NC Update

[freedomrules3]

Boman called me this evening with an update. he has spotted finally a shooter buck , hopefully he can get it done before monday . maybe the gunners will run it his way if not. He shot a coyote the other night but after a 3 mile track the yotes will to live was more than the arrow could damage , amazing animals. so he's still alive and well but its gotta be taking its toll. 2 weeks straight for me was plenty enough , an extra week would have been doable but it wears on ya. deer can win by wearing a hunter out indeed .

[Twanger]

Thanks for the update Rick.
Yeah, it's only a little more than half-way through the bow season, but I'm getting a bit worn down myself.

[1YLAB]

Any updates from the ole Boman?

He must have the best wife in the world being gone this long.
My wife would have burned my stuff in the front yard by now.

[freedomrules3]

haven't heard from him since the 25th. phone service isnt the best out that way. I figure he will be home very soon . 23 days , he has got to be worn out by now

[ncboman]

if you guys only knew how much I love this type hunting.

I could still be there and be perfectly happy. ;D

in fact....

Actually I was really gettin cranked up when I had to leave. A really nice buck killed the day before ... and when I go investigate the actual kill site, one of the two 'last things' to do before pullin out, I see another shooter.

Man I wanted to stay, but even at my age sometimes the lessons are tuff. And the lesson of rushing a job to leave is still grinding in my gut.

I will not put myself in that position again!!!

some comments about the hunt;

I enjoyed it so much just thinking about it almost makes me pee.

Early on the hunting was spotty in my opinion, and some days in many spots, dead. The warm weather, plentiful food, and previous pressure had most of them nocturnal.

In retro, I should have been walking during this time, learning overlooked areas I've yet to check out.

All three of us hunted hard. Since I had more time, I could afford to play some and wait somewhat for colder weather and the full rut but Walt was out every morning early from the go. He'd usually show back up @ midday depending on the hunt and take different hunts in the evenings. He got a good buck on video one morning. Walt probably hunted more intensely than Rick or I but with good cause. Walt had only days, when we had weeks. Rick, as usual, becomes pretty private once he forms a plan of attack and just leaves early, stays all day, and since he ground hunts often, he's usually back in camp well ahead of me. We tend to stay up too late talking sometimes but not too bad.

After my buddies left, I buddied up somewhat with George, a gunhunter I met last year, and the kind of sportsman that does us all well.
He had his camper setup nearby and loaned me his extra Mr Buddy heater for the duration of my stay. George killed a doe 2nd day of gun season and we left camp within minutes of each other the next day.

Randy was still at camp with his Dad and two other guys that showed up. Randy, however, had left them all to their own means as he had spotted a trophy on private land earlier, obtained permission 'nearby' and was really hunting hard when I left. fyi, Randy is a hunter/camper much like us except he has even more time.

I found the deer movement picked up considerably the day before Rick left and continued to pick up throughout the rest of my stay. The 2nd day of gunseason I saw more deer than any other, partly because they were stirred up but they were moving good anyway.

to be continued ...

[Twanger]

ncboman said:

if you guys only knew how much I love this type hunting.

I could still be there and be perfectly happy. ;D

In retro, I should have been walking during this time, learning overlooked areas I've yet to check out.

I really resonate with those two statements. I would have been very happy staying there a month. Being able to do whatever you want to, and having that be the challenge of bowhunting trophy whitetails, is a precious gift. Camp life was nice. I really liked sitting outside the tent with a cigar and some spiked hot-chocolate as the last thing before bed. It's alot more fun sharing camp than doing it alone...

I learned more on my one single day trying to chase down that hot doe with buck in-tow, than I did on any other day. Too bad it was my last day there. Walking, walking, walking, and looking for sign is invaluable. I'm constantly amazed at how hard the pieces are to put together, and how long it takes.