Some days we can't win

[Fisher Dave]

No matter how much research, scouting, and accumilated time in the field, some days the deer will still get the better part of us, and show us that we are playing in their back yard.

This evening I hunted a hay field I have been frequenting since the archery season began. I have been scouting regularly, knew what time and where the deer have been moving, the weather was perfect with a stiff wind blowing in my face ... I couldnt have asked for a better scenerio.

Sure enough, 15 minutes after I had gotten situated in my blind the deer came out in the field. Two small bucks, two does, and 2 fawns made their way down the field just like clock-work. The herd approached to within 80 yards of me, and suddenly there was a comotion that alerted all the deer .. here comes another buck running into the herd from my right side about 40 yards out that mysteriously appeared. Shortly after it joined in with the others feeding presumed back to normal. The deer made their way slowly toward my location. At about 50 yards, the most mature doe (looks to be an older deer) looks in my general direction. Almost immediately it starts to quickly walk strait toward me, I swear it was looking in my eyes. It would not look away for any reason. It worked its way directly toward me to about 20 yards, never looking away. By this time the rest of the herd is about 50 yards away feeding without a care in the world.

The doe that was staring me down suddenly starts to spit and snort several times at me while stomping its front legs. A minute after the doe quickly stomped its way away from me, and then headed into the tree line. The other doe and the fawns followed about a minute later, never on alert. The bucks slowly walked out of the field in the approximate area the doe about 10 minutes later.

At this time I'm not sure wheather to laugh or be upset. I played all my cards right and I knew I was very well conceiled. The deer were out of sight so I headed back to the truck. As I reached the field access I took a peek back .. the same deer were coming back out where they entered the woods.

That doe definitly had a 6th sense working in its favor. The deer must not have ever seen me to re-enter the field.

I guess thats hunting ... I can say its an outing I will not soon forget.

Sorry about the long post folks .. I had to share this experience .. have a laugh at my expense.

[walleyeking#8]

Knowing from experience, it isn't a laughing matter. I have had this happen to me on several occasions when I thought I had done everything right. I think deer are like people, some see better, some hear better and some sense smell a lot better. I have had deer walk right by me when the wind was in there favor and when I thought the wind was in my favor, I have had them walk under my stand and look right up to me and do the same thing you just mentioned. You have to take the good with the bad that is all I can tell you. Next time they might not be so lucky, right? Well goodluck this fall hunting and maybe I can make it out for the first time this weekend. Can hardly wait!

[GAR]

YEP!! Somedays you just can't win!!!! GAR

[GAR]

YEP Dave some days you can't win, even when you think its a done deal!!!! GAR

[CrankinEyes]

The old Does are the most cautious. Once that old Doe finds your spot she will check it most times when she is in that field. I had one check my stand almost every time I was in it.......for 2 years. She gave me plenty of oppurtunity and she never spooked off so she became a pretty good decoy. Took a nice 8 pointer a couple years ago because of her. Now houses cut off the field and a local resident thinks his 4 wheeler has rights to the world.
Kinda got off the subject.
Stay put and don't move and things will work out.

[JIGSTER]

Dave,Just laugh!!Nothing to get upset about!We've all been there and it's part of hunting.Did you ever think about taking a video camera with ya?You might not get to take the deer home,but it's kinda neat to gett'em tape.Good huntin' Jigster

PS:Yes, I do hunt and not a member of PETA

[This message has been edited by JIGSTER (edited 09-18-2003).]

[Fisher Dave]

That would have made an awesome video ... but I cant see trying to work a camera and bow hunt at the same time. The location I was at made it impossible to use a tree stand.. nothing big enough to put one in.

What makes my experience even more odd, but I didnt add because the post was long enough.. A friend of mine tagged along this trip just to observe and see what bowhunting was like because he was considering getting into the sport himself. In the end his only comment was * I wanted to snort back! *.

I guess a license is a small price to pay to be able to have an experience like that.

[Riverratpete]

I feel for ya Fisher Dave! Had what sounded like a large horse detect me on the stand last sat evening, never saw it or heard it until it took off, no whistling, snortin or blowing,.. just I'm outta here, did everything (i thought) right. Well, thats why they call it hunting and not shooting i quess, personally thats one of the big attractions to deer hunting for me is to watch wild game..in the wild and watch how they act/respond. well good luck hang and in there.

[Canuck]

Have U ever walked through a mall and once U lock eyes on another person no matter how many people there are U are spotted. (She might blush or even slap U but so be it). I try and never look any deer in the eye, I know it sounds crazy but the whites of your eyes I believe will give U away.

