No not me!! :readit: )
So lets hear it guys/girls...Teach me something! The coffee pot is on! :campfire:
May not help kill more but maybe help find one if hit.I shoot another arrow where it was standing to get exact spot where shot sometimes looks diff. from the ground after climbing down.I also use toilet paper to blood trail instead of that ugly plastic marker tape.Toilet paper will be gone after a couple rains and woods will look good again.Kip
Great idea for a thread, I'll be watching this one.
BOB
im not an old timer, but i do remember the first trad shoot i went to 13 yrs ago at the second annual state shoot in hickory,nc.please bear with me a minute and you'll understand where im going with this. when i had arrived in hickoryi felt lossed and out of place, not to mention a little intimidated to talk to anyone much less to spend my money on a bunch of archery tackle i didn't know anything about. any howsome fella introduced himself to me and showed me around and had introduced me to some of the vendors there, i made some purchases, which i was very pleased with. then this fella asked me if i had met herb? well this fella told me to follow him and we'ed go find him. well i was introduced to mr herb reynolds as a new shooter in trad, mr herb grabbed my bow and started showing me tips and techniques on the proper care of my bow, shooting techniques and tips, and all the while he was drawing a crowd. there must have been 15-20 fellas gathered around to hear mr reynolds speak.it left an everlasting impression on me on the sage wisdom that he had passed on. it also made me wonder, how many times these same fellas have heard the same techniques and tips, they were stillright there to listen to mr reynolds speak. i know he is in a better place and is at peace. mr reynolds you are missed by freinds and family. you will never be forgotten.
Probably one of the most important elements to bowhunting success is knowing your quarry and how he gets around,IN the area you are hunting.
If your terrain allows it,spend as much time observing the animals from a distance as you can.Learn to read sign and understand what it means.Learn to recognize important food sources and check to see if they are available on a given year.Learn where bedding areas are and deep security cover.Learn what deer do in your area when heavily pressured.
Preseason scouting is of course important but don't forget that after filling a tag and after the season is over,scouting may be even better.
Often when hunting,we stay out of certain areas to avoid spooking deer but after the season is over,we can gain some valuable insights for next year by scouting again and putting together all the pieces of the puzzle.
It is a really good idea to carry a small notebook and jot down dates of sightings,and sign and observations of what the animals are doing.
Looking back on your notes may jog your memory about where you need to be on a given week and sometimes some small observation that seemed unimportant may take on new meaning,coupled with new observations.Make some maps of your area and start marking your information on them and see if patterns of movement develop.
Don't sweat misses and missed opportunities.Consider those valuable lessons that you don't have to pay money for,enjoy the thrill of every minute spent in the outdoors and realize,you can just keep hunting.Above all,have fun.
Walk Little--See,hear alot.
Actually, the older I get, success is virtually guaranteed just by being afield and enjoying my surroundings.
Notebook suggested by JimB is a great idea.
In my humble opinion, must unsuccessful bowhunters place stands where they think a deer should be instead of letting the deer tell them where to place a stand. We are all quilty at times of hunting a spot because it looks good. DON'T DO IT.! Deer do not wander aimlessly through the woods. they know where they are going, they have been there before and sign of ther passing is on the ground. Put some boot leather on the ground and find the highest concintration of fresh sign on your hunting area. hang a stand within 20yds. of that spot and shot a deer. When I find a hot spot I hang a stand and hunt it. I do not hang a stand and then back out for a couple of days to let the spot cool off. I want to be there the next time the buck comes through and shoot him. Letting the spot cool off meens you let the deer come in, investigate, leave, and not come back for three months. I would rather be there and shoot him the first time he rolls through. I also feel guys stay to far away from good buck sign becuase they are afraid of running him off. You can not kill a deer staying 100 yds. away from the fresh sign which is where he is standing when the sign was made. you have to roll your dice and move your mice. In other words you have to get close enough to kill him and for me that is real close. Did not mean to go into such a rant but I hope that helps. I shot my first deer with a Bear Grizzly recurve in 1975 but I didn't have consistent success until I overcame my fear of running the deer off.
when people come through your hunting area don't get up & leave or get mad. the game will get up & sneak away from others moving around so you can get the shot.
