Actually felt like hunting today

[Nomad]

Sitting in a tree is nice in bow  , as there’s generally lots of close in action , but it’s boring as F in gun , and I don’t feel like a hunter . We used to drive and push everything in gun , it was awesome ,we knew where they were and where they would run to , almost to the tree .  Walked hours , total team effort .  But much of the close drives are gone either cleared for bigger fields or now off limits , then the farm now frowns on drives as well .

Today we pushed a few things ,three of us two does dropped and more passed . I put a stick in a lane where I wanted Dennis to stand , he dropped one at 30 yards ..... tell me that’s not hunting ! Stand here and in ten minutes you’ll kill one .

It actually felt like we were hunting today , instead of sitting and playing with a phone . Zzzzzzz.....
 

I used to call myself “ ditch walker “  I’d walk brushy drainage ditch’s for hours and sooner or later one would jump up , then how fast are you getting on it and letting slugs fly ! My favorite hunt was 16 years ago my daughter was 14 and I had her walk a over grown ditch , and she pushed a nice 7 ( broken brow ) out i shot him on a dead run at 75 yards .little buck ,14 inch spread, hunt of a lifetime !

Best hunt ever !

Edited December 13, 2020 by Nomad

[luberhill]

Yes I hunt alone so I sit,, sometimes I walk around some .

I killed a good doe opening day that I’m sure someone pushed my way .

seen nothing since except on my trail cam well after dark

[suburbanfarmer]

I tend to hunt alone a lot also.

Why because most people around me dont hunt and those who do have no time now or the schedules never sync up. Now how I hunt is what I self learnt, didnt really have a mentor per se. Cut my teeth hunting The Honeoye Creek stateland back in 2000's.

Solo hunters cant do deer drives. But I have seen so many videos that I really want to try one. Maybe go down to Virginia next yr..lol

 

[airedale]

8 hours ago, Nomad said:

It actually felt like we were hunting today , instead of sitting and playing with a phone . Zzzzzzz.....

Deer hunting sure has changed in recent years, the actual hunting part seems to be sorely missing more and more.

Al

[rob-c]

My favorite was staying  on stand over lunch time. A lot of the guys around my cousins old hunting camp would get the deer on  there feet for me. 

[knehrke]

9 hours ago, Nomad said:

It actually felt like we were hunting today , instead of sitting and playing with a phone . Zzzzzzz.....

Exactly!! During bow season, I'm on high alert, bow in hand most of the time, and for good reason. During gun though, I can go days without seeing a deer. I bought a pair of finger touch gloves so that I can work my screen without freezing my hands off. Boooorrrring...

I used to love drives. We only had a few guys, so we'd focus on small areas with known exits. We'd often push deer, sometimes chose to shoot deer, and always had a good time. More often than not, now I'm home by 10:30 am during gun. 

Edited December 13, 2020 by knehrke

[Grouse]

Try tracking deer in good tracking snow.  Nothing feels more like hunting then following a fresh track knowing that big buck is in front of you.  It takes a lot of knowledge and skill too.

[E J]

I feel the same way Larry. After the first week or so of gun season I start getting itchy for some pushes. I wouldn't really call what me and the guys I hunt with drives as there's usually only 3 or 4 of us. Even if we don't see anything its still fun to have made the plan and discussed how it worked last time and what deer we have gotten there before and who did the shooting.

[Robhuntandfish]

I love to still hunt.  Used to do a lot of that in northern. There was a lot of land up there that you can do this, problem is there is not a lot of deer.  So trade off is stand sitting to see deer and have a chance.  As much as I loved to still hunt I would go most days seeing nothing.  This year I took a day up north on some old stateland stomping grounds and snuck up a spike horn.  I loved it. I let him walk but it was a great hunt. I need to get at least one of those in every season from now on. 

[Northcountryman]

That’s great , good job! You mind me asking how you were able to sneak up on him ? Last week , I went into a DEP parcel to have a look around and walked up on a nice deer (not sure if a buck or not, but not nice , nevertheless ). I wasn’t being quiet , just traipsing around , And he let me walk right up close . Actually there was another deer there. , also , that Snort wheezed at my approach but, that I didn’t catch a glimpse of. I wonder why it is that sometimes, they’ll slip away when they hear your approach while other times , they either stay still and you either see them or you don’t ? I. Retrospect , I shoulda brought my damn gun!! Guy in my club yelled at me saying “ always bring your gun with you in to the woods during the season!! “ I woulda filled my tag cuz definitely had a shot , oh well 

On 12/7/2020 at 5:06 PM, Nomad said:

The original was from Deer and Deer Hunting mag, then just a spead sheet my friend made up . 

 

[Nomad]

3 hours ago, Northcountryman said:

That’s great , good job! You mind me asking how you were able to sneak up on him ? Last week , I went into a DEP parcel to have a look around and walked up on a nice deer (not sure if a buck or not, but not nice , nevertheless ). I wasn’t being quiet , just traipsing around , And he let me walk right up close . Actually there was another deer there. , also , that Snort wheezed at my approach but, that I didn’t catch a glimpse of. I wonder why it is that sometimes, they’ll slip away when they hear your approach while other times , they either stay still and you either see them or you don’t ? I. Retrospect , I shoulda brought my damn gun!! Guy in my club yelled at me saying “ always bring your gun with you in to the woods during the season!! “ I woulda filled my tag cuz definitely had a shot , oh well 

 

That buck was laying in the end near me and busted out only  when my daughter got  very close to the end of the ditch  .Daughters path is black line , I’m yellow dot and deers path is blue line . The house circled in red is the house my wife grew up in , and this piece of ground is some of what she owns .

Daughter  was so close to me that I put my sling over my shoulder and started to walk into the ditch to walk out with her  , when the buck almost ran me over in the ditch before it ran out  !  Took two shots out of my smooth bore BPS, one connected .

We pushed the ditch yesterday, had a large very bushy Fox stop broadside at 20 yards , he got a pass .
 

Hard to match that fun sitting in a tree , for me anyways .

[UpStateRedNeck]

I hear you.  If I don't get a buck opening day, especially after 6 weeks of sitting in a tree for bow, my go-to is stalking the hillside logging roads.  Killed alot of bucks doing that.  Makes you feel like an actual predator, not a lump in a tree.