Going into the year, I honestly didn't hold onto a lot of hope. I worked quite a bit this summer, and between that, my kids, and buying/working on our new house I didn't have a lot of time to scout this summer. I didn't even get out at all for archery season. I slowed down in November, which gave me the chance to get out for a few days. Dad and I have always gone on an archery trip, and have almost every year since I was 9 (I'm now 27). Something I always look forward to. Tough to beat spending time with your Dad in the outdoors.
We headed out Thursday morning and were set up on stand for Thursday afternoon. We set up in our usual area, except I got the spot Dad typically likes as he wanted me to get one. Right at about dark there was a decent buck that came out. He came from a completely different direction than we normally see. I think he picked up the our scent trail because he stopped once he crossed it, checked the area our a bit more, and ended up walking away.
We went back out the next morning to the same areas. Was supposed to be really windy, but the morning turned out to be really calm. About an hour into my sit I had a good buck come out at 35 yards. He made his visit quick and never gave me a good opportunity. I was pretty disappointed as he was one of the nicer bucks I've ever seen, especially while bowhunting.
About an hour after that, I heard movement behind me. There was a spike coming in. I'm not a big fan of shooting yearling bucks, but I wanted some meat for the freezer, had 2 tags, and I've never shot a buck with my bow. I decided if he gave me the chance, I was going to give it a shot.
He pretty much came in at a perfect angle. I got set up, only to hear something moving in the woods about 100 yards away. I checked it out but never saw anything. I focused back on the spike, who stepped behind some trees. I drew back, and once he cleared I let the arrow go. Made a great hit and he took off and fell about 70 yards later. I had my first bow buck!
In all the commotion, I saw a deer moving in the trees. I didn't see it for long, but knew it wasn't spooked. I nocked another arrow and made a doe bleat, followed by a tending grunt. The deer started moving right in. As he came out, I could tell he was an awesome buck, especially for this area. He would scent check every couple of steps, but the wind was in a good direction. He stopped as he crossed the blood trail of the spike I just shot (thankfully the spike fell in a bit of a valley, so he couldn't see it). He continued coming my way, stopping around 25 yards away. I had a small lane, drew back, and let an arrow go. It hit him low and forward. He took off running, but he was hit good. He ended up only going about 30 yards before stopping there, only 30 yards from where the spike fell.
I couldn't believe it. I've never experienced anything like that. I know it's another day at the office to some, but I can only recall seeing 2 bucks in a day one other time, let alone 3 in about 3 hours of hunting. I called my dad, who was almost as shocked as I was. We hugged and stood in disbelief for a while before he started ragging on me for taking his spot. Thanks Dad!
We headed out Thursday morning and were set up on stand for Thursday afternoon. We set up in our usual area, except I got the spot Dad typically likes as he wanted me to get one. Right at about dark there was a decent buck that came out. He came from a completely different direction than we normally see. I think he picked up the our scent trail because he stopped once he crossed it, checked the area our a bit more, and ended up walking away.
We went back out the next morning to the same areas. Was supposed to be really windy, but the morning turned out to be really calm. About an hour into my sit I had a good buck come out at 35 yards. He made his visit quick and never gave me a good opportunity. I was pretty disappointed as he was one of the nicer bucks I've ever seen, especially while bowhunting.
About an hour after that, I heard movement behind me. There was a spike coming in. I'm not a big fan of shooting yearling bucks, but I wanted some meat for the freezer, had 2 tags, and I've never shot a buck with my bow. I decided if he gave me the chance, I was going to give it a shot.
He pretty much came in at a perfect angle. I got set up, only to hear something moving in the woods about 100 yards away. I checked it out but never saw anything. I focused back on the spike, who stepped behind some trees. I drew back, and once he cleared I let the arrow go. Made a great hit and he took off and fell about 70 yards later. I had my first bow buck!
In all the commotion, I saw a deer moving in the trees. I didn't see it for long, but knew it wasn't spooked. I nocked another arrow and made a doe bleat, followed by a tending grunt. The deer started moving right in. As he came out, I could tell he was an awesome buck, especially for this area. He would scent check every couple of steps, but the wind was in a good direction. He stopped as he crossed the blood trail of the spike I just shot (thankfully the spike fell in a bit of a valley, so he couldn't see it). He continued coming my way, stopping around 25 yards away. I had a small lane, drew back, and let an arrow go. It hit him low and forward. He took off running, but he was hit good. He ended up only going about 30 yards before stopping there, only 30 yards from where the spike fell.
I couldn't believe it. I've never experienced anything like that. I know it's another day at the office to some, but I can only recall seeing 2 bucks in a day one other time, let alone 3 in about 3 hours of hunting. I called my dad, who was almost as shocked as I was. We hugged and stood in disbelief for a while before he started ragging on me for taking his spot. Thanks Dad!