Here are a few things I have learned:
For hunting whitetails get, read, and then study any of the books by Gene Wensel and/or Barry Wensel or Rodger Rothhaar, you will learn more from reading one of their books then most people will hunting for ten years . I read my three favorites, Come November, Treestand Strategies (it's small, packs well on hunts, and can be bought with shipping on the auction site for less then ten bucks) and in Pursuit of Trophy Whitetails, at least once each year.
One thing I learned from Gene and Barry that really stands out is "It is a lot more important where you hunt, then how you hunt" whitetails, which I have found true for most other game I hunt.
Roger reminds me to keep things in perspective, regardless of the results.
A personal observation I have noticed over the years, the most successful bowhunters happen to be better then average shots. However, being a good shot does not necessarily make one a successful bowhunter, it only increases the odds of making a good, lethal shot when an opportunity presents itself.
:campfire:
Can't help with the hunting tips, but I can with this one... Don't shoot any more bow than you really need. You'll shoot more accurately and you'll still be shooting a lot more years into the future. The shoulder problems you'll have in middle age and older don't come from what you're doing then, but from what you did back when....
If someone says, "guaranteed to work"...it's not.
If someone says, "It's the best, hands-down"...it's not. If someone says, "forget the wind and just hunt"....forget what he said...he's wrong.
Anyhoo....The best advice I can give is to earn your keep in the woods. Don't expect anyone to be able to shortcut the process for you, and don't accept that mindset. Hunting is about learning and each day there is a different book to study; copying from your friends paper won't help.....you must make the grade yourself.
Okay...keep your nose to the wind and don't listen to your stupid I-Pod on stand.
Not sure to qualify as Oldtimer; but, as strickly a hunter, I have learned to appreciate the hunt as much as anything. Real thankful I'm healthy & fit to pull my longbow. Don't take it for granted.
Get into the woods & locate the sign; rubs, scrapes, funnels, food sources, runways, etc. Big deer don't get there being stupid. They're the exceptions to all the rules. Doe stew is great.
Great thread!
Best advice I can give is to Give Thanks To God for All things were Created by Him!
QuoteOriginally posted by Keefer:
Best advice I can give is to Give Thanks To God for All things were Created by Him!
Wiser words are seldom spoken. I've been feeling sorry for myself this season after being repeatedly "skunked". The fact of the matter is I have a supporting wife, a healthy body and the well wishes of generous landowners allowing me access to slices of heaven. I am indeed blessed. Backstrap will come, just undoing a lot of bad habits I had formed after years of hunting with a rifle. Archery is "a whole other animal".
Oh MyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyYYY! :saywhat:
Offered as food for thought, not even others with a half century of experience are going to agree.
The topic is one word, yet encompasses serveral singular items or issues that each of us use.
That word is ***SPEED****.
Forget about it for hunting.
IF you are shooting sights AND guessing yardage, a bit more speed MIGHT allow for a "larger margin of error", yet even then the amount a handful of FPS effects trajectory is SO small few could capitalize on it to any degree.
If like most of us and shooting barebow, your trajectory is recorded in your think tank from hours of shooting. Your brain does NOT calculate FPS and I know NO "instinctive" shooters that "judge the yardage" on each shot.
The methods of attempting to GET the holy grail of FAST quite often jumps into changes in your equipment also unneeded and OFTEN mistakes for hunting equipment.
Better shooting is NOT normally the results of equipment changes, unless going DOWN in bow weight.
If there is ONE thing I see consistant in those comming to tradition from compounds is the EVER consistant "need" to shoot too heavy a bow and too light an arrow.