[Polar Bear]

Hey Fisher, I've spent at least the last 30 seasons chasing deer with a bow and I agree with some of the other comments here. Inside of 30 yards or so the whites of your eyes are a dead give away. One other thing some hunters overlook is the glint off anything shiny...this could be a brass sight pin, a release aid or the worst offender: lenses of your glasses. I've seen this happen several times in the past. You don't even have to be in direct sunlight for a stray flash from eyeglasses. Another culprit is the glass covering the face of your wrist watch.

I'm not really a trophy hunter. I usualy shoot the first 6 point or better buck that walks by. Most years that means a yearling buck is way too curious upon hearing my rattling antlers. But in my opinion, it would be much, much more difficult to arrow a 5 year old doe than a yearling 6 pointer.

Good hunting, Polar Bear

[Fisher Dave]

Polar bear...

I turn my watch around so the face is on the inside of my wrist. The band is non-metallic so its not an issue. I do wear glasses, for they may have been the problem. I wear a mask that covers the frames to eliminate as much glare as possible.

This evening I had another episode in the same field.. I was going to my blind for the evening and a doe spotted me on the way.. never saw her before she made noise.. rather than run away it *screamed* at me and then ran. They seem to do this to alert the fawns the best I can tell. A couple minutes later 2 bucks entered the field about 100 yards from me. They both looked to be in the 6 pt class and were doing some sparring. As I was observing this going on, another buck walked out about 25 yards from me checking out the action .. a perfect 10 point with a massive body. Needless to say I had no time for *buck fever*, I drew my bow undetected for the absolute perfect broadside shot... I sent the arrow on its way.. of course everything is slow motion at this point. The arrow sailed off my bow and the next thing I knew is my eyes were side-tracked to 2 flourescent yellow pieces of plastic (my nock broke) cruising next to my arrow in flight???? The arrow passed a few inch's under the deer ... The 2 smaller bucks ran out of the field from the sound of the bow, the buck I shot at leaped into the air, ran about 40 yards, turned around and investigated what happened .. I never got another shot, and it eventually left the field about an hour later after feeding.

One day my luck will change for the better. What are the odd's for a nock to break? I take good care of my equipment.

Tomorrow I will be in the same field. My father(handicapped) will be out also and uses a crossbow.. I may arm myself with rattling antlers for the evening and soak the area with doe in heet type attractant.. hope it pays off to get my father a deer.

[Polar Bear]

Man, you gotta be jinxed!!!

A broadside shot at a 10 pt. and your nock breaks ?!?!

If I were you I'd consider switching to tiddly-winks

Hang in there, your luck has got to change.

Polar Bear

[Fisher Dave]

My luck changed for the better this evening. I managed to get a great opportunity on a nice 5 point buck.. It was the 1st deer to come into the field and provided me with a clean 20 yardish broad side shot. My 1st shot hit slightly high (deer crouched on release of bow) but made a good hit and passed cleanly through the deer(lungs). The deer trotted off about 30 yards and came back toward my general direction.. and decided to start feeding?? I got an opportunity for a 2nd shot quartering away at about 30 yards.. fearing for the welfare of the deer since I didnt see any blood, I took the 2nd shot in which found its mark. The deer ran off the field and made it about 75 yards before laying down. Both shots were very good .. for whatever reason this deer shed no more than a few drops of blood externally... makes it tough to track in a swamp!

I'm very willing to take an opportunity on a trophy, but I never said I was a trophy hunter.. I hunt for groceries.

The deer tonight dressed at 160#, it filled the freezer nicely. I'll make it back out in a few days to see if I can get another.

[Polar Bear]

NICE GOIN' FISHER DAVE...CONGRATULATIONS!!
Your luck was bound to change sooner or later. Polar Bear

[HUNTINGBAILEY]

What can go wrong will. Out on the stand sunday evening, a nice doe comes in about 15 yards broadside. I draw my bow,the arrow falls off the rest and hangs up on the handle, of course the deer hears this and stares right at me. I've got my bow at full draw I hold the bow for what seemed eternity.
the deer put its head down, I slowly let the string go forward and get the arrow nocked on the string. I begin to draw my bow and out of nowhere comes a red squirel that charges the deer, the deer took off running. the next thing I know the squirel runs up a tree about 10 yards to the right of me, it looks right at me and starts chattering like crazy. (like it new what I was trying to do to the deer or it was protecting its territory) Oh well, maybe next time.

[fivebucks]

Was up at our deer land with 2 couples so not a big hunting weekend but I fiqure I'ld get out Sunday morning. I always keep my tags in my fanny pack with the grunt call, knife, etc. Sunday 5:00 AM rolls around and my fanny pack is nowhere to be seen. I didn't know if I left it at home or what. Everyone else is still sleeping of course so I head out to a stand without the bow. I don't know if it was luck or not but shortly after sunrise it started to sprinkle and rain so I went back to camp thankful that I didn't see a big buck from my stand. It was a nice morning and it was good to be on the stand if only to watch.
P.S. At 9:00 am everyone was up and there was my fanny pack, up on one of the bunks.

[buckseeker]

fisher dave geat job. are the arrows you used the same as practice arrows? i would say you may have weakened the nock by ticking it while practising. i always try to learn at least one thing while out in field. hoping to do it perfect one day. i too have had deer bust me. maybe the eyes, maybe terrain profile change, may be scent... could be to many things to mention. hopefully we all can learn more by topics like this. i wa out earlier this year and left my quiver at home. boy does that stink carrying arrows by hand climbing into a portible hoping not to drop one or hit my string with broadhead.

all hunters out there please keep similar chats going as i wish to learn from others mistakes.

i will never live long eough to make all the mistakes possible. i can only hope others will broaden my horizons by sharing thiers with me.

thanks and good luck hunting!!!

[huskminn]

Great stories here....reminds me of times when I've been "made" and thought it was nearly impossible for anything to detect me.

I think sometimes a deer just SEES you. It's like when we're driving down a back road, looking out the window and, low and behold, 70 yards into the trees, through a narrow gap in the cover, we see a deer standing there. 99 out of 100 times, no one would have ever seen that deer, but, for whatever reason, we spy it through the brush. A step to the right or left and the deer is invisible.

I think this same thing happens with deer. Sometimes, they look in the right spot at the right time and they see "something". Perhaps they don't know it as a human, but they know it isn't normal.

On the other hand, I'm sure we've all experienced times in the woods when the wind seemed wrong, we're sitting on the ground, in plain sight with nothing to break our outline (taking a break or something) and suddenly a deer appears and wanders to within just a few yards, oblivious to our presence.

Man....I love deer hunting!

[Fisher Dave]

Buckseeker...

Yes I use the same arrows for hunting as I do for practice. I use aluminum arrows and I know if they are flying strait at my target(with broadheads), they will fly strait at my aiming point on a deer(getting deer to stay still is the trick). I fletch my own arrows, replace nocks when damaged. I inspect my equipment on a regular basis, and always use a hard case for my bow. I had a string break on me years back while shooting a 60lb compound... all I can say is it drew blood, im lucky to have an eye left, and I think my chin still hurts from the impact of the cable(15 years ago).

[buckseeker]

sorry to here about the string break. i am fortunate to have never experianced that problem. i do know a fellow who got his grunt tube tangled in string at full draw and let go. dang thing darn near tore his head off.

deer are amazing creatures. i had a doe and fawn walk by down wind. the fawn was none the wiser. the doe knew something was up but must have assumed i was there earlier or a differant day. she kept getting closer to the tree i was in and just wasn't sure. nice for me the closer she got i knew the wind would blow my scent over her. and i'm glad i left the lower branches in place. this blocked her view of me when she got close. finally she was satisfied and kept strolling down the trail. very happy with my rubber boots and scent locker suit.

good luck hunting all!

[HOF#13]

Oh, believe me, I've had more than my share of blunder's and mistakes...I tell you what, at times I've asked myself if I had any idea if I really knew what I was doing. That being said, all it takes is the one perfect hunt.

3 years ago in November after a massive snow fall, my brother-in-law and I were out bow hunting along the Missouri River hills in South Dakota. We spot a big 'ol 10 point mule deer sleeping under a cedar tree. We crawl through on old river bed and get directly below him at about 100 yards. And then we wait...he decides to wake up and follow a doe straight down towards us. I take the 45 yard broadside shot, and it looks like I hit a little high. As he runs off, I swear at myself because I know I could have made a better shot (major buck fever). BUT...The buck runs up the hill and then back down and collapses 5 yards from where I shot him. Man, it was incedible. I replay that afternoon all the time. It was just one of those "perfect" days.

[icehousebob]

A few years ago, friend of a shooting buddy of mine was invited to a muzzle-loading seminar by a rifle company at a hunting preserve. Afterwards, they were handed muzzle-loaders and put on deer hunting stands. Well, an 8 point buck came walking slowly down the trail. He held his fire until it stopped right under his stand. Holding the gun one handed, he moved the muzzle until it was about 4 inches from the back of the deer's head and pulled the trigger. He hadn't cleared the oil from the nipple before loading and the gun misfired. I think he'll probably remember to clear the nipple from now on.