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Post by Buckfever on Nov 2, 2006 7:51:38 GMT -5
11/2/06 The calm before the storm. Both bows are sighted in with my gear on and at 12 yards elevated are crushing 3/4" dots. 4 stand setups and every one of them is as good as the other, I also have 3 alternate trees setup if necessary. All my gear is washed and ready and organized. The only challenge is that the wind is forecast to be out of the south for the first half of the hunt. While I won't hunt a stand if the wind is flat out wrong, I'm going to have to push it some as far as the wind. I'm breaking out a new chemical suit Friday night, the military says they're good for 30 days, and will pay extra close attention to scent control. The only positive is that this is a public park and year round folks bring their dogs walking through there so the deer are used to human scent.
We need to pull some does as it is a true earn a buck. We both saved our buck tags for this hunt. If the wind lets me I'll burn out the one stand to try and pull out the does.
I need to be sure I'm warm on stand, especially my hands. There's too many deer and too short a time to educate them and be able to recover, so I need to be stealth and comfortable.
I need to move around, maybe hunting three different setups in a day, so I need to bring food. I get cold when I'm hungry.
All the extra clothing will be in the truck, dirty stuff in a bag, washed, dried and put back in the truck at the end of the day.
I hope the parts for the new cart come in, so I can get deer out of there more efficiently than with the converted hand truck I have.
I've never been so prepared. I don't want to let my partner down. I know he's going to pull his weight, I need to do the same.
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Post by Buckfever on Nov 4, 2006 20:22:25 GMT -5
Got a late start, on stand 2:20. Had a spike come in edgy, but he offered a broadside shot at 25. Then I had a 7 pointer, come in offer a 15 yard shot then I wathced him work a scrape in the thicket, then he came out broadside on the other side of me at 15 then he turned and came in broadside at 10 yards, then he rubbed and fed and took off. He must of been under me 20 minutes. Then a doe came in but I wasn't sure she was a doe till after the shot opportunity, 25 yards broadside. Four deer were wounded today on the adjacent zones and guys are reporting they're getting busted left and right. I saw one guy walking the path through my zone to get to his zone. One guy stuck one in the backstrap and then another one in the neck. And he was whining about it.
This hunt is going to go from bad to worse in a hurry. I'll hunt the same stand tomorrow morning. And midday I'll switch to hunting cover. Another day or 2 of this and the deer will pick it up from one another and they'll all get edgy.
What should of been an easy earn a buck requirement, is going to have to be earned now.
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Post by ncboman on Nov 4, 2006 22:00:54 GMT -5
hope you don't mind me interjecting but I think the doe especially are edgy because of the rut, not the pressure. Ask your wife about how young girls perceive their first oncoming period. Edgy is likely to be heard. Hunting pressure will NOT disuade the deer from their appointed tasks. Keep at you best doe stand and you're sure to succeed. Remember does in estrus are on their feet and moving over 70% of the entire estrus time and also move moocho prior to estrus. What other hunters do should not affect your attitude as the deer have other things utmost in their minds. btw, good on you for making sure of the sex before letting. It's very tuff to observe them closely and still get good shots but I'm sure it'll come together for you soon.
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Post by Buckfever on Nov 4, 2006 23:26:33 GMT -5
Thanks for the advise, I'll keep it in mind.
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Post by ncboman on Nov 5, 2006 1:34:40 GMT -5
boy, I suree played the 'knowitall' card there.
I hate when that happens.
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Post by Buckfever on Nov 5, 2006 12:49:18 GMT -5
Got picked off by 4 does coming in fromt he field, they didn't even make it into the woods before picking me off and then they just ripped out of there. Saw the 7 and the forky again. I scouted the thicket and found that it was loaded with freshly worked scrapes. I tore that setup down and moved right into the thicket in the only tree in there, setup in the middle of the five trunks, cut my shooting lanes, no way I get picked off in there, I am surrrounded by cover. I'll leave that area alone till later in the week, providing I can earn the buck by then. My hunting partner is getting picked off as well, as he puts it, they're already educated, they're looking up. I'm hunting cover from now on, I only have a small property to hunt, everyone else is tipping their hand, I don't have to.
I have a 2 good doe setups with cover, this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon I'll hit those.
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Post by Buckfever on Nov 5, 2006 20:14:38 GMT -5
I swear, I'm not having a good streak. First 2 hunters come in on the wrong trail, but that was early enough. Then a couple come through with their 3 dogs. Then some high school kids yelling and swearing, with 30 minutes to go, they leave. It's clearly marked closed for hunting, whatever. I'm ready to tear it down with 3 minutes to go, 4 does come in, too dark in the thicket for a good shot and on the outside one doe gets edgy and then trots off, only to come back and they feed underneath me for 20 minutes. They finally move off and I wait a bit and toss down my safety harness to make sure they're gone and I hear no movement. They were very comfortable in there and had no idea I was there so I may try that setup again in a couple days.