For decades, we have all heard **"shoot as much bow as you can"........with one last word MANDATORY "accurately"!!** Too many jump into a 55lb recurve or longbow the first year they shoot and will forever be fighting poor accuracy and the culprits of poor form ( I.E. shooting too fast, not reaching full draw, poor consistancy etc)that CAUSE poor accuracy.
Even if you are doing so now, and doing so "ok" it shouldn't BE a struggle.
At full draw, your back muscles and shooting fingers are the ONLY thing that should be in action. The rest of your upper body should be relaxed, comfortable and NOT knotted up.
The higher poundages will come in time with the exercise of shooting. Fighting to do so as rapidly as you can is a horrible thing and will cause more problems to overcome than any single mistake I've seen in my life.
Shooting and hunting with traditional equipment is supposed to be and IS fun. Beating yourself up to attempt to do more than you are ready for has absolutely no, repeat NO positive aspects nor will give you positive results.
An arrow needs neither to be going "fast" or have a "flat trajectory" to be accurate and deadly.
Even those NOT coming from compounds, few though that still remain, get thrown innumerable articles on FPS, KE, and yes, even EFOC.
Forget about them!! At least for now.
Even though I AM, an advocate of EFOC, it is not, repeat NOT, a "must have or I cant hunt efficiently" item right along with knowing your set up's FPS and KE ( I dont EVEN wanna go THERE, LOL).
Pick up a 38-40lb bow, a decently matched set of CORRECTLY spined arrows and learn to shoot correctly and take MONTHS doing so. Until you can KNOW you will hit your target and keep GOOD groups at your chosen ranges, NO changes are needed.
A bow that weight and an accurately shot stable arrow of 450 grains or more with a SHARP traditional, cut on contact, broadhead will kill a deer sized animal at 20 yards EVERY time.
Accuracy, Stability, Quietness, Sharpness kills....Speed, KE, EFOC are "extras" that you do NOT need to know to be one H of a shot and hunter!
A GREAT PERCENTAGE of the great hunters in history HAD NO CLUE as to their own.
I dont measure my FPS and therefore KE :rolleyes: yet do weigh my arrows and calculate my FOC...but again that IS ME, and NOW.
For DECADES, I didnt DO THAT!
The deer I took year after year didn't care.
Don't let peer pressure, articles, co workers, compound shooters "embarrass" you into somethng you do not need to shoot and makes traditional archery a CHORE.
It's one H of a lot of fun and will be the rest of your life with only a lick of common sense needed.
God Bless and thanks for letting me take up webpage space. :thumbsup:
Exactly Keefer...wake up look out the tent at the beauty He has bestowed on us and give thanks.
Enjoy the hunt, not just the resulting kill.
Listen to those who know more than you.
Go s-l-o-w when in the forest. I get into elk sign or an area I know they frequent and then I go slow and listen....patience and heightened senses...be the predator.
Quietness, scent free, sharp broadheads, tuned equipment. Learn where deer (or whatever) are likely to be, get their first and make the first shot count.
At 45 am I qualified as an old timer.... ? Just a few that come to mind that have helped me over the years that I was taught by old timers and my own dumb mistakes !
1) Use a $19 gerber saw to trim those small limbs off trees you need to climb with a climbing treestand. I keep a saw in each Summit Viper side pouch. Just do not EVER hold the limb with the other hand as you are sawing, you will gash your thumb open every time !!! Both hands on the saw.
2) Move over about an inch to either side of the deer's sternum when field dressing and cut the cartilage loose from the sternum rather than going down the center of the sternum and severely dulling or chipping your knife. Then cut the windpipe in two and stick your finger in it for a nice handle to pull the guts out.
3) Cut your pull rope about 18 feet and when you are climbing up and the rope is tight then you are at a happy medium for most hunting. Any lower and you may get busted, any higher and your kill zone becomes much smaller and bad entry / exit angles.
