I have been hunting hard this season but until last week I had not taken my traditional gear out. Last week Ishiwannabe and Bowspirit came down for a few days to get some suburban hunting in and even Mcgroundstalker managed to make it up for a few hunts. The week prior to them coming the deer were everywhere but things slowed a bit by the time they arrived. We hunted hard and had some close calls but no shots until saturday morning. A large doe fed past my stand at 12yds or so. I drew, anchored, focused and released. I saw the arrow pass through her and I thought it may have been a tad low. She didn't even react at first. then she took a few bounds and stopped 20yds away. I nocked another arrow and as I started to draw she trotted off, but looked pretty wobbley. I could see my arrow covered in blood from the stand and texted Ishiwannabe what had just happened. we were sure she was dead but gave her some time. Bowspirit and I went to track her a bit later and found her piled up 100yds away, just past where i lost sight of her. it was a solid double lung hit.
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g167/skipmaster1/Hunting/IMG_1451.jpg)
Jesus man, were ya dodgen Soccer Moms?
Great shot, nice deer... Former Jersey guy, Bergen Co.
Congrats on a fine looking deer.
I was wondering when you would get to posting this.
An absolutely amazing time! So gald you made some meat with that new bow. The highlight of a very intense few days.
After my miss on the bodybuilder buck(yeah, I named him), I have been shooting a lot, and much better I might add.
Thanks again man, and good luck out there. I will add some pics as I can.....getting beat up by a three year old at the moment.
Congrats on a great deer and a good shot.
Nice...maybe you should have picked up your trad gear sooner..... :saywhat: :thumbsup:
Great deer! (wish my beard looked as good as yours too....really) Phil
I have more of the story to come and I'm hoping the other guys can chime in with their own stories of the week. It's a shame we didn't take more pictures but Jaime does have a few.
Congratulations on a fine harvest. Thanks for sharing it with us! :thumbsup: :clapper:
Congrats! Nice looking doe.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: Way to go sir! Can't wait to read the rest of the stories!
I will add when I can. I have to gather my thoughts, upload the pics, and get some time behind the keyboard.
The words "and a good time was had by all!"....well they don't even capture what those four days were like.
Above my expectations, that is for sure.
great story, thanks for sharing
well saturday afternoon we went to one of the few public hunting areas nearby and all decided to hunt the ground. I found a spot that looked promising on satilite images and topo maps and headed in. On the way I encountered a nice 8pt chasing does, but it was near where i dropped bowspirit off so I snuck on by and kept going. 100yds later another 8 chased a doe across the trail in front of me. I kept on walking to the area I picked out and found a decent makeshift groundblind and dug in for the remainder of the afternoon. within a few minutes I saw a few does feeding about 9oyds away. I watched them for a while and saw that they all were looking behind them. I put up my nikons just in time to see a mid 130's 8pt run into the group. I grunted and hit my rattle bag and he came in on a string! Stopping 15yds away and broadside looking the other way. I came to full draw and picked my spot. Just as i was releasing he swung his head to look back, putting his rack directly above his vitals.....in athat split second of weakness the giant tines caught my eyes and my arrow went high rattleing through them! He turned to run and I grunted at him, he stopped and came back to 30yds facing me, looking to see what had just happened. He finally put his nose to the ground and walked away looking for love. I'm still kicking myself....I know better, but talk about a rush! I started making my way back before last light, figuring if i jumped anything maybe one of the guys would get a shot. I ened up having a spike trot past me at 15yds and saw at least 15 more deer in some phase of chasing. in total I saw close to 30 deer in just a few hour sit and missed the biggest buck I ever shot at in NY. I wish I tagged him but it was still an awesome day!
Been wondering how you were doing Greg...good stuff!!
Cool Story Greg.
Nice Doe! Congratulations.
QuoteOriginally posted by Guru:
Been wondering how you were doing Greg...good stuff!!
I've been good....I had the training wheels out for waaaaay too long this season. from now 'till the end of jan, I'm longbow only. Now i know what it's like to rattle an arrow through a big bucks antlers too...
I'm hoping it cools down soon. These high winds and warm temps are making it really tough to stay on the deer.
We all know there are a lot of deer in Westchester County. Most of them aren't so tame as first thought. Simply "Rut Crazed" is a good way to put it! Anyway...
