Seconds from glory.....me too

[wannafish2]

Decided I was tired of watching the deer walk under my stand from 75 yards in the morning so I went out early....It is REALLY BLACK at night in the woods, (come on humor an old girl who hunts alone and is 1st year archery) LCD green mini lights or not. So I told myself, to keep putting one foot in front of the other and finally got to the stand without any werewolves getting me (lol). So, about daylight, I see 1, 2, 3 deer about 50 yards out. Two turn back the way they came, then all 3 start slowly feeding their way towards me. 1/2 hour later, I can see 2 deer and they are both fawns. One kept coming closer....nubbin buck. I decide I'm not going to take either fawn. He proceeds to give me broadside view after broadside view, 15 yards......finally, they both lie down within 20yards, facing me. I am trapped, trapped, trapped. I take my chances and slllloooowwwly sit back down. I'm sitting there with these 2 fawns for 2 1/2 hours, wondering where the 3rd deer went. 1030 he stands up and stretches, so does the other fawn. They proceed to feed around me for another 20 minutes...then, up stands mommy! 25 yards in front of me to the right and she is one of the biggest does I've seen. I decide to take her if she gives me a shot. The two fawns run over to momma and it is a noisy, gleeful family reunion! MOM'S AWAKE! let's play!

So here she comes, angling towards me, if she kept coming it would have been a 10 yard shot, but no, she turns left which puts her on my right. I am right handed...bummer. I manage to turn when she is 10 yards out and I have about 5 yards of shooting lane. Now, when to draw...oh, she has a scratch to itch...NOW! Spotted! Off she goes.....as both fawns stand 25 yards off wondering what is wrong with mom. I decide to try the nubbin buck after all.....pulled the shot left. Clean miss. and, can't find the arrow...goodbye broadhead.

But it was a very exciting encounter! It was really fun watching those fawns for so long....this archery thing really is addicting! can't wait til tomorrow. I'll be tempting the werewolves again in the dark.....

[mrklean]

its better then a day in the office thats for sure

[musky hunter]

Great encounter, I enjoyed reading it. This is what it's all about!

[delmuts]

Yep! You got to watch out for those werewolves!! It is amazing all the sounds you hear, when it is pitch black, and you are alone in the woods!! I still get the willy's at times, and i've been at it a loooooong time! Now you partly know why bow hunting is so addictive! The rush, of getting a shot. Then the rush of getting your first deer. Keep practicing and go get them!

[wannafish2]

delmuts - You can say that again! There must have been a deer just inside the woods across the road when I was ready to start walking, cuz when I quietly shut the door and took a step, it sounded like a moose going back up the right of way and into the woods...really, I've heard lots of deer after someone has kicked them up and this sounded BIG. that side of the road is really mature woods with hardly no brush so to make that kind of noise....of course the black silent woods really amplify noise, but WHO KNOWS? maybe a big buck is roaming around.....hope i can stop shaking long enuf to make a shot if I see him.

[96trigger]

Great story. Too bad you missed, but a clean miss is better than a poor shot anyday. Last night I was in the stand and was thinking about how earily quiet it was. It was unbelievably quiet. All the sudden a coyote lets loose about 50 yards away. Just about jumped out of the tree stand.

[wannafish2]

oh, i forgot to include that while i was watching these deer, i'm sitting real still and i feel something brush on my right shoulder.....it was a hawk! clipped me with its left wing swooping in, and then, off its course, landed about 3 ft away in a tree on my left! That was cool! but i almost jumped out of my skin! you never know what will happen in the woods!

[GFNER]

I watched an owl glide for about 50 yards through the woods right at me until it was about 4ft out before I moved to get out of its way. Don't know who was more freaked out, me or the owl. I think he saw me blinking and was zeroing in on my eyes, very cool!

[Bear55]

I watched an owl glide for about 50 yards through the woods right at me until it was about 4ft out before I moved to get out of its way. Don't know who was more freaked out, me or the owl. I think he saw me blinking and was zeroing in on my eyes, very cool!

This has happened to me a couple of times, literally scared the [PoorWordUsage] out of me. Be careful out there, those owls have some big sharp claws that can take a chunk out of you.

[delmuts]

You will see all kinds of thing while on stand or in the woods!

Birds land on you, or have rodents at your feet.( squirrels, mice or i even had a ground hog try to crawl in my backpack as it was on the ground!)

Probably the coolest thing i saw was a few years back.I was walking out from a stand when one of those little birds flew up right in front of me. In an instant there was a flash pass my shoulder and the little bird was gone with a small cloud of fleathers floating in the air! It was a small hawk came right by my head and snatched the bird in mid air!

[DonBo]

I once launched a chipmunk that crawled onto the toe of my boot. Another time had a flying squirrel land about a foot from my face. Many close encounters while hunting, it's part of what brings us back for more.

[wannafish2]

I had a red squirrel climb up one of my trees and sniff my doe bleet that was about 6 inches from me...was really cool, he was up and down all 3 trees in the cluster where i put my stand, dropped some bark on my head. If it wasn't for all the smaller critters, some days would be really boring in the woods......

[delmuts]

"If it wasn't for all the smaller critters, some days would be really boring in the woods......"

Man ! That'a no lie! Even the small shrews can be interesting when nothing else is moving. I was a happy camper the other day though! I had been hearing a bird in the woods that almost sounded like a hiena laughing for the last couple of years! Finnally had two of them land by me. They are a Pileat wood pecker. A very brightly colored bird, that is mostly black, with a white chest , and some under the wings. Some red around the head with a very brite red tuff on thier head. Also the size of a crow!

[Farley]

Had a piliated woodpecker around me one day also, when they squack I couldnt help but think of woody the woodpecker. Sounds just like him.

[wannafish2]

I have also seen alot of Pileated woodpackers this year. I believe they are still protected as a species...check out this link for the Magpie. I have been seeing more and more of them. Anyone else? They usually are not seen in Minnesota, but apparently their range is expanding. I used to see them fairly often in ND/SD and even Fargo, but this is the first year in the Bemidji area.

http://sdakotabirds.com/species_photos/black_billed_magpie_1.htm

[DonBo]

Oh no, there's lot's of them around this area. They're just pretty timid and don't often leave the big woods. I see and hear many from the Twin Cities area up into NW Wisconsin.

Here's a couple from the Photography Forum:

[wannafish2]

http://sdakotabirds.com/species_photos/black_billed_magpie_1.htm

Oh, and when the Magpie calls, it sounds like it is laughing also hope this link works

[wannafish2]

Black-billed Magpie

Site: Naturesongs.com

Format: WAV - 0.220MB

Description: Black-billed Magpie sounds

try this one, the first didn't work

[wannafish2]

here's one with the Pileated....

[wannafish2]

I too have seen alot of Pileated's,,,,,what about the Magpie?

[DonBo]

Magpie's are definetely a bird of the more open prairie land of the west. I have never seen one in MN. They are thick in the western Dakotas.