I've hit it hard the last three days. I've been on deer the whole time, so that is good. It's just a matter of time. I've put in a lot of miles scouting for feed trees and the legwork has paid off. That said, my right ankle is twingy today so I need to rest it.
Yesterday I set up in the morning over a hot white oak on top of a steep hill. I set up in one of the white oaks (this one was not so nasty) with 2TC and actually passed the first limb of the season. Passing limbs around here is pretty uncommon. No drama, I was just careful and methodical. Typical hill country setup. I'm 20 feet up a tree and the ground behind me is about 10 feet below me 25 yards back. To my front is the primary feed tree. Just past it the ground drops off at least 30 feet into the valley below, so I am a good 50 feet above the valley floor 30 yards out. I ran two deer out from under it the day before late morning. This sit will last until 1 PM.
In spite of the great sign, nothing showed. I bumped two does bedded under a red oak tucked back against a thicket on the way out. I looked at those trees the day before and considered them for the morning sit. Looks like I chose wrong.
I went back out to the truck and ate a quick lunch. Now it was decision time again. Choice 1 was go over to a hot red oak in a narrow deep drain in very thick cover that was about 500 yards from my current location that shows buck sign, or leave this area and drive a few miles over to hunt the hot tree I missed the doe at the other evening. Since it was 1:30 now, I opted for the feed tree down in the gulley with the buck sign nearby. Both spots had deer. Both are good feed trees. This one I haven't hunted yet, and I'm already here.
I try and ease in to that gulley spot but it is thick. I end up busting a small doe out before I get to it. She blows once and I give her some turkey calls that seem to calm her down. I ease on in and set up in a red oak on the tip of a finger overlooking the gulley. I have a cedar to my left shoulder, and a clear lane to the feed sign below, about 12 feet down from the bank, so I am about 18 feet up from the ground at the bottom of the gulley. To my 6 o'clock is a nice open lane and on the opposite hillside coming up the draw is a well used trail. It is a shooting lane that is as clean as if I had cleared it out myself. That was perfect. Off to my 9 o'clock is a little pocket in the foliage and I can clearly see a scrape down in the draw. I am loving this set up the more I look at it. Another good thing is back up the hill about 150 yards on a lane is a 4 foot diameter scrape with fresh pee in it. In fact, the day before when I saw it I said "this is man made" and started looking for a camera. No camera found. Maybe it is real....I think so. I would not hunt that scrape since I am 99% sure it is night time activity but it tells me something decent is lurking nearby. Now where would a big buck spend his daylight hours? Maybe down in a deep dark grotto in thick cover with a red hot feed tree.
Well, I'd love to say the Booner came in and worked that scrape and I put an arrow through him but so far that hasn't happened. I saw no deer during the sit. I will be back in there soon. I can also see this as being a good rut travel corridor. Deer can move down that deep narrow draw and remain unseen in daylight.