Our Master Guide Greg sent me out there with a hand drawn map, on a post-it no less. Had the little area of heavy cover (that I dig so much) with rock walls, trails, ridges and land mines all factored in scale wise. So... I just did what Greg said and saw deer right away.
First was a buck out at 50yds or so. He didn't see me cause I was in the cover and he was out in the open. Took my time after him but no luck. About an hour later and in the same general area another small buck comes running down the hill straight at me. Bow is up, arrow nocked, deer 20yds broadside, head down feeding...... FEVER! SHAKES! Couldn't draw the bow! :o As he walked into the thick stuff I tried to snake over the rock wall between us and got busted. Still a happy camper. Saw three doe waiting to be picked up before dark. Great day in my book.
Then came Saturday... As posted in "Does Almost Count For Something" Same spot because "You had action there and know your way around." Said my trusty guide Greg. (aka Hippie, get a hair cut!) Well, back up there real slow like and on a deer trail when a nice buck jumps off the logging road and onto the same trail as I. Head on at 20yds, no shot. Now down to 15yds and no shot. Cover between us at 10yds, head on, no shot. You guessed it, 5yds and still no shot! Now this fella is within TWO YARDS with a thorn bush between us and I think he might bite me real soon....... As he lowers his head to go under a branch between us I get busted and (he) turns inside out to get outa there! A shot at him in hyper speed missed and killed a tree.
Going over that chain of events tells me that timing was a big factor. If I were three steps ahead or behind on that trail the outcome may have been a lot different. Then again, I love the stalking bit so much, I'll just have to do it with an always ready attitude. ** Off To The Side Of Deer Trails For A Broadside Shot! **
Couldn't have been in better company. Thanks to Greg, his folks, Jamie and Chris for a great time.
Nice deer. Congrats.
Great deer! Sounds like you all had fun. :thumbsup:
I have the pics uploaded, but I am at work already. I will add to the storyline and post pictures later on today. Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted my "trophy beech tree" photo.
Sounds lik a great time had by all.
good stories!
QuoteOriginally posted by ishiwannabe:
The words "and a good time was had by all!"....well they don't even capture what those four days were like.
So true, so true. That week was a blast, and I find myself dreaming of more days spent with Greg, Jamie, and Mikey in those deer woods. More to come, have to collect my thoughts...
The trip began with a very long work day for me. It seemed like the minutes were dragging by...
I had only hunted Westchester for one afternoon, the year before, but I kept dreaming of possible opportunities, the fun between sits shooting arrows an sh... other stuff. :D
Somehwere around 8 am wednesday, my cell phone got a message from our host. He was wondering if we were definitely coming, what time we expected to arrive, etc. After a few exchanges, he let me know nonchalantly he was in a stand hunting. If you think my day was going slow before our text exchange...imagine how it DRAGGED after he sent the picture of a "small 8"! I asked him why he didn't shoot...he simply replied "saving it for you guys". Man I was pumped!
Not sure if all of you know, but Westchester is bow only. Tons of deer, and literally tons of big antlered mature bucks. Bucks that in almost any other Eastern place would be tagged an mounted are usually passed up here! It is mindblowing!
Anyway, after a very long day at work, it was go time. As I pullinto my driveway, I get a call from Bowspirit saying he is at our meeting place a little early. Picking him up was followed by numerous time eating stops that really worked on my patience(life getting in the way of hunting again). Finally around 1330, we were en route. Chris handled all of my running around like a maniac rather well....lol.
Please forgive my typos, im on my phone at work. ;)
The car ride went quickly for me. Talking about hunting and bows has that affect.
We arrived somehwere aroun 1600, to find an empty house. I was sure the address matched, almost positive the truck was familiar...hmm, but where is the host? The crunch of leaves alerted us to his presence. Bowhunting hbehind his house to wait for our arrival!
We unloaded our gear and within what seemed like minutes were shooting. No stress....no worries, just friends, bows, and a blossuming case of mutual twitterpation between Chris and Hank. Don't worry, Hank is Greg's german shorthair. :D
More about that later. Lol. I should note that as we were shooting, we did see a group of deer run by the house across the street. Deer sighted already!
Time passed quickly as we made ready our gear, had a fabulous dinner(venison steak with burritos!), and settled in for the long awaited firt hunt of the morning. Dreams of big bucks were not too hard to conjure up looking at Greg's trophies...
Much more to come. Have to actually work now. I will add more and the few pictures I have later. My one regret of this whole trip, other than my miss anyway, was that we never really took a lot of pictures...
