Vanish and FireTiger's 2020 Journal

[vanish]

CO Whitetail Take 3 - Evening 1

I did not find any sign of deer at all on the part of the property that has some agriculture. Cows had been in there until recently and the place looks like a wasteland with no cover. The fields were harvested and tilled.

145 - I returned to an area I had scouted this morning that would be good for the SW wind. To the north is a funnel of high land that crosses between two dry cattails sloughs. To the south is a perpendicular trail that follows the slough edges.

330 - deer blowing straight south of me. Curious. Maybe hit some ground scent from earlier?

345 - Doe and Fawn pass through the funnel and in front of me at 35 yards. They hopped off the trail that would have taken them within 15 yards. Hmmm.

355 - lots of rustling, steps, pawing to my SE. Very thick over there with Russian olives.

400 - Mature buck steps out between two Russian olives at 32 yards. There is a tree covering his vitals. His passes heading west so I try a snort wheeze. Scares the poo out of him, then he recovers after leaping 10 yards and looks around. Eventually continues walking away. Darn.

410 - another deer passes by within 50 yards to my south but I never see it.

455 - end of shooting light


I think I am starting to figure out how they are using this area. Not sure I can hunt it in the morning without blowing it out getting in. Will probably hunt 250 yards closer in the morning.

 

[vanish]

CO Whitetail Take 3 - Morning 2

Greetings from the tree.

This morning I had a difficult time crawling out of the warm bag and into 15 degrees, but I managed it with only one snooze. Mornings haven't been productive.

A short drive to the spot last night showed a vehicle parked nearby, though not at the location, so I gave an extra bit of room just in case but proceeded with the plan. I'd be hunting from the ground as i didnt want to set a stand in the cold dark. Wind is blowing W. I'm on the E of what I believe is a 3 way intersection with a trail heading NNW, S and ESE.

0610 - in position on the S end of the trail where i saw the buck last night, about 200 yards from my location yesterday.

0700 - good buck, likely the one from last night, passes by at 40 yards to my WNW. Possibly a trail heading W I didnt know about. No shot. He takes the trail NNW towards where I saw him last night.

0755 - Button buck comes S down NNW trail. As he hits 35 yards, something tips him off. Tail up and flared, he turns around and disappears.

0845 - Doe comes from W as good buck did. She crosses the trail 40 yards to my N. She's edgy. She turns approaching me, and she picks me out but isn't sure what I am and works into the cover to my ENE. She hangs out there.

0855 - second doe runs in behind the first but doesn't see me.

0900 - 1.5yr old 5 point works in from the N. The second doe pops out of the cover and bounds over within 5 yards of me, then turns N. The buck heads over to where I last saw the first doe, but no shot. They mill around for awhile before melting into the cover.

1030 - back to the car for a nap and lunch.

0100pm - head out to hang stand

I'm set up 30 yards NW of my morning position with the intersection of the W trail at 28 yards. No other trees were as big as this one and I wanted to be back a bit for cover as everything in this spot is pretty thin.

For being so cold this morning, the sun is melting me at the moment. Wind is alternating between N (good), W (good) and SW(marginal) but is supposed to turn N for the next couple days.

Time for some reading as I dont expect any movement for at least an hour.

 

[Dave N]

At least you're seeing deer! Good luck.

 

[vanish]

CO Whitetail Take 3 - Evening 2

0340 - the wind suddenly changes. It was a beautiful day with the lightest of breezes, and now its gusting 20+ mph. Often from the S. What the deuce?

0420 - doe coming in from the SE, which is pretty much directly behind me. She literally walks through where I was sitting this morning and then directly at my tree. She was edgy the whole time, then had enough as she noticed my pack on the ground and bounced off 30 yards away.

I could see bits of a second deer where she came from, but it never revealed itself.

0445 - lots of steps to my N, more where I expected the deer. This continues past end of light.


I feel I am in the right area. Just need a little luck. Dad's freezer is empty as he didn't tag anything this year, so tomorrow anything is vulnerable. Hard when I know there are bucks around, but I've only got 2 days left.

 

[bobbydean]

Vanish, You do present a story well!

 

[vanish]

CO Whitetail Take 3 - Morning 3

Forecast for the day was starting out 23 degrees with a high of 35. North winds 15-20mph with gusts 40mph. Oi! And a low of 10 degrees tonight!

