buddies matters to me. The meals this harvest will provide matters to me. And most of all, a profound sense of gratitude for being blessed after all my hard work matters to me. And I suspect that same gratitude was experienced by those 8 hunters aided by coonhunter too.

Just as the winds began to gust as loud as jet engines, knocking down several trees, this deer came barreling through the woods, took a hard turn then briefly stopped, leaving me with an obscured steep-angle quartering away shot at 40 yards. He ran 30 yards uphill then dropped. My first deer harvest and I could not be more thankful.

Dark to dark and no deer seen. On the plus side, I just enjoyed some fresh backstraps and brews with my neigbhbor who took a nice 5 pt at his friend's property. Great motivation for tomorrow's all day sit in the monsoon!

Already heard the first 2 shots late this afternoon, unless someone has a double barrel muzzleloader!

All day in the woods and no action until a deer busted me packing up at the base of my tree stand. Not 15 min later I cam hear a pack of yotes from my driveway yapping in the general vicinity of where I was sitting! Disappointed that I didn't close the deal during xbow, but I am much wiser for it and the deer had better start running now for gun opener tomorrow!

I'm out from 6 am til down deer!

Forecast looks like we're catching a break in 5R with dry skies til noon. Regardless, being in the best spot trumps comfort (like sitting in a cozy ground blind). I'll be in a pine tree dressed in Cabela's MT050 that repells the rain and wind for when the weather ultimately turns. Other than that, I have flip-up scope covers to keep the lenses clear and the infamous Cabela's muff to keep my hands warm & dry. Hopefully, I'll be dragging one out before any of this stuff becomes necessary!

Tikka T3X stainless lefty in .308.

Can't pound the "Like" button enough times, reel. Helluva story, helluva buck!

Big fan of boobs, not a fan of holsters that muzzle sweep the person next to you.

About to be live from the backyard range instead of my tree stand after discovering a loose screw on my xbow that was causing problems with the scope rail and arrow retainer spring. Last night I took down the rail, added fresh thread locker and tuned the retainer spring to its proper setting (thanks Google). Lubed and waxed everything too. Can't hunt again until confirming this weapon is reliable. I'm only going to practice with my broadheads going forward.

Finally put the pieces together from past 2 seasons to get in position to see deer, 17 so far. It's been awesome! I'm still learning how to hunt with the xbow (grazed a doe the other night), but so far I've gained a ton of experience to apply in future seasons (stand placements, shooting lanes, weapon manipulation, etc). Very close to putting all the pieces together for this small area.

Great saying in the military: 2 is 1, 1 is none. Relying on one navigation source or one piece of gear might not work out and in the woods that can have serious consequences. However, our best asset is that spongy thing between our ears. Stay calm, process the situation and make a plan to get out. No matter how bad things get, don't quit.

Amen. Thank you today and every day.

After seeing deer all week, I finally got a shot at my first deer, a nice doe, and grazed her chest. Specks of fat and some white fur present, but no blood. Bolt hit base of a tree maybe 12" off the ground. I shot off a piece of downfall from the ground near last light. She was on the move and stutter-stepped at 16 yards when I called. In hindsight, I rushed the shot and likely dropped the point of aim while tracking the sight right to left. Live and learn. Bummed to miss my first deer, but thrilled it won't be a slow and painful death for her. Back out tomorrow to try again.

Another good day, but I screwed up being turned around when 2 does walked the middle of the creek just below my ground blind on a ridge. Couldn't sneak into a ready position before the trailer was obscured by brush. Stupid. On the plus side, saw another fisher in the am, 5 turkeys and a porcupine sniffing around the base of my tree. For the grand finale, I took 2 steps to walk out after dismounting my evening stand and had a deer blow hard at me. Figures. Back at it tomorrow morning!

Just got one this season. Love it! It's like spooning the gf and warming up my hand under her boobs.