Anyone successul yet??

[USPENAMC]

awesome guys i hope to add myself to the list soon been out about 8 times and nothing.... It will be that much more rewarding

[96trigger]

I'm going out for the first time this year tonight, I'm pretty pumped, however, I'm going to a lottery zone, so only big guys for me tonight. Maybe this weekend I'll make it to my Intensive harvest stands, but its supposed to get warm again this weekend. Keep up the good work guys.

[FL SNIPER]

I was out Saturday morning and saw some deer but no shots. So I moved my stand before I left. Moving my stand paid off because Sunday morning a 6 pointer and doe came in and I decided to shoot the doe at about 16 yards (I always save my buck tag for a big buck...hasn't happened yet but some year it will). I watched her run and fall about 40 yards away...so no tracking...which is good and bad because tracking skills are good to have. It was great to make an early, clean kill. My wife bought me a new freezer for my birthday recently so I'm glad to put it to work. I would like to shoot another doe or two and of course a trophy buck. We'll see what happens...a lot of season left! Good luck guys...FL SNIPER.

[sticknstring]

Congrats on the doe & the awesome birthday present. I'd love to get a side-by-side chest freezer for the garage for my birthday. Might have to print this post and leave it laying on the floor or something...

[DonBo]

Congrats to all you sucessful hunters. Hope to add my name to the list soon. My wife was hurt recently and has needed much care. She's getting better and I should be able to get out soon. In the meantime it's good to hear all your stories. Keep 'em coming.

Sticknstring, congrats on your new house and upcoming marriage! And good luck with that freezer...

[so haaad]

Looks like it was a great week to fill the freezers. Great shooting guys.

[sticknstring]

Thanks Don. I'm happy to hear your wife is doing much better. Hopefully you can find time for the treestand sooner than later. I've only made it out once so far... all these stories help keep the drive alive.

[koonie]

I bounced one off the back of an 8 pointer tonight.

Perfect setup and I plain and simple rushed the shot. He didn't even know I was there. Ugh! More than a little P.O.d at myself. I setup and he came from the exact spot I thought he would. Choke city!

On a side note. The arrow went off his back and through some brush into some swamp grass. Tracer nock allowed me to find the arrow. The bad news the arrow was pretty much trashed with nicks and gouges. Carbon Express Aramid KV. Almost $200 a dozen and it's trashed after going through some brush. I'm not happy and am going to contact CE about the durability of these arrows. I also ruined one by shooting low and under my target. Probably not going to do me any good to contact them but they should be more durable than that. Just gonna let them know how I feel and see what happens.

Deer were very active tonight. Saw a bunch well before sundown.

[WaitForIt]

Donbo hang in there. Season has been off to a slow start, I've seen about 10-12 deer on stand and have taken a small doe so far on my 8th session in the woods. Early season always frustrates me and I find myself getting burned out just as things start to turn colder and movement picks up.

[vister]

Well, shooting arrows is like shooting bullets. You don't always get them back. Shoot cheaper arrows. I know all of us have lost or damaged arrows before, but it happens. My favorite arrows are the ones that I retire, along with the broadhead on it. Kind of a "job well done" vibe they give me, if ya smell what I'm steppin' in!!"

[icefishing21]

hunted some public land in savage on tuesday. perfect day, 60 degrees, a little windy, overcast. we were down there for about 3 hours not expecting to see anything and we saw 3 does. had 2 of them come in and when they got about 30 yards from us, they winded us and took off. if only the wind was out of the south west that day

we are going back to the same place tomorrow after school. hopefully we can see some deer again. we are trying to get some deer hunting in at this spot before all the deer within 5 miles of it get spooked off of it from all the duck hunters that will be blasting away this weekend.

[BLACKJACK]

I bounced one off the back of an 8 pointer tonight.

Perfect setup and I plain and simple rushed the shot. He didn't even know I was there. Ugh! More than a little P.O.d at myself. I setup and he came from the exact spot I thought he would. Choke city!

On a side note. The arrow went off his back and through some brush into some swamp grass. Tracer nock allowed me to find the arrow. The bad news the arrow was pretty much trashed with nicks and gouges. Carbon Express Aramid KV. Almost $200 a dozen and it's trashed after going through some brush. I'm not happy and am going to contact CE about the durability of these arrows. I also ruined one by shooting low and under my target. Probably not going to do me any good to contact them but they should be more durable than that. Just gonna let them know how I feel and see what happens.

Deer were very active tonight. Saw a bunch well before sundown.

I'm kind of surprised that you had that much damage to a carbon arrow after one shot!! One the reasons I like carbons vrs aluminums is their durability, they're either straight or they're broken. With aluminum arrows, if you bounce it off the a tree or the side of your butt, its shot.

[Flatlander]

I've got 2 Bemans in my quiver right now that have a combined 5 deer on their resume. I've refletched both a time or 2, but they still fly as true as ever. The only carbons I've had to retire, were the robin hoods and the, "I wish I had a range finder", shot I took at a nice gobbler last fall. It's amazing how quickly a turkey can shoot straight up in the air when you clip his toenails with a muzzy.

[koonie]

I was surprised too! It just went through some brush!

Generally, I like CE arrows. I may go back to the Maxima Hunters if I continue to have durability issues with the Aramids. I shot a Maxima Hunter through an old television set last year and there was no damage at all.