Nice shot on a nice doe! Congrats!!
Cool stuff fellas. Greg, did you get your new stick yet?
Sounds like it was a good time,Congrats on the doe.
great stuff.
Great hunt...sounds like the doe was just the icing on the cake.
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w29/ishiwannabe/2010-11-14_04-08-53_513.jpg)
With these staring at us while talking and sharpening....I thought sleep would be hard to come. It wasnt. Seemed like minutes after laying down the alarm was going off.
With a hurried, but relaxed mood, we gathered out gear, I got my coffee, and we were out the door. Having decided a plan of action the night before, we were all ready for the day.
We met up with Mikey at "the lodge" and I began to dress in my layers. I was being dropped off first. Interesting the thoughts you have while walking in the pitch dark, looking for a treestand you saw once the year before...lol. I was pretty sure I knew where I was going, but very glad for Greg's precise directions.(we will come back to land navigation LOL!)
Upon finding the stand, I tied off my bow and quiver and began the climb. That went well, until I tried to squeeze myself and my camelbak through the opening between two trees.
With some finesse, I managed to get into the stand, strap in, raise my gear and get set up. Still way too dark to shoot, I decided to add a layer, get the hand warmers cooking and put on my fleece cap and gaiter.
As I sat, I heard Greg's truck go by again after bringing Mikey to his spot.
As the sun began to rise, I heard a ruckus. Deer running, grunting....branches breaking. Definite chasing! Man I was pumped. The sounds faded off into the distance though. With the morning light, I was able to see roughly six scrapes withing 35 yards of the stand. Then the squirrels came out in full force. Now I dont know, but I would swear that the deer in Westchester have a pact with the squirrels. They fooled me numerous times sounding like deer. My head was on a swivel...I knew with the temp in the thirties, and the rut in swing, anything was possible.
Hours later, and not one deer spotted, I was literally shivering in the stand. My gear, although warm, is not windproof. That is being remedied as I type. Suddenly, I caught movement on the ridge straight out above me. Deer legs, moving with a purpose. Oh, there was a gling of antler! I didnt even have time to dig out my binos, or grunt for that matter, before he was oveer the ridge. I smiled though...I knew he was headed for Mikey...
Man...I really hope I don't distract from Jamie's story telling. But the guy spins such a fine yarn, I think I'm safe.
You ever start a trip thinking the something great is about to take place? That was this trip. From the very moment Jamie and I met up near his place, I could tell this was to be a trip worth writing about.
For those of you who've never met him, let me just say that Jamie is just one of those folks that gets along with everyone. For good reason, too. Catching up with him on a car ride is long catching up with an old friend. The time just passes on by.
Now, it does a hunters's heart good to pull up to "deer camp" and see your guide out in the woods. Like he was made for them. Turned out Greg was after a squirrel, but it sure made for something to laugh about. Hands were shook, backs were slapt, and soon enough it was as if we'd never left each other's company.
That night was a night of stories and demonstrations. Of close calls and plans ahead. Of just letting your tongue hang out over that shrine to the outdoors that Greg and Logan call a home. Seriously, it was a bowhunter's shangri-la, perfectly adorned with deer mounts, wildlife photography, arrows galore, and anything else you can imagine. Not to mention Hank, but more on that later.
The one thing I remember most about that night, other than watching the big P&Y bucks dance through my head, was the broadheads. Jamie had stated that he wasn't quite satisfied with the sharpeness of his Razorcaps before we arrived. Well, he had the heads, I had the desire to help a friend, and Greg had a collection of some seriously nice waterstones (never thought I'd get dishpan hands just sharpening heads).
I think I sharpened a whole seasons worth of heads that night. Jamie's Razorcaps, my Snuffers. Heck, Greg was even kind enough to hand over a VPA Terminator that needed a good polishing. Not complaining, though. I loved every second of it, and when we were finished, there was an entire army of scary-sharp heads just hoping to carry out their tasks.
Sleep came easy, as I fully intended to comply...
Hey Greg nice deer :thumbsup:
Beautiful doe, Congrats!
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w29/ishiwannabe/2010-11-13_14-35-11_68.jpg)
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w29/ishiwannabe/2010-11-13_14-35-45_879.jpg)
Saturday's crew
Thanks for adding guys keep the stories coming!
