Opening day firearm season 2017 was eventful indeed.
It's quite a hike up, and I mean up to my stand, so sweating is going to happen. I will usually only wear the bare minimum and pack in the rest. Getting into my stand just before first light and getting dressed for a day long sit.
I layer up because even with themps in the 50s you loose body temp just sitting there. But I have my lunch and at times a thermos of coffee.
Just before climbing a Barred Owl sounded off and will say, can catch you off guard a bit when they hoot in under 50 yards from you. He must have watched me walk into my tree and getting dressed and wanted me to know that he had done just that.
Once settled into my stand, I could hear the squabbling of some roosted Turkeys that was also close. I knew once they were down it would be noisy from them scratching at the forest floor. As I waited for that to happen, about 7:00am, I heard a loud snap behind me. As I twisted in my stand, I could see a good buck walking a plateau of the hill. He was a heavy deer and guessing about 170lbs or over. Large main beams but not a lot tagging off them that I could see. Either way I picked my spot and when he stepped in, I squeezed. He stood there as I pulled the trigger again, but this time not even a cluck. As I fumble to chamber another round, he spotted my movements and turns and walks away. No running, just walked as If the noise and what he saw was just a figment of his imagination . I myself was thinking him not falling flat was now a figment of my imagination?? How did I miss?? Why did my gun not chamber another round on its own? It is a semi auto. I find the spring in my clip has broken and has no more up pressure on my remaining ammo. I'm mad..fumeing as I sit in the tree and replay the scenario over and over in my head. I swap out clips as I always carry two, and just wallow in disbelief.
By now the Turkeys are off the roost. As the noise from my echoing shot, brought them out of the trees. Just as figured it's noisy with the sound of 12 or so Turkeys digging in hardwood leaves. They work by me and up the hill in front of me to where I finally could not hear them.
I guess it was about 10 or 10:30 I got down from my tree to see what happened and if I actually missed. No blood, No fur! Nothing but a 180 grain size hole in a sapling and nearest I can figure. I was over the top of him. So its back into my stand pouting and re-lieving my miss over and over.
At 1:00 those damn Turkeys came back down the hill and burrowed into some green underbrush warmed from the sun and took a nap up where I had missed that deer. Almost like they knew and were taunting me by having me look up that way. 30 minutes later, they once again scratched there way up that hill to where I could no longer hear them.
At 2:00 This youngster 3pt comes down from the same direction as the buck earlier. I make up my mind to take him as redemption for my earlier mess up. I also am uncertain if I'll get any vacation time this season due to being real busy at work. I if was certain to get the time would wait but want the meat for certain.
Just as soon as he steps out from that groupe of pines. I pick my spot and wait for him to step in..1 minute....2 minutes. I hear snapping of limbs.. and 4 wheezez, hes only 40 yards away..just step out....5 minutes...10min..30min. I hear nothing..I start looking up in those pines with my binos??? Nothing after an Hour I'm like. He slipped out of here from 40 yards away and never gave me another view of him, let alone a shot at him.
There I sit frustrated..eat My PB&J then spray more buck bomb.
4:30 rolls around I start thinking of getting things situated so getting out will be easy and simple. I look up the hill and 40 yards in front of me I see the white inner thigh of this deer stretching. It's that 3pt from 2:00. He had bedded down at the bottom of a short ledge just up from me. He still never knew I was there though he had been there 40 yards from me for 2 hours. Seeing he had been so relaxed, I figured he ought to relax in my freezer.
The 3Ps
30-06
3pt
Maine