Archery is open and I can't stand sitting, so I do spot&Stalk. Well, my wife calls it "antelope scaring".
Yesterday in lots of wind figured I could catch them hiding behind hills to stay out of the wind. Had 3 encounters that cover the range of possiblilities, well except actually shooting!
Number 1: Find a lone buck in a gully, tucked against one side of a 15 foot drop. Easiest approach I've seen combined with the wind and I figured slam dunk! Was about 300 yards, moved further from the gully to get an angle to the rock pile I figured he was even with. Made quick work of covering the distance, angled into the rock pile and at 50 yards I slowed to a crawl. Got 10 feet from the rock pile, figuring if he stayed he was about 20 yards away. I was glancing left/right to make sure I wasn't coming in off line. OOOOOPS right there 15 yards quatering up the gully was the top of horns and ears. He was coming to me. He took one more step before I could draw and our eyes met and he was gone.
Number 2: Spot 4 bedded up against the base of a hill. Have to make a long circle to get behind them and come from above the hill. Once there, I find there are 3 ridges, not 1 and it all looks different from here. I picked the wrong one, they see me at about 200 yards and they are off to the races.
Number 3: Heading down the road to a new area, start to crest a hill in the road, get out, glass everything I can see. Nothing. Take the binoculars down, take one more look before heading back to truck. Where o where did those 2 bucks come from, standing broadside at 75 yards just looking at me. They trot, stop, look, trot, stop look. If I had a rifle they were toast any of several times they stopped to look at me, but no, it's bow season. All I can think of is I must have focused to much on further out and not seen them bedded in closer.
Oh well it was fun, then the rain hit and I went home where it was warm.
Yesterday in lots of wind figured I could catch them hiding behind hills to stay out of the wind. Had 3 encounters that cover the range of possiblilities, well except actually shooting!
Number 1: Find a lone buck in a gully, tucked against one side of a 15 foot drop. Easiest approach I've seen combined with the wind and I figured slam dunk! Was about 300 yards, moved further from the gully to get an angle to the rock pile I figured he was even with. Made quick work of covering the distance, angled into the rock pile and at 50 yards I slowed to a crawl. Got 10 feet from the rock pile, figuring if he stayed he was about 20 yards away. I was glancing left/right to make sure I wasn't coming in off line. OOOOOPS right there 15 yards quatering up the gully was the top of horns and ears. He was coming to me. He took one more step before I could draw and our eyes met and he was gone.
Number 2: Spot 4 bedded up against the base of a hill. Have to make a long circle to get behind them and come from above the hill. Once there, I find there are 3 ridges, not 1 and it all looks different from here. I picked the wrong one, they see me at about 200 yards and they are off to the races.
Number 3: Heading down the road to a new area, start to crest a hill in the road, get out, glass everything I can see. Nothing. Take the binoculars down, take one more look before heading back to truck. Where o where did those 2 bucks come from, standing broadside at 75 yards just looking at me. They trot, stop, look, trot, stop look. If I had a rifle they were toast any of several times they stopped to look at me, but no, it's bow season. All I can think of is I must have focused to much on further out and not seen them bedded in closer.
Oh well it was fun, then the rain hit and I went home where it was warm.