4)Wool is awesome ! Cannot believe I am just now finding that one out. No great wonder, look who designed and made it..... GOD !
5) Dean Torge's tree seats are da bomb.... simple, cheap, lightweight, etc, etc, etc.
6) Lithium batteries for your GPS, lights, etc, cannot seem to wear them out, worth the $$$ !
7)Crest your arrows for the bow you will shoot them off of at the brace height for that bow.... instant brace height checker !
8) Good binos, don't leave home without them !
9) Deer carts for rolling out your prize, best $$$ ever spent and could save a heart attack !
10) Keep a small roll of electrical tape in your pack or truck to tape your tag to the deer's leg.
11) Summit Viper cables can be used for jumper cables ! Just strip the heat shrink back and stick the ends to each battery. I jumped off my polaris with a dead battery and a broke pull rope one winter !
12) Stay 10 more minutes when you think you cannot stay on stand another minute. Killed lots of deer the last 10 minutes on stand !
nocams :readit:
Don't fall for the hype, whatever the current hype is. Archery is older than any of us, and the basics still work just fine. A bow you can handle, arrows perfectly matched to you and the bow, and truly sharp broadheads. Nothing else is needed. NOTHING.
Practice, practice, practice.
Hunt where the deer are, not where they were.
Stay downwind. Nothing works better than that to keep the deer from noticing you. NOTHING.
Hunt with good friends. As you get older, you learn that that is at least as important as the hunting.
Be safe, always.
Enjoy!
The wisest thing I've ever heard was to
"always let the deer stop your arrow".
Don't pack out the bones, unless the law says you have to. Gutless is the only way to go!!!
Stump shoot as often as possible!!!
Scout and know the area your hunting thoroughly. Walk the perimeter, find out where the deer are leaving and entering.
Know where the dominant wind is morning and evenings. Setup up your tree stands or ground blinds accordingly.
Learn about scrape hunting, understand the differences between territorial and primary scrapes.
Look for funnels and escape routes. If your a ground hunter like myself...plan your shots at an animal slightly quartering away. Keep your movements to a minimum, stay crosswind or downwind and stay as scent free as possible.
Too many things to cover here, especially from bowhunting on the ground but its a start.... :cool:
Get out there whenever you can! To many people worry about the moon or rain or wind etc. Just get out there and enjoy unless you have a good trail thru your living room.
if i'm in the woods i figure there's a deer somewhere close. helps me slow down.
anything can and will happen, stay in the woods!
shoot all year!
Successful on small game and you'll be successful with big game.
If you bump a deer while stalking that hasn't smelled you or gotten a good look, stop and be still and quiet. Young deer will frequently sneak back to investigate, and can give you a shot. Most deer are young.
Shoot low on close deer. They drop at the shot.
If you get snorted at, don't assume the game is over. Frequently other deer will either ignore it or check it out.
Don't be afraid to shoot! That's how you learn to hit them. If you make a mistake, it's not the end of the world. Most arrow-shot deer that don't die quickly, survive, unlike gun-shot deer. They don't have human emotions, and don't suffer like some humans imagine. A pig is a deer is NOT a boy. Been wanting to say that! :)
There's no such thing as 100%. Nature sides with the hidden flaw.
"Shoot as heavy a bow as you can shoot accurately"
The first tip.....LEARN ABOUT ARCHERY! learn how to tune a bow with nock point,strike plate,brace height and string type...play with it till you see the results of one change at a time......learn how to tune arrows with spine,lenght,point weight and nocks to get perfect arrow flight with broadheads. If your broadheads fly true your feild points will.....dont just take a bunch of everyone elses tuning tips and hope for the best.
And second ...THERE ARE NO MAGIC BOWS!!! Just because Kens,Toms,Pauls,Johns,Petes,Bobs and Earls bows are the bestist,fastist, coolist bows out there doesnt mean they will shoot well for you! Find the one that fits your hand and shooting style. Try many bows to find the right one, dont just take someones word for it that it will shoot perfect for you. The classifieds are full of "perfect" bows.