I had pretty high expectations despite the wind as my stand was set up in range of where all the deer came through yesterday morning.

0610 - settled in the stand

0622 - shooting light

0700 - deer blows and runs out of visual to my S

0825 - two does easing through the cover 50 yards to my N, heading E

1030 - toe-cicles and fingertips can't handle any more, time to head back to the car.


So, yeah, definitely a bit of a let down this morning.

 

[vanish]

CO Whitetail Take 3 - Evening 3

0230 - on stand

0310 - two deer skirt through 60 yards to my N. I see them again 5 minutes later 50 yards to my W

0435 - lots of footsteps to my E. I'm pretty cold so just standing like a statue hands in pockets. I couldn't see them until they busted for an unknown reason right near where I had been sitting yesterday. Wind was not blowing to them. They run about 60 yards and mill around past end of shooting light.

I had a lot of confidence in this spot but its wavering. Running out of time as tomorrow is my last chance. I will hunt that spot again in the morning and reevaluate from there.

 

[Bowhuntrben]

Keep at it! Thanks for taking us along for the hunt!

 

[kansasdad]

You seem to be dealing with very spooky deer. The dumb ones are already vacuum sealed and labeled.

I hope your last day adventure involves a flurry of furry encounters and perhaps some wrapping and sealing for yourself too.

 

[vanish]

Tender meats.

 

[Bowhuntrben]

Well done!

 

[vanish]

CO Whitetail Take 3 - Morning 4 ( Last day )

I knew it was going to be rough getting out of bed. I started the car before getting out of my bag to warm it up inside, and the outside temp read 7 degrees. Next time I hunt late season from a treestand, my ice fishing boots are coming along. I made a thermos of hot apple cider ( I stopped drinking coffee during hunts this year, gasp! ), put every layer I could find on except for my final heavy gear, which went in my pack, and headed in.

0610 - On stand. Hands in pockets and bundled up.

0624 - Shooting light

0720 - Once again I could hear footsteps. Thank goodness for all those crunchy leaves. Under my three hoods and two hats, it was difficult to tell exactly where the sound was coming from. After several minutes, I caught movement to my N. It was a young buck working the same thicket as the deer the day before, about 50-60 yards out, heading SE. As he disappeared behind a russian olive, I put out a couple of grunts. He seemed to stop and consider this for awhile. As he began moving again, I put out a couple more. He began to circle in closer. At about the 35 yard mark I began to ease my hands out of my pockets. The wind then swirled and the buck got ancy. He worked away from me, tail flared.

0755 - My treestand is feeling just out of place. Almost all the deer have been in that thicket to my N. I began considering about a conversation @Lostinthewoods and I were having a couple nights prior. He's been having good luck on the ground, and finding it more fun. I killed my last two whitetail bucks on the ground ( despite having hung a stand both times ). If I was on the ground right now, I would have moved into that thicket. Sometimes I feel we overcommit once we hang a stand, feeling like we put in all that effort to pack it in and hang it that we must hunt it, even if it isn't quite right.

Coupled with the fact I couldn't feel my toes and a little movement might warm them a little, I decided to bail out of the stand and move into the thicket, hunting from the ground. As I passed through the thicket, I saw a trail heading E-W and knew right away that was the where the deer had been walking. I passed it to get the wind more in my favor and nestled into a cluster of 7 foot tall cedars(?). This felt like a perfect spot for an ambush, as I almost always had front or back cover even while standing, yet I could shoot through the gaps between them.

0925 - I hear a couple of footsteps and peek through to see movement to my W. This deer is going to follow the script, I am sure of it. It keeps working its way closer, eventually on the other side of a bush not 15 yards away. I draw my bow as I have a clear shot as soon as it exits. The deer feeds for several minutes, forcing me to rest my drawn bow against my leg. I probably should have let down at that point, but its faster and less movement. Finally the deer begins to walk again and stops right in front of me broadside. The arrow does a complete pass through and I know the shot placement was good. The deer circles back out of sight, but I hear the familiar sound of crashing followed by silence.

0935 - I text @Lostinthewoods the woods a post-ground-shot video as something to distract myself from following the blood trail too fast, just in case. He's sent me some earlier so it felt appropriate to return the favor.

0945 - I plan to go take my treestand down as another distraction and find the initial hit on the way. Standing at the impact sight, I can follow blood for 20 yards. When you put the arrow in the right spot, they sure do their job. I recover my arrow and see the deer laying another 30 yards away.