I have something new to add. The past few days I have been on the trail of a very nice 8 pointer. Every time I actually lay eyes on him he is locked down with a doe and has a few young bucks bothering him. Of course he runs the little guys so they come under my stand but they runs so quickly from him that he never feels any reason to pursue them for more than a few yards and he never ends up near me. I came real close to tagging him on thursday.Today I finally had a decent wind to hunt an area I thought he went to, a nearby doe bedding area. As soon as Ai got on stand today a 3 pointer came crashing out of it and then circled back in. The same 3 pointer that was hounding him and his love on thursday. A bit later a 6 pointer came out and headed back in, also the same 6 from thursday. Then they both just stood there and looked into the heavy brush. I knew he had to be in there. About 45 minutes later I heard some crashing and saw a doe bounding through the thicket with the big guy in tow. A few minutes later from the same area I saw a pine tree branch shaking violently, he was blowing off a little steam. I grunted and rattled and he tore into the tree harder until a small buck came close enough for him to make a few bounds at it. Then he went back and destroyed the tree on and off for a while. As the sun got lower in the sky, the wind switched and was headed right into the thicket. I had a very concealed way to exit the stand and made the tough decision to leave before burning the set up. I already have made plans for the morning.
I went back to the truck and waited for my buddy. I decided to sit just inside the woods just in case something came by. Well just at sunset a BIG doe came feeding down the hill and ended up 15yds from me and broadside. I drew my bow and shot. The shot looked and felt good. The arrow passed through, she ran 30 yards and tipped over behind a pile of old logs left from some long ago land clearing. I retrieved my arrow and walked over to her. To my surprise her head was still up but she was "punch drunk" only 15-20 yards away. I shot her again and she jumped to her feet. The arrow had lodged in her off side shoulder. Now I know I could have just walked away and given her a few minutes but I have a motto I preach to everyone I hunt with, "when in doubt, quiver out". I am a firm believer that if a deer is still on it's feet, keep shooting it until in isn't. I have seen far too many "dead deer" get away over the years. So, with that being said i shot 3 more arrows as quickly as possible, all chest shots, before she took 2 more steps and tipped over. Overkill? Maybe but I sure didn't have to track her into the night!
This is the broken beam 6 pointer that has been within range no less than 7 times in the past 4 days, he's one of the 2 bucks that bother the big guy.
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g167/skipmaster1/Hunting/DSCN0023.jpg)
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g167/skipmaster1/Hunting/DSCN0022.jpg)
Here is the 3 pointer that also tags along. He also has presented me with many shot opportunities.
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g167/skipmaster1/Hunting/DSCN0026.jpg)
Here is the guy I'm after. Not a great pic but when he is more open/closer I am holding my bow not camera. You can see how wide he is and get a decent look at tine length.
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g167/skipmaster1/Hunting/DSCN0029.jpg)
Here is the log pile that was behind the doe when I shot 3 quick shots into her
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g167/skipmaster1/Hunting/DSCN0037.jpg)
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g167/skipmaster1/Hunting/DSCN0041.jpg)
And here she and I are!
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g167/skipmaster1/Hunting/DSCN0073.jpg)
Wow man, he is a stud! I hope he wears one of your tags! Or mine....lol.
Big doe. Im sure ya did the right thing shooting multiple times. Sometimes, that is what it takes. Better than to lose her...or have end up piled up on a non-hunter friendly owned property. Congrats!....again. Lol.
Keep at em Bro'.......end of the season is a long way off!
BTW - let me know when you are going to be around...maybe at FAS....or when we can touch bases.....have some moose meat for you and yours!
Way to go Greg!!!
Good food here guys. I 'll be checking back. Sounds to me like a well rounded success for everyone. :notworthy: :clapper:
Nice doe, and nice lookin bow too...what kind of bow is it?
QuoteOriginally posted by gobblegrunter:
Nice doe, and nice lookin bow too...what kind of bow is it?
Thats my new Shrew classic hunter. I love it, it has carbon/foam limbs and the bow bolt take down system. It's only 56" long and 55# at 28"
OK where was I? Sorry it has taken so long to get back at this. Life is crazy.
With the deer headed towards Mikey, I began to smile. I know, I know. Mikey is from the city, and a gorund only hunter...but I have seen the man in the woods a few times, and I know he can get it done.