Third is just HAVE FUN!!! To many people take this stuff way too serious.
Go early, stay late. Alot of critters shot from 11:00 to 1:00.
I'm another whom feels that my advice is not the best. But since you asked.........
I live in Texas. In Texas everything is big. Including the pride and the need for success. Here in Texas, success is measured by size and or quantity. Size matters more I do believe. In Texas most dream about the success by what is taken. Me? I rebell from their perception of 'success' as being a measure of my enjoyment or passion if you will. I do enjoy telling family members when they ask if I got anything or did I see anything and I tell them about this elephant size buck that grunted so loud that I nearly fell out of the tree and he had so many points that it would probably bust any BC record. They then think in their deep thinking not saying out loud about how I wasted such an oportunity sitting in that tree with a longbow when success would have happened had I had another weapon because by their standards a longbow is a play toy.
So, If you read this story then you know that my measure of success is not measured by sucess.
I hope this helps.......enjoy....
Ray........
I don't consider myself an old timer by any means but I have hunted deer for a bit so here goes my advice!
Slow Down! It pays to take your time and sneak into your stand! Plus you will not work up a sweat which cause odors and chills later. I see/hear people every year either heading to stands in the pre-light or leaving them in the evening that sound like bulldozers coming through the woods! They let every deer, coyote, racoon, rabit, chipmunk and person within 200 yards know exactly where there going! It's not a race SLOW DOWN!
THIS IS GREAT!!! Keep them comming fellas :clapper: :clapper:
If deer hunting,hunt where theres deer, If bear hunting, hunt where theres bears, If elk hunting, well you can see where this is going....
Great thread! I was getting discouraged in my attempt to hunt traditional this season, and just about decided to buy a climbing tree stand and get out the compound. Instead, I'll stick with the longbow, use my newly made Torges seat, and just enjoy the whole process. Thanks, guys.
You cant kill anything if you are sitting around camp.
Hunt hard and hunt often.
Practice, practice, practice.
Great thread.
Be in the woods as much as possible!!! You can't put game on the table if your not in the WOODS! Remember...the animal your hunting dosen't look at the CLOCK! :campfire: :archer:
The best advice I've seen came from Glen St. Charles's book "Bows on the Little Delta".
"Be a trophy hunter until something else comes along."
Take pride in how you kill an animal, not it's size.
Buy the cheapest bow that will work for you and the best arrows you can afford.
The best axiom on deer hunting is only true 60% of the time, and that includes this one.
Don't plan on shooting through a shoulder blade, and if the arrows is "A little far back" Automatic eight.. Eight hours before tracking.
Keep you nose in the wind and don't hunt in the rain.
Got a really nice deer spotted? Don't even tell your wife.
To shoot thru a fence, align the lower wire on your intended point of impact and shoot, The trajectory will clear the lower wire without hitting the upper one. Don't center your target between them, you will almost always hit the upper wire, deflecting the shot.
I'm not an old timer, but I sure hang out with a few (sorry Ron).
Somebody already said "learn about archery". I want to expand on that. Learn about OUR archery history. You learn so much, and enjoy the intricicies of the sport so much more by learning about Fred Bear, Glenn St Charles, etc. Listen to guys like Ron LaClair and Fred Asbell whenever you can. It's an awesome sport, and it's way beyond the bow and arrows.....
Watch the deer they will teach you more than any person will. When scouting or waiting for a deer that is out of range study all the movements, tail flips ,if the deer keeps looking back or in a certain direction, there is usually a reason. Study the animal and you will get to know them. If they look straight at you and bobb thier head they dont know what you are and are trying to get you to move so dont.. If they cant figure you out they will snort once and run a few steps. that one blow is ok. when they blow two or three times and dont stop running its over. If you can without being seen blow back one time only and smack the ground with your hand or give a gentle bleat . You will be surprised how many deer will come back and even go back to feeding. It is how i have watched them talk to each other over the last 35 years. I have shown this to people and they are impressed by how does come back or even circle around closer.When they put that head down or turn to look away then draw, but watch cause sometimes they will start to put that head down and bobb it back up 2 or 3 times befor you get the chance. Hope this helps it has worked very well for me.
