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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Looper on October 02, 2011, 12:50:00 AM
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So, there I am enjoying a quiet afternoon in the woods. It was a still a little breezy, but nothing like the gales blowing this morning. A bit earlier I had a frustrating encounter with an SOB (Squirrel of Brashness). That little dude managed to avoid 3 consecutive judo chops and was give me the ol' crook eye from a dogwood a few steps away.
I sat there on my NiffT seat, contemplating sending a broadhead tipped Surewood his way. I nocked an arrow and slowly began to stand up. My favorite instrument was going numb from the way I was sitting on the seat, so I needed to get up anyway.
Let me take a moment and describe my setup. I was hunting in a stand of hardwoods that act as a natural funnel.My spot was in the bottom of a little draw, and I was sitting at the base of a big poplar tree. All around me were dogwoods, beech, various species of hickory and oaks, and numerous fallen logs. Behind and about 5 feet above me was an old roadbed, long absorbed back into the woods. It is a great spot and deer meander through it on their way to a 3 year old clearcut.
I wasn't using a blind, had no face paint on (I do have a full beard,though), and was wearing my Sitka Gear camo. That squirrel had interrupted me while I was getting set up, so I hadn't cleared the leaves from underneath my feet. I had planned on putting some sort of cover in front of me, but hadn't yet, so I was very exposed.
So, there I am, slowly rising from my seat, and behind me I heard a chipmunk give off its warning bark. I then thought I heard him hopping through the leaves directly behind me, less than 10 yards away. By this time I was standing up a couple of feet in front of the poplar. I slowly turn to see if it was indeed that chipmunk, and I'm shocked to see a deer getting ready to walk down the steep bank.
The poplar blocked his sight of me as he walked down the bank, and, before I knew it, the fat young fork horn was standing right beside me, less than 10 yards away. I didn't move a muscle. He glanced my way and froze in his tracks. He stomped his foot and glared at me. I was skeered. Not really, but I expected him to bolt out of there at any second.
A second later, I heard another stomp from back up on the road bed. Another second later, a second young buck dropped down the embankment and met up with the first one. He, too, immediately noticed something out of place. The first buck stepped ahead underneath a beech tree and continued to stare me down. The second, a larger 6 point, did likewise.
I couldn't move. My Halfbreed was quartered low, ready to swing into action. I was hoping for them to glance away just long enough for me to inch my bow up, but they continued to stare holes through me and give the occasional stomp. It was a faceoff and was lasting a ridiculous amount of time. I was standing in an awkward pose and started to get a cramp in my right calf. I was going to have to move.
I slowly started to shift my weight, while at the same time creeping my bow back to half draw. The first little buck stomped again, and, immediately, up on the roadbed, I heard a third deer. A slow twist of my head brought another fork horn into view, his head bobbing up and down, trying to see what the other two were all a'twitter about. I now had 3 young bucks glaring at me with their huge black eyes, and making like they were part of a Las Vegas dance troupe. All within 10 yards of me.
After a solid minute, the first buck decided he'd had enough and made a sudden, but short dash up the hill. He only went about 30 yards and turned back around and stared in my direction. The second buck crow hopped a few steps, which put him squarely behind a branch of the beech tree. He was still only 15 yards away, but the branches prevented making a clean shot. After another painfully slow minute or so, he simply walked straight away from me, joining his younger buddy.
The third buck walked down the roadbed behind me and came down the bank about 30 yards to my right. He picked his way through some undergrowth and never offered a clear shot. He never looked in my direction and I doubt he ever saw me in the first place.
The trio remained on the top of the knoll in front of me for about 30 minutes, feeding on browse and last years mast, before finally moving into the clearcut. They never did figure out what I was, and, incredibly, never winded me. No blowing, no flags waving, just some really hard stares. Typical teenagers.
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So true,I once had a doe with fawn stand below me for an hour,I finally got down out of the tree and she still stayed,go figure.
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Great story! :clapper:
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Sounds like a fun day, thanks for the great story.
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Thanks for sharing.
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Great spot!
How many times do we get up a minute too soon? Part of the human condition, dangit!
Killdeer :banghead:
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Great afternoon!
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I whole heartedly expected you to go on telling us how a group of kids wheelie the backroads busted your hunt! :jumper: :laughing:
Excellent writing and I know what you mean with the Sobs.
Yesterday walking to the stand a squirrel that had been bothering me all morning exploded from the brush and clambered up a tree straight in front of me. He came to eye level and stared me down, almost as if asking me why I kept coming back to his territory.
"You don't know how tempted I am to kill you right now", I said, arrow mocked. He cocked his head quizzically and bolted away from me as if my message was clear. Then came back in the afternoon making as much noise as he could, almost as if he was spiteful of my presence. A small game tag would've been the end to him, but I can't morally kill a creature just because he's annoying.
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Yeah, but they're sooo good to eat with biscuits and gravy. :D
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This is great story telling of an awesome hunt/time in the woods.
Thank you for taking time to share your excitement with us.
God bless,Mudd
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:thumbsup:
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Very nice! Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for taking me on this wonderful hunt.
My favorite and most memorable hunts to date are ones that I actually never scored.
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I thought like Dumke, bunch of punk kids ruining your hunt. Great story, I love days like that even if they end with no meat in the freezer, sure would be a plus though.
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Excellent read. Thank you!
Travis
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Deer gangs Whats the forest coming to. Sounds like a fun time.
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I had a fun day hunting from the ground a few days ago. Had a couple of does and fawns within range. This hunting from the ground is a lot of fun. I might not go back to treestands.
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I'll bet they had skateboards, too.
Good story. Stuff like that is why I bowhunt.