acabtp
Well-known member
Been trying to stay in the trees as much as possible this year, but unfortunately still haven't had any shooter bucks come in. Of course, when I was out the other day with a friend of mine, he drops his personal best while I watch from 75 yards out... what can you do. I digress.
On 10/23 I shot this button buck. Didn't run, dropped in place. I let it hang for a couple days before quartering, and then let the quarters age for about a week before butchering... most tender, delicious venison I have eaten yet.
I thought the rest was a good story though so I will paste it from a post on my local hunting board:
So I went out yesterday afternoon to a piece of private land that I hunt. I hadn't been there since the storm [TinBoaters, i am referring to the 10/29 snowstorm that wrecked NJ], so I took the time to scout around and see how the deer paths had changed with all the trees and limbs that were down. No big changes, and the paths near my favorite tree were still good with plenty of signs of recent activity, so I finished up with that and set up my climber. I then realize I forgot to put on my harness, so I started walking back down to my truck to grab it.
As I am heading back, I see a big van come driving up a trail, and it comes to a stop maybe 40 yards from where I had just set up my stand. Guy gets out, walks up to me, asks me what I am doing, where I am hunting, says I have to go. I explain that I have permission to hunt the land, show him where we are with GPS and where the property line is with the tax map. Turns out that he has permission for the property next to the one I do. I showed him that I was set up on the property I had permission for and he was perfectly pleasant once it was clear that I was allowed to be there, but did not seem to trust the GPS. He drove over when he saw me when he was coming up to bait near his stand, with bagels? Never heard of that, I guess they must have been free. We shook hands and I went on to get my harness and he went about his baiting.
I got back to my stand about 5 minutes later at 3:20. I figured that I was pretty much screwed for seeing any deer the rest of the day. Between the sound and exhaust smell of the van driving around and the noise of the two of us conversing and then walking the property line for a few minutes, I figured we had scared off anything within sight smell or earshot of us. But, I was already out there so I started up the tree, with no particular stealiness to my movements, climbing for my usual spot just below some branches about 25' up.
I only get up about 12 or 15' when I hear a branch snap behind me, close. I gave the stand and seat a quick wiggle to lock them in nice and tight. Then, I slowly, slowly turn around and find a big doe, about 25 yards out. She was heading right for me on a slow browse of the foliage. I glanced down at my Devastator, still sitting on the ground. The doe does not see or smell me, so I slowly take up the slack in the draw line to the bow. She puts her head behind a tree to sniff some stuff and I quietly, but swiftly, hoist it up and nock an arrow. I look around to make sure that no bucks are following her in and decide that I will try to harvest her.
She comes closer , still facing my direction so I have no shot. At about 14 yards she gets spooked on a scent and starts looking all over. She still does not see me (and I really don't know how, I was so close to the ground). After a minute she takes a few more sniffs and lowers her guard a bit, but starts to head off in a different direction. She's now presenting a quartering away angle, but moving away from me, so I mouth call her a nice loud "mehhhhh" which gets her to stop and look around again. I take the shot. She runs about 25 yards and stops, just stands there like a statue, facing directly away from me. I think to myself "****, how did you miss that!?" and figure that she just got scared off by the noise. After another minute or so, she turns her head and I can see that her mouth is open and she is breathing real hard. She then turned and laid down, and as she was turning I could see that I did not miss.
I waited a half hour or so, and then climbed down and packed my stuff back to the truck. BS'd with the landowner and his wife for a few minutes ("So you coming to get some more soon?" she asks expectantly... gotta love it). Then headed back up into the woods to recover the doe.
Entry hole was farther back than I wanted. I think she started to run when she heard the shot, I should have aimed a bit farther forward. Exit hole was much further up by the leg. She is nice and big, will provide a lot of tasty and healthful dinners for my family.
liver and lung shot
On 10/23 I shot this button buck. Didn't run, dropped in place. I let it hang for a couple days before quartering, and then let the quarters age for about a week before butchering... most tender, delicious venison I have eaten yet.
I thought the rest was a good story though so I will paste it from a post on my local hunting board:
So I went out yesterday afternoon to a piece of private land that I hunt. I hadn't been there since the storm [TinBoaters, i am referring to the 10/29 snowstorm that wrecked NJ], so I took the time to scout around and see how the deer paths had changed with all the trees and limbs that were down. No big changes, and the paths near my favorite tree were still good with plenty of signs of recent activity, so I finished up with that and set up my climber. I then realize I forgot to put on my harness, so I started walking back down to my truck to grab it.
As I am heading back, I see a big van come driving up a trail, and it comes to a stop maybe 40 yards from where I had just set up my stand. Guy gets out, walks up to me, asks me what I am doing, where I am hunting, says I have to go. I explain that I have permission to hunt the land, show him where we are with GPS and where the property line is with the tax map. Turns out that he has permission for the property next to the one I do. I showed him that I was set up on the property I had permission for and he was perfectly pleasant once it was clear that I was allowed to be there, but did not seem to trust the GPS. He drove over when he saw me when he was coming up to bait near his stand, with bagels? Never heard of that, I guess they must have been free. We shook hands and I went on to get my harness and he went about his baiting.
I got back to my stand about 5 minutes later at 3:20. I figured that I was pretty much screwed for seeing any deer the rest of the day. Between the sound and exhaust smell of the van driving around and the noise of the two of us conversing and then walking the property line for a few minutes, I figured we had scared off anything within sight smell or earshot of us. But, I was already out there so I started up the tree, with no particular stealiness to my movements, climbing for my usual spot just below some branches about 25' up.
I only get up about 12 or 15' when I hear a branch snap behind me, close. I gave the stand and seat a quick wiggle to lock them in nice and tight. Then, I slowly, slowly turn around and find a big doe, about 25 yards out. She was heading right for me on a slow browse of the foliage. I glanced down at my Devastator, still sitting on the ground. The doe does not see or smell me, so I slowly take up the slack in the draw line to the bow. She puts her head behind a tree to sniff some stuff and I quietly, but swiftly, hoist it up and nock an arrow. I look around to make sure that no bucks are following her in and decide that I will try to harvest her.
She comes closer , still facing my direction so I have no shot. At about 14 yards she gets spooked on a scent and starts looking all over. She still does not see me (and I really don't know how, I was so close to the ground). After a minute she takes a few more sniffs and lowers her guard a bit, but starts to head off in a different direction. She's now presenting a quartering away angle, but moving away from me, so I mouth call her a nice loud "mehhhhh" which gets her to stop and look around again. I take the shot. She runs about 25 yards and stops, just stands there like a statue, facing directly away from me. I think to myself "****, how did you miss that!?" and figure that she just got scared off by the noise. After another minute or so, she turns her head and I can see that her mouth is open and she is breathing real hard. She then turned and laid down, and as she was turning I could see that I did not miss.
I waited a half hour or so, and then climbed down and packed my stuff back to the truck. BS'd with the landowner and his wife for a few minutes ("So you coming to get some more soon?" she asks expectantly... gotta love it). Then headed back up into the woods to recover the doe.
Entry hole was farther back than I wanted. I think she started to run when she heard the shot, I should have aimed a bit farther forward. Exit hole was much further up by the leg. She is nice and big, will provide a lot of tasty and healthful dinners for my family.
liver and lung shot