1100 - I took my treestand down and quartered up the deer but decided to pack him out first and make two trips for safety. I had plenty of time, no use hurting myself carrying all that bulk at the same time.

That wraps up my Colorado deer tag. My original goal was a 2.5+ year old buck but it never felt so good to just get a deer. I spent 27 days archery hunting this year (between CO Elk, CO Deer and NE deer) and unleashed 6 arrows before this one. I realize now that many of those arrows were forced shots - I was having a problem being in control during the moment. Each time I missed, rather than putting in a better spot, it made the next opportunity even that much more difficult mentally - I need to make this happen! Often I would even start out in control, and then at some point during the encounter panic.

I knew I needed to step back and focus on making the right shot at the right moment, and not shooting if something wasn't right. Unlike some states where you can prepare yourself by taking does, I don't get a lot of opportunities at practicing taking animals. I don't even really like the thought of that, but if we're truthful nothing prepares you for dealing with "buck fever" like simply killing animals. In 20 years of archery hunting, I probably have less than 10 kills with my bow.

I've never been a fan of the saying "Shoot on the first day what would make you happy on the last." It focuses far too much on the outcome over the experience. I had other deer I could have taken on the first day I hunted this tag, and if I had taken one of them, I wouldn't have been able to experience 7 other days of hunting. I wouldn't have learned nearly as much as I had, and I probably wouldn't have appreciated the hunt as much.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

CO Whitetail Take 3 - Morning 4 ( Last day )

I knew it was going to be rough getting out of bed. I started the car before getting out of my bag to warm it up inside, and the outside temp read 7 degrees. Next time I hunt late season from a treestand, my ice fishing boots are coming along. I made a thermos of hot apple cider ( I stopped drinking coffee during hunts this year, gasp! ), put every layer I could find on except for my final heavy gear, which went in my pack, and headed in.

0610 - On stand. Hands in pockets and bundled up.

0624 - Shooting light

0720 - Once again I could hear footsteps. Thank goodness for all those crunchy leaves. Under my three hoods and two hats, it was difficult to tell exactly where the sound was coming from. After several minutes, I caught movement to my N. It was a young buck working the same thicket as the deer the day before, about 50-60 yards out, heading SE. As he disappeared behind a russian olive, I put out a couple of grunts. He seemed to stop and consider this for awhile. As he began moving again, I put out a couple more. He began to circle in closer. At about the 35 yard mark I began to ease my hands out of my pockets. The wind then swirled and the buck got ancy. He worked away from me, tail flared.

0755 - My treestand is feeling just out of place. Almost all the deer have been in that thicket to my N. I began considering about a conversation @Lostinthewoods and I were having a couple nights prior. He's been having good luck on the ground, and finding it more fun. I killed my last two whitetail bucks on the ground ( despite having hung a stand both times ). If I was on the ground right now, I would have moved into that thicket. Sometimes I feel we overcommit once we hang a stand, feeling like we put in all that effort to pack it in and hang it that we must hunt it, even if it isn't quite right.

Coupled with the fact I couldn't feel my toes and a little movement might warm them a little, I decided to bail out of the stand and move into the thicket, hunting from the ground. As I passed through the thicket, I saw a trail heading E-W and knew right away that was the where the deer had been walking. I passed it to get the wind more in my favor and nestled into a cluster of 7 foot tall cedars(?). This felt like a perfect spot for an ambush, as I almost always had front or back cover even while standing, yet I could shoot through the gaps between them.

0925 - I hear a couple of footsteps and peek through to see movement to my W. This deer is going to follow the script, I am sure of it. It keeps working its way closer, eventually on the other side of a bush not 15 yards away. I draw my bow as I have a clear shot as soon as it exits. The deer feeds for several minutes, forcing me to rest my drawn bow against my leg. I probably should have let down at that point, but its faster and less movement. Finally the deer begins to walk again and stops right in front of me broadside. The arrow does a complete pass through and I know the shot placement was good. The deer circles back out of sight, but I hear the familiar sound of crashing followed by silence.

0935 - I text @Lostinthewoods the woods a post-ground-shot video as something to distract myself from following the blood trail too fast, just in case. He's sent me some earlier so it felt appropriate to return the favor.