Fast forward to about nine am. Im still in the stand, and I am COLD. I was cursing myself for not bringing another layer. On one of my numerous right to left scans, I saw something that I didnt remember seeing before, off my left shoulder. Then it moved...ah. Binos. Black binos, and the only other thing I saw was a glint. It turned out to be Mikey, he had gotten to within about 45 yards without being noticed. Then, thanks to his predator camo, he was very hard to pick out. If he had camo binos, I probably would have missed him. I climbed down, we chatted a bit. Then I figured we should get ready in case out pick up man bumped something towards us. I found a root ball hole, and climbed in. I turned to look for Mike....gone. He is like a ninja! Im telling ya.
A few minutes later, I see a man skirting the property, heading towards us. I wait until he is about 50 yards away, coming right towards me, and begin to pack up. As I finish, he is five feet away. I stand....I wave....he doesnt see me and keeps walking! He turned out to be a landscaper....and went about forty yards passed the stand I was in to answer nature's call....number two.
Now, this happens to Mikey and I almost every time we hunt....I dont know why. Maybe a glitch in the universe or something...lol.
The landscaper finishes up, and returns to work, and out pick up man, Ray, showed up. Back to the lodge for story swapping and plans for the afternoon...
The rest of the days continued like this. It seems like there were deer spotted on every hunt. At one point, I had a very "close" encounter with a HUGE 8 or 10 point buck. After getting altitude sickness from one of Greg's stands :D I climbed down, and begand making my way uphill for a improvised ground blnd. I made it about twenty yards when I heard something. I looked up and watched this massive buck stand up at about 35-40 yards. Wind was in my favor, and I froze. He stood for maybe 30 seconds, unsure. He took a bound, then another, and was on top of the ridge. He stood there, looking back, but his gaze drifted past me each time. What a magnificent buck....and to be so close, but so far. It lasted about three minutes total, but I will always remember it. He nonchalantly walked away, into the wind, and out of my life forever...
Great story and pic. Nice big doe, congrats.
I do have to admit, I messed up one time on a pre-dawn entry. I had found this hot spot, and with Greg's lonewolf packed on my back, I headed out. This was a nice saddle, with a couple of trail intersections and some decent rubs. I knew as soon as I found this spot, it would be hot.
With my gear on my back and my bow in my hand, I was off. Easy....up to the crest, bear left and follow the saddle down to the stone wall "t".
I remember thinking as I walked that I needed to tweak the way I set up the lone wolf. A nifty little stand, quiet as can be, but a bit uncomfortable to climb with, imo. Anyway, suddenly I saw a very large downed log that I did NOT remember from my earlier look around. Hmmmm...this doesnt look right, and because I was going slow and quiet, Im running out of time.
I find a few trails, and a break in the stone wall....I decide to set up, and not run the risk of messing up the spot....I can always readjust for the afternoon, right?
As I get up the tree and settled, I shoot a text off to Greg stating I am not where I was headed, and actually have no idea where I am. He suggested I find a spot and set up....told him I did. A few minutes later, with light coming quickly, I see......a cow? Almost the same time, I get a text from my host saying look right, the cow pasturer is 80 yards off your shoulder. He is right but how in the he...another text. "now turn around"....I do, he waves. Somehow I got completely turned around and set up within a hundred yards of Greg!! He laughed at me a lot, but told me to stay put as I was in a good spot. Mortified at my mistake, I pouted the morning away...
From where he sat, Greg could almost see Chris, and saw a deer bolt away, low and tucked. It didnt take much to convince eachother Chris may have gotten a shot. Greg and I met up, I apologized A LOT, and he laughed it off. What a great host...he actually said he didnt even hear me climb/set up. Being in such close proximity, with my second time with a lone wolf, I took that as a compliment. Atleast I can do something right....LOL.
The background here is that I taught land nav in the Army...and I always stressed terrain features!!! Now, I didnt have a map, but who can get turned around in Westchester, right? :biglaugh:
I can hear that DEP land calling now! Nice pictures by the way.
... mike ...
Funny Stuff Jamie.
:biglaugh: :laughing:
That sit passed with a few texts between Greg and I. And a few waves... :rolleyes: We had basically convinced ourselves that Chris had made a shot, but it turned out we were just having a case of wishful thinking.
The time spent there is still vivid, even now, weeks later. I need to review what has been written, and pick this back up in a bit...
Saturday found us sitting yet another location. Chris and I were on opposite sides of powerlines. A chilly clear morning, and we were in the stands with plenty of time to await first light.