Keep reading TradGang! Even us "ol' timers" pick up good advice here. If you come here every day, show your appreciation by contributing to the cause. I did this week, and I'm ashamed that I didn't do it sooner. Well worth the $20 and more!
I am new, but will add cause its fun.
Have a reverence for the animal you harvest-God made that animal, and He knows when it falls.
Thank the Lord for His generosity in providing it's sacrifice for you. God certainly knows well about sacrifice! :)
Make good use of that animal, don't let its death be for any other reason than to sustain/maintain life.
Range your area as soon as you set up-whether you can guess it, step it, or range it. Rifle, muzzleloader or bow-makes no difference. Know the range of landmarks. With a bow, 5yds makes a difference past 30 yds, so range'em beforehand, repeat it to yourself as you sit in the stand, or flag em somehow. When the big one walks out from whatever direction he comes from, you know what range he is at quickly.
Ya'll are good folks,
Farmer
Study and respect the animals you are hunting. I hate it when someone claims that something is easy because they are stupid or dumb. The smartest animal in the woods is a alpha doe. Learn the plants and trees of the forest. All trees are not created equal.Start out hunting squirrels. there is nobetter teaching tool for a new hunter. Lot's of fun too and isn't that why we do this.
I'm not an old timer but I hang around with plenty -- the best advice I ever heard about hunting was from the Old Man - Someone at a show looked at Dad's big whitetails and said something like "Boy, I sure wish I was lucky enough to kill big deer like that." The Old Man's response was "Yeah, the harder I work at it the luckier I get!"
I think there is so much truth to this, whether archery or hunting, or just life in general. I've had several guys tell me things like this - that I'm "lucky" or "fortunate" or am "given opportunities" blah blah blah, whatever - you know what - the harder you work the luckier you get! While the wishers are sitting around wishing you go out and work and you'll enjoy reaping the rewards.
Ryan
After someone reads through all these great tips, the bottom line is if you don't spend enough time out in the woods to be successful, you won't be.
The more time you put in your stand or ground blind puts the odds in your favor.
I know because of family or job restraints, you may only hunt a few days here and there but you have to make the most of those few days.
I read once "you can have 10 years experience or 1 years experience 10 times"
Don't be afraid to try new things that you think might work and think outside the box.
Learn to interpet their body language. Avoid direct eye contact with deer. And as others have said there is no substitute for preparation and time spent in the woods. The beauty and peacefulness of nature is one of Gods greatest blessings. So go out,take your time, and enjoy it.
Practicing with your bow must simulate real hunting conditions. I shoot every day and don't even own a target! Stump shoot in real scenarios, kneeling, squatting, over a limb or around a bush. If you hunt from a tree then practice out of a hanging stand. Standing erect and flinging arrows at a flat faced target butt at known distances will hurt you more than it will help. Maurice Thompson said so 130 yrs ago.
In theory it is easy. Find a good site, sit still, point your face into the wind, be quiet, pick a spot, shoot straight. Granted, it is a lot easier said than done. A whole lot of woodsmanship, discipline, and archery skills are needed to make all this work as planned. Gee, I wish I could always practice what I just preached.
Have fun
Some great advice here!
I'm not an old timer by any means but I have spent the majority of days in the woods.. more when I was a younger boy less now since I have family to provide for but my passion above all is to just be in the woods.
You can be a champion turkey caller and if you are not a woodsman you won't be a champion turkey hunter. You can be the best shot with a bow or gun and if you are not a woodsman you will not kill deer.
