Author Topic: So close, yet so far!!  (Read 1567 times)

Offline The 3Ps

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So close, yet so far!!
« on: Dec 08, 2019, 08:09:19 AM »
For 17 years I've been trying to seel the deal and take a deer with my bow. I've had some chances at a few in the past and have also let a few pass by my stand without an attempted shot.
 Yesterday morning I headed into an expanded zone just about 6:30 in the morning. It was cold out being only 17⁰ out. The snow was a bit crunchy as the sun had not yet touched its surface yet. I headed up the hill and immediately ran into some tracks from a couple days prior. I only went about 200 yards from the truck and stopped to chill for 30 minutes or so before moving on. I was hearing faint scratching off in the distance so held tight for a an hour or so and my phone started ringing. WTF!! It would appear I forgot to turn down the volume. It was was someone from the company I do work for claiming there was an issue with a job we had done that had not been finished and was preventing the customer service. I therefore headed back to the truck and went into work to get this problem corrected.
 After finishing up the job, my better half told me to go back in the woods for my time is limited and she knows my desire to succeed in harvesting with my bow.
 I receive a super pack license for a Christmas gift from my Mother every year as a Hunting license was always a gift my Dad gave to my brother and I every year and she wanted to keep the tradition going. Now with a super pack you get all the bells and whistles. A fishing license,Firearm license, archery,  expanded archery, duck and pheasant stamps. 3 doe tags in expanded free moose draw and multiple extra tags to try for.
What you don't get is a any deer permit to take a buck in expanded zone. This can be purchased separately for $37.00 each.
I always spend the additional money to have that permit on hand because of Murphy's law.
If I go out with doe permits only you know what's going to happen, I'll see nothing but Bucks.
 So I headed back to this spot just about 12:45 pm. On my drive there, I passed a spot about 1/2 mile from where I was going into the woods. As driving by this driveway I could see as many as 6 deer standing in the woods between the road and the house. I at this point am questioning my decision to go into the woods 1/2 mile from this location.
I made another trip around the block in Hope's of viewing them again. On the 2nd trip by, those deer were no where To be seen. I don't know if they crossed the road or what. I decided to go back to that spot 1/2 mile away and move slowly up the hill and perhaps take up stand for the last 3 hours of the day.
 I walked in on my same footprints as the morning and held up for 10 minutes at the spot my phone had rung earlier in the morning. It had warmed up a bit and now that the sun had hit the snow, had softened it up a bit making it a quiet walk.
After holding up for 10 I proceeded to start climbing the steeper part of the hill. Someone had trimmed a bunch of brush headed up making somewhat of a trail to follow, though I wish they had cut the saplings flat rather an angle. If one was to fall down going up, they could certainly puncture a lung.
As I was approaching a small jutted out piece of ledge, I noticed what appeared to be an deers ear next to a stump aprox 35yards out. As I stood there looking and trying to convince myself that was what it was, it twitched.  Game On!! It was just after that twitch of its ear I could see his beautiful rack standing above that ear and the stump. He was looking in the opposite direction as me and appeared to be getting more agitated as time went by. I got a arrow ready!
 I had forgotten I had my gopro on my bow and today kick my ass for not turning it on. As the deer's anxiety got to him I could see he was trying to stand up. He apparently had bedded down on this shelf so close to a 5' high ledge he was having difficulty getting to his feet. He managed to get up and I drew back and held. No clear shot!! Too much brush between he and I. I put my bow back down knowing he would have to make a decision. Either go right and pass below the 5' ledge directly in front of me at 30 yards or turn around on this ledge to go to his left and perhaps he would come in front of me at 40 yards. As far as I know this deer knows something is up but keeps looking away from me. When he turns towards me I see him try to wind me. With him being 20' higher than the location I'm at I think he cant. I believe my scent is blowing around this ledge at the same level I'm at and he can only smell fresh air coming over me. He turns around rather than going right. At this time I have gotten a good look at this deer. Guessing 170lb to 180lb with nice tall rack. I did my best not to stare at his rack trying to keep my excitement level down so I have no idea if he was as big 6. 8 or 10. I do know he was a shooter worthy of the wall. He never stepped into the opening I wanted giving me a good shot. He slipped away from me.
After seeing the direction he headed and all the other tracks. My guess is there were some doe's just on the  other side of that ledge he was on. They would have been at the same plateau level as me and able to wind me from their position.  I'm thinking his anxiety was because they got spooked and started moving out. Thus he left in the exact direction they did.
I'm happy and sad at the same time. Happy I got to see him close up, yet sad I couldn't seel the deal. I backed out because I did not want to pressure him and push him out of the area. I have one more weekend and hope I can catch up with him again.
« Last Edit: Dec 08, 2019, 08:09:44 AM by The 3Ps »
patience, persistence, presentation

Offline aquaassassin

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Re: So close, yet so far!!
« Reply #1 on: Dec 08, 2019, 08:25:51 AM »
Awesome! Inching ever so closer!
It's not being cocky if you can back it up!

Offline zwiggles

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Re: So close, yet so far!!
« Reply #2 on: Dec 08, 2019, 09:01:18 AM »
Nice write up! Hopefully next time he will be a little more willing, but still a very cool experience.

Offline Aziscohosbuck

  • 6 Pointer
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Re: So close, yet so far!!
« Reply #3 on: Dec 08, 2019, 09:57:04 AM »
Thank you for sharing that experience, great play by play.  Like you I had a simalar experience after hiking 1.5 miles into a remote area to hunt a mountain.  Getting up close and personal with a dominant mature buck while deer hunting is an incredible rush regardless of whether or not you are able to harvest him.  It's what keeps us in the game, year after year.  It never ceases to amaze me at how a dominant buck's instincts keep them so finely tuned into surviving for yet another year.  Sounds like you came within a hair's breath of tagging that buck and that the deer you saw like the one I encountered was a large heavy bodied buck with very thick bases well beyond the ears.   Like you said, I couldn't tell whether it was a 6 point or 8 point or 10 point, but when you see the heavy curved bucket rack well beyond the ears from the back side as he took two great bounds I knew he was at least a 3 1/2 year old and would easily field dress 180 lbs plus.  I suspect like me you will be dreaming of that buck for some time to come, running it over in your mind, second guessing yourself and what might have been.  But just getting that close to a mature buck like that under hunting conditions in the field is a real privilege in my book, so take solace in knowing your experience and knowledge of deer hunting brought you to that encounter in the first place.  Good luck in your last upcoming week of bow hunting, I too am in my last week of muzzleloader next week.  Get back out there and enjoy it while the spirit of adventure and good physical health is alive and well within you, there are no guarantees in life.  Few hunters ever see a mature dominant buck in the wild's of Maine let alone tag one but the one's that do certainly put their time in and go to more remote areas that take a lot more time and effort, it's high risk but also high reward just to see one in my opinion.

Offline aquaassassin

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Re: So close, yet so far!!
« Reply #4 on: Dec 08, 2019, 10:52:32 AM »
Awesome! Love it guys! Keep up the good stories and comments this is what we need to make this site great again like it was in the hay day of 5-10 years ago!
It's not being cocky if you can back it up!

 


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