rugercaptain
11-22-2005, 08:26 PM
Got my second doe this season last Tuesday evening. And for the first time in seven seasons of deer hunting I saw a goodly amount of buck activity where I hunt--two respectable eight-points and a heavy-bodied ten-point made their rounds Tuesday morning. I watched them from a ladder stand set up near a deer crossing point, but none came closer than about 60 yards.
Maybe there's something to the QDM theory after all. From 2001 to 2005 my buddies and I have taken nine does off about 90 acres. Now I'm finally seeing good bucks, not just spikes and forkies. Didn't get a food plot in this year (last year I had about 1-1/2 acres of Biologic Maximum planted--they ate that pretty good), but I regularly feed a mix of whole corn and high-protein deer feed that I get at TSC (usually 50/50 mix of 25 lbs. in the feeders). What got me excited for this year's season was finding three sheds from three different eight-point bucks last spring. Finally...evidence that bucks were on the land that I hunt!
The best part about last week's hunt (besides getting more meat for the freezer) was discovering that grunting really works! And learning that one should stay in one's stand until the absolute last minute of legal hunting time. After not seeing or hearing anything all Monday evening, I called it quits with about five minutes left. I lowered my crossbow and was ready to climb down when I noticed a doe in the field, about 100 yards away. Even though I knew does don't come to grunts, I quickly retrieved my crossbow and grunted at her, hoping she would wander in, out of curiosity more than anything else.
What happened next I wasn't prepared for--from behind me and to my left, a REAL buck grunted back at me! Holy Fright!!!! Scared the bejesus outta me! It was almost too dark to see anything, and as I carefully turned to the left, looking behind me, I strained to glimpse him in the gloaming. Next thing I knew it sounded like a freight train was barreling through the woods, straight at me. The sounds of branches breaking and leaves scattering told me he was running in--who was this renegade buck in his territory???--then...nothing. I couldn't see off to my left, and with only a minute left of shooting time I begged him, pleaded with him, promised him a quick, heroic and glorious death if he would but walk in front of the stand and into the narrow lane I'd prepared back in July.
Ah, but it was not to be. Silence ensued. I held my breath for what seemed like hours, waiting, crossbow up, crosshairs on the only spot that I could see, ten yards away, and at which I could take a good shot. Nothing. I didn't even hear him walk away. I sat there for another twenty minutes, then climbed down in the dark and walked back to my truck.
I thought I was going to have a frickin' MI, succumb to cardiac arrest, and die splayed out at the base of my stand--another grim hunting statistic. I was hunting alone, four hours from home, and it would've been damn hard to do CPR on myself! LOL Oh, well, maybe I'll see him next week. I know the rut'll be over, but maybe a bit of luck will come my way and I'll tag my first Ohio buck.
Tamie
Maybe there's something to the QDM theory after all. From 2001 to 2005 my buddies and I have taken nine does off about 90 acres. Now I'm finally seeing good bucks, not just spikes and forkies. Didn't get a food plot in this year (last year I had about 1-1/2 acres of Biologic Maximum planted--they ate that pretty good), but I regularly feed a mix of whole corn and high-protein deer feed that I get at TSC (usually 50/50 mix of 25 lbs. in the feeders). What got me excited for this year's season was finding three sheds from three different eight-point bucks last spring. Finally...evidence that bucks were on the land that I hunt!
The best part about last week's hunt (besides getting more meat for the freezer) was discovering that grunting really works! And learning that one should stay in one's stand until the absolute last minute of legal hunting time. After not seeing or hearing anything all Monday evening, I called it quits with about five minutes left. I lowered my crossbow and was ready to climb down when I noticed a doe in the field, about 100 yards away. Even though I knew does don't come to grunts, I quickly retrieved my crossbow and grunted at her, hoping she would wander in, out of curiosity more than anything else.
What happened next I wasn't prepared for--from behind me and to my left, a REAL buck grunted back at me! Holy Fright!!!! Scared the bejesus outta me! It was almost too dark to see anything, and as I carefully turned to the left, looking behind me, I strained to glimpse him in the gloaming. Next thing I knew it sounded like a freight train was barreling through the woods, straight at me. The sounds of branches breaking and leaves scattering told me he was running in--who was this renegade buck in his territory???--then...nothing. I couldn't see off to my left, and with only a minute left of shooting time I begged him, pleaded with him, promised him a quick, heroic and glorious death if he would but walk in front of the stand and into the narrow lane I'd prepared back in July.
Ah, but it was not to be. Silence ensued. I held my breath for what seemed like hours, waiting, crossbow up, crosshairs on the only spot that I could see, ten yards away, and at which I could take a good shot. Nothing. I didn't even hear him walk away. I sat there for another twenty minutes, then climbed down in the dark and walked back to my truck.
I thought I was going to have a frickin' MI, succumb to cardiac arrest, and die splayed out at the base of my stand--another grim hunting statistic. I was hunting alone, four hours from home, and it would've been damn hard to do CPR on myself! LOL Oh, well, maybe I'll see him next week. I know the rut'll be over, but maybe a bit of luck will come my way and I'll tag my first Ohio buck.
Tamie