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Regular season Opening weekend. How'd you do?

DanceswithSkunks

By DanceswithSkunks,
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Dr Ignominious Death Newbie

Dr Ignominious Death

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Posted

Yesterday was my first deer hunt ever! I set up my blind at the edge of the field at 2AM and sat quietly thinking every sound was a deer and just waiting for the sun to come up. As I hunt public land, I put up some orange streamers at the obvious entrance to the field thinking that would alert other hunters that a hunter was already in this field..boy was I wrong. Just at sunrise, 3 guys start walking the field perimeter toward me, they get about 30 yrds away, see my blind and decide to walk to the other end of the field about 250 yrds away and sit right in my firing lane (rifles are permitted here). I had already started calling and about 25 minutes after sunrise a small doe came running into the field. I thought it was a little small so I passed, while admiring my first shootable deer through my scope, I catch movement at my periphery and a buck (which I would like to think somehow came due to my poor calling) was running right at me. I crapped my pants with excitement and put my scope on him. Unfortunately, all I could see was his head as he was at the top of a small incline and behind him would be the entrance to the field where other hunters were deciding to come. To my dismay I had to pass on the shot and the buck fled about 5 seconds later.

 

I stayed in my blind the rest of the day and those 3 idiots stayed on the opposite side of the field coming and going to the field edge the entire day.  I know they saw me cause I got out of my blind in all my glorious orange and they were pointing at me, but they decided to stay exactly where I thought most of the deer would have entered the field. Nearing sunset, another pair of hunters decide to enter the field and walk straight toward my blind. I sat quietly and watched until they were about 20 feet from my ground blind before they noticed (despite me wearing orange and having orange tags in the bushes on either side of my blind. After they saw me they walked 10 feet through some shrubs and just stayed there the rest of the evening.

 

So my first day I had 15 minutes of excitement thinking I called in a "shootable" buck, but had 10 or so hours of misery secondary to inconsiderate and amateur (more than myself) hunters who ruined my hardwork and planning. Oh yeah, did I mention that they were UPWIND from me and they would have been shooting without a backstop where I was downwind and shooting with a backstop.  I'm heading out Mon-Wednesday and hopefully I don't become disenchanted by all the idiots out there that made my experience rather frustrating. Good luck to everyone else.

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genesee_mohican Collaborator

genesee_mohican

Posted
Posted

Had a great opener, hunted about a mile from my house out back on some private land. Never saw another hunter.  I had a small 4pt close by 6:30am, rubbing trees, nibbling browse. A bunch of doe n fawns came by between 8 and 9am. I was in for an all day sit and took a nice 6pt at 1:30pm. 15.5 inch spread, 2.5 year old deer. I'll post more on the harvest thread.

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Dr Ignominious Death Newbie

Dr Ignominious Death

Posted
Posted

Were you on private land or public land?

 

First words of second sentence..."public land".  I went back yesterday, extremely windy.  Saw only a handful of hunters, met a couple of them who didn't see any movement, myself included. Again this morning some D-bag decided to cross the middle of the field where I was hunting. I suppose that's the bane of hunting public land.

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landtracdeerhunter Rising Star

landtracdeerhunter

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hopefully everyone had an enjoyable, safe, and incident free weekend. What'd ya' see? What'd ya get?

 

I didn't get anything. I had to pay $50 and pick up the garbage.

 

Should of left it in the church. Let Alice take care of her own garbage, LOL............

 

Four part harmony...... and feel ' in.

Edited by landtracdeerhunter
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Dstone001 Newbie

Dstone001

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Posted

Yesterday was my first deer hunt ever! I set up my blind at the edge of the field at 2AM and sat quietly thinking every sound was a deer and just waiting for the sun to come up. As I hunt public land, I put up some orange streamers at the obvious entrance to the field thinking that would alert other hunters that a hunter was already in this field..boy was I wrong. Just at sunrise, 3 guys start walking the field perimeter toward me, they get about 30 yrds away, see my blind and decide to walk to the other end of the field about 250 yrds away and sit right in my firing lane (rifles are permitted here). I had already started calling and about 25 minutes after sunrise a small doe came running into the field. I thought it was a little small so I passed, while admiring my first shootable deer through my scope, I catch movement at my periphery and a buck (which I would like to think somehow came due to my poor calling) was running right at me. I crapped my pants with excitement and put my scope on him. Unfortunately, all I could see was his head as he was at the top of a small incline and behind him would be the entrance to the field where other hunters were deciding to come. To my dismay I had to pass on the shot and the buck fled about 5 seconds later.