The horizon had just began to lighten when I heard a deer. It sounded as if it was trotting, headed right for me. It got about forty yards driectly behind me and stopped. Still too dark to make out anything, I assumed it had walked off along the powerlines.
the predawn twilight began to" blue up", and vague shapes began to appear. Suddenly leaves were moving. And I mean leaves...imagine an inground swimming pool filled with nothing but dry leaves. Now imagine throwing your sibling/nephew/cousin/etc into the deep end. Something was swimming in the leaves....I could not bend my head around this noise.
I squinted....I stared. Still too dark to make out anything beyong 15 yards, I was baffled. Then silence. Light increased, squirrels woke up. Come on deer.
I have a habit of slowly panning my head, side to side, when in a stand. I have seen so many deer this way that I never heard, and it keeps me focused. On one such pan, the first actually, I caught movement behind me and to the left. I slowly turned to watch a buck meander across the powerline, headed for Chris's side. All my wishing and praying didn't turn him towards Chris, and I watched him angle up the hill away from Chris.
a while later is when Greg made the shot on the first doe pictured in this thread. Texts between Greg and I relived his shot, and he decided to back out and walk a loop to us.
the rest of the morning passed uneventfully....but even that is a blessing to those of us that live and breathe the hunt.
back at the lodge, Greg and Chris went on retrieval, and Mikey and I terrorized the squirrels. Randy stopped by, and the three of us awaited the sight of the first deer down. We didn't have to wait long...Greg and Chris returned in short order.
The afternoon was planned...
We were going to a public property. With our access passes printed, we stripped our gear down. No need for safety harnesses, ezhang bowhangers....light and mobile was the name of the game.
as we parked, we saw there was just a lone vehicle. We made ready. Threw together a quick plan, posed for a few pictures, and we were off.
I broke off from the group early to follow a stream as it wound it's way towards a promising saddle spied on google earth. Turns out Greg and I like hunting terrain features...I hadn't used GE until this trip, but I will now. I usually used topo maps and terraserver. No longer, I am converted.
anyway, as I slithered along the stream, I was amazed at the sign. It seemed that almost every sapling was rubbed, and walking was easy....just step from scrape to scrape. 60 yards in, I jumped a doe. She ran up and away from where Greg and Chris were headed, but right towards Mike. I continued on. After about a hundred yards more, I got up into a little draw to work my way in further. I noticed heavy tracks...the people kind. I passed it off as hikers, other hunters, etc. I crossed them and doglegged up to the general area I remembered from the map. Rubs, substantial rubs, were everywhere. Scrapes and heavy trails. I followed a stone wall, spied a break in it. I stopped and looked around....this was my spot. A deadfall against a stone wall. Trails to my front and right, wind in my face. I threw together a hasty blind, found a large flat rock for a chair, and began my vigil.
within minutes, squirrels were surrounding me. A few times I actually considered taking a shot....but I was in westchester...the bowhunting mecca of the entire northeast.
my evening passed too quickly. No other deer were spotted. My phone blinked at me...I had received my schedule(work) and would have to leave tomorrow afternoon...only one more hunt here in paradise before I had to return to life...
as dusk approached, I heard footsteps. Another hunter walked up to within 15 yards, unaware. I stood, waved. We chatted a bit about sightings and luck so far. He was blown away by my longbow. His exact words" I have never seen anyone actually HUNT with a longbow!" I laughed, and said there are four of us here now, and thousands throughout the U.S. He seemed genuinely impressed...I ended up walking out with him, discussing the ability of a lb. As we parted ways, I offered him the website here, at Tradgang. I told him it was a place he could learn all he wanted about stickbows. He thanked me, and we bid eachother good luck on our future hunts.
as I got to the vehicles, I could sense an energy. It was intense....a life of it's own. It took one look at Greg to realize something had happened...
I will let Greg tell it from here, and then finish up with Sundays morning hunt. I hope you guys are enjoying this so far...it isn't easy to put into words how great this experience was.
Sounds like a blast! Its similar hunting in a lot of the patches of woods out here on the island too!
Hey Greg, when you gonna get that sawed off grounds keeper guy a deer :bigsmyl:
Thanks so much Jaime for telling this story. I hope Chris can get around to jumping in soon. I really don't remember a lot from the week. For me it went by too fast and honestly I was more concerned about getting everyone to and from stands, making sure everyone was up and ready on time, Jaime's coffee was ready..... pretty much all the "behind the scenes" of hunting camp. Not to say I wasn't having fun, I was having a blast but I really wanted the guys to just relax and have fun. I'm lucky enough to pretty much do that all the time, so it was their turn.