0945 - I plan to go take my treestand down as another distraction and find the initial hit on the way. Standing at the impact sight, I can follow blood for 20 yards. When you put the arrow in the right spot, they sure do their job. I recover my arrow and see the deer laying another 30 yards away.

1100 - I took my treestand down and quartered up the deer but decided to pack him out first and make two trips for safety. I had plenty of time, no use hurting myself carrying all that bulk at the same time.

That wraps up my Colorado deer tag. My original goal was a 2.5+ year old buck but it never felt so good to just get a deer. I spent 27 days archery hunting this year (between CO Elk, CO Deer and NE deer) and unleashed 6 arrows before this one. I realize now that many of those arrows were forced shots - I was having a problem being in control during the moment. Each time I missed, rather than putting in a better spot, it made the next opportunity even that much more difficult mentally - I need to make this happen! Often I would even start out in control, and then at some point during the encounter panic.

I knew I needed to step back and focus on making the right shot at the right moment, and not shooting if something wasn't right. Unlike some states where you can prepare yourself by taking does, I don't get a lot of opportunities at practicing taking animals. I don't even really like the thought of that, but if we're truthful nothing prepares you for dealing with "buck fever" like simply killing animals. In 20 years of archery hunting, I probably have less than 10 kills with my bow.

I've never been a fan of the saying "Shoot on the first day what would make you happy on the last." It focuses far too much on the outcome over the experience. I had other deer I could have taken on the first day I hunted this tag, and if I had taken one of them, I wouldn't have been able to experience 7 other days of hunting. I wouldn't have learned nearly as much as I had, and I probably wouldn't have appreciated the hunt as much.

Congratulations! Your recap at the end really resonated with me. I always struggle with the idea of a "successful" hunting day being a deer or a bird in hand at the end. But it really is about the experience and that can be lost on me sometimes.

Also your point about killing animals with your bow makes it easier to kill animals with your bow. It is the repetition aspect of it. At first, every encounter is new and different and there are so many variables to account for. But I think each time you learn to handle these situations and reduce the stress of the unknown.

I've been archery hunting for 5 years and I feel like the first animal I successfully killed was the most important as it proved to me that it can be done, but each animal I have killed since has held lessons as well.

And ultimately it is these things we learn as we get out hunting and have encounters/experiences that are as important as the animals we bring home with us.

As always, thanks for sharing your stories. Looking forward to your next adventure.

 

[Pucky Freak]

CO Whitetail Take 3 - Morning 4 ( Last day )

I knew it was going to be rough getting out of bed. I started the car before getting out of my bag to warm it up inside, and the outside temp read 7 degrees. Next time I hunt late season from a treestand, my ice fishing boots are coming along. I made a thermos of hot apple cider ( I stopped drinking coffee during hunts this year, gasp! ), put every layer I could find on except for my final heavy gear, which went in my pack, and headed in.

0610 - On stand. Hands in pockets and bundled up.

0624 - Shooting light

0720 - Once again I could hear footsteps. Thank goodness for all those crunchy leaves. Under my three hoods and two hats, it was difficult to tell exactly where the sound was coming from. After several minutes, I caught movement to my N. It was a young buck working the same thicket as the deer the day before, about 50-60 yards out, heading SE. As he disappeared behind a russian olive, I put out a couple of grunts. He seemed to stop and consider this for awhile. As he began moving again, I put out a couple more. He began to circle in closer. At about the 35 yard mark I began to ease my hands out of my pockets. The wind then swirled and the buck got ancy. He worked away from me, tail flared.

0755 - My treestand is feeling just out of place. Almost all the deer have been in that thicket to my N. I began considering about a conversation @Lostinthewoods and I were having a couple nights prior. He's been having good luck on the ground, and finding it more fun. I killed my last two whitetail bucks on the ground ( despite having hung a stand both times ). If I was on the ground right now, I would have moved into that thicket. Sometimes I feel we overcommit once we hang a stand, feeling like we put in all that effort to pack it in and hang it that we must hunt it, even if it isn't quite right.

Coupled with the fact I couldn't feel my toes and a little movement might warm them a little, I decided to bail out of the stand and move into the thicket, hunting from the ground. As I passed through the thicket, I saw a trail heading E-W and knew right away that was the where the deer had been walking. I passed it to get the wind more in my favor and nestled into a cluster of 7 foot tall cedars(?). This felt like a perfect spot for an ambush, as I almost always had front or back cover even while standing, yet I could shoot through the gaps between them.