 

I stayed in my blind the rest of the day and those 3 idiots stayed on the opposite side of the field coming and going to the field edge the entire day.  I know they saw me cause I got out of my blind in all my glorious orange and they were pointing at me, but they decided to stay exactly where I thought most of the deer would have entered the field. Nearing sunset, another pair of hunters decide to enter the field and walk straight toward my blind. I sat quietly and watched until they were about 20 feet from my ground blind before they noticed (despite me wearing orange and having orange tags in the bushes on either side of my blind. After they saw me they walked 10 feet through some shrubs and just stayed there the rest of the evening.

 

So my first day I had 15 minutes of excitement thinking I called in a "shootable" buck, but had 10 or so hours of misery secondary to inconsiderate and amateur (more than myself) hunters who ruined my hardwork and planning. Oh yeah, did I mention that they were UPWIND from me and they would have been shooting without a backstop where I was downwind and shooting with a backstop.  I'm heading out Mon-Wednesday and hopefully I don't become disenchanted by all the idiots out there that made my experience rather frustrating. Good luck to everyone else.

 

This sums up almost all of my hunting experience.

 

Other than the one time I actually took a shot and got a deer.  

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oblivitar Newbie

oblivitar

Posted
Posted

Opening weekend sucked for me as well. Saturday morning was all screwed up because another hunter came in and sat 75 yards across the field I was hunting. Didn't wanna get shot so I left. Sunday morning I was walking to my other spot behind my mother's neighbors and not 50 yards behing the house I get whistled at and look up....another hunter tresspassing and facing towards the back of the house. I probably doesn't even know there's a bouse 50 yards away! I was so aggravated I just turned around and called it a day. Whole weekend was shot because of trespassers.

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blackradio Apprentice

blackradio

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Posted

Saw a big flock of turkeys opening morning then a doe running down the mountain past me at full speed. She stopped, sniffed the ground, stepped on a stick and it made a snapping sound and she freaked out, jumped and ran even faster up the hill the way she came. That left a smile on my face for a while after.

Saw 2 more does far away.

 

Sunday morning I didn't see anything until I hear something running. I stood with my gun and saw a bear headed right towards me. It was a fat round thing but young I think and it was exhausted and out of breath and just kept it moving while looking behind it. Something must have spooked it. It stopped 10 yards broadside, looked around and then disappeared into thicket. I was really excited to see it.

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Uncle Nicky Apprentice

Uncle Nicky

Posted
Posted (edited)

Killed a nice 9-pointer in Allegany county Sunday afternoon. 3rd decent buck I've shot on this property in 4 years. Did I ever mention I love rifle hunting?

 

Saw the first bear on this property in 8 years, and busted a nice flock of turkeys on the way in Saturday morning.

 

Hooray for me!!! B)

 

 

post-264-0-18495900-1384875288_thumb.jpg

Edited by Uncle Nicky
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burmjohn Newbie

burmjohn

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Posted

Killed a nice 9-pointer in Allegany county Sunday afternoon. 3rd decent buck I've shot on this property in 4 years.

 

Saw the first bear on this property in 8 years, and busted a nice flock of turkeys on the way in Saturday morning.

 

Hooray for me!!! B)

 

Nice buck!

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jimbodwb Newbie

jimbodwb

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I shot a nice 8 point chasing a doe at 270 yards. Hit it a little low and back and he ran right towards my buddy hunting the edge of a ridge and he dropped him. A little disappointing but at least he didn't get away. My shot was fatal but would have taken a little to bleed out. I hit the liver. My buddy took out his heart and he dropped in his tracks. I don't have a pic with me but when I get home to  my PC I will post. 

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ants Newbie

ants

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Posted

Hunted Allegheny Co. for the last few days. I saw a bunch of does and scrub racked bucks but nothing good enough to shoot. My buddy got a nice 8 on opening day. He didn't get it until 11:40 and it was the first deer he saw that day. It was chasing a doe. It ran past him, without giving him a good shot, but fortunatly the doe brought him right back for a 40 yard shot.

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