At least my buddy has been scoring he's taken 2 does and took the 7 pointer I saw the last 2 days. I hope he holds off for something better for the second buck tag, but he wants numbers and clearly I'm slacking, so I understand his motivation.
I feel that I'm letting him down by not taking numbers, but on the other hand, him having earned his 2 buck tags takes the pressure off me in terms of me needing to help him out that way.
I don't feel that sharp yet. Maybe that's what nc was talking about, but I clearly feel behind assessing the impacts. For instance I did not anticipate the hunters using that trail, but I saw it the first day and should have acted right away, like I did this morning tearing it down. Also to have hunted where I did this evening on a Sunday wasn't wise as there is too much commotion on the road from walkers and runners, for the deer to come in early enough. I need to get "ON" in a hurry and be more decisive and assertive in my decisions in the field. In that regard it hurt me a little not having hunted much in October. Usually by the rut, I have my schit square.
Well, I have 7 days left, 3 full days. And if I need to I can squeeze in a couple morning hunts before work. The pressure is on.
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Post by Buckfever on Nov 6, 2006 20:02:27 GMT -5
I can't get a shot at a doe to save my life. I'm definitely on now though. I was on stand from 1:20 to 5:10 and my focus was intense the whole way. I'm definitely ready for all day sits.
Pulled one of my stands and will hunt just the three the rest of the way. 9 hunts left.
The thing is that I know that I'm the one guy there that can pull out a good buck and I can't take a doe to earn that priviledge.
We'll try again tomorrow. I'm going to give it a couple more days and then I'll move into the thicket and stay there.
I just need a doe!!!
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Post by Buckfever on Nov 7, 2006 22:41:45 GMT -5
5 and 0, 8 more to go. I continue to be unable to get an ethical shot opportunity at an anterless deer. The thicket breeding scrape area continues to develop. There are 8-9 freshly opened up scrapes in there that are being maintained and I have a beautiful setup in there, which is absolutely worthless if I can't fulfill the earn a buck requirement.
To make matters worse my buddy took a shot at what he thought was a doe at last light and wound up burning his second and final buck tag on a small-medium eight pointer. The problem was it was a high hit with no blood and we had to do a half square mile grid search. I had both of the G2 nitrolons working in tandem, man what a beam 2 of them put out. I don't think we find that deer without those 130 lumens lighting up the prairie.
He was only disappointed for a moment and that was quickly replaced by the euphoria of finding the deer. I mean bear hugs and high fives. It was great to share that moment with him.
Problem is that except for my scrape thicket stand we trampled through the rest of my setups, trying to find that deer.
I need to get out there tomorrow late morning and make a new doe setup or 2.
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Post by Buckfever on Nov 8, 2006 7:32:03 GMT -5
Slept in this morning. I really needed the sleep to get me through the rest of the way, I was exhausted. Plus I really didn't have a good setup for this morning. I'll get out there at 9:30 so as not to ruin anyones morning hunt and then make a new setup. 7 hunts remain.
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1YLAB
10 Pointer
Posts: 310
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Post by 1YLAB on Nov 8, 2006 9:24:11 GMT -5
relax man, you'll get one. I haven't seen a doe while hunting this year.
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Post by Buckfever on Nov 8, 2006 13:17:26 GMT -5
11/8/06 Saw a decent Buck chasing does. They're not ready yet. Peak of the seek chasing phase is a few days away. We should start seeing some nice deer in the next few days.
Tore down 2 setups, made a new one. Have 2 now, might hunt one more setup but that's all I got. Sleeping in helped, I feel refreshed. Seven hunts to go. Starting in about an hour.
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Post by Buckfever on Nov 8, 2006 19:26:55 GMT -5
Hunt 6, almost got pelted by paintballs. Tore it down, I'm not hunting with kids in the woods. Called the Conservation Police. I went and examined the area and the kids had dug trenches and the trees where all pelted with the blue from the paintballs.
I feel like I'm jinxed on this hunt. I have never had so many things go wrong.
I've heard of hunters having bad streaks, it's just never happened to me before.
Guess I was due.
I only have one area left to hunt.
6 and 0, 6 more to go.
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Post by Buckfever on Nov 11, 2006 7:57:04 GMT -5
Now that things have turned around I need to get focused again. I have a day and a half left and I have a buck tag. The bucks are still searching/chasing so the opportuity is there. I put the scent down yesterday and it rained so the scrapes should have been tended to. I need to park it in that stand and put the time in.
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Post by Buckfever on Nov 11, 2006 23:22:03 GMT -5
11/11 Saw nothing. But the zone next to us reported 6 small bucks chasing. Tomorrow is the last day of this draw hunt. I'll live there. Undecided on whether to burn the buck tag on a medium buck as my huntig opportunity is very limited for the balance of the season, but I may hold off and hunt a specific buck, well see tomorrow.
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