0925 - I hear a couple of footsteps and peek through to see movement to my W. This deer is going to follow the script, I am sure of it. It keeps working its way closer, eventually on the other side of a bush not 15 yards away. I draw my bow as I have a clear shot as soon as it exits. The deer feeds for several minutes, forcing me to rest my drawn bow against my leg. I probably should have let down at that point, but its faster and less movement. Finally the deer begins to walk again and stops right in front of me broadside. The arrow does a complete pass through and I know the shot placement was good. The deer circles back out of sight, but I hear the familiar sound of crashing followed by silence.

0935 - I text @Lostinthewoods the woods a post-ground-shot video as something to distract myself from following the blood trail too fast, just in case. He's sent me some earlier so it felt appropriate to return the favor.

0945 - I plan to go take my treestand down as another distraction and find the initial hit on the way. Standing at the impact sight, I can follow blood for 20 yards. When you put the arrow in the right spot, they sure do their job. I recover my arrow and see the deer laying another 30 yards away.

1100 - I took my treestand down and quartered up the deer but decided to pack him out first and make two trips for safety. I had plenty of time, no use hurting myself carrying all that bulk at the same time.

That wraps up my Colorado deer tag. My original goal was a 2.5+ year old buck but it never felt so good to just get a deer. I spent 27 days archery hunting this year (between CO Elk, CO Deer and NE deer) and unleashed 6 arrows before this one. I realize now that many of those arrows were forced shots - I was having a problem being in control during the moment. Each time I missed, rather than putting in a better spot, it made the next opportunity even that much more difficult mentally - I need to make this happen! Often I would even start out in control, and then at some point during the encounter panic.

I knew I needed to step back and focus on making the right shot at the right moment, and not shooting if something wasn't right. Unlike some states where you can prepare yourself by taking does, I don't get a lot of opportunities at practicing taking animals. I don't even really like the thought of that, but if we're truthful nothing prepares you for dealing with "buck fever" like simply killing animals. In 20 years of archery hunting, I probably have less than 10 kills with my bow.

I've never been a fan of the saying "Shoot on the first day what would make you happy on the last." It focuses far too much on the outcome over the experience. I had other deer I could have taken on the first day I hunted this tag, and if I had taken one of them, I wouldn't have been able to experience 7 other days of hunting. I wouldn't have learned nearly as much as I had, and I probably wouldn't have appreciated the hunt as much.

I feel the same way in many respects, although I wasn’t able to find the words to express it. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one making the same mistake over and over - this is sobering and refreshing. Congratulations on the conclusion of your archery hunt and I’m glad to hear it was a fun time overall.

 

[Mudranger1]

Now what are you going to do all December? Congrats

 

[vanish]

Now what are you going to do all December? Congrats

I start with a new company on December 14. Back to the grind!

FireTiger is having an operation later this week, so that will probably keep me home through the 7th.

My Nebraska archery tag is still good until the end of the year. I don't know if it'll happen, but its possible sometime Dec 7-13 will see me back out there. I know it feels good to be warm right now ... well except she just had me outside hanging the lights.

 

[Mudranger1]

I start with a new company on December 14. Back to the grind!

FireTiger is having an operation later this week, so that will probably keep me home through the 7th.

My Nebraska archery tag is still good until the end of the year. I don't know if it'll happen, but its possible sometime Dec 7-13 will see me back out there. I know it feels good to be warm right now ... well except she just had me outside hanging the lights.

I'll be out that way on my days off. Decided it was time to try out their muzzleloader season

 

[vanish]

I'll be out that way on my days off. Decided it was time to try out their muzzleloader season

Is that an invite?

 

[MNElkNut]

Good luck if you go out. I have enjoyed following along. I am particularly disappointed that you were not able to harvest that mature buck; I was really pulling to see a grip and grin!

One thing I have learned about archery is to not overthink it. You can twist yourself in knots mentally and that does NOT help in crunch time. Some archers go way overboard and it goofs them up.

I remember reading on some forum about some guy who injured his shoulder just days before a hunt. He was trying to figure out how he could keep flinging arrows! Goodness gracious, if you cant take a few days off without shooting to heal an injury, you need to take a step back!

 

[duckhunt]

Great hunt