So opening day is over. What happened out there?

[Cabin Fever]

Great story Papist!! Congrats on the buck too! Sounds like he must have had you're heart racing! LOL

[HCampbell]

Lots of action season opener had eight doe upon driving in, then a straggler wander in at 25 yds, shot and missed by a hair. Yesterday had a few as well, no shot. Today got in the stand ealier and had four doe and a yearling under my stand after about 20 mins. Didnt take any shots on them, big does. Bad angles.

[Five Seasons]

Opening morning 2/3 Bucks ran very rapidly past my stand about 20n yards off at 7am. They were in a hurry, didn't stop to chat.

 

As per last year though I saw no action till after 4pm. The first day I almost had a Doe, called her back after she passed by at distance with a fawn bleat but she vanished behind some thick stuff and never came out they other side.

 

Day 2 was feeling very uneventfull. Hit the stand at 12:30pm. After 5 hours of of endless squirrell fights I was about done and was mentally preperaring to head home. Then I saw a bucks butt right in front of me at about 50 yards. Light was still good but I was in a brand new stand that only went up 2 days prior. I knew the area was hot from last year but  my previous position was 40 yards too far left last year. I learned this too late.This year I made adjustments to my position in this area.

 

Sure enough the Buck came down a clearly worn trail not 20 yards from my position. My heart was pounding. I didn't get anything last year (this is my 3rd season) and the pressure was on. I ws already standing up, managed to grab my bow as he passed through a thicket. I was sure he would wander off to far north of my position but no. He read the playbook and came righ past me on my left in open territory. I was already zero-ed on the spot he was to pass when he came through. I let him walk, didn't call out to stop him, was not willing to take a chance. He had no idea I was there. Once he passed through my sights I panicked for a split second.I knew he was close, just over 20 yards but he looked tiny through the sights, felt like 80 yards. I released, he turned right and ran but stopped after 20 yards or so. I was sure i had missed. I went to reach for a second arrow as it looked like he would hang about for a second shot. Before I even had the arrow in the bow he keeled over and crashed. He landed about 40 yards from my stand. I was pretty sure he was done for but I waited 20 minutes.Got down, found my arrow, covered all down the length in blood. My G5 head looked untouched. I was worried about a gut shot.I called a buddy with a 4-wheeler and waited another 10 minutes and then walked over to find him. I thought he had tumbled down a ravine bank but no, he was just a few yards from where I last saw him stand.

 

Turns out my first kill with Bow was a heart shot. My set-up is a 3rd-hand old Darton Marauder, about 12 years old with G5 heads and gold tip arrows. Still a great bow. Buck was not a monster, a good body, large feet but a strange deformed, small 9 point rack. I have velvet pics of him from summer. My biggest Buck yet tho!

 

All in all I am relieved to be on the score-board after last years wash-out. I will take a week off now before going out again. I planned hard and hunted hard and it paid off.I feel totally drained now but in a nice way. Tommorow morning I have the pleasure of driving to the processesors.Patience was key today.

 

P

 

see you didn't need bait after all! Congrats on a nice kill. Certainly a nice confidence builder.

[Arrow Flinger]

Our forcast is for cooler weather starting Monday. Should be in mid 60s next week with evening lows in the 40s. hope it helps !

Syracuse weatherman is calling for warmer than that. The coolest day in the 7 day forecast is still gonna be 70.

 

http://www.9wsyr.com/weather/default.aspx

[bowaholic]

Pheasant hunted in the morning and bow hunted the evening.  Saw a doe and a fawn, heard more in the thick stuff walking as well as one obnoxious TUBA player across the ravine playing what must have been his back deck.  Scared the doe away...  I got a doe Monday night in the NZ so wasn't hard to pass on the one who didn't like the tuba music haha

[moog5050]

Congrats papist.  Good read.

[ItalianHunter5]

Friend in Westchester gut shot an 8 in the morning, had blood, lost it and couldn't recover the deer. Not many people I know having luck in Putnam and Westchester so far.

[njg0621]

I had this buck at 70yds broadside right in front of me.  I almost cried that I couldn't take the shot but I am only confident out to 50, past that I worry it might not be a good shot.  I will prolly never see this buck again! FML

[blackradio]

out to 50? damn. How do you know you'll never see it again?

[njg0621]

Yeah I can shoot 50 all day.... I have practiced out to 70 before but my arrow drops an EXTREME amount! I have another yahoo poachin dirtbag hunting the bordering property and I am just praying he doesn't get the shot before I do!

[Eycee1]

Got out Tues and Weds.....hit the island tuesday with no luck...saw/heard nothing temps were warm. Headed upstate Weds saw some sign for deer and bear but nothing, temps hit like 80 when sun came up so hiked around hoping to jump something up. My buddy jumped some bucks chasing does but had a wall of thick brush between him the deer so no shot. They're out there!!! Trying to make it back out this week. Still have to hit the uncles property up by catskill....had a stare off with a doe for a few mins there last weekend i was stone stiff and she turned broadside for me when checking my trail cam, if i had a bow in my hand she was mine so hopefully i see her this week if i can make it up and got a bear on the cam so that property could be hopeful!!

[Skillet]

out of curiosity; why didn't you shoot the bigger buck?

 

The bigger buck was behind mine, and I didn't see him until after the shot.  Not that it would've mattered.  Even if I'd seen him coming, I'd still have taken the shot at the little buck.  He presented me with a great shot, and I've got no regrets.

[Adkhunter1590]

Made it out tonight after work. Was in a bit of a hurry on the way in and bumped a doe not 30 yards into the woods. Bummer. But with the rain the ground was soft so sneaking the rest of the way to my stand was quiet and easy at least. And the doe didn't run off to spooked just trotted off. After about 45 mins in the stand I was going crazy because I knew I could hear a deer walking even though it was so damp and the leaves weren't crackling. I thought I had the direction of the deer pinned but sure enough I was wrong. it was a spike walking slowly to my left instead of where I thought in front of me. I watched him go and about 15 mins later I heard more rustling. A couple does were coming in behind me. They messed around about 40 yards out but no shot. Just as the last few mins of light was fading one doe began to walk down the trail towards me but stopped 20 yards out. Of course no shot. She stood there for a a few mins then turned around and walked up the hill away from me. That's the third time I've had deer walk that hillside just out of range or behind brush. I'm gonna try again in the morning but I think I'm gonna move my stand across the creek to the other hill side.

[Fantail]

Spotted 3 bucks in the stretch plot (clover/chicory) soon after sunup. 2-4's and a 6. 20 minutes later a nice bodied 4 walkes into the adjactent plot, just to my left 25 yards. Now he's broadside, eating. I'm at full draw, but drew down decided to let him pass. Now he's in the plot generaly right in front of me 25-30 yards, from the clover/chicory into the winter rye, for the next 20 frackin minutes. Would have been an easy shot, opening day buck - yeaup ..

About a half hour later I hear some mild bleating, moma doe steps into the clover/chicory plot and in comes her two yearlings. They nursed for a few seconds then putzed around and nibbled on the plot.

[518BowSlayer]

Took a doe at 7:30am opening morning! Walked right underneath my stand, shot her right through the spine and dropped her in her tracks. Glad I got meat in the freezer but I'm not sure if this is a great start to a great season or if I just blew my load in the first half hour of the season. Only time will tell