Back to the evening Jaime just wrote about. I mentioned it in an earlier post but yes it was an amazing night. After breaking off from these guys and making sure they were set, I hoofed it to the very back side of the property. I had encounters with two different 8 pointers chasing different groups of does as I made my way to the area and then was able to call in a 130"+ buck, into range and miss him! I texted Jaime and told him about it, he thought I was kidding, but with deer like that I don't kid around. I'm sure I looked like a teenage boy who just got his first kiss from a crush when i got back to the truck. Big deer don't usually rattle me like this but I was on cloud nine. I Couldn't stop thinking( or talking) about it all night. It was just an awesome evening to be in the woods.
:thumbsup:
Good stuff..That pix of those three arrows is crazy..
On the way home, the three of us took a ride around the property to get a better lay of the land. The number of deer sighted was impressive to say the least. I think before we even reached Greg's, we had unanimously decided to return in the morning for our final hoorah.
That evening, we washed clothes, repacked our gear, touched up broadheads and discussed what ifs. A lot of time was spent on GE going over terrain features. Greg and I are just about on the same page with terrain features and ideas on key points of interest. We explained our reasonings to Chris, and within a few minutes, a spot was picked for each of us. Greg would go the furthest, dropping Chris and I along the way.
O.K., O.K., All this talk about "Deer Heaven" makes me want to head back up there right now! So... I'm out the door... Maybe I'll get lucky. :rolleyes: Maybe...
... mike ... :archer2: ...
Go get em Mikey. Good luck my friend!
Great story guys.
Good luck Mikey! Be sure to look up once in a while so you'll see the deer before you walk under them! :)
Good one Terry :laughing:
:clapper:
Good One Terry,. Good Luck Mikey
You guys are killin' me! :mad: I have a tee shirt around here that reads... "You're better off with Duct Tape over your mouth." Any body want to try it on for size? :p
... mike ... :smileystooges: ...
PS... No deer yet......... :rolleyes: ... Guess I need more than luck. Thanks Fellas!
Well Mikey you can put on my mouth but I still would be talking out of my arse.
Good luck if you make it out tomorrow.
I'd sure need a big roll of duct tape!
Mikey, you're still my hero. I've never been able to stalk up on a deer. I've recently seen a trend of the deer looking up into the trees for danger. Maybe that's why you can get so close, they're not looking down.. Oh no he didn't! I'll be back later. I have to go get the duct tape.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
This time out I'm gonna try it your way... Not out of a tree stand but getting into the hunting area at 0'Dark Thirty something. Might get the jump on them other fellas, kinda... It is public land you know... Glad it's archery only too. That's Cool!
Thanks for the well wishes Terry, Charlie, Jim and Jamie.
... mike ... :archer2: ...
Bringing this back to the top. I know Greg wants me to tell everyone how great a trip this was, and boy was it ever.
Sleep came easy the first night, and so did getting out of bed that morning. I'd like to say it was all the excitement for the hunt ahead, but Hank the German Shorthair sure made sure he helped.
Greg had promised me that I would be spending my first morning in Westchester with "Doe-reen" his Montana doe decoy. I was sure impressed with it. Easy to carry in and easy to set up, as well as super realistic. Either way, she proved to be good company.
When we pulled up to the house in front of the hunting area, I realised this would be unlike any hunting area I'd ever been to.. I was used to the foothills of the adirondacks. Never seeing anyone, usually. When the sun finally began to light up the sky, I could easily make out the house. Heck, I could make out there tennis court. Could deer possibly live so close by.
Naturally, such questions were answered in a typical fashion when four does began following the powerlines beside my stand. Oh, how I hoped they would travel into range. All they had to do was leave their thicket to inspect the decoy, and I'd have tenderloins on the ground. Yet, it never came to be. One showed interest at a point, but wouldn't leave the group and the safety they provided. So there I was, completely content to watch them until they left 45 minutes later.
When Greg came to collect me around 9, I know I was smiling from ear to ear. Four deer in a morning. A great hunt that was only getting better...
:clapper: Nice deer
Thanks for a great pos.
From the tale, and the pics, sounds like you all had a great hunt.
Thanks again.
Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun thanks for sharing. Congrats on your deer.
Great story Thanks Guys
Skipmaster, great photos and stories! Hope to see you again at Flying Arrow!