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LIVE from the Saddle 2024
- Thread starter Bigterp
- Start date
casts_by_fly
Well-Known Member
Feels like a deer killing kind of night. First sit in this woods since January when I killed one here. Trails are freshly pounded over the new leaves, bright white buck rub on my six, and plenty of deer on nearby cameras. Even found a tree I hadn’t seen before in the middle of a beech thicket so there’s no chance they see me coming from my 11-2 where I expect them to come from.
casts_by_fly
Well-Known Member
Well it was close. Had three does come in about 20 minutes before the end of shooting light. They were on a line to take them just out of my shooting range by a couple yards. The first passed and seemed closer than I had in my head. I ranged the second one as she came through and she was a couple yards under my target range (I must have misread the marker tree earlier in the night). As I was putting down the rangefinder to pick up the bow she turned behind a branch and I had no shot. The third didn’t come close. They hung around at 50 yards feeding for a bit when a fourth came in behind me. She was on a string to pass at 10 yards at my 11:00 when she turned to the other trail and came straight downwind of me and stopped dead. She was only at 20 yards and couldn’t pick me out but I didn’t have a shot either. After standing for a while and a couple of stomps she went 40 yards downwind and circled around to where she was headed.
Of course right after shooting light the three original does came in to 12-15 yards and fed calmly. I could see outlines but not enough for a shot.
I’ve got plenty of time for these deer. They aren’t going anywhere.
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2022
- Messages
- 5,897
I hunted yesterday evening. I went back to the spot where I killed the 7 pointer last fall. The conditions are about the same so I surmised the deer might be back there. It's a mile or so back. They were. I set up about 1 and had two does come in about 3:30 and get a drink and splash around. They were out of range at about 35 yards, and they were on my weak side also, with brush in the way. I'm sort of happy with that since I was back there looking for another buck, the decent 8 pointer from last year that should be better this year if he survived.
They left but came back about dusk to the same area and eased off just before black dark. I eased down the tree sans headlight and eased out. On the walk out, about half a mile in, I saw what I thought were bright eyes reflective tacks, but turned out to be two does under a feed tree. I had my hat mounted light on at that point and they did not spook at all. They let me walk to within 20 feet of them and then they just slowly eased off. I marked the tree and plan to come back soon and hunt that spot.
All in all, a good hunt. I've gone maybe 4 days without seeing any deer.
On a sad note, I decided to retire my main tether today. It's been a good one and has been on a lot of hunts, but it has developed a substantial fray about midway and it's time to retire it.
They left but came back about dusk to the same area and eased off just before black dark. I eased down the tree sans headlight and eased out. On the walk out, about half a mile in, I saw what I thought were bright eyes reflective tacks, but turned out to be two does under a feed tree. I had my hat mounted light on at that point and they did not spook at all. They let me walk to within 20 feet of them and then they just slowly eased off. I marked the tree and plan to come back soon and hunt that spot.
All in all, a good hunt. I've gone maybe 4 days without seeing any deer.
On a sad note, I decided to retire my main tether today. It's been a good one and has been on a lot of hunts, but it has developed a substantial fray about midway and it's time to retire it.
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Happy Halloween, I'm tucked in between an oak and a hemlock waiting for a cruiser to come by this pinch between a steep ravine and an overgrown field.
HuntfishskiVT
Member
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2024
- Messages
- 45
Holy hell! What are you hunting with that artillery!?
What ever he wants
Squatch
Love it when they fall within sight
Yes, 20+mph winds right now
LongRange101
Active Member
Out in a tree hybrid saddle hunting sitting is so nice for these rut all day sits.
In Illinois on some public this morning…. Didn’t go in until right at daylight. Scouted this area back in February. Didn’t get set up until 8am. So far I’ve seen 3 bucks and a doe. Just rattled in 2 bucks. One was a 110in 8, the other a 6. I couldn’t put the horns down fast enough and they were on top of me. 43 here this morning. It’s got em moving around.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If stays this dry, I'll be "running" into tight spots with a set of antlers, making noise and gettin' ready. No stand needed.
The Starbucks sign????
Pumpkin Spice
LongRange101
Active Member
Yep this weather sucks. Reminds me of the 2022 season. From the 28th or so to almost the 10th it was in the 50s-60s every day. Huge front came in around the 10th or 11th and things went wild. Our season runs to the 22nd so there's tons of time and still very optimistic
Lines up perfectly with how I like to hunt. Early November is usually more fun as far as chaos but the bigger boys wait til the middle of the month for the most part anyway. IMO. Everybody burns their vacation during these first two weeks and then I come in in the middle of the month with less people in the woods and bigger bucks just getting after it. Throw in a cool front and