No matter what the quarry if you are not a woodsman first you will not be succesful. As has been stated here several times KNOW YOUR QUARRY. Know the lay of the land and enjoy being part of what is nature.
It took me four years of bowhunting to harvest my first deer at the age of 14. 20 years later I succesfully harvest deer every year. Not always monster bucks but my freezer is never empty and I ain't found a recipe for horn soup yet so that don't make to much diffference.
Plan on taking a turkey this fall with a recurve and can't wait. It took me 4 years of chasing them suckers to figure them out but once I did I have succesfully harvested a nice spring gobbler on opening day all but one year since and the year I didn't get him opening day I got him the next.
Do all your hunting before season opens, do your harvesting when season comes in.
Know your equipment and be proficient at it's use. good luck and have a great life as a WOODSMAN.
Kris
Patience kills more game than anything else...
I think the same topic was posted about 3 years ago.
Them little one or 2 sheets of TP left on the end of the roll, Stickem in a sandwich bag & throw the empty tube away. Your wife or girl friend will appreciate it.
By the way, put a fresh roll out, but keep the sandwich bag next to the toilet because you know within about a week you're going to need it.
She won't replenish the roll, although she spects you to.
And Kildeer you know I'm being honest and I DON"T want to hear from you on this one.
Definitely not an old timer but have been deer hunting most of my life. The best thing i can share that i have learned is that there is no substitute for TIME
Time practicing with your bow
Time spent learning about your quarry and the land they live in
Time learning how to play the wind and keep it in your favor (thermals can mess with you)
In this sport and the way we choose to approach it there is no quick answer or short cut, it is a journey, and its one thats meant to be fun so enjoy the process and i promise if you put the time in filling tags will no longer be a worry and will happen more often than not
My tips are Give Thanks To God enjoy the hunt and pass it on.Blake
Here's one that salvaged an almost bust season for me in late December. Please read, it's one of my best hunting stories.
When preparing to exit your tree stand, and you've lowered your weapon to the ground with your hoist line... DONT drop the other end of the line assuming you will simply roll it up when you get down there. Keep it attached to your belt until your all the way down.
It had been a long hunt. In my stand pre-dawn, now 2 pm, and I had no lunch, very hungry, no deer, gotta go. I had de-chambered and lowered my gun to the ground and nearly dropped the cord assuming it would be of no more use, I was obviously done hunting. Something inside said "no, clip the hoist line to your belt", so I did. I took my safety harness off, packed my pack, and proceeded to place my foot on the first step of the Lone Wolf climbing stick. Immediately two does came crashing through with a young buck following. They were headed straight to me. I put my feet back on the treestand platform and began hoisting the gun back up, thanking God as I did. As the gun moved foot by agonizing foot closer to my hands, the buck moved yard by yard closer until he was so close I knew he'd bust me. But the does kept him distracted from ever noticing the rifle dangling in mid air in front of his face. Just as he was fifteen yards and broadside my gun was in my hands. He was still moving fast behind the does, but the sound of the lever action stopped him in his tracks... It was the last thing he ever heard. My bust season was salvaged, meat would be in the freezer. There I stood on my platform, dead buck under me, backpack on, hoist line dangling from my rifle, and realized all this had occurred without my harness on!!! :scared:
It's not over till it's over!
I love threads like this, just keep learning from each other.
Great story Bear, we have always tied our haul ropes to the top half of our vipers. I have let my bow down before, turned around and started making prep to descend and had to yank the weapon back up too !!!
I know it, but still letting what stiks-n-strings said above...." Do your hunting before season opens, your harvesting when season opens", soak in. That is some profound stuff right there ! Thinking back over the years some of my best spots were found in Feb.
nocams
I was in the sporting good store today and there was no SKILL for sale!! We don't need most of the goodies or hype in there.
I second the gutless method, but bring an empty backpack to save wasted trips to the truck.
So many use binos beyond shooting range at first look and then get busted by game in close.
Take a kid!