Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

I know something.................................I'm an idiot!

blemas

Junior Member
175
46
Summit County
I am out of vacation time so I am limited to the weekends for hunting. I have been in stand at least 12-16 hours each weekend (weather permitting) since the end of October and like most people on here, my encounters have been way down from previous years. I have tried to adapt and move locations but I can only do so much with the property that I hunt, especially when my wife is in the woods with me.

Quick Saturday recap...

Hunting by myself, nice pinch point where deer travel through when moving through the valley.
7:20 - single doe comes flying in, flipping her tail up and down looking over her shoulder. I let her pass expecting to see something chasing her. Nothing showed up. She lolly gagged around down wind in my shooting lane for 5 minutes before wandering off.

10:50 AM- No more action so I decide to get down a bit early to meet my wife and check the cams on the way out. I typically leave the bow in the tree but I was considered changing stands so I lowered my bow down and dropped the rope (BIG MISTAKE) at 10:50. As I am hooking into my lifeline for the 25ft descent, I hear crunching and turn to find a young 8 point moving in with purpose. He had his nose to the ground grunting. I would not have shot him since he is pretty young and doesn't have a lot of mass so I watch him putz around in front of me whee the doe was earlier in the day. He ends up walking off grunting and as soon as he is out of sight, I make my move to climb down. As I pivot to my left to start down yet again, I see another buck coming in from the opposite direction. His nose down, swollen necked, grunting approach was very cool. He was a very nice, symmetrical 8 point that I would have seriously considered shooting, had my bow not been on the ground! He proceeds to taunt me by stopping broadside, three times, in each of my shooting lanes. and then.

I ended up not having any other deer within bow range but ended the day with 5 bucks and 1 doe in the woods. This was the most deer that I have seen in a single sit all season. That evening, my wife saw a nice buck cruising the opposite side of the property and had a nice doe come in on her but it got TOO dark to shoot.

I thought that you all could enjoy my misery and learn not to ever get down TOO early, ever.
 

teej89

Senior Member
2,288
48
NE PA
you know I always think of that whenever I lower my bow down mid day. But I always make sure that as soon as I drop my bow all I gotta do is unhook from my tree strap and skoot on down my sticks. Incase one does come it only takes me bout 30-60 seconds to get outta my stand.

I hear ya though, I just got back from a 7 day hunt sitting sun up to sun down. saw bucks the entire time and a couple shooters in range but it just didn't work out. Then on the last hour of my hunt had a shooter show up and was coming right at me. Literally. Right at me. Never had a chance to shoot cuz he was never broadside and he got to 5yards looked up the hill to where he was going and saw me hanging out in my lone wolf and he wasn't a fan of me there.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Been a year for ass whippins man. Sorry to hear you've taken a few punches TOO. Hopefully what's left of the season is a little kinder than what we just went through!
 

GoetsTalon

Senior Member
Supporting Member
4,293
128
Walbridge oh
Yep!!! Couple years ago i went for a short walk to warm my feet and left my bow next to my seat. Nice ten pointer chases a doe right TOO me and they stop and stare at me like WTF are you doing here. My feet got warm quick running back to where my bow was LOL!!! Hang in there you will get one!!!!
 

Treed

Junior Member
522
0
Stark County
I had a really nice ten I've been after for the last couple of weeks walk up on me Sunday evening a few minutes after I got up in my stand. I was in the process of pulling my bow up when I heard him crunch up into my lane. I almost threw up as he closed to 20 yards, milled about for what seemed like a friggin eternity then decided to look up at the guy in the tree with a bow hanging 5 feet off the ground. Seriously, the adrenalin damn near made me lose my lunch. Needless to say, he wasn't a big fan of my being there either. Busted! Try again this weekend. Not the best feeling, but hey, any close encounter with a buck that big is a cool and memorable experience. At least I know I'm in the right vicinity, or I was......
Keep it up, be patient, put your time in and they'll come.