I guess I shouldn't have tried to skip the arrow of his back. Next time I'll put it through the lungs. That way if the arrow gets trashed I really won't have anything to complain about.

Haven't heard back from CE yet. Doubt anything will happen even if I do. Live and learn.

[tunrevir]

I went out for the second time this a.m. and arrowed a nice doe for the freezer. Saw 5 in all, small doe at 30 yards, a doe with twins at 15' and the doe I shot at 15 yards. Double lung, ran thirty yards and tipped over. What a beautiful morning to be on stand!

Tunrevir~

[96trigger]

Went out Thursday night and tonight. The deer were moving. Tonight I thought I was going to be done. I had two little baskets come through between 10 and 15 yards. I heard another deer in the woods. Ofter a couple of minutes I saw the deer eating about 3 rows in the cornfield, about 30 to 40 yards from my stand. He was following the same path as the two baskets. I no sooner saw his antlers and there were two shots from a .22 from down on the bottom of the bluff. He jumped back towards the woods and thats all I could see was his hind quarters and half a gut. Still 30 to 40 yards out. He was to my right so I had no shot. I grunted, and he never made a move. He stayed there for at least 15 minutes but it seemed like an eternity. He finally walked the other direction. I'll give that stand a break for quite awhile. Too bad, I thought I was going to get another shot. I never saw much of his antlers, but I could see that he had a good sway belly and a big rump. I don't think he was huge, but I'm sure he would have made Pope and Young. Dang, till next time.

[Stratosman]

Oh well!

I had one of my top 5 most frustrating nights tonight...Thought I was gonna try and be smart as I had this lone doe patterned well, came into the alfalfa from the same spot each time, plan was to set up a ground blind near there, thought I had the right wind. Get into the spot early and already two yearlings feeding and I bump them, dang, a bit later two does come out on the other end and feed around and lay down for a bit, I then started to notice the wind wasn't quite doing what I thought it was, about that time I see 6 does/fawns walk along the edge passing directly under my stand that I would usually sit it at this spot, man! They proceed to walk towards me and that suspicion I had about the wind was right, the old doe knew something was up and came in to about 40 yards with her nose up, then trotted off bringing the others. I then decided that since all the deer were off the field I would sneak out of there early, about 20 minutes early, so I crawl out and start walking the edge and start to cut across the field and I see two bucks coming around the corner, I think oh wonderful and slowly get down and lie on my back hoping to not spook them, oh yeah they were also right below my stand at this time. As I'm laying there I hear footsteps to my right in the woods, sure enough there are more deer coming to the field, and of course they are walking right at me as I'm lying on my back like an 1diot, they get to the edge and of course see me as they are only like 5 yards away, they blow and bolt, that was about all I could take, I get up and walk out of there, as I approach my truck in the bean field of course there is yet another doe feeding about 30 yards off my bumper! Of course spook that one too. That's what I get, I over think and under achieve.

[Tippman]

That sounds pretty frustrating Stratosman. Sounds like the deer are moving well by those reports, getting me pumped and wishing I had more stand time coming up.

[so haaad]

Well Stratosman, sounds like one of those nights. At least you are seeing plenty of deer.

[FL SNIPER]

Good work on the shot placement tunrevir! You made some good memories with your new bow! Sounds like a perfect morning to me. Here's looking to the next one!

Stratosman, that's why we love bow hunting so much...everything has to go right. Good story...thanks for sharing.

FL SNIPER

[Stratosman]

Oh it was actually fun, I had to laugh while I was getting undressed at the truck, all you can do is shake your head and hit it again! Might get out tonight, depending on the weather here...

[BradB]

I've passed on a lot of small bucks so far and it's becoming somewhat frustrating. Saturday morning I had one 4 yards from my ground blind, stopped, broadside, and looking the other direction. Torture!

I decided at the beginning of the season I would shoot does and wait for Mr. Big. But all I see is bucks (at least I see something) and I'm itching to let one fly.

[fishinmajishin]

Patience, Brad! That's a bowhunter's true virtue.

My deer stand is 150 miles from home, so I've sat a total of 4 evenings so far. Opener, and this weekend. Opener was very promising. 1st night had a fork and a six right under me for about 20 minutes. 2nd night the same two youngsters came by at 6:30, then right on the verge of darkness I had 5 bucks go by, one a shooter for sure. Too dark for a confident shot. This weekend I hunted Fri and Sat eves. Not a single deer. I'm not sitting in a specific doe area, so I wasn't really surprised at seeing none of them. I did see a big scrape 20 yds up the trail from my stand, and 2 rubs as well. I go extreme on the scent killer and precations, and have a good way in and out, so I don't think I bumped them in any way. Bucks are there, but I'm wondering if they are starting to go nocturnal only. Either that or it was just bad luck. Anyone have any ideas or experience a phase like this?

[Stratosman]

This is about the time where they go under cover, it gets a bit tougher now until the end of the month. At least with the mature bucks. The one buck I saw tonight was just coming out into a hay field and crossed the road in front of my truck on my way out, well after dark....other than that a windy cruddy night.

[so haaad]

Congrats tunrevir! Nice shooting. With the does that you saw in that spot, you can bet they will lure in the bucks